Avoiding the exile...

I’ve almost come to the end of the journal notebook that I started at the beginning of this year; only a few pages remain now. And I have come to the end of my readings in the historical books of the Old Testament. This morning I read the last chapter of 2nd Kings - the sad story of the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of decades of exile for the people of Israel and Judah.

It struck me that whenever the enemy gets the upper hand, it seems that he always does the same two things:

1. he takes us prisoner
2. he steals or destroys our vision

So here, in 2 Kings 25: 7, Zedekiah has to watch his closest family being put to death. Then the enemy gouges out his eyes and binds him with bronze shackles. It’s an echo of what the Philistines did to Samson, several centuries earlier. Reading in Judges 16: 21, I noted that, at the end of Samson’s life, the enemy had sapped his strength and stolen his vision.

So, what does this mean for you or me? It’s a reminder that, whenever we’re aware that our enemy the devil is having a go at us, it’s really important for us to concentrate on safeguarding these two things:

• our freedom and strength
• our God-given vision and perspective

There are lots of ways that the enemy can sap our strength: through conflicts and misunderstandings, through disappointments and discouragements. These things make us physically and emotionally tired, and they can rob us of freedom in ministry and in relationships. Likewise, they can steal or crush our vision, leaving us confused and uncertain about the way ahead.

So how do we safeguard our freedom/strength and vision at such times, so that we don’t get carried off into exile?

At its simplest level, we can make sure that we get enough sleep and physical rest, so that our resilience is built up again. We can also do as young David did several times in the books of Samuel and “strengthen ourself in the Lord” - spending time in His presence to gain perspective, as well as new spiritual and emotional energy. (See here.) This time spent with God will also help to safeguard and renew our vision, rather than allowing the enemy to overwhelm us and steal that from us. We need to view our reality through God’s eyes, and not allow the enemy to interpret it for us. We don’t always have to go into exile... if we can grab hold of God’s ways of restoring our strength and our vision.

The second thing that struck me in this chapter (See 2 Kings 25: 18 - 21) was the four different kinds of people that the enemy captured and killed:

• the doorkeepers - thus allowing the enemy an entry point
• the priests - representing our relationship with God
• the head of the military - symbolic of our ability to fight and do warfare against the enemy
• and the secretary - which speaks to me of our ability to communicate and “recruit” prayer support. The enemy will attempt to isolate us if at all possible.

Being aware of his strategy means that we can also be vigilant in those four areas of our lives.

So where do I need to be intentional when facing seasons of attack or discouragement in my life? I need to commit to being a doorkeeper and not allowing easy entry to the enemy. I need to be careful not to neglect my priestly and military roles of spending time with God and doing warfare against the enemy. And I need to guard against isolation, being careful to reach out to others and draw on the strength of community.

Exile is avoidable.... if we can recognise the enemy’s schemes when he comes.