“Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.”
Notice the connection Jeremiah makes between the city and the people.
- “Her foes have become the head.”
“Her” refers to Jerusalem. Whereas the Jews once ruled the city, Babylon (foes) now rules the city.
- “Her enemies prosper …”
Not only does Babylon rule over Jerusalem, but it also prospers. The city on which God wrote his name is now under the thumb of Babylon.
- “because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions.”
The reason Babylon rules Jerusalem is that the Lord is punishing his people for their sins. This is somewhat good news. At least we now know this situation is part of God’s plan and not simply the result of Babylon knocking the Lord off his throne.
Notice that the city, which did not sin, is suffering because of the people who live in it.
4 “her children have gone away, captives before the foe.”
What must seem like the worst possible thing that could happen to a person is, in fact, the Lord’s plan.
This goes so against my normal thinking that I have to slow down and let this thought settle in. My natural thought is that God would make everything easy for his children. But that approach doesn’t seem to work in terms of drawing my heart to him. See Deuteronomy 6:10-12, for example:
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
God will bring them into the Land he had promised and give them 1) great and good cities they did not build, 2) houses full of stuff they did not fill, 3) cisterns they did not dig, and 4) vineyards and olive trees they did not plant!
That’s what I naturally think would lead people to love God. Yet, we are reading Lamentations because the people’s hearts still wandered to idols after God did all that. Why do I think I would do better?
I need the Lord to transform my heart, not just give me stuff.
Father, please help me love you because of you and not for any material gain. Amen.
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