Don’t Dwell Deep
The geography of Afghanistan makes battles difficult for their enemies because of where the cavernous landscape that soldiers can hide. If the battle gets too intense and the enemy troops come too close, these Taliban fighters can run in the opposite direction and hide out in caves unfamiliar to those seeking to fight them. In the Bible, there were a comparable people to these Taliban members.
The Edomites were very similar. The sons of Esau took Mount Seir (Deuteronomy 2:12, NKJV) and dwelt there. The Edomites were known to live in this cavernous area and used the land as a benefit to themselves especially during times of war. As enemies climbed these mountains to attack, the Edomites could make easy pickings by shooting arrows down at them. But if the armies were too great, they could hide back int o their caves. They would dwell deep in those caves.
God was about to bring forth wrath on Edom and the surrounding areas. God knew what these people would do to try to flee from their destruction: “Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths…” (Jeremiah 49:8, ESV). This verse was not giving advice to these people, but just informing them that the Almighty knew what they were going to do. His response to their foreseeable defense was this: “But I have stripped Esau bare; I have uncovered his hiding places, and he is not able to conceal himself. His children are destroyed, and his brothers, and his neighbors; and he is no more… If those who did not deserve drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. (Jeremiah 49:10-12). Their hope of escape was futile. They could not hide. The punishment from God was going to come… no matter how deep they dwelt.
How deep do we dwell in our sin today? How many people today think they can hide from God (John. 3:19)? When someone is confronted about a sin, they can honestly listen, get defensive, or they can turn and run. Hebrews 4:13 says, “And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him whom we must give account.” The judgement of the Lord will be precise and accurate. All secret sin will be laid out on the Day of Judgment. The things in the dark will be made light.
Therefore, there is no depth of darkness we can hide. While those chasing a hiding people I caves have difficulty traversing a landscape they are not familiar with, God is the creator of that landscape and those caves. Thinking we can hide from sin is an effort in futility. The best life to live is one free from secret sin, and darkness. “But if we walk in the light, as He is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:7, ESV). If we recognize sin in our life, is it something we want others to know about? Is it a sin that we could be willing to brag to Jesus about? If we have sin in our life, we must try to put it away from us… if we walk in the light, there will be no need to hide from God.
Credit for this lesson goes to:
J.J. Hendrix, Northwest Church of Christ