28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the Lord,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the [x]men of the east.
29 “They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent curtains, all their goods and their camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘Terror on every side!’
30 “Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
31 “Arise, go up against a nation which is at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has no gates or bars;
They dwell alone.
32 “Their camels will become plunder,
And their many cattle for booty,
And I will scatter to all the winds those who cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will a son of man reside in it.”
In this passage we find out that God hadn’t forgotten the nomadic peoples, though maybe they wished He would after this. Though they lived a ways apart from others and those especially in Kedar lived in tents, Nebuchadnezzar would conquer their land as well. He would take their tents, their cattle, all their goods and camels too, and their land would be left empty. The people would be “scattered to all the winds”, and none would remain.
There is this idea found even here, though “they dwell alone”, that they found their security in their tribe and the people surrounding them. That’s not so uncommon for us either, and many hate to be alone. Even those who think they’d like it, would quickly change their tune if left actually alone. The truth of the matter is though, that even surrounded by people, one can still feel alone.
It almost seems that the more people there are, the easier it is to feel that way, to get lost in the crowd, and become just a nameless face. Yet that reminds me of a stunning truth, which is that we are never alone. David said it so well when he wrote the words in Psalm 139:
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [f]Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
There are many times where we might feel alone, whether it be just plain solitude, when we leave friends and family for a new place, or like I said before, in the crowds of densely populated cities. Not only are we not alone, even if no one knew our name, God does. Even more, David wrote how God knows every hair on our head. Woah!
Wherever we are, we can “dwell securely” knowing that God is there, right beside us. He calls us each by name, and beckons for us to follow. Go with God today and lean on His ever present help.