6You have rejected me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.
7I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people,
for they have not changed their ways.
8I will make their widows more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.
9The mother of seven will grow faint
and breathe her last.
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword
before their enemies,” (Jeremiah 15:6-9)
Thoughts: There was an eclipse in Jeremiah's day- September 30, 610 BC. After this very visible sign disaster after disaster came on the land and people.
The next year (609), the good King Josiah died when he fought against the Egyptians as they went out to fight Babylon. In 605 Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem for not paying him tribute. It was then that Daniel and many of the leaders were deported to Babylon. 3/16/597 Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and a second deportation took place . Then in July/August 586 Jerusalem was again conquered and the first Temple destroyed in utter fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.
There is typical Jeremian poetry here. Once Jeremiah put a yoke on his shoulders to indicate the servitude of the people to Babylon. Here he speaks of the destroyer coming at midday (vs. 8) as the moon covered the sun at midday. He used a visible physical symbol (an eclipse) to indicate something more. The mother's sun will set at midday- indicating that her energy and time will fade when her children are killed. Though Jeremiah gave foreboding prophecy, no one listened. They rejected God, gave into immorality, completely forgot the Sabbath, went after other gods and backslid away from God (vss. 6 &7). They believed nothing bad would happen to them for they had the Temple there.. There are things God puts in our lives to remind us that we need Him and we should come back to Him with our whole hearts. The beauty and awe of an eclipse should cause us to pause. James Fennimore Cooper said, "Never have I beheld such a spectacle which so plainly manifested the majesty of the Creator, or so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to men."*
The next year (609), the good King Josiah died when he fought against the Egyptians as they went out to fight Babylon. In 605 Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem for not paying him tribute. It was then that Daniel and many of the leaders were deported to Babylon. 3/16/597 Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and a second deportation took place . Then in July/August 586 Jerusalem was again conquered and the first Temple destroyed in utter fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.
There is typical Jeremian poetry here. Once Jeremiah put a yoke on his shoulders to indicate the servitude of the people to Babylon. Here he speaks of the destroyer coming at midday (vs. 8) as the moon covered the sun at midday. He used a visible physical symbol (an eclipse) to indicate something more. The mother's sun will set at midday- indicating that her energy and time will fade when her children are killed. Though Jeremiah gave foreboding prophecy, no one listened. They rejected God, gave into immorality, completely forgot the Sabbath, went after other gods and backslid away from God (vss. 6 &7). They believed nothing bad would happen to them for they had the Temple there.. There are things God puts in our lives to remind us that we need Him and we should come back to Him with our whole hearts. The beauty and awe of an eclipse should cause us to pause. James Fennimore Cooper said, "Never have I beheld such a spectacle which so plainly manifested the majesty of the Creator, or so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to men."*
Prayer: Lord, help me to be able to enjoy your majesty when I see the eclipse and appreciate my need for humility before you. Give me eyes to see.
*Thanks to The State Newspaper via Gaie McLeod for this quote on the eclipse.
No comments:
Post a Comment