Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of King
Jehoiakim's reign, seized Judah, the Southern Kingdom. The Babylonian king made
a vassal type covenant with Judah so that Israel could stay in the land
peacefully under their new foreign regime. It was Judah's new safe haven...
Jehoiakim's father, Josiah gave his life and reign to
restoring God's order to the Southern Kingdom after his father, grandfather, and
great grandfather lived out power and lustful fantasies, murdered and sacrificed
their own people, worshiped idols, and forsook the Lord their God. There was
such peace in the land during Josiah's reign. But the damage was done and the
once feared people of God were now under the rule of their fiercest enemy. Yet,
this was God's place of provision, safety, and keeping. King Hezekiah's and
Manasseh's evil brought this upon them, ending the nation's sovereignty of
Judah, hence Israel, but in God's mercy... all Jehoiakim needed to agree to was
to live peacefully and be Nebuchadnezzar's servant, or vassal.
Jehoiakim agreed for three years, then, he grew tired
of it and rebelled. He wanted his own regime... his own nation. He brought in
the same evil as his great-grandfather, Manasseh... built his own palace... and
restored "the high places", or false gods/idols that Israel and Judah were
judged for so many times before.
This grieved God... He sent Uriah, the prophet,
telling how Zion and Jerusalem were to be "plowed like a field" if Judah did not
return to the Lord. Jehoiakim ordered Uriah to be pursued all the way to Egypt
and had him killed.
The Lord's anger grew, yet, He said to Himself,
"Perhaps they will listen and will turn from their ways". Jeremiah's warnings
and prophecies to Jehoiakim were numerous and even the people of Judah plotted
to kill Jeremiah because of them. Baruch took down Jeremiah's dictation on this
prophetic scroll: "Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your
God... Then the Lord will relent..." Baruch stood before the king and read the
scroll. The king angrily got up and threw the scroll into the fire. Shortly,
thereafter, Nebuchadnezzer and his allies plundered the land, took Judah captive
back to Babylon, where the people of God were now slaves -- where once they were
freed from the hand of a foreign master, their refusal and rebellion brought
them back once again to bondage. (II Kings 24; Jeremiah 26 and 36)
What a place for a church service... sitting here on
this white bench. The church met in the old stench of a rodeo complex for awhile
now. The name grew and here I was invited and now sitting in the bleachers
watching this horse move and sway back and forth with the pastor. He had on his
white hat and spurs... and what was amazing was he brought he 4-year guilding to
the arena on the Sunday morning. He spoke of not being sure what his horse will
do... if he would kick, buck, rear his head. Curious and fidgetty, I moved in my
seat to get more comfortable. He talked long about giving our hearts to God go
that we can be pliable and move as He moves and do as He asks or does. I watched
the horse, who stood ten feet to the preacher's left on the dirt floor. The male
guilding would sway his head as his owner moved to the left and right, almost in
unison.
The pastor was almost done talking and asked a curious
question that would soon be answered... "I hope he gives me his heart" as he
pointed to his horse. He went into prayer and thanked God for the moment, asked
that the people there would willing to yield themselves to thir Lord, and
then... he prayed for his horse, passionately and tears came... "And God please
move on my horse to give me his heart."
He stepped over to the horse and straps in the saddle
as tight as it could go and then ties in the reigns so they are not flapping
around. He gently grabs the front, right leg of the guilding and curls it up
under his stomach. His other hand is on the horse's breast. The pastor gently
but firmly nudges and pushes on his breast... the horse pulled away. He went
over and attempted again grabbing his right leg and curling it. As he begins to
press on the breast of the horse in this tussle... suddenly, he gives up -- the
back legs buckle to their knees. The horse jostles one more time and pushes away
from his master on his front left leg that still is standing, but he cannot pull
away. At his owner's pressing and bidding, the reluctant male gives in and lets
his last standing leg buckle... as he rocks and slides to the ground down on his
side. One last gasp of fight, he rears his head backwards while the rest of him
lays prostrate. Then, the horse gives himself over to his master and lays his
head down simmetrical with his body. He laid there still... in perfect peace.
The pastor gets up off his knees and addresses his
congregation. With tears flowing he proclaims, "He gave me his heart."
One thing for sure in life with God... He wrestles our
souls. Yield,,, perfected peace; Rebel... a life of bondage. Choose life!
Dale Watkins
dale@answers2prayer.org
http://momsherbs.com/Oracle
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