Jeremiah assessed that God
was against him as he suffered the consequences from the destruction
of the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. His suffering
became a type of Jesus as He suffered the ridicule and punishment for
our sins. In chapter three and verse sixteen Jeremiah continues to
describe his emotional experience. We read:
He has also broken my
teeth with gravel stones, he has covered me with ashes.
The
verse begins, “He has also broken my teeth with gravel
stones,...” Jeremiah uses poetic description to convey his
anguish. He refers to how God has “broken” or “crushed”
his “teeth”, and notice the weapon of choice, “gravel
stones” or “small stones made of gravel”. It is though the
Lord has crushed all the teeth out of Jeremiah's mouth with an weapon
of gravel as His choice.
The
verse continues, “...he has covered me with ashes.” In
addition to having his teeth as though they were crushed, Jeremiah
says the Lord “has covered” which means “bent, pressed
or trampled” him “with ashes” which refers to being
humbled or made to feel worthless. The judgment of the Lord upon
Jerusalem and Judah was no doubt a humbling experience to which
Jeremiah felt a part.
While we
meditate upon this verse, maybe we have felt like all our teeth have
been assaulted by the Lord, and perhaps we have been made to feel
worthless because of our circumstances. It might be that events have
occurred that were unexpected and feel like someone has punched us
right in the teeth, or maybe our own personal failure has made us
feel worthless. Whichever the case, we must always keep in mind that
we have the choice to serve a risen Savior in Jesus who has endured a
punch in the mouth and covering with humility to have a relationship
with us. He knows our hurt, and He knows our pain. He has endured
that we may have fellowship with Him, and sometimes that fellowship
is the “fellowship of His sufferings”.
That
I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Philippians
3:10
Next
time we will look at Jeremiah's lack of peace and prosperity, 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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