The kings of the earth thought it was not possible for a nation like Israel and a city like Jerusalem to fall (Lam 4:12). It fell. And it fell. hard. Every nation falls. Except Israel which will always rebuild. But for that time it was still a horror like no else.
This morning I woke up and saw that Cardi B was shocked at inflation. I was surprised she even knew about it. The rich and the famous mostly do not do their own shopping or cooking. And she doesn’t. She just happened to look at the receipt. But at least she did as most other rich and famous do not care. They don’t have to.
Nations fall. And when they are elevated their crash is more resounding than the crash of other nations. We will see this soon enough.
When Israel fell it was so horrific that “compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became their food” (Lam 4:10). This wasn’t evil people but good women so desperate. Again this chapter talks of the suffering of all but especially the children.
And the main guilt of this fall? It was not just the sin of the people. But especially the sin of its religious leaders:
“Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within her” (v. 13).
Somehow the priests were the ones shedding the blood of others. ?? I know it has happened throughout history but still…. They shed the blood of the righteous.
Basically it means that they were so unrighteous that when someone righteous spoke up, they killed them. Sickening. And yet it’s happening even today. And I believe will accelerate.
In fact while Jordan Peterson hasn’t YET become a Christian, he is publicly wrestling and almost there. And as one of the world’s leading psychologists from Canada, he has been threatened to have his license removed for speaking out against gender issues, woke ideology and more. Common sense and free speech. And now he is under threat. If I know his character I don’t think he will give in. It will be interesting to watch.
Israel had put her hope in that it was Jerusalem after all. They had the temple of God. Wasn’t that enough? And their back up plan was their allies. They would surely come to their rescue. But it didin’t work that way.
God had warned them that if they did not turn from their evil and the shedding of innocent blood, he would bring judgment. They didn’t listen. They were warned that their allies would betray them but they didn’t listen. And their allies were nowhere to be seen.
“All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for assistance; we watched from our towers for a nation that refused to help” (v. 17).
When things are bad we search desperately for help. We must know that politicians will fail us. They are mere men. Our help can only come from God. When we repent of our sins and seek him in sincerity of heart.
Many good things to learn here.
