Jeremiah 9: Jesus wept

1 Who is giving my head water, my eyes a fountain of tears? I wept day and night for the injured daughter of my people.

2 Who will give travellers a hotel in the wilderness? I forsook my people and walked off from them – all that (were) adultering, a treacherously dealing, a restraining commune.

3 They made their bow- tongues march to deceit and not the truth – going  from evil to Mighty evil on earth lands – and they did not know Me, says Yehoweh.

Pause and think about that!

4 Man watchful of friend and not trusting of brother. For every brother walking is a Jacob (waiting to supplant at the heel) and a slanderer.

5 And man causing friend to be deceived, not speaking the truth, they taught their tongues to speak deceit, tired out by causing trouble.

6 Your seating is in the middle of deceit. And through deceit you turned me down says Yehoweh.

Pause and think about that!

7 And then thus says Yehoweh of the Councils/Parliaments, “ Behold: For how did I refine and check them? (How) shall I show face with the daughter of my people?

8 Their tongues spoke deceit, they are deadly arrows. With his mouth, he says Shalom to his friend. With his heart he sets up an ambush.

9 “Shall I not reckon this against them?” declares Yehoweh. On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge my soul?

Pause and think about that!

10 On the mountains, I am lifting up  crying, a song of mourning. And a  dirge in the pastures in the wilderness because they are burnt up. No one heard the voice of a worne-out, alienated man. For Domestic animals, for birds in the sky and even wild beasts have fled and walked away.

11 And I will have permitted rock piles and dragons’ (Thanin) dens in Jerusalem. I will be permitting (clearances ) desolation and worne out inhabitants in the cities of Judah.

Pause and think about that!

12 Which wise man discerns This? And to whom has Yehoweh’s mouth spoken that he may emphasize this? For why did  this worne out, alienated land get burnt and perish (becoming) like a wilderness?

Pause and think about that!

13 Because, says Yehoweh, forsaking My Law (which) I put in their faces and not hearing my voice and not walking according to it,

14  they stubbornly walked after their own understanding and after the lord-masters (Baals) as they learnt from their fathers.

Pause and think about that!

15 So thus says Yehoweh of Councils/ Parliaments, God of God-Strife (Israel), Behold, I will cause this people to be fed bitter food and cause them to drink poisoned water.

16 And I will cause them to be scattered among nations who never knew them or their fathers. I sent a sword after them till they were finished off.

What about that?!

17 Thus says Yehoweh of Councils/ Parliaments make yourself discern, call out and they will come -lamenting women. Send for professional mourning women and they will come.

18 They will come up quickly and lift up lamentations for us. Tears will flow down from our eyes, waters flowing from our eyelids.

19 For the voice of lament was heard from Zion, “ How are we despoiled and greatly shamed because we have left a land, because have been cast out of our homes”.

Pause and think about that!

20 And listen women, you will cling to the Word of Yehoweh, your ears (will be) for a word of His Mouth. Teach your daughters your (professional) wailing, and  a woman her neightbours (will teach) lamentation.

21 For death, he rose up through our windows, he entered our fortresses, killing children on the streets, young people in the plazas.

22 Speak thus, Word of Yehoweh, ‘ Thus fell corpses of men like manure in the field like fallen grain (chaff) left behind after shortening (threshing) and no one to gather it’.

Pause and think about that.

23 Thus says Yehoweh, a wise one must not self-praise his wisdom and a mighty one must not self-praise his might and a rich one must not self-praise his riches.

24 But in this, he who self-praises, let him self praise in that he is pondering and knowing Me for I am Yehoweh making kindness, judgement and righteousness in earth.

For in these I, the Word of Yehoweh, delighted.

Pause and think about that!

25 Behold the days are coming , the Word of Yehoweh: Upon each circumcised I examined, (and they are) with foreskin. (I examined) upon Egypt and upon Judah, and upon Edom, and upon Ammon’s sons, and upon Moab, and upon all dwellers in the farthest corners of the wilderness. For all the nations have foreskins and all house of Israel have foreskins (on their) heart. Pause and think about that!

 

 Prayer:

O Lord, what sorrow You and the Father have borne on our behalf for at least 2600 years. We know it’s depth when you burst out into lament echoing Jeremiah 600 years later in Luke 19:42-44:

“… Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 

For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 

and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

May we circumcise our hearts to be faithful to You. May we no longer be the cause for Your sorrow.

Amen.