In the last few verses of
Lamentations chapter three, Jeremiah has poured his heart out to the
Lord in prayer and appealed to Him to look upon the plots and deeds
of his enemies. He defers vengeance to the Lord and understands that
the Lord knows every imagination and act of vengeance perpetrated
against Jeremiah. In chapter three and verse sixty one Jeremiah
continued his plea to the Lord concerning his foes where we read:
You have heard their
reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
The
verse begins, “You have heard their reproach,O LORD,”
Jeremiah said the Lord “heard
their reproach” which means
their “scorn, taunting, that which rest upon conditions of shame,
or disgrace”. Not only did Jeremiah and the people of Jerusalem and
Judah suffer victimization from the Babylonians, but they also
endured ridicule, taunting, shameful behavior and disgrace from them
after being defeated. Jeremiah's response was to entreat the Lord
over their reproach.
The verse continues, “...and all their
imaginations against me;” Once again, as in verse sixty of
this chapter, Jeremiah referred to the “imaginations” or
“thoughts, devices, plans, purposes and inventions” which the
enemies had against him. Reminding the Lord of the wicked activity
and thoughts of his enemy was Jeremiah's platform to appeal to the
Lord for intervention on his behalf.
As we consider these things,
perhaps we have those who oppose us, taken advantage of us,
reproached us and taunted us shamefully after doing so. Deferring
vengeance to the Lord is often very difficult, and this verse helps
us to keep in mind that there is nothing done to us which the Lord
does not see. There is nothing said about us that He does not hear.
It may help us to remember that when Jesus suffered before the
crucifixion and hung upon the cross, enemies not only took these
actions but taunted and reproached Him shamefully while He bore the
pain. The truth is that He bore our sin and shame upon the cross, and
He said, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
May the Lord's model become ours when we are reproached and
purposefully plotted against in this world.
Next
time we discuss lips and devices, 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
No comments:
Post a Comment