As Jeremiah attempted to
describe the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, he used real and
metaphoric phrases to relay his thoughts. We have studied his
observation of the gold and the stones of the sanctuary, and we have
observed Jeremiah's description of the once highly esteemed “sons
of Zion” who now were scattered and invaluable as broken
pottery. In chapter four and verse three of Lamentations Jeremiah
employs another example which describes the condition of the people
of Jerusalem where we read:
Even the sea monsters
draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter
of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the
wilderness.
The verse begins, “Even
the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young
ones:” Jeremiah references the
“sea monsters”
which literally is “dragon, serpent, or river monster” and
is generally thought to be the “whale” or other mammalian
creatures of the sea. Jeremiah uses these “sea monsters”
who nurse their young as an extreme example of how mothers take care
of their offspring. His comparison is weighed against the manner in
which the mothers in Jerusalem were now taking care of their
children.
The
verse continues, “the daughter of my people is become
cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.” Rather than being
nurturing even to the level of “sea monsters” Jerusalem's
mothers became “cruel” or “fierce” and were likened to
the “ostriches in the wilderness” who were known for
laying their eggs, burying them, and abandoning them. Sometimes they
would even step all over where they lay their eggs as though they
cared nothing about their offspring at all. Though the nurturing
nature of a mother should be within everyone who gives birth, the
daughters of Jeremiah's people were like the ceremonially unclean
“ostriches” that lived in the barren and uninhabited
wilderness.
As we
meditate upon these words, perhaps it will help us as we use our
imaginations to see the nurturing whales compared to the cruel
ostriches. When we consider our own lives toward others, to which one
would we most likely be compared? Would others deem us as nurturing
or fierce? What if we consider our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
in this comparison? Would they be as the “sea monsters” or
the “ostriches” toward others? The destruction of
Jerusalem altered not only their city but also the manner in which
the “daughters” of Jerusalem treated their young. Are
there devastating events in our lives which have changed our behavior
toward others? If so, may we bring those circumstances to the foot of
Jesus' cross where He paid the ultimate price for every contrary
situation we shall ever face in this world, and may we learn to be
nurturers toward others and not fierce and stubborn as the calloused
ostriches of the wilderness.
Next
time we will see the condition of the children in the city, 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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