The Book Of Lamentations – Part 37 – We Look At The Crimes Of Edom; Their Evil Against Israel - Chapter 4:20-22 Series

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 37 – WE LOOK AT THE CRIMES OF EDOM; THEIR EVIL AGAINST ISRAEL - CHAPTER 4:20-22

This is the last of the descriptions of the plight of the refugees. Their lot was a very sad one indeed. Verses 17 to 20 are a set of four that look at the awful conditions of the survivors in their starvation and misery.

PART [20]. THE SURVIVORS HOPED FOR RELIEF

{{Lamentations 4:20 The breath of our nostrils, the LORD’s anointed, WAS CAPTURED IN THEIR PITS, of whom we had said, “Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.”}}

The previous verse describes how the inhabitants were hunted down and ambushes were used for that purpose - {{Lamentations 4:19 “Our pursuers were SWIFTER than the eagles of the sky. They CHASED us on the mountains. They WAITED IN AMBUSH for us in the wilderness.”}}

The ambush pits caught the people as wild animals and there was heavy breathing from the pursuit. This verse is a difficult one to understand exactly, but this quote from CBSC helps to clarify the text - [[The breath of our nostrils] Pe. remarks that the phrase is an ancient one, being found in the Tell el Amarna letters (fifteenth century b.c.). Cp. Seneca (ad Neronem de Clementia, I. 4) “He (the Emperor) is the breath of life, which these many thousand (subjects) draw.” As regards its application to Zedekiah individually we are to remember that whatever may have been his personal weaknesses (and he was weak rather than vicious), he was the one on whom the whole of the people’s hopes depended for the continuance of their national life.”]]

The ending of the verse is possibly this suggestion given by CBSC - [[“Of whom we said …” The reference may very possibly be to a hope entertained by the fugitives that by escaping to the mountainous region of Moab or Ammon they might maintain in some sort, their national existence under Zedekiah.”]]

Displaced people are very sad and today many displaced Christians exist in Nigeria and Sudan and more places of terrible persecution. My government in Australia does next to nothing to help persecuted and ravished Christians overseas, especially in Africa, but delights to bring their persecutors to the country as immigrants. That is why numbers of Moslems have increased enormously in recent times. In the past 3 years 1.8 million from the Middle East were brought to Australia including so many Palestinians no one else would import. They are already marching in the streets calling for the Jews to be killed and to be gassed, but police will do nothing about it. They would rather arrest a Christian praying in a public place. That happens.

PART [21]. EDOM WILL RIDE HIGH BUT NOT FOR LONG

{{Lamentations 4:21 “Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz, but THE CUP WILL COME AROUND TO YOU AS WELL. You will become drunk and make yourself naked.”}}

Why would Jeremiah mention here Edom? Of all the surrounding nations Edom was the vilest. These people, originally descended from Esau, were wicked and callous towards the Jews in their defeat.

The most thorough explanation of their guilt is recorded in Obadiah and I will write the quote that is the reason why Edom will have to drink the cup of its own destruction:

{{Obadiah 1:10 “Because of VIOLENCE TO YOUR BROTHER JACOB, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever. “}}. Esau and Jacob were brothers, sons of Isaac, hence the reference to brother. Esau became Edom and they were always a nation of hate against Israel/Judah. In Jerusalem’s defeat, Edom attacked them with violence. Maybe what most people recognise today about Edom is the archeological site of Petra, in the clefts of the rocks (red ones).

{{Obadiah 1:11 “On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem - YOU TOO WERE AS ONE OF THEM.”}}. The strangers were Babylon, but Edom also helped themselves and did what the Babylonians were doing. They were violent robbers.

{{Obadiah 1:12 “DO NOT GLOAT over your brother’s day, the day of his misfortune, and DO NOT REJOICE over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction. Yes, DO NOT BOAST in the day of their distress.”}}. Edom is told what not to do because that is what it did! It had already done those terrible things. Obadiah was probably written around the time of Babylon’s invasion and possibly a bit before that. They were not to take delight in the pain of another, especially their relatives the descendants of Isaac, but Edom was so wicked, it made no difference. Edom delighted in the destruction of Judah and took the opportunity to pillage and murder. Christians find to hard to understand that position but the world is full of hate and vengeance.