Jeremiah wrote his prayer
and appeal to the Lord concerning his enemies. He cried out for the
Lord to hear him from the low dungeon and deferred vengeance upon his
enemies to the Almighty. In chapter three and verse sixty one of
Lamentations we see more words employed by Jeremiah to describe his
treatment by his foes where we read:
The lips of those that
rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
The
verse begins, “The lips of those that rose up against
me,...” Jeremiah used “lips” which means “language,
speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, or binding”
as a focal point to describe the way his enemies “rose up”
or “to cause to stand, set, station, or establish” “against”
him. This thought is a continuum of the former verse which appealed
to the Lord who heard the reproach and imaginations of the foes of
Jeremiah.
The verse goes on to say,
“...and their device against me all the day.” The
word “device” means
“meditation or plotting”. Once again Jeremiah refers to the
thoughts of the enemies against him as well as the actions. He
recognized the plotting of his enemies and the frequency of them “all
the day”, and Jeremiah desired
that the Lord pay attention to them as well.
As
we once again consider vicariously what Jeremiah must have been going
through as he endured the onslaught of his enemies, we may feel that
we can greatly relate to his situation. We often have those in our
lives who seem to be our enemies, and it seems that their “lips”
and “device” is
against us “all the day”. We
may be assured in this situation because Jesus certainly endured the
“lip” service of
His enemies, and we know they had “device”
against Him “all the day”.
In fact, they crucified Him at the end of their plotting. This is
what is so wonderful about having a loving relationship with the Lord
Jesus. As the writer of the book of Hebrews said in chapter four and
verse fifteen:
For
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin.
When
we struggle with the “lips” and
“device” of our
enemies, Jesus knows to an even greater degree what that is like. He
relates to us. He loves us, and He desires that we call unto Him when
we have those in our lives who use language and meditations which are
in opposition to us.
Next
time we see how Jeremiah has become his enemies' music, 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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