Title: Hope Blooms in Despair
2 Kings (59) Hope blossoms amid despair
(2 Kings 25:18-30)
"The importance of a person's character"
After the fall of Judah, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the guard, captured all those who could be the seeds of rebellion and took them to the king of Babylon, and the king of Babylon wounded them and killed them (verses 19-21). And he made Gedaliah governor (verse 22). Gedaliah told the rest of the people to serve Babylon for a while (verses 23-24). Those were the words of Jeremiah many times. At that time, Jeremiah was misunderstood as a traitor, but he called for a temporary acceptance of Babylonian rule. The prophet must not sow false dreams, face the harsh reality, examine the hand of God's will in advance, and inform the people.
Although Gedaliah said so, the people who did not want to lose their vested interests pursued popularity and cause rather than the reality set by God, and opposed Gedaliah as a collaborator and slave slave to the enemy Babylon. Finally, in July, about two months after Gedaliah was appointed governor, Ishmael, a royal family member, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah to death. And all the people and commanders of the army fled to Egypt for fear of coming back (verse 26).
After that, Jehoiachin, king of Judah, was released from captivity after 37 years of captivity, and he received great favor from his successor, King Evilmerodach. Although Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroyed Judah and brutally killed those who resisted to the end, it is believed that the king of Babylon gradually treated the people of Judah better than other Gentiles. Furthermore, after King Evilmerodach ascended to the throne, Jehoiachin's royal family was further exalted. Why did that happen? Presumably, those who served the nameless God well won the heart of the Babylonian king.
Those who serve God well usually serve the king well. Then the king will think. “Those who serve God well serve me faithfully!” Naturally, he will be tempted to show favor to his people. Armed struggle is not the only solution to recovery when a country is deprived of it. Sometimes, a solution that moves the king of a conquered country with faith so that he can open his heart to God and His people is a more blessed solution.
Many of those who moved the king must have been active in the shadows. One of them was Daniel. Kings with faithful servants like Daniel would naturally want to show favor to Daniel's people. It is said that even Iraqi dictator Hussein, a Muslim, trusts Christians more and has hired Christians in relatively large numbers of government positions. A believer must be a reliable person who acknowledges their faith. A nation can be destroyed or restored because of one such person.
< Hope that blooms in despair >
When Judah is destroyed in Babylon, it seems that there is no hope at all, but gradually you can feel the sprouts sprouting due to the characters who were active in the shadows. Then, a great person like Daniel appeared, and the desperate atmosphere was quickly reversed. Finally, although Jehoiachin was a prisoner, he regained a considerable position, and the hope of national restoration also materialized. Seeing such a scene, I desperately realize once again that we need to have hope even in the midst of despair.
There is no tunnel in this world you can't get out of. When you go through the tunnel, you are actually over the mountain. As such, despair will one day end and a new morning of hope will come. To achieve great things, you have to go through desperate moments. In the valley of despair, God can be seen more clearly. It is truly blessed faith to not despair in such a desperate situation.
Every situation is a God-given situation. In that sense, when we acknowledge that desperate situations were necessary and have the heart to accept even despair, the capacity of our hearts increases and becomes a vessel with a large capacity to contain tomorrow's blessings. Pearl oysters dig into their own bodies and harbor foreign substances that injure and cause pain and form them into pearls. Embrace the wounds and pains like that and make your life a pearl.
Think a lot of hopeful thoughts and use a lot of hopeful language, especially in desperate situations. Words become seeds and fruits, and in the end you reap what you say. Desperate words nurture despair, and hopeful words nurture hope. So, overcome despair with hopeful words and pave the way for blessings by turning despair into hope. Horses are like the rudder of a great ship to the land of hope, and a tractor scouring the tracks of hope.
Even if your current appearance is not enough, prepare and believe that you can become a character and create a character. Don't give up ahead of time. The biggest mistake in life is to give up in advance, and the biggest failure in life is to despair in advance. Reversal of life is possible in God. For believers who worship and pray, there is momentary despair, but no lasting despair. Just like that, always hope and be grateful for life itself, and become blessed souls who prepare for tomorrow's blessings.