“Carried Off To Babylon”

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. ”

“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”

Isaiah 39:5-8

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:1-5

When we face captivity all sorts of emotions come to the surface. Imagine what it was like for God’s chosen people. The same can be said for the Colonial families in Massachusetts. Some were taken hostage and traded. There were instances where the Indians were friendlier than the British.

Some people experience both kindness and cruelty from captors. Some of those we expect nothing from, can surprise us, as was the case with one family in which the Indians gave them a Bible.

As the nation of Judah waited to be taken into captivity by a foreign power, the despair of its people must have been great. But even in that dreadful anticipation, God’s words brought comfort to His people.

Have you been taken captive by circumstances beyond your control? If so, read and meditate on the Word. And experience God’s comfort.

God’s Word is the true source of comfort.

Our Daily Bread – August 9, 2012