It’s impossible to read Lamentations, Ezekiel and other Old Testament pre-captivity narratives and not find yourself comparing Jerusalem and its destruction to our day and time.
People who believe the Bible recognize Jerusalem as a special place. It was then. It is now.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to attach significance to certain places. My places may not mean much to you but they special to me. Some of my special places are in the mountains of Colorado. I have special places in Scotland (not difficult to do) and I consider my backyard a special place, especially when things are blooming, the birds are out and it’s a bit damp and not dusty.
What makes a place special varies, but usually for me it’s a place where something happened, and maybe nor even to me. I tend to associate people I love and care about with places. Sometimes it may be the simple creative beauty of a place that makes it special. Special places always have the power to resurrect a memory, possibly for all the reasons mentioned.
Early Celtic Christians had special places in and around the moors, majestic islands, mountains, lochs and rivers of Scotland. They called them “thin places.” They were places where they felt especially close to God.
God has special places as well, and for many of the same reasons you and I do. One of God’s special place was/is Jerusalem.
In Bible tines He intended for that majestic city and its people to be a beacon of light to the neighboring tribes and peoples, an example of how bountiful God could be in rewarding his people for their faithfulness. After all, he had saved them from many calamities: famines, Egyptian slavery and the escape from Pharaoh’s army when Red Sea parted, the decades of wondering in the wilderness where God provided protection, nourishment, leadership and direction. We could go on.
God’s great desire was to lead and bountiful bless his chosen people on that hill called Jerusalem.
Except, His people had other ideas. His people weren’t faithful. Instead of the surrounding nations seeing God’s glory showered on His people in Jerusalem, His people chose to be like their pagan neighbors.
And God destroyed them.
My 17th Century English friend Matthew Henry takes up the story from here, commenting on the Book of Ezekiel Chapter 4.
“This is the hill which God desires to dwell in. Jerusalem was a city upon a hill, conspicuous and illustrious, and which all the neighbouring nations had an eye upon, some for good-will, some for ill-will. Jerusalem was designed to have a good influence upon the nations and countries round about, was set in the midst of them as a candle upon a candlestick, to spread the light of divine revelation, which she was blessed with, to all the dark corners of the neighbouring nations, that from them it might diffuse itself further, even to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem was set in the midst of the nations, to be as the heart in the body, to invigorate this dead world with a divine life as well as to enlighten this dark world with a divine light, to be an example of every thing that was good. The nations that observed what excellent statutes and judgments they had concluded them to be a wise and understanding people, fit to be consulted as an oracle, as they were in Solomon’s time. And, had they preserved this reputation and made a right use of it, what a blessing would Jerusalem have been to all the nations about! But, failing to be so, the accomplishment of this intention was reserved for its latter days, when out of Zion went forth the gospel law and the word of the Lord Jesus from Jerusalem, and there repentance and remission began to be preached, and thence the preachers of them went forth into all nations. And, when that was done, Jerusalem was levelled with the ground. Note, When places and persons are made great, it is with design that they may do good and that those about them may be the better for them, that their light may shine before men.“
Matthew continues in Chapter 5:
“To aggravate the punishment, and to make it lie the more heavily. Jerusalem, being made waste, becomes a reproach among the nations in the sight of all that pass by.”
He further comments on Ezekiel 5:
“To teach the nations to fear before the God of Israel, when they see what a jealous God he is, and how severely he punishes sin even in those that are nearest to him: It shall be an instruction to the nations. Jerusalem should have taught her neighbours the fear of God by her piety and virtue, but, she not doing that, God will teach it to them by her ruin;”
“We commonly endeavour to comfort our friends by telling them, (1.) That their case is not singular, nor without precedent; there are many whose trouble is greater, and lies heavier upon them, than theirs does; but Jerusalem’s case will not admit this argument: “What thing shall I liken to thee, or what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee? What city, what country, is there, whose case is parallel to thine? What witness shall I produce to prove an example that will reach thy present calamitous state? Alas! there is none, no sorrow like thine, because there is none whose honour was like thine.”
Matthew further comments in Thessalonians Chapter 2
“Note, When places and persons are made great, it is with design that they may do good and that those about them may be the better for them, that their light may shine before men.”
And in his comments on Ezekiel 5 Matthew provides the reason.
“5. The particular crime charged upon Jerusalem is profaning the holy things, which she had been both entrusted and honoured with (v. 11): Thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, with thy idols and idolatries. The images of their pretended deities, and the groves erected in honour of them, were brought into the temple; and the ceremonies used by idolaters were brought into the worship of God. Thus every thing that is sacred was polluted. Note, Idols are detestable things any where, but more especially so in the sanctuary.”
Jerusalem of Bible times failed miserably to live up to the expectations of a loving and bountiful God. He eventually became a judging God.
In our time we have forgotten the Providence of our founding, the Protections granted our growing and Prospering land, the grace and mercy shown to succeeding generations.
Has our time come?