Jeremiah began his prayer of
appeal to the Lord to remember, consider and behold the reproach of
the people of Jerusalem and Judah. In chapter five and verse two
Jeremiah begins to relay a series of specific examples He desires the
Lord look upon. He wrote:
Our inheritance is
turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
The verse begins, “Our
inheritance is turned to strangers,” Though
at one time the people of Jerusalem believed themselves to be the
owners of the “inheritance” which
means “possession, property, share, heritage, or portion”
of the land and possessions of their country and city, those now in
control who were “strangers” or “another, foreigners, or
enemies”. The idea was these who took over their inheritance were
loathsome enemies who should never be in control of what belongs to
them.
The
verse goes on to say, “our houses to aliens.” Even their
“houses” were turned over to “aliens” which
means “foreign, unknown or unfamiliar” people. Those within
Jerusalem used to reside and dwell with comfort and ease, but others
who were foreigners were occupying their homes.
What
would it be like if someone from a foreign country suddenly took over
our cities and engulfed our inheritances and homes? Can we imagine
ourselves in the place of the people Jerusalem for a moment and
realize that which was secure and comfortable at one time was now in
the possession of others? The challenging thought is that all of this
could have been avoided. Over and over again God appealed to the
people to turn back to Him, but they would not. Now they were
experiencing the results of their rebellion, and they were forced to
observe others occupying what they once owned. As we think on these
things, may the Lord show us places in our lives where we might be in
rebellion against Him, and may we avoid losses to strangers and
aliens by yielding to Him in every area of our lives.
Next
time Jeremiah shares about the widows and orphans in Jerusalem, 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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