Nations are vulnerable and oblivious to their vulnerabilities! At any moment, the Lord could raise up a new nation or destroy one that currently exists.
The word blame and its various forms appears twenty-four times in scripture. In a general sense, blame is the guilty responsibility concerning a matter. In Genesis chapter 43, Judah understood the necessity of taking Benjamin if they were to buy food, but he also understood the concerns of his father. Jacob already lost Joseph; he was not prepared to lose another son, especially Benjamin. With these things in mind, Judah promised his father that Benjamin would come back to Jacob alive and well. If Judah was unable to fulfil this promise, he was prepared to bear the blame forever. Later, while in Egypt, when it appeared as though Benjamin would be taken, Judah declared his responsibility for the lad (Genesis 44:10, 32).
Rebels are sometimes known as loners. Today’s scripture says that this trait can be attributed to their desire to keep their distance from righteousness. Many who would be identified by these terms do not disassociate from sin or sinners. Instead, they disassociate from truth and righteousness. Righteous thoughts and words have been known to melt the hard heart. They penetrate the rocky soil and begin to break down pride and rebellion. In order for a rebel to remain in his rebellion, he must keep a distance between himself and the truth. The very concepts of righteousness and rebellion refuse to coexist. Hence the battle rages: as the Lord works to draw man’s attention to righteousness, the Devil fights to keep man’s distance from it.
As Necho, king of Egypt, was on his way to fight against Carchemish, king Josiah of Judah came out against him for battle. Necho assured Josiah that the battle did not involve Judah and that the Lord had commanded him to make haste against the house of Carchemish. In order to turn Josiah’s intervention, Necho reminded Josiah that his intervention would be meddling with the will of God. Josiah refused to listen to the warning and meddled in these matters costing him his life (2 Chronicles 35:22-24). Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, expressed a similar statement when he told his peers that they should let the apostles alone lest they fight against God (Acts 5:34-39).
Many people suffer from gerascophobia which is the fear of growing old. Perhaps this condition is ultimately the fear of death rather than simply growing old, but other conditions indicative of old age cause people to fret. One of these concerns was expressed by the penman of Psalm 71. On two separate occasions, he requested that the Lord would not forsake him when he was old and grayheaded (Psalm 71:9, 18). The Lord knew the fears of man and promised, “even to your old age . . . and even to the hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4). The thought of growing old should not bring fear or trepidation to God’s people. In fact, the Bible points to it as a blessing and one of the greatest blessings the Jewish people will experience in the kingdom (Zechariah 8:4).
As we have seen, courage comes from a strength of heart. On the contrary, the Bible likens discouragement (the opposite of courage) to a melted heart (Joshua 2:11). In other words, discouragement takes place when a man’s heart loses strength. The Bible reveals that discouragement comes through various avenues of life. Men become discouraged because of “the way” (i.e., the circumstances of life) (Numbers 21:4). Discouragement also results from fear and unbelief (Deuteronomy 1:28) and the magnitude of a task (1 Chronicles 28:20). Ultimately, discouragement rears its ugly head as a result of a lack of faith in God and His word. Since discouragement and a lack of faith go hand in hand, a discouraged man cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6).
Courage originates within the heart of the individual. Two chief witnesses testify to this truth: (1) The English word courage comes from a word plainly connected to the heart, and (2) MultipleBible passages associate courage with the heart (Numbers 32:7, 9; Deuteronomy 1:28; Psalm 27:4; Psalm 31:24). The scripture declares in our passage that the hearts of the people melted as they lost courage (i.e., they lost strength). Other Bible passages associate courage with the strengthening of the heart (Psalm 27:14; Psalm 31:24). These truths illustrate that courage reflects strength of heart and that courage is based upon faith, hope, and trust in God.
