CHAPTER 4

1 How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. 5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. 6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.

Here is a cry of lament for the "children" who were in Jerusalem at the time of the Babylonian siege. During the eighteen months of the siege, starvation became a key issue. And children went uncared for.

The beauty and plentifulness of gold was gone, and so was the beauty and plentifulness of the "sons of Zion" (verse 2). In constant distress to find food for themselves, mothers took no time to feed their young (verses 3-4).

The rich and the poor alike were in the streets seeking food and fuel for fires (verse 5).

Jeremiah cried that this was WORSE punishment that what Sodom had received (verse 6). At least Sodom was destroyed in a "moment," but Jerusalem suffered a long time!

7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: 8 Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. 9 They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. 12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

Before, the "Nazarites," or those who had made a vow to be faithful to God, were beautiful. But now, they just like the others, were withered and blackened in color from hunger. (verses 7-8)

Jeremiah reckoned it were better to be killed by the sword in battle than to die of slow starvation (verse 9). The sad story becomes even sadder as we see in verse 10 that people became cannibals.

Truly God had "poured out His fierce anger" (verse 11). Jerusalem was once the city that ruled the world, but now she was defeated (verse 12).

As someone has said:

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost more than you want to pay."

13 For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, 14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. 15 They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there. 16 The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

The false prophets and priests had said that Jerusalem would never be taken. But their prophecy was untrue. And because of that, they became as "bloody" to the people. No one wanted to go near them or to hear them. Everyone considered them to be as lepers (verse 15).

17 As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us. 18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. 19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. 20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

True prophets and believers could scarcely help (verse 17). Their truth was despised (verse 18), and they were persecuted (verse 19).

The "breath" of the true prophets, even God's "anointed," were captured with the rest (verse 20). The truth of their prophecy struck home. They would dwell in the "shadow" of God, but live "among the heathen."

21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. 22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.

The long-time enemies of the Israelites were the descendents of Essau (verse 21). Those descendents were now exulting in the demise of Judah and Jerusalem. But the prophet gives a "word" from God that their time will come also!

And an encouraging "word" is given for Jerusalem's people (verse 22). God has already accomplished her "punishment." Never again will she be carried into captivity. But God still has a "punishment" coming for the unbelieving children of Essau.

CHAPTER 5

1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. 4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us. 5 Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. 6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. 7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. 8 Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand. 9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness. 10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine. 11 They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured. 13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood. 14 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick. 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. 16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 17 For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim. 18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

Here is a prayer for God to "remember" them (verse 1)because they are "faint" (verse 17).

Friends, this prayer lists the RESULTS of living in sensuality and worldly pleasure.

The "inheritance" is taken by strangers (verse 2).
People are reduced to being as "orphans" or "widows" (verse 3).
Everything costs and there's nothing with which to pay because it has been squandered away (verse 4).
In order to maintain selfish desires, people give away important things for a piece of "bread" (verses 5-6), and they end up starving (verse 10).
Children suffer because of the sins of the "fathers" (verse 7).
The uncontrolled desire for pleasure makes "servants" of men (verse 8), and put their lives in peril (verse 9).
The Babylonians "ravished" the women (verse 11), and hanged the leaders and "princes" in chains (verse 12).

Young men were used to "grind" corn, which was "women's work," and demeaning to men (verse 13).

The elders were ashamed to go to the gate (verse 14), and there was no more joy in the people (verses 14-15).

And the REASON was an unbridled desire for sensual pleasures (verse 16).
When people leave the spiritual desire for God and search for the pleasures of the world, they SIN. And there are many results of that SIN. Gamblers lose their houses and land. Drunkards are reduced to slavery. Drug addicts starve themselves while looking for another "hit." Pornography and sexual pleasure take away the worth of a person.

And worse than all this, those who do not bridle sensual desires have NO JOY!

19 Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation. 20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? 21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. 22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

God is God. He will not deny Himself. He is Holy, Righteous, Perfect in all His ways. And He rules and reigns over His creation with just judgment. He is ALWAYS the SAME!

Will God forget His children? NO! He will "turn" them to Himself. By whatever means is necessary, God will turn true believers back to Him.

And that was the purpose of the downfall and captivity of the people of Judah. God ALWAYS has a purpose in what He does.

Let us pray, with Jeremiah, that God will "turn" us BEFORE we face such stringent discipline!

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.