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Writer's pictureDr. Eric Stricker

October 29, Day 303 – A City with No People


"In a Thick Woods" © by Terri L. Stricker

Original Acrylic on Canvas


Today we continue our readings in Psalm 119. In verses 113-120, the Psalmist points out that “double-minded men, evildoers, those who stray from God’s decrees, and all the wicked of the earth are vainfully deceitful” (verses 113-118). Their worldly influences actually distract us from our “refuge and protection in God and from keeping His commands” (verses 114-115). These individuals are to be avoided because they are self-deceived by their own delusional thoughts and activities. Because evildoers divert us from the things of God, the Psalmist directly commands them to get “away from” him (verse 115). He further states that such people will come to nothing because they wander away from the pathway of God’s decrees, a word which the Psalmist uses twice in this section (verses 117-118). Like precious metals, those who love God are treasured in His sight, but evildoers are like impurities that mix in and try to dilute the gold and silver that God desires us to be. As a result, God will “discard them like dross” (verse 119).

In Lamentations 1:1-2:6, we read Jeremiah’s first installment of grief over Jerusalem’s destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. God forewarned the Jews of all the forthcoming heartache, loss, death, and devastation. Coming to this book, we see that the promises of God have now become reality. Throughout the Bible, God has warned man – from Genesis to Revelation – of the consequences for sin. We must understand that His warnings, promises, and prophecies are not empty expressions. God speaks in words that are economical and true; He means what He says and says what He means. Jeremiah writes, “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she … bitterly she weeps at night … Judah has gone into exile and she suffers distress” (verses 1-3). The widow has lost something, and now she is forced to live with the unthinkable. I recall visiting the ancient, deserted, and ruined city of Jiaohe in northwest China, and how strange and eerie it was to see a city with no people. One’s first question is, “What happened here?” And the next ... "Where did everyone go?" One might fearfully conclude, “Judgment?” How might such a disaster have affected me? I cannot imagine the depth of my heartbreak and loss – had my loved ones and I gone through a disaster like that – especially for judgment on our sin. I can’t bear the thought! Jeremiah’s tears were bitter … and real.


In Tutus 3, Paul exhorts Titus to “remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities – to do what is good” (verse 1). We need to be reminded of these things because we are forgetful people. Paul also reminds Titus that, “At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved” (verse 3). These are ugly issues that we would rather forget, and we can forget them, but only if we replace those thoughts with recollections of God’s “kindness, love, and mercy which saved us” from such ugly issues (verses 4-5). Paul tells Titus to “avoid foolish controversies, arguments, and quarrels because they are useless” (verse 9). This is exactly what he twice told Timothy – “have nothing to do with them” (cf., 2 Tim 2:23-26; 3:1-5). It’s true that we must reach out to unbelievers to evangelize them, but we also need to be cautious about ever coming under their influence or falling in with their schemes. Rather, we need to seek an intimate relationship with God similar to those of the Psalmist’s and Paul’s.

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