As Jeremiah overlooked the
city of Jerusalem, he recounted the destruction of the stones and
gold of the sanctuary. Rather than being a pinnacle of worship and
adoration, the place of worship was scattered all over the streets of
the fallen city. In chapter four and verse two of Lamentations
Jeremiah turns his attention toward the precious sons of Zion where
we read:
The precious sons of
Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen
pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
The
verse begins, “The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine
gold,...” The “precious sons” which were members of
“Zion” which is another name for Jerusalem and means
“parched or sunny place” were generally the priests and royalty
within Jerusalem, and they were compared to “fine gold”.
The value of ministers and governing officials was at one time highly
esteemed, and as Jeremiah overlooked the city, he took special note
of their current conditions.
The
verse continues, “...how are they esteemed as earthen
pitchers,...” Rather than
being like “fine gold” the
priest and royalty are likened unto “earthen pitchers”
or “earthenware, clay pottery, shard, potsherd, or earthen
vessels”. Where they were once “esteemed” or “to be
accounted, be thought of, or imputed” to be like unto a precious
metal, they were now like a common clay pot.
The
verse goes on to say, “...the work of the hands of the potter!”
These priests and royal men who were once highly exalted among
the people were now like vessels made subject to “the hands of
the potter”. From jewels to common clay the great men of the
city of Zion were stripped of their value and made as common as
shaped mud.
Jeremiah
warned the people of Zion through an illustration from God in the
book after his name in chapter nineteen and verses ten and eleven:
Then
shall you break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with you,
And shall say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I
break this people and this city, as one breaks a
potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury
them in Tophet, till there be no
place to bury.
But they
would not listen. Though Jeremiah told them the people of Zion would
be broken like a potter's vessel, still they would not return to
their relationship with the Lord. As we read these words, are there
people we know who simply will not turn to the Lord? Are there others
in our lives whom we highly esteem and value who will not turn from
their wicked ways? Perhaps we have areas which need to be turned over
to the Lord, and as we ponder the results of the priests and royalty
within Zion who would not turn back to the Lord, maybe we will be
inspired to repent before we too are like broken pottery scattered
throughout the streets. May the Lord Jesus help us to live before Him
as precious sons and daughters who are likened unto fine gold all the
days of our lives.
Next
time we will see the sons of Zion compared to sea monsters and
ostriches, 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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