SIN brings BONDAGE & AFFLICTION back in our LIVES!
August 24
Bible Reading: Lamentations Chapters 1-3
SIN brings BONDAGE & AFFLICTION back in our LIVES!
"Judah
has gone into captivity, under affliction and hard servitude; she dwells among
the nations, she finds no rest; all her persecutors overtake her in dire
straits. Her adversaries have become the master; her enemies prosper; for the
Lord has afflicted her because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her
children have gone into captivity before the enemy." (Lam 1:3, 5)
They people
of Israel has lived through experiences unparalleled and unsurpassed by any
other country of the world. They are a unique nation that was carved by God
Himself, who redeemed them out of bondage and servitude from their oppressors
(Egypt). Their hardship was due to no fault of their own but because they were ‘fruitful and multiplying’ (Exodus 1:9)
as God had designed at creation (Genesis 1:28). In fact, they were subjected to
tremendous suffering, and had cried out for deliverance. "Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and
they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage."
(Exodus 2:23)
After God
had delivered the children of Egypt through many signs and wonders under the
leadership of Moses, God had warned His people time and again that sin and
disobedience would bring the bondage and affliction back in their lives. In
order to drive the point home, God had Moses remind the younger generation of
the children of Israel about this, the details of which are recorded in the
book of Deuteronomy. Joshua, who succeeded Moses, also warned the Israelites in
his farewell address and the covenant at Shechem (see Joshua 24). Many of the
judges who judged Israel after Joshua displayed the need for serving God alone.
Even the kings who ruled thereafter (especially David) emphasized the need to
serve God and forsake sin through songs, proverbs and words of wisdom. Finally,
God sent mighty prophets like Jeremiah who pleaded with the Israelites to turn
away from their sins and back to God!
However, the
Israelites continued to disregard God and His prophets by committing gross sins
and living immoral lives. Due to their constant transgressions, God allowed
foreign nations like Assyria and Babylon to take over the countries of Israel
and Judah into captivity. For the people of Judah, the fall of Jerusalem was a
time of terrible suffering and anguish. It was this fearful catastrophe that
brought forth the book of Lamentations as the heart-cry of the prophet
Jeremiah. In the book, Jeremiah laments the former excellency and the present
misery of Jerusalem for her sin (vv. 1-11). This book was read publicly each year
to remind the Jews that their sin had caused their captivity and the
destruction of the city of Jerusalem where Solomon’s Temple was situated.
Let us understand that sin brings
bondage into our lives! Due to the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we have been born
in sin and trespasses. However, Jesus Christ, the Son of God paid the price of
our sin with His own life. "And you
He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience..."
(Eph. 2:1-2) Jesus had given us true freedom that we need so desperately. "Therefore if the Son makes you free,
you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)
