Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.” 2 Kings 25:24

Gedaliah was under the delusion that, even though he was Nebuchadnezzar’s prisoner, that he and his people would be granted special favors by the king. He may not have been facing reality square in the face because not too long afterwards, he was assassinated by Nebuchadnezzar’s own people. He was naive enough to believe that Nebuchadnezzar could adequately protect him.

As Christians we have to be, as the New Testament puts it, wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Like Gedaliah, not everyone is rooting for us and hoping we’ll “win.” In fact, truth be told, there are some downright nasty people who do harsh things toward Christians without batting an eye.

So, in our dealings with people in government, academia, business, social settings, ask God to help us be discerning and wise.