As Jeremiah continued to
pour out his appeal to God concerning his enemies and their treatment
of him, we have seen him over and over again defer vengeance to the
Lord. In chapter three and verse sixty-four of Lamentations we see
once again Jeremiah's wisdom in calling upon the Lord to measure out
their judgment. We read:
Render unto them a
recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
The
verse begins, “Render unto them a recompense, O LORD,...”
Jeremiah began with the word
“Render” which
means “turn back or return”. The idea is somewhat like a
boomerang which when thrown properly returns to its hurler. We might
say, “What goes around, comes around” or “Whatsoever
a man sows, that shall he also reap”.
Yet for what does Jeremiah desire his enemies be “rendered”? A
“recompense” from
the “LORD” which
means “dealing or retribution” from the Almighty God is
Jeremiah's desire for them. In other words Jeremiah desires that full
reckoning, punishment or compensation be awarded by God to those who
have been against him.
The
verse goes on to say, “...according to the work of their
hands.” Jeremiah shared the
level of compensation that should be measured unto these enemies -
“according to the work of their hands”.
His desire for them is they should receive a matched amount of
punishment according to their wicked deeds. These who were quick to
give out damaging and destructive works not only to Jeremiah but also
to Jerusalem and Judah were made the objects of appeal to God to give
them a judgment which equaled their vicious and villainous ways.
Retribution
and recompense are naturally sought by those who have been harmed.
When we have others who have brought evil into our lives, we may be
inclined to desire to “get even with them”. Some might even
desire to “get more than even with them.” The challenge before us
as demonstrated by Jeremiah is to defer judgment to the Lord. The
apostle Peter wrote concerning Jesus in the book of First Peter in
chapter two and verse twenty-three:
Who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but
committed himself to him that judges righteously:
Jesus
deferred judgment of His enemies to God Almighty. When others oppose
us and bring wicked actions against us, we follow in the footsteps of
our Lord when we defer all “recompense” to Him, and He
often brings judgment against them “according to the works of
their hands”. May the Lord give us the grace and wisdom to
bring all opposition to Him to judge.
Next
time we see how Jeremiah asks the Lord to render them a recompense,
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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