Jeremiah overlooked the
horrific conditions of the devastated city of Jerusalem. Those who
were once living in prosperity, were now living among the dunghills.
The scene must have been appalling for Jeremiah to see, and in
chapter four and verse six he cannot resist comparing their troubles
with those from the past. We read:
For the punishment of
the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the
punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment,
and no hands stayed on her.
The
verse begins, “For the punishment of the iniquity of the
daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of
Sodom,”. As Jeremiah thought about the condition of Jerusalem,
he remembered the stories of the city of Sodom as recorded in Genesis
chapter nineteen. In just a few moments Sodom was destroyed for their
wickedness, and Jeremiah said the punishment for the “iniquity”
of Jerusalem was worse. Fire and brimstone fell upon Sodom,, however
the Babylonians fell upon Jerusalem.
The
verse continues, “that was overthrown as in a moment, and no
hands stayed on her.” Jeremiah declared that it only took a
“moment” to overthrow the city of Sodom, and he employs the
phrase “and no hands stayed on her” to describe the
overtaking of Jerusalem. The word “stayed” means to
“twist, dance, writhe or whirl around”. The idea is to have one
wrestling or whirling around with another. The judgment upon Sodom
was from the fire and brimstone that fell upon them suddenly, but the
people of Jerusalem were forced to “wrestle” or contend with
human enemies over a period of time. It is one thing to have fire
falling from the sky and destroying a city in just a few moments, but
it is quite another to be contending with an enemy for days upon
days.
When
troubles come we are all likely to compare our difficulties to past
ones which we or someone else has endured. Like Jeremiah we may have
others in mind who have suffered when we suffer, but it always seems
that we make our punishment greater. As we think about Jeremiah's
comparison, perhaps it will help us to think about Jesus and the
punishment He endured for us. When we suffer, does it compare to His?
When we feel punished, do we think we are punished more than He? When
we use Jesus' punishment for our sins as a comparison to ours, we may
remember the words recored by Peter in the book of First Peter in
chapter two and verse twenty-one:
For to this were you
called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that you should follow his steps:
May we
evermore follow in Jesus' steps when we suffer for His name.
Next
time Jeremiah will speak of the Nazarites, 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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