His Bow and Arrow Lamentations 3:12

As Jeremiah continued his description of how he felt as he overlooked the ruins of Jerusalem, he told of how he believed that God was against him. We may be able to relate to him as we consider what he wrote in chapter three and verse twelve about God's bow and arrow. We read:

He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

The verse begins, “He has bent his bow,...” As we think about these words, we should imagine that an archer has a bow in his hands, and he has pulled back the string. He has prepared for the strike, and he is soon to let his arrow fly. Jeremiah sees God like a mighty hunter who has withdrawn the string of his bow and prepared to let His arrow fly.

The verse goes on to say, “...and set me as a mark for the arrow.” It is one thing to have a bow drawn, and it is quite another when the target set for the arrow is us. Jeremiah said it was “me” who was the “mark for the arrow” or “target” which was in aim. Jeremiah felt that God had drawn his bow, aimed his arrow at at target, and the target was him.

As we ponder this verse, we may ask, “Have we ever felt like we had a target upon us and the Lord was the one ready to shoot?” Perhaps circumstances and events have occurred that made us feel like we were in God's aim. Certainly Jesus as He was beaten, mocked and crucified could have come to that conclusion. When we feel like Jeremiah and believe ourselves to be within God's aim, let us use wisdom and rely upon the Bible, God's word, that He is for us and not against us. As we feel like this, let us be reminded of Paul the apostle's words in the book of Romans in chapter eight and verses thirty-eight and thirty-nine where we read:

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is no situation where the Lord is aiming to destroy us unless we do not have a relationship with Him. If we have no relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, then His aim is to bring us into fellowship with Him. We can reject His offering and sacrifice but woe be to those who are then directly within His aim.

Next time we see about how Jeremiah feels about God's arrow, 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