Under Siege

When God spoke to Jeremiah, conditions were not escalating; they were already in full swing. Jerusalem was under attack. It was not hit and run, it was a siege. To say that Jerusalem was under siege was like saying the nation of Israel was under siege. A siege was set up with intent to stay until defeat and destruction of the enemy was complete. The Chaldeans were destroying the outer perimeter of Jerusalem and those whose houses were being destroyed on the outer perimeter were falling back to the inner city.  In the inner city, they were tearing apart their houses to build defenses. The Chaldeans had set up siege machines and battering rams. The enemy was so intent on destroying Jerusalem that they had begun using hammers and axes on the houses in order to tear them completely down and to render them completely useless. The word “house” here in Jer.33:4 refers to a literal house, but also to generations, families. The intent and result was that the present generation was being devastated and disheartened so that future generations would only have one choice: servitude. 

(This is the first excerpt from the article “Just A Call” written by Marty Gabler in Volume 13 Issue 4 of SEEC Magazine. Excerpts will be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)