Choose Life or Death.

Ancient Jerusalem

Photo by Bohank

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reconstruction_model_of_Ancient_Jerusalem_in_Museum_of_David_Castle.jpg

When Jerusalem was surrounded by the Babylonian army. God sent many messages to the King of Judah. This is one of the last ones:

"This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: ‘Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. This is what the Lord says: 

"Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”

"...tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire."

If you believed God and did what he said, you would not die. Most did not listen, but some did. This reminds me of the people of the flood. If the people had believed God when Noah was preaching, they could have gone inside the ark and be saved. No one did; not one person besides his family.

This is what God said about the king:

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,

his upper rooms by injustice,

making his own people work for nothing,

not paying them for their labor.

He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace

with spacious upper rooms.’

So he makes large windows in it,

panels it with cedar

and decorates it in red.

“Does it make you a king

to have more and more cedar?

Did not your father have food and drink?

He did what was right and just,

so all went well with him.

He defended the cause of the poor and needy,

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know me?”

declares the Lord.

“But your eyes and your heart

are set only on dishonest gain,

on shedding innocent blood

and on oppression and extortion.”

Jeremiah 21:8-10

I admire God for sticking up for the poor and defenseless. This chapter makes me think of all the unjust nations we hear about on the news. Those governments that don't care about their people; they keep the riches for themselves while their people go uneducated and hungry. I'm glad God cares for those who are powerless.

"Thus has the LORD of hosts said, 'Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. 

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts.   Zechariah 7:9-12

There comes a day of judgement for every nation and every person. What does God ask of us except to do these good things! If we have a hard heart and don't care, ask God to give you a good heart and he will gladly do it. He loves to fill each life with his goodness.