As Jeremiah continued his
observance over the city of disobedient Jerusalem and the effects of
its destruction, he began to share how the devastation affected the
“children and the sucklings” who were among the people
there. In chapter two and verse twelve he shared specifically what
the children said and how the children manifested their hunger. We
read:
They say to their
mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the
wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out
into their mothers' bosom.
The
verse begins, “They say to their mothers, Where is
corn and wine?” When we read this portion of the verse we
should allow our imaginations to run wild and see in our mind's eye
these small children looking up to their mothers and faintly asking,
“Where is the “corn” or “wheat, grain or cereal” and
“wine” or “grapes and raisins”? In other words, they
have no food to eat. They are hungry, and as they look to the source
of their nourishment, “their mothers”, we can almost see
the anguish in their eyes.
The
verse continues, “when they swooned as the wounded in the
streets of the city,...” Because
of the lack of food, these children “swooned”
which means “to be feeble, be faint, and grow weak” like
“the wounded” or those who were “slain, fatally wounded,
or pierced” from battles. Rather than playing actively as children
usually do, their children were weak, collapsing and passing out in
the streets.
Finally
the verse says, “when their soul was poured out into their
mothers' bosom.” To make matters even worse, these children
were “swooning” as they were asking their mothers for food. Their
souls were “poured out” which means to “share intensely
with tears and complaints” to their mothers, and while they did so,
they grew weaker in their mother's arms.
There is
nothing like the feeling of helplessness when we cannot meet the
needs of a small child whom we love. When a child is sick, hungry,
and thirsty and comes to us for help, we usually will attempt to
accommodate their desires. But what if we could not do so? What if we
had no resources like these mothers in Jerusalem to take care of
them? This had to be one of the most difficult aspects to this
judgment of the Lord upon the people in Judah. Fortunately for us we
have our Savior Jesus who through Paul the apostle in the book of
Philippians in chapter four and verse nineteen said:
But my God shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Because
of Jesus, we can go to the Heavenly Father for anything we need.
Rather than be as these children who swooned from the lack of supply,
the Lord makes available His “riches in glory” for those
who “rely upon, trust in and cling to” Him. Thank you Lord Jesus
that you hear us as your children any time we have anything to say.
Next
time Jeremiah will wonder to what he will liken the people of Israel,
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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