Ghost town

What does the Lord your God require of you, but . . . to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. — Deuteronomy 10:12                                           

A gold rush that began in the 1970s made Boa Vista, Brazil, a boomtown on the edge of one of the world’s richest gold fields. That changed when the gold mines were shut down. Government officials say the miners were destroying the rain forest, dumping mercury into the rivers, and bringing guns and diseases that killed thousands of local residents. Today Boa Vista is a “town of lost souls and frustrated adventurers too poor to return to their bleak beginnings.”

Such was the picture of God’s people exiled in Babylon. All they had were memories of the days when God’s favor was on them. Jerusalem was in ruins because a blessed people had been exploiting the weak, not caring for the land entrusted to them (2 Chron. 36:19-21), and going through the motions of worshiping God. The prophet Nehemiah confessed: “We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments” (Neh. 1:7).

God loved His people too much to let them continue harming themselves and others. By letting them do time in Babylon, He helped them see what can happen when a blessed people get caught up in a life that leaves God out of the picture. He’ll do what it takes to help us see that as well! — Mart De Haan     

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be,

Help me to tear it from Thy throne

And worship only Thee. — Cowper

READ: Nehemiah 1:4-11

God gives blessing to us so we can give glory to Him.

The Bible in one year:

• 1 Chronicles 22-24

• Proverbs 28:15-28