The devastation and
destruction of Jerusalem and Judah affected Jeremiah personally. He
wept continually over their horrific conditions. In chapter three and
verse fifty one of his lament, Jeremiah tells how his weeping
affected his soul where we read:
Mine eye affects my
heart because of all the daughters of my city.
The
verse begins, “Mine eye affects my heart...” In
poetic fashion, Jeremiah describes how his weeping affected his
“heart” which means his “soul, self, life, creature,
person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, and passion”.
The sum total of Jeremiah was afflicted by his surroundings. His
life was consumed by the observances of his eyes, and he could not be
unaffected by them.
The
verse goes on to say, “...because of all the daughters of
my city.” The best commentary
on the Bible is the Bible, and in this case if we wondered what
affected Jeremiah so dramatically, we know it was “because”
which means “by reason of or for the cause of” “all
the daughters of my city”. Not
only was Jerusalem damaged by the devastating circumstances, so were
the “daughters” or
“outlaying cities” of Jerusalem. In other words the cities that
were outside of Jerusalem which were overrun by their enemies caused
Jeremiah to weep and be heartbroken as well.
Have
we ever been so overwhelmed that it seemed that our weeping affected
our very soul? Have circumstances and situations seemed so horrific
that we assumed nothing would ever change the outcome? As we consider
Jeremiah's words maybe our own soul is affected right now, and if we
were honest with ourselves, we are not only affected by what is
happening in our own lives but also by what is happening in the lives
of the “daughters”
or people around us. When these times occur perhaps we should have a
talk with ourselves as David the sweet Psalmist who wrote in Psalm
chapter forty-two and verse five:
Why
are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you
disquieted in me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him for
the help of his countenance.
When
our circumstances and situations are too much as we look around, it
will indeed help us to look up and trust in God.
Next
time we see how Jeremiah's enemies pursued him, 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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