Image by Melissa Clayton
I read this passage, and my heart sinks.
The plan for siege at Bethulia to completely surround the Israelites is absolutely heartwrenching, and cutting off the water supply at Bethulia is ruthless. I cannot fathom how is it that people can allow themselves to partake in creating such evil for others.
But the Israelites resisted as much as they could and did not even think of surrendering for thirty-four days!
I cannot even begin to imagine how it must have felt to the Israelites to see their children dying before their eyes and their women and youth collapsing of exhaustion. Physical needs were not being met, they were heavily outnumbered on all sides, and death was imminent.
These weren’t just hard times; these were the hardest times.
I deeply admire the strength the Israelites displayed in choosing not to surrender for such a great period of time, knowing that they would have to pay the price of such great suffering, continuing to implore God for deliverance.
I hope that the example of their strength inspires you as a reminder that the human spirit was created to be a force to be reckoned with.
Combined with faith, which we’ll discuss tomorrow, the human capacity to endure hardship, we discover, is greater than we might think.
Peace be with you, my gorgeous faithful sister.
