‘Heartbreaking’ is the only word that comes to mind to describe the devastating wildfires that have swept through eastern Washington, near the city of Spokane. We actually know a family there who had to evacuate as the fires were approaching their home. The most recent numbers I saw at this writing was over 700 structures have been consumed by flames and 65,000 people have been forced to flee the destructive inferno that was apparently set by some deranged person.

It’s hard to imagine what many of those residents are going through right now. I mean, think about it…one morning you are out working in your garden, maybe painting the nursery for an expectant child, or finally putting together that long awaited swing set you promised the kids…and in the next moment you are scrambling to gather up what few possessions you can think of as you load up the car and leave your home, with minutes to spare….uncertain if you will have a home to return to in the next day or two.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect that if you live in that area, the local news outlets are probably devoting most of their time and resources keeping the people in that area informed and up to date on the ever changing and increasing danger. In other words…all the ‘regularly scheduled programming’ has taken a back seat to the pressing matter at hand, and that is trying to save lives. I would think the same could be said when a city is in the ‘bulls-eye’ of an approaching ‘Cat-5 hurricane’.

Now imagine with me, if you would…the challenge that the ‘messengers’ at those media outlets have in trying to keep a steady and consistent flow of accurate information coming to the public. Is there a ‘right way and a wrong way’ to communicate this news? When lives are on the line, does one need to be worried about ‘overkill’ and actually causing people to tire of hearing all this ‘doom and gloom news’ on a steady basis? Or do you try to offer up an even mix and just restrict the flow of ‘urgent updates’ to a minimum, so that people can go back to watching their favorite shows, like The Bachelor?

And when the flames grow closer, do you still try to muffle the ‘tone’ and urgency of the impending danger and come up with creative ways as to why people should flee their homes? You know, let’s not ‘scare’ people into action so instead of informing them of the truth at hand…why not offer up some pleasant alternatives as to why they might consider ‘getting out of town for the weekend’?

Imagine taking the ‘safe and pleasant’ route and keeping any serious updates to a minimum. What would you tell people who were oblivious and lost loved ones and homes who confront you later asking: “Why did you not tell us and stress the seriousness of the impending danger?”

John the Baptist could not have been accused of taking that road as he was not one to hold back when confronting those who were blinded by their religious dogma and doctrines: “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Matt. 3:7). He also addressed the approaching ‘fires’ back in his day as well. (10-12). Jesus never shied away either from sharing ‘hard truths’ with the people Himself…(Matt. 7:19, 13:39-43; Luke 13:1-5).

And then there was old Noah, who clearly faced challenges, including ‘scoffers’, in getting his message across about impending ‘floods’. (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5; 3:5).

I’ve been around long enough now…to have seen my fair share of news coverage where TV crews go in to record the aftermath of such natural disasters. And there is always those clips of residents returning to dig through the rubble of what is left of their homes. With dazed expressions and haggard looks, they wander about aimlessly with stunned expressions as they wipe away dirty tears… asking those pressing questions of “how”…and ‘Why”…and ‘what is next?”

You get the same ‘feel’ or sense of a similar scene when you read through those five chapters found in Lamentations, that book sandwiched in between Jeremiah an Ezekiel. Jeremiah, a.k.a. ‘the weeping prophet’, describes the aftermath of what is left in the beloved city of God when Babylon came in and razed the temple and took thousands into captivity. Much ‘lamenting’ took place…hence the name of the book, ‘Lamentations’. 

I mentioned in yesterday’s message the reason the children had ‘gone into captivity’ and it was due to the ‘multitude of their transgressions’ (Lam. 1:5). Even today, we still don’t ‘get it’. Sin…is what opens the door for people to be ‘taken captive’ (2 Tim. 2:25-26). And it need not be this way when you truly study out and come to realize what Jesus did for us on the cross. He didn’t just pay the ‘ransom’ by forgiving us of our past sins, but that ‘ransom’ purchased our liberty so we could go and ‘sin no more’ (Romans 6). But when we allow pride to rise up in order to defend our doctrines that suggest otherwise, and we hold on to them which tell us we remain as sinners’…then there seems to be little else that God can do.

Do yourself a favor and go read Jeremiah 13:15-17 right now; no…seriously…right now. Why is the prophet weeping, according to vs. 17? And what was it that preceded their being taken ‘captive’?

Now in both passages that I listed earlier here, where both Jesus and John the Baptist warned of impending ‘fires’, do you recall the reason those fires were coming? It was due to a lack of ‘good fruit’. Yes, fruit still matters. Would you please finish up today with a revisiting of Isaiah 5, beginning first with vs. 1-7. What is the reason that the Lord will ‘remove the hedge of protection’, according to vs. 2 and 5? And as you read through there, what do we see, once again…is the tragic results as described in vs. 13? Let me write it out for you:

“Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.”

And who did Jesus come to proclaim liberty to? (Luke 4:18).