The disaster from the north is Babylon, described here as a lion leaving its lair to pounce upon its prey. If you have ever seen artefacts and statues from ancient Babylon or Assyria (Babylon was once part of the Assyrian empire) in museums or books you will have seen the characteristic carved lions that adorned the gates and palaces of this once mighty empire. God was allowing this adversary to come and test the faith of his people. If they would persist in rejecting God and trust in other things they would certainly be devoured. But if they would turn back to God then he could still save them. We too have an adversary that is described as being like a lion. Peter says to the early Christian church: “Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him by standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8). Given that our enemy is not a flesh and blood enemy with physical weapons, we should expect a different kind of assault. The Devil tempts us in order to get us to surrender to him. He tries to get you to become bitter toward other people, to become cynical about church, to get lost in your own selfish agendas, to exalt yourself in every situation, to covet what is not yours, and so forth. If he can get you to do these things, then he has you by the jugular. To resist him we must do what Jeremiah was calling Judah to do: turn to God in obedience and faith.
Recognise where you are being tempted and resist the Devil by turning to God.
Read Jeremiah 4
