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Daily Devotions

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 
Day 
Day 109

"I will lay stumbling blocks before this people"

Text: Jeremiah 6:21

ANOTHER CLEAR WORD OF WARNING

Once again, God warned Judah about the threat from the north. This was God reaching out to His people with infinite patience!

“Therefore thus says the LORD:
‘Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people,
And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them.
The neighbour and his friend shall perish.’
Thus says the LORD:
‘Behold, a people come from the north country,
And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
They will lay hold on bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on horses,
As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.'”
Jeremiah 6:21-23

1. “Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people,
and the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them. The neighbour and his friend shall perish.'”

a) “I will lay stumbling blocks”
i) These would be the Babylonians.
ii) The nation would fall down because of them.
iii) The LORD announced that He would be the One who would lay down the stumbling blocks.
b) Devastating consequences would follow
i) Fathers and sons would fall.
ii) Neighbours and friends would fall and perish too.
This was a grim description of how the whole country would be devastated!
The picture of the coming invasion would be made plain to all.

2. “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a people come from the north country, and a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.'”

a) The enemies would come from the north country.
b) The Babylonians were described as “a great nation”.
c) They were from far away and thus the threat did not seem very real.

3. “They will lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel and have no mercy; their voice roars like the sea; and they ride on horses, as men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”

a) Bow and spear
They are symbols of war.
b) The character of the Babylonians:
i) Cruel
ii) Merciless
iii) Loud and belligerent
“Their voice roars like the sea”
iv) Swift
“They ride on horses”
v) A formidable army
“As men of war set in array”
c) Daughter of Zion
i) Jerusalem, Judah would fall to the Invaders.
ii) The nation was described in startling contrast as “a daughter”.