Destruction

A few years ago, I think it was a Saturday morning when the Georgia Dome was imploded and dropped to the ground. I had been in the Dome watching sporting events and even concerts. It was bizarre to see the crew push a button that ignited charges all around the structure and it came tumbling down in a matter of seconds. It took a minute for the preparation and it took a minute for them to clean up the rubble. When watching old war movies there is a lot of destruction because it was real. I think our entertainment industry also knows we like seeing things destroyed.  In our personal world, it’s demoralizing when our home is destroyed or a building that we cherish is destroyed in any fashion.

The final king of Judah is installed by the king of Babylon, as they had become subjects to the Babylon. This king, Zedekiah rebels against Babylon and the destruction of eminent. It takes Babylon two and half years to take Jerusalem, but they are patient and wait it out. Check this out….

⁸ On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. ⁹ He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. ¹⁰ Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. ¹¹ Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. ¹² But the captain of the guard allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields. (2 Kings 25:8-12 NLT)

The things that Solomon had built for the worship of the Lord was completely destroyed. The temple was taken down, but also all the items that were used in the temple were taken. There was nothing but rubble and a few buildings left and the poorest of people in the city.  This destruction of Jerusalem was sanctioned by the Lord. The Lord was disgusted by the idol worship and decadent behavior of His people.

I’m sure that where those buildings were, there are new buildings today.  From the ruins of destruction can come new life.  The people were devastated that their iconic temple and the kings castle were destroyed, and their lives disrupted. Many of the people in leadership lost their lives in the destruction.

Destruction can be a huge deterrent today to behavior. If a country knows of impending destruction, they will take measure to prevent. The Lord’s people had been warned, but they ignored the warnings.  I think this story of destruction reminds me that everything I can see is temporary. It might last for years, but it will one day be destroyed. The place where my house sits, will one day be something different if this Lord doesn’t come back first. When destruction comes, we often still have options. Will we rebuild? Can we emotionally push through the destruction and get to a place of optimism?  Destruction in our world is as temporary as the things we build. I need to keep my eyes upon Jesus, the One and Only Son of God. He can help me rebuild my life from the dust of destruction. He specializes is making beautiful things come from destruction. My hope is in Jesus, Who connects me to Creator God.

Pressing On!

Dwayne