The Lord was determined
to destroy the walls of beautiful Jerusalem.
He made careful plans for their destruction,
then did what he had planned.
Therefore, the ramparts and walls
have fallen down before him.
Jerusalem's gates have sunk into the ground.
He has smashed their locks and bars.
Here kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands;
her law has ceased to exist.
Her prophets receive
no more visions from the Lord.
The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem
sit on the ground in silence.
They are clothed in burlap
and throw dust on their heads.
The young women of Jerusalem
hang their heads in shame.
Lamentations 2:6-10
Jeremiah summarizes just how utterly complete the Lord's destruction of Jerusalem was. God's destruction was not only complete, it was carefully planned. Every single building that the people of Judah held dear was torn down to the ground. God spared nothing in Jerusalem from destruction. In Lamentations 2, Jeremiah describes the destruction further, "Without mercy the Lord has destroyed every home in Israel. In His anger he has broken down the fortress walls of beautiful Jerusalem. He has brought them to the ground." (v. 2)..."He has destroyed her palaces and demolished her fortresses"(v. 5). "He has broken down his Temple as though it were merely a garden shelter."(v.6)
Now imagine every single building where you live utterly destroyed down to the ground - every single home, every single church, every single business - gone. God didn't even spare His own Holy Temple from this destruction. All of the visual symbols of safety, protection, and leadership were snatched right out from under the people of Judah. Nothing was untouched by this destruction. Every single leader in Jerusalem - from the king, to his sons, to the priests, government officers, and high ranking officers in the army were taken prisoner. All were killed except King Zedekiah. He was forced to watch as the Babylonians killed all of his sons, the leaders, and the priests. Then the Babylonians gouged out his eyes and he lived out the remainder of his life as a prisoner. Many of the people of Judah were taken as prisoners back to Babylon. Only the poorest of the land remained. Harsh, huh?
God completely removed His hand of protection from Jerusalem. The Babylonian army was His tool of judgement against His own chosen people. And why? Because they had rebelled against Him. He had warned them for generations what would happen if they ever turned from Him. He had given them ample time and many opportunities to repent. He knew it would come to this, yet they persisted down the path of destruction, worshipping false gods and living only for themselves. They INSISTED on having THEIR WAY! They falsely believe that because they were God's chosen people and because Jerusalem was God's Holy City, the city that housed His Temple, they were guaranteed God's protection. They took God for granted!
As you read Lamentations, you get a picture of just how horrid the seige and destruction of Jerusalem was. Did God take delight in any of this? Of course not. But it was the only way to save His people. They had gone too far. He took away everything that they had loved and valued more than Him. The only way to save them was for them to hit rock bottom - to see the error of their ways and repent. In the midst of all of this destruction, there was a promise of hope.
After a time, God brought about circumstances so that the Jewish people would eventually return to Jerusalem - in phases. The walls of the city were rebuilt, then the Temple was rebuilt, though not as grand as it had been in the past. The important thing is this, it wasn't until the Jewish people repented and began to earnestly seek God did these things come about. God had promised this. Jeremiah had prophesied this. And when Jerusalem was rebuilt, it was rebuilt the right way - by a people who sought God obediently and wholeheartedly.
Sometimes, it may seem that God is dealing with us harshly. Sometimes, we experience bad things because we live in a fallen world and that's just the way it is. But sometimes...God has to bring our world completely crashing down in order to save us.
If this describes a place where you are at, simply ask for His forgiveness and turn to Christ. He promises to, "restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away—all the souls I have made." Isaiah 57:15-16
In His Love, Cathy
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