Have we ever wondered what
it is like when God gets angry with a group of people? What does He
do? How does He respond to them, and is there any behavior they might
change to appease His anger? Jeremiah wrote of what he perceived as
the anger of the Lord, and it was demonstrated upon the people who
resided in Judah and Jerusalem. Their disobedience and rebellion led
to the Lord's response, and in chapter two and verse two of
Lamentations we see more of how God's anger was poured out upon them.
We read:
The Lord has swallowed
up all the habitations of Jacob, and has not pitied: he has thrown
down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he has
brought them down to the ground: he has polluted the kingdom
and the princes thereof.
The
verse begins, “The Lord has swallowed up all the habitations of
Jacob, and has not pitied:” Jeremiah said “The Lord has
swallowed” or “engulfed and ate up” the people who lived in
“Jacob” or “heel-catcher”. Those who were the
descendants of Jacob were now overtaken by their enemies, and the
cause of their troubles was attributed to the Lord. At one time they
were in great favor with God, but they became as those who had no
“pity” and were as though God had no compassion upon them at
all.
The
verse goes on to say, “he has thrown down in his wrath the
strong holds of the daughter of Judah;” Judah was once
fortified with what they perceived were “strong holds” or
“fortifications, fortresses, and fortified cities”, but now these
were “thrown down” which means “to tear down, break
down, overthrow, break, destroy, pluck down, and utterly ruin”.
Their reliance upon their defenses were no match for the Lord when He
decided to come against them.
The
verse continues, “he has brought them
down to the ground: he has polluted the kingdom and the princes
thereof.” Not only has God
“swallowed” and
“thrown down” the
inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, He also “brought them
down to the ground” which
means He “struck” them down to the face of the earth. Destruction
and desolation was everywhere, and though they made their late
appeals unto Him, they experienced “the profaning, defiling,
polluting, and desecrating” wrath of God. At one time they thrived,
and now their “kingdom” and their “princes” or
“rulers, leaders, chiefs, chieftains, officials, and captains”
were affected by it as well.
All of these judgments were
brought upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their disobedience and
rebellion against God. We might wonder as we think about this verse
whether many of these displays could have been avoided if they would
have only placed their trust, reliance and faith in Almighty God. It
was too late for them by the time of these judgments, but as we
examine our own lives in light of these things, perhaps we will be
motivated to align ourselves with the Lord. May the Lord Jesus bring
us all to the place where we walk in step with Him in every area of
our lives.
Next
time we will see more of how God's wrath was demonstrated, 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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