Lamentations 5:4–6: “We pay for the water we drink, / And our wood comes at a price. / They pursue at our heels; / We labor and have no rest. / We have given our hand to the Egyptians / And the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.”

November 25th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Jeremiah tells us that the Babylonian officials charged the Jewish slaves for their own water and firewood to cook in Babylon. As forced labor, they were driven hard and were struggling. They had chosen at different times throughout their history to foolishly place their trust in human government, making ungodly alliances with surrounding pagan nations, instead of trusting in God’s rule.

It is always better to trust in the Lord rather than put any confidence in humanity. Man often deals unfairly and harshly with us, but God, because of His great mercy, desires to pardon and forgive us. He saw the brokenness in our lives and our helplessness against sin, and so He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, who, because of His love for us, allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross, where He paid for the consequences of our sin.

God does not punish us according to what we deserve, nor will He hold anger against us if we will but repent. That doesn’t mean our circumstances will instantly get better or that there will not be any consequences for our rebellion, but God will begin to bless our lives as we walk in truth.

“LORD, we thank You for willingly exchanging Your life for ours.”