Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"The wind shall eat up all your rulers"
Text: Jeremiah 22:22
THE BABYLONIAN INVADERS
The Babylonian was a powerful empire. The speed of their conquest of nations may be compared to a powerful and destructive wind.
“The wind shall eat up all your rulers,
And your lovers shall go into captivity;
Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated
For all your wickedness.
O inhabitant of Lebanon,
Making your nest in the cedars,
How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you,
Like the pain of a woman in labour?”
Jeremiah 22:22-23
1. “The wind shall eat up all your rulers, and your lovers shall go into captivity”
a) The wind represents the Babylonians.
b) They will eat up (destroy) all the rulers of Judah.
c) The “lovers” would represent all the allies of Judah.
d) They too would end up in captivity.
e) Egypt was the overlord of Judah but the land would also fall to Babylon.
2. “Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated for all your wickedness”
a) When Judah and her allies are in captivity.
b) They would then be:
i) Ashamed
ii) Humiliated
c) They would realise just how wicked they had been for years!
3. “O inhabitant of Lebanon, making your nest in the cedars, how gracious will you be when pangs come upon you, like the pain of a woman in labour?”
a) Lebanon was a rich region.
b) The inhabitants boasted of their majestic cedars.
c) Their lifestyle was considered “gracious”.
d) But how gracious would they be when they are hurting from great pain?
i) Pain like that of a pregnant woman in labour.
ii) Pain can take away whatever “dignity” that a person may possess.