He was right!

 I am sure everyone has had the opportunity to gloat about something they got right! The temptation to rub it in is so strong in us. We love to be right. But, when someone can say, "I told you so" that also means someone else is wrong. 

Today in Jeremiah, this prophet's long awaited predictions and warnings came true. The Babylonians came and burned Jerusalem to the ground. The walls were destroyed and Jeremiah was proven right. 

"In January of the ninth year of King Zedekiah's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with his entire army to besiege Jerusalem. Two and a half years later, on July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, a section of the city wall was broken down. All the officers of the Babylonian army came in and sat in triumph at the middle gate.

Meanwhile, the  Babylonians burned Jerusalem, including the royal palace and the houses of the people, and they tore down the walls of the city. Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles to Babylon the rest of the people that remained in the city, those who had defected to him, and everyone else who remained. " (Jeremiah 39:1-2,8-9)

Jeremiah was set free from captivity and his friend Ebed-Melech was also rescued. Jeremiah could have gloated. He could have celebrated, but he did not. He mourned the loss of life, the destruction of his city, and the exile of his countrymen. It was not a time for saying, "I told you so." 

As followers of Jesus, we are called to share the Gospel with those we meet. Inevitably, the consequences of sin and living a life separate from Jesus will affect a family, friends, or entire nations. It would be so easy to say, "I told you so." It would be so easy to play the blame game. Sometimes I think about this when I think of the modern nation of Israel. They rejected the Messiah. They rejected God and it would be easy for us to say, "You deserve what you get," or "I told you so!" but we are not called to gloat. We are not called to rejoice when the "lost" face the consequences of their sins. We are called to mourn with them and we are called to support them in any way we can. Yes, Israel missed the Messiah. Yes, they are suffering the consequences of their sin. But, they are God's people and we should join with them and support them. We know at the end of all things the nation of Israel will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, just like the rest of the world. We are not called to judge or pronounce the sentence of those who reject Jesus. We are called to mourn when they miss the Savior and live life without him. 

We pray for Israel and we pray for those in our own communities who are suffering because of living a life separate from God. Lord help us as we share his Gospel to the lost.