Persecution, Labor and No Rest Lamentations 5:5

In the fifth chapter of Lamentations, Jeremiah appealed to God to remember, consider and behold what happened to Judah and the city of Jerusalem. He spoke of their losses of inheritances and houses. He share about the widows and fatherless which were left among them, and he told of them having to purchase their own water and wood. In chapter five and verse five Jeremiah talks about their relentless persecution and labor where he wrote:

Our necks are under persecution: we labor, and have no rest.

The verse begins, “Our necks are under persecution:” As Jeremiah continued pouring out his prayer before the Lord, he mentions “Our necks” which is likened unto animals which are put together under a yoke of burden. However, this yoke is “persecution” which means “to pursue, put to flight, chase, dog, attend closely upon, or harass”, and the people of Jerusalem were constantly under the harassment of those who overtook them.

The verse goes on to say, “we labor, and have no rest.”. Jeremiah continued his thought with the idea of “we labor” which means “to toil, to grow weary, be weary” from all the difficulties mandated by their enemies. Thought they might desire “rest”, they found none. As the saying goes, “there is no rest for the weary”, and Jerusalem found this to be so true.

What would it be like if we were suddenly taken over by another country, forced out of our homes, and made to labor under persecution without rest? When we read the scriptures it is imperative that we place ourselves in the stories and imagine ourselves being there, and when we do this in this verse, we might feel ourselves greatly uncomfortable, and our appreciation for what we have currently may grow. The awing thought is that all of these difficulties of Jerusalem could have been avoided. All these things would not have been if they would have only turned to the Lord, repented of their ways, and aligned themselves with Him. Oh the mighty grace of God who continually extends His hand of salvation to all who will receive it, and yet so many suffer persecution without rest because they refuse to receive His gift.

Next time Jeremiah tells how the people of Jerusalem and Judah appealed to Egypt, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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