Gadfly

Jeremiah 46:20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.

I used to love to sit outside beside a mountain lake during the summer in Maine. The sounds of the forrest surrounding the cabin. Wildlife scurrying around their natural playground. The lapping of water against the sides of the canoe and the occasional splash of a fish. The glistening of the sunlight off the water would penetrate even the darkest corners of the cabin, dancing on the ceiling and walls.

Those memories still linger with its sights and sounds. But these pleasant memories have twins. All the memories are not pleasant ones. Some have such a negative impression that to this day, I avoid certain things.

The mountain lake in which we played was COLD. It was so cold it would take your breath away. So the first dive off the dock started the season with a squeal and a shiver. But after a day or two the water magically warmed up. By the end of the summer, the water was glorious.

But there was one thing that I never got used to in all the years of playing around that cabin and in the lake. The mosquitos. They would swarm and swarm. Deep Woods Off would help, but any place you missed with the Off would end up bitten and itchy, no matter how small a spot. Those flies were my nemesis.

Jeremiah has a wonderful, crafty way of painting a picture with words. He uses his words to draw a picture of the persistence with which the LORD will pursue Egypt because of their rebellion against the His people.

Egypt is depicted as a a cow, not the prettiest picture in our urban lives. But a cow can be a beautiful animal, gentle with its large brown eyes. But even cows can get annoyed. That is where the annoying pest comes into our story. The gadfly loves to bother cattle. The land and bit, and they don’t have Deep Woods Off to help. All they have is their tails.

And as soon as the tail has moved the gadflies away, there land back on the same spot. There is no getting away from them. They will get what they want.

This is the warning to Egypt when judgment from the LORD comes in the shape of the Babylonian army. Egypt won’t escape the gadflies. The Babylonian army may be swooshed away, but they will return and finish the job. The LORD’s judgment against Egypt will happen.

But persistence can be a very helpful thing. Most things that are worth obtaining in life take time and consistent effort to obtain. And if things come too easily they often are not appreciated. Ask kids after the wrapping paper has been gathered and thrown away.

So what are you most persistent about in your life? Toward what goal are you striving and straining?