Daughter of Zion - Jeremiah 6

Jeremiah 6:1 "O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem; for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction."

The trumpet was sound was the sign to Israel for various occasions, one concerned the approach of the enemy.

Here the prophet is encouraging them to sound the trumpet to let the people know to escape from the approaching enemy.

v4 "Prepare ye war against her; arise and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out."

It appears to be hopeless because this is the judgment that is to come upon Israel for disobedience. Still the prophet sounds the warning.

v11 "Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days."

The answer for Israel is simple, return to the Lord. As the scripture has said before, they have eyes to see and ears to hear but they will not even as the enemy approaches.

v16 "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye int he ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls, But they said, We will not walk therein."

The enemy is fearsome: v22 "Thus saith the LORD, Behold a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth."

It is a sad time. The prophet cries for the nation to repent. The Lord calls for them to return to him. The enemy is on the way. Judgment is sure. Yet Israel continues as if nothing is going to happen. It is a hard lesson they are about to learn and one we should all take heed to.

v2 "I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman."

Hezekiah Part 3 II Chronicles 31

II Chronicles 31:1 "Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities."

Now that is a revival. Many will not remember but in the 60's there was such a revival in this country, at least, in the southeast. There was others before but this one I remember. The renewal spread from church to church. It was like one big long revival meeting. Young people got involved and brought their friends. Schools and work places were impacted. I barely remember when I was a child when my folks went house to house in cottage prayer meetings and there were prayer meetings before work in the plants. It is what our country needs today.

v5 "And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. See Exodus 22:29 James 1:18

Spiritual renewal results in physical action. Hezekiah has taken the remnant and brought them back to the law and dedication to the true God of Israel. It will not set well with the idol worshippers who later attack Judah but that will turn out good too.

v20-21 "And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

The key phrase has to be 'he did it with all his heart'. See also I Kings 15:5, John 1:47, Deut 29:9 I Timothy 4:8.

It was during these times that Isaiah, a prophet who knew Hezekiah, penned some of the most beautiful words of the Bible. Isaiah even got a glimpse of Jesus on the throne of heaven.

Isaiah 6:1 "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. v3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."

Hezekiah and the people cleanse the land of idols.

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