Friday,
June 25, 2021
The Lord in his anger has cast a dark shadow over beautiful
Jerusalem. The fairest of Israel’s
cities lies in the dust, thrown down from the heights of heaven. In his day of great anger, the Lord has shown
no mercy even to his Temple. Without
mercy the Lord has destroyed every home in Israel. In his anger he has broken down the fortress
walls of beautiful Jerusalem. He has
brought them to the ground, dishonoring the kingdom and its rulers. All the strength of Israel vanishes
beneath his fierce anger. The Lord has
withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks.
He consumes the whole land of Israel like a raging fire. He bends his bow against his people, as
though he were their enemy. His strength
is used against them to kill their finest youth. His fury is poured out like fire on beautiful
Jerusalem. Yes, the Lord has vanquished
Israel like an enemy. He has destroyed
her palaces and demolished her fortresses.
He has brought unending sorrow and tears upon beautiful Jerusalem. He has broken down his Temple as though
it were merely a garden shelter. The Lord has
blotted out all memory of the holy festivals and Sabbath days. Kings and priests fall together before his
fierce anger. The Lord has
rejected his own altar; he despises his own sanctuary. He has given Jerusalem’s palaces to her
enemies. They shout in the Lord’s
Temple as though it were a day of celebration. The Lord was determined to
destroy the walls of beautiful Jerusalem.
He made careful plans for their destruction, then did what he had
planned. Therefore, the ramparts and
walls have fallen down before him. Jerusalem’s
gates have sunk into the ground. He has
smashed their locks and bars. Her kings
and princes have been exiled to distant lands; her law has ceased to exist. Her prophets receive no more visions from the
Lord. The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem
sit on the ground in silence. They are
clothed in burlap and throw dust on their heads. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads
in shame. I have cried until
the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.
My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my
people. Little children and tiny babies are
fainting and dying in the streets. They
cry out to their mothers, “We need food and drink!”
Their lives ebb away in the streets like the life of a warrior wounded in
battle.
They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers’ arms. Lamentations 2:1-12
The fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC was unimaginable
to its citizens. Israel was the greatest
nation on earth, and the Holy City the prized jewel of David’s crown. That any king could conquer her, or would
even try, was unthinkable.
Yet, it happened.
Ten years prior, the city had been taken by Babylon’s forces, and a
straw man king (Zedekiah) installed.
Jeremiah could see the writing on the wall (so to speak), and prophesied
the total destruction of Jerusalem, along with the heart-wrenching scenes of starvation
and pain as the spirit and pride is gutted from Israel’s national heart. When it came to pass, it was as Jeremiah’s
lamenting broken heart predicted. The
great city lay in ruins, including the great Temple of Solomon.
And it was all done with God’s permission.
What?
The short story on the WHY
of Jerusalem’s destruction at JHWH’s direction is no different than the opening
of Scripture in Genesis. The city of God
(like the Eden God had created for Adam and Eve) was inhabited by people who
enjoyed God’s blessing, and promptly forgot how they got there. The city rulers (as the Garden dwellers)
reached for that which didn’t belong to them.
In national arrogance and pride they deemed themselves in charge,
usurping a position to which they had no claim.
For You Today
You
chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
