Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5.

The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation! 2 Samuel 22:47 NKJV.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2.

I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8.

When we read Jeremiah, we are reading the words of the prophet of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. The people were told what they needed to do. Stay in the land. Harvest the food. Know that they are doing what God has told them is good through His prophet. And this chapter, Jeremiah 41, shows what happens when people refuse to listen to God and choose instead to go the way of darkness. And for what? In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, Ishmael struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there. The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord. Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. v. 1-7. Ten of those men survived because they offered the food they had hidden, but all the rest of the slaughtered men were thrown into the cistern. And captives were made of the rest of the people of Mizpah, the king’s daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites. v. 10. When word got out, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him went to fight Ishmael. When they reached the people, the people fled to them but Ishmael and eight of his men escaped to the Ammonites. And Johanan and those with him continued on with the intent to flee to Egypt for fear of what the Babylonians would do, v. 11-18.

Can we examine the difference between what God wanted for the people and what happened to them because of their refusal to choose the good way of trusting God’s word? We see that played out over and over throughout all the history of mankind. Darkness feeds darkness.

“You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him…If you love Me, keep My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you…Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me.” John 14:4-7, 15-17, 23-24.

All the words of Scripture belong to the Father who sent Jesus, His Son, the Word of God. When we read with the help of the Holy Spirit, we begin to understand why we need to fear God. Fear of men is not the same as fear of God. We have good reason to fear what men will do. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of the wisdom to know Almighty Creator God…that He is for us and for our good in Him. He alone can bring that good in Him into being. With His help, I’m learning to surrender all of me to the good work He knows is needed. I’m learning with His help that I can trust Him for all things. To let go of fear and worry that is such a huge part of me…I can’t without surrendering all of me. And that is a journey I can only undergo walking with Him. He has never lied to me. False interpretation of Scripture has lied to me; the way of this world is lying to me. God alone is my help and the bringer of the light of His truth and His love through His word and with the help of others also learning and growing together with Him leading them. My husband and I have been watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime. A character said something that resonated with me: “Strength won’t overcome the darkness. Only the Light.” Isn’t that what Jesus showed us?