I once met a person on an airplane who was from a country that was at war. He told me that in all honesty, he didn’t know who to trust. Not even the clerics of his nation.
I can’t even imagine.
When evil abounds, trust is is short supply. That becomes true even with family, friends and more. A deficiency of trust is rapidly increasing. And yet trust is what makes life and relationships good.
Gedaliah had been put in charge of the people left in Jerusalem after Babylon had carried most everyone away into exile. He was warned that a man named Ishmael was set to kill him. But he stood up for Ishmael and defended what he thought was Ishmael’s honor.
Ishmael killed him. There were no second chances there.
Ishmael then went on to kill so many he filled a cistern with the corpses. For some reason he let some live, perhaps because some of them were daughters of the king.
A man named Johanan gathered the commanders and went after them. They were able to rescue those who had been abducted, but Ishmael and a handful of others escaped.
Knowing the dangers of the land and fearing that the Babylonians would come attack Jerusalem again to restore order, they and the captives started marching toward Egypt. But before they got too far they stopped to consult Jeremiah.
Trust.
Who do you trust? It’s much more precarious to trust when it’s not just your life but the life of others.
Gedaliah was good hearted. But he made a mistake. He didn’t inquire of the LORD via Jeremiah that we read about.
Johanan too was good hearted in going after the captives to rescue them. But would he make a similar mistake? He was going to go talk to Jeremiah.
We are in the days and times where I think we need to grow in our ability to hear, know and understand God’s leading for us. This isn’t a smooth process because we get it wrong. Oftentimes. But there’s grace for that.
One of my hopes and prayers for the coming hear is that I too would grow in hearing the LORD, obeying, and walking in His ways. This is a season of preparation. Let’s prepare out hearts, minds and spirits.
