Blessed are they who Hope in the Lord
The city was surrounded.
There was no escape.
The food had run out and the wells were empty.
The Babylonians were about to breach the walls of Jerusalem.

And many sought refuge in the Egyptians.
Their mortal enemies who enslaved them.

And Jeremiah the Prophet warns the people;
Those who trusts in human beings,
And seek their strength in the things of the flesh,
Are like the barren desert,
Like the empty earth. Jer. 17:5-8

But those who trust in the Lord,
Are like trees beside the river;
They do not fear the heat of day,
And their leaves are always green.

So what do you think they did?
They ignored Jeremiah and put their trust in men
And fled to Egypt.

When they arrived in Egypt,
They lost their Faith.
They turned away from the God who had saved them from slavery centuries ago
and began to worship the gods of Egypt who made them slaves in the first place.
And then Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
Conquered Egypt as well.
So they lost everything.
Their Faith and their Freedom by trusting in men.

While those carried off to exile in Babylon
Kept their Faith;
And eventually returned home back to Israel

Sometimes In our life,
It can seem as if the walls are caving in on us.
and there is no hope.
And in our desperation,
We turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, material things;
Only to become their slaves and lose our Faith;

When the ancient Israelites were surrounded,
Rather than trust in the Lord.
They fled to Egypt.

And Just as the Prophet Jeremiah warned the ancient Israelites,
So he warns us;
When we are surrounded by fear and sorrow and suffering;
And the walls are about to be breached;
Those who turn away from the Lord will be lost.

But Blessed are they who Hope in the Lord. Ps. 1


God Bless