As Jeremiah continued to
describe the person who would “bear his yoke in his youth” he
wrote of him keeping silent and putting his mouth in the dust as as
act of humility. In chapter three and verse thirty Jeremiah continued
his description by sharing what the man does with his cheeks. He
wrote:
He gives his
cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach.
The
verse begins, “He gives his cheek to him
that smites him:” As we use
our imaginations to picture the scene Jeremiah is describing, we
might be able to see this man who is bearing his yoke as he “gives
his cheek” or “stretches out
and extends” his jaw or cheek to one who is over him. Let us notice
that he is not resisting, but he is offering himself in humility to
those who “strike, beat, scourge, or give a thrust”
against him.
The
verse continues, “he is filled full with reproach.” In
addition to being smitten upon the cheek willingly, this man who bore
his yoke also was “filled full with reproach” which means
“satiated or satisfied” with “scorn or taunting”. The idea is
that he is being ridiculed, mocked, and taunted by those who look
upon him. The poor stricken state of the man who “bears his yoke
in his youth” is one of humility, meekness, and persecution.
It
should not take us long to see how similar these traits are to Jesus
Christ as He suffered before the cross. The prophet Isaiah wrote in
chapter fifty and verse six of his book:
I
gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Jesus
Himself spoke of the idea of turning the other cheek in the Sermon on
the Mount as recorded in the gospel of Matthew in chapter five and
verse thirty-nine:
But
I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite
you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Is it
any marvel then that we too might be driven to a state of humility as
we venture through this life? If Jesus, our ultimate example of the
perfect man, was susceptible to the blows and reproach of others, why
would we not be? Perhaps as we ponder this verse we will find places
where our cheeks have been or need be extended, and maybe we will
understand more clearly the idea of being “filled full with
reproach” when others speak against us. We certainly have an
example before us in Jesus who not only understands but has also
experienced any malignity we may ever face.
Next
time we see how the Lord responds to the person who bears this yoke,
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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