As Jeremiah continued his
list of the horrible conditions which Jerusalem incurred because of
their rebellion against the Lord, he included the loss of their
inheritances and homes, how widows and orphans who were left aimless
among them, how their economy was flip-flopped as they were now
serving those who once served them, and their skin was darkened from
being exposed to famine and excessive heat. In chapter five and verse
eleven of Lamentations, Jeremiah continued as he spoke of how the
women in the city were ill-used where he wrote:
They ravished the women
in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.
The
verse begins, “They ravished the women in Zion,...”
Jeremiah said “They ravished” which means “to
afflicted, oppressed, humbled, and made to be bowed down” the women
who were in “Zion” or “Jerusalem”. When the Babylonian
enemies of Jerusalem came in and overtook their city, the women were
humbled and abused by those who conquered them.
The verse goes on to say,
“and the maids in the cities of Judah.”
Not only were the women of the
city abused, but also the “maids”
or “virgin maidens” were “ravished”
in all the cities of Judah. Young women and virgin girls were
afflicted by the enemy, and though at one time these women were
protected by the Lord and the men of the city, there was no one to
protect them any longer.
As
we think about these terrible conditions which occurred within the
city of Jerusalem, we may employ our imaginations and put ourselves
in their places. What if someone came into our city, conquered all
our defense forces, and ravished the women and young girls who lived
there? What would it be like to know that we could not protect these
women, and what if our help toward the young virgins was in vain? We
must keep in mind that the Lord knew this would be the case whenever
the people forsook Him and His ways. When the people of Judah and
Jerusalem turned their backs upon the Lord God Almighty who made and
created them, His hand of protection was lifted, and they suffered
the consequences. May we remember the results of Jerusalem's
apostasy, and should we and our country turn our backs upon the Lord,
the same results could be ours. May He continually remind us that
forsaking Him costs us much more than we may ever imagine – even to
the point of our women and young girls being ravished.
Next
time we see what happened to the princes and elders, 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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