FBC Morning Light – September 1, 2022

Well, a good Thursday to you, and welcome to the month of September. So here we are, two-thirds of 2022 is behind us, and moving on into another phase of this year. Autumn is right around the corner.

Warning Against Rejoicing Over an Enemy’s Fall

Well, today we're back in the book of Lamentations, and let me ask you something. Let's be honest with ourselves. How do you feel? How do you respond inside and maybe outwardly when somebody who is your enemy, quote-unquote, suffers?

Maybe something really bad happens to your, quote, enemy. How do you respond? We really need to be careful about that, don't we? We see an illustration of the need to be careful of that here in the book of Lamentations.

Throughout the history of Israel and the neighboring country of Edom, they really didn't get along very well. The Edomites and the Israelites were actually distant relatives, but they didn't get along really well.

And so, you know, the Edomites, there were times where they had war, broke out of war against one another. And so Lamentations is written about, you know, lamenting the fate of the Israelites, and especially those of Judah, the tribe of Judah that has been destroyed, people taken captive by the Babylonians.

Well, here's the thing. When all of that came upon Judah, and that was the last of the Israelites to fall. So it's like the entire nation of Israel, now that Judah is gone, it's history. It's been destroyed.

And Edom is off sitting on the sidelines watching all of this, because, I mean, they didn't have to lift a finger to make it happen. They just watched as the Babylonians, well, first the Assyrians came in and attacked Israel to the north, and then the Babylonians came in and captured those of Judah and destroyed Judah and Jerusalem and so forth.

And Edom, sitting on the sidelines, watching all this, and they're just kind of chuckling at it, and they're having a celebration. They're having a party, because Israel is now gone. We read of this in verse 21, where Jeremiah, speaking for the Lord, says with a sort of irony in his voice, he says, Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz.

Yeah, go ahead, rejoice. And indeed they did. They had a great deal of celebration when Judah fell. The problem is that Edom is going to face its own judgment in the days ahead. And he goes on to say, The cup shall also pass over to you, and you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.

The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion, Jeremiah goes on to say. He will no longer send you into captivity. The Lord's done with judging you, punishing you, chastening you.

What's coming for Israel, Judah, is a restoration. But he goes on to say, and ends this chapter at the end of verse 22, He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom. He will uncover your sins. So here's Edom, sitting on the sidelines, watching the captivity of Judah, relishing in it, having a party, celebrating, you know, with the confetti and blowing the little horns, you know, and have the party hats and all the rest of the stuff, because Judah has fallen.

The Lord says, yeah, go ahead. Go ahead in your arrogance and your smugness and your pride. You go ahead, celebrate. Your time is coming. Your time is coming. You too, Edom, will be punished for your iniquity.

Your sins will be uncovered. I think the lesson for us in this is, like I started out with the opening question, we need to be really careful about how we respond when those we perceive as our enemies suffer in some way.

We can stand aloof with our arms crossed and a little smirk on our face and inside be blowing the little streamer whistle things and celebrating at their misery, celebrating over their loss. We need to be very careful, because are we without sin?

Do we not deserve chastening as well? Oh, maybe we aren't guilty of the same things that our, quote, enemy is guilty of, but certainly, as like Jesus said, you who are without sin cast the first stone.

Certainly, we are deserving of some chastening ourselves. So let's not do that. Let's not be like that. Let's allow the judgment that comes, the punishment, the harm, the hurt, the suffering that comes on an enemy, let's allow that to sober us and to realize, there but for the grace of God, do I.

So our Father and our God, I pray, deliver us from that kind of an attitude of arrogance and smugness, of pride, that rejoices in the affliction, the harm, the hurt of someone else, even if that someone is our enemy.

Instead, O Lord, let us take to heart what they're enduring, because we're deserving of wrath as well, but for your grace. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy. And upon that, we rest today.

We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Well, you have a good rest of your Thursday. Hope September gets off to a great start for you. Good day.