“Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps.”
The devastation went all the way to the royal and wealthy, presumably because they were not immune to the idolatry of the nations. I conclude that the wealthy and the royal were included in the suffering because of the use of two words in this poem: delicacies and purple.
Those who feast on delicacies are the wealthy, which would include the royals. In Hebrew poetry, the second line often repeats the first line, but in different words. Those who are brought up in purple are the royal and wealthy. Look at the outcome for the rich and royals: they perish in the streets or they embrace the ash heaps. In other words, in this devastation, they became “normal” people.
The ash heaps reminded me of God’s grace mentioned in Psalm 113:4-8
“The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.”
In Lamentations, Jeremiah describes how sin lowers everyone, even the rich and royal. The Psalmist describes how the Lord lifts folks from the ash heaps to become his royal people.
Father, help me to long for the day of redemption when all things will be made right. Amen.
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