As Jeremiah continues his
overview of the destruction that Jerusalem has incurred because of
disobedience to the Lord, he enumerated places, things and people who
suffered. Jeremiah also endured great pain, and in chapter two and
verse eleven he speaks of the level of his troubles as well as “the
children and the sucklings” who were affected by this judgment. We
read:
Mine
eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured
upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people;
because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the
city.
The verse begins, “Mine
eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured
upon the earth,...” Jeremiah
named three parts of his body that were demonstrative of his
suffering – his eyes, his bowels and his liver. First, he said his
“eyes do fail with tears”
which means they “pine or waste away” with tears. His crying is
so deep that it is as though his eyes cannot stand it any longer. The
sites he has seen are too much for him. Secondly, he mentioned his
“bowels” which are
his “inward parts, digestive organs, place of emotions or
distress”. We might say that the pain was so deep that he felt it
in his gut. The gut wrenching emotional trauma that occurred because
of the devastation was too much for him. Finally, his “liver”
which being the “heaviest organ” represented the “most
grievous, difficult, burdensome and hard” part of his being was as
though it was “poured” out or “shed” upon the ground.
No doubt the horrors Jeremiah saw had physical affects upon him.
The
verse continues, “for the destruction of the daughter of my
people; The reason for these ill-effects upon Jeremiah was
because he observed this “destruction” of the people in
Jerusalem. The “daughter of my people” represented
Jerusalem, and to observe the devastation was reason enough for
anyone who saw it to physically suffer.
Finally
the verse says, “because the children and the sucklings swoon in
the streets of the city.” In addition to seeing the people of
the city agonize, Jeremiah wrote of a specific group among them -
“the children” which were “the weaned children” and
“the sucklings” which were the “nursing babies”. Both
of these “swoon” which means they “languished and
fainted” in the streets of the city. It must have been difficult
enough for Jeremiah to observe the people, but when the children and
babies were suffering as well, it took him to another level of
anguish. Once again when judgment came, not even the children and
babies were spared.
Oh the
horror that Jeremiah must have seen as he overlooked this once warned
city. If they had only listened to him, things would have been
different. If only they had repented and turned once again to the
Lord, this judgment would not have fallen. If only they had heeded
his warnings and listened to his pleas, but they did not. As we
ponder the specifics of this verse, perhaps we will discover areas in
our lives where we need to heed and repent. Perhaps we will think of
our country and its constant rejection of the warnings of the
judgment to come, and maybe each of these will lead us to a life of
prayer that is not only filled with repentance, but also pleads on
behalf of a country that continually rejects the Lord and His word.
Next
time we will see more of how this judgment affected the children in
Jerusalem, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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