JEREMIAH, LAMENTATIONS

It's a rainy Tuesday morning and I have a meeting to attend this morning, so I must write quickly a few thoughts.  I have my coffee beside me and I'm in my rocker/recliner so I'm set.  Reading in Jeremiah and finishing up the Lamentations of Jeremiah.  Here are just a few notes: 1) Jer. 50:23 "How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken!  how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!"  The judgment is again Babylon and keep in mind that at this time, Babylon is the world's greatest power!  Babylon was feared and the Babylonians ruled the largest land mass of it's day.  Now, after God's judgment, it is like... "what happened?".  When a nation decides to go against the LORD, they can cease to be a nation.  Wake up America!! 2) Jer. 52 tells us of King Zedekiah of Judah who did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD and would not submit to Babylon.  The city of Jerusalem was besieged for two years till it finally fell.  Zedekiah's sons were killed in his presence and then his eyes put out, and he was taken to Babylon, put into prison until the day of his death, bond in chains all the time.  It is a wicked thing to rebel against God, and the judgment is severe! 3) Jer. 52 also tells us that the city of Jerusalem was destroyed.  The houses were set on fire, the walls were broken down, only the poorest of the people were left behind and thus it would stay unto Nehemiah came and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, over 100 years later!! 4) Lamentations means "weepings".  Jeremiah is weeping for the city of Jerusalem.  Remember that when Nehemiah asked about the welfare of Jerusalem, he also wept.  We ought to have godly sorrow when we hear of someone or some church, or some work of God that goes through hard times.  We don't know who deserves what, but we know we are treated by God much better than we deserve. **Yesterday the assignment was to tell God how much you love Him..... how did you do?  You forgot?  Well, try it again today.  Love you LORD!! 5) SHOCK! - Just as Jeremiah 50 tells of the shock of Babylon's demise, In Lam. 2:15 it reads: "Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?"  Well, it was... before their sin caught up with them.  Before God's judgment, this is what the people of the earth thought about Jerusalem.  This is what people used to think about America too!! 6) WARNING!!  Lam. 4:22 has one serious phrase we will close with today:  "he will discover thy sins."  Don't wait until God has to "discover" your sins, confess them to Him right now and turn from them.  When God discovers something, He has a way of showing everyone your dirty laundry!!  Confess and find forgiveness seems so much better!!   WELL, have a blessed day!  Tell God you love Him often today!!  Pastor Mike Mutchler