22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” 25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. (II Kings 25)
The people of Judah had seen it all: their land invaded and decimated, their capital plundered and destroyed, their leaders abused and exile, their homes and the House of the Lord leveled. There was little left. What else could happen? They were instructed by their leaders, and by prophets like Jeremiah who remained, to live wherever they were making the most of what they had. If they would remain faithful to God and finally obey, He could still use them for His glory. Instead, most continued to rebel - against the leaders and therefor God - and had to run in fear. The reality is that sometime - sooner or later, we need to stop running and hiding in fear and trust in God. Fear is a natural God-given response to crisis. The decision to continue in fear is a choice we make. Which will we choose today?
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