Jeremiah the prophet tried
to describe the way it was for the people in Jerusalem after being
subjected to the judgment of God. Their enemies conquered them just
as Jeremiah prophesied, and the people were left as offscouring
refuse while their enemies opened their mouths to abuse them. In
chapter three and verse forty-seven Jeremiah tells the emotional and
physical result of their enemies' behavior. He wrote:
Fear and a snare is
come upon us, desolation and destruction.
The
verse begins, “Fear and a snare is come upon us,”
Rather than being at peace, the
people lived in “fear”
which is “terror or dread”, and “a snare”
or a “pit or hole” like unto a trap suddenly came upon them. Like
birds caught in an unforeseen net, the people of Jerusalem were
trapped and afraid because of their rebellion. If we use our
imaginations to picture the people and the aftermath of being
overtaken, killed, captured and beaten, we will understand why “fear”
and “a snare” came
upon them.
The verse goes on to say,
“...desolation and destruction.” In
addition to “fear”
and “a snare”
coming upon them, they also endured “desolation”
which is “ruin or devastation” and “destruction”
or “breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash, ruin, or
shattering. Jerusalem was like rocks crushed at a quarry, and where
prosperity and peace once ruled, ruin and devastation were the
overriding themes.
Are
we fearful? Do we feel like we have run into a snare? Has sudden or
progressive desolation and destruction come upon us which has caused
us ruin and devastation? As we ponder Jeremiah's thoughts in this
verse perhaps we can identify with the people of Jerusalem. We might
even be inclined to wonder why Divine Providence has lead us to such
a state. If this is the way we feel, we may have confidence in this:
If the Heavenly Father's Divine Providence has lead us into the
conditions we currently face, we may be certain that His Divine
Providence shall provide the means for carrying us through, over,
under or around our difficulties. Through Jesus Christ, God's Son, we
now have access to the throne of God as recored by the writer of the
book of Hebrews in chapter four and verse sixteen:
Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need.
May we
all learn to take advantage of this marvelous access and fear no
more.
Next
time we see Jeremiah weeping over the people, 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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