1 Chronicles 9
This was one of those days when I didn’t get much beyond the first verse of the chapter (even though I kept reading until the end). "All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness." (vs 1)
I thought this was remarkable! The Israelites lived among a lot of dangerous people—heathen nations with large, strong armies. They were prone to frequent threats from all sides. Yet, it wasn’t the clash of kingdoms or the secret strategies of heathen kings that doomed the Israelites. It was simply their unfaithfulness. Had they remained faithful to God, it wouldn’t have mattered how many enemies they had. They never would have been taken captive to Babylon.
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As Paul said, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31) The answer is nobody! No third party, that is. The truth is, the only person who can come between you and God is... you. The only person who can come between me and God is... me. From Scripture, we know that God is always faithful. And as long as we are faithful, nobody can snatch us out of God’s hand.
As long as we are faithful, we can never be carried away into captivity. We may have all the enemies in the world, but we need not fear. God reigns above and beyond all the kingdoms of this world. There is no army too strong for Him. There is no secret strategy that can outwit Him. When He is for us (and He is), nobody and nothing else can be against us!
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