But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
Comment: From my reading of the Old Testament there certainly were times when God seemed to distance Himself from them, the Hebrews, the Jews, His people! But to my memory they seemed to bring it on themselves! They wandered after lesser, easier to follow gods or they became oriented to sex or money or something/anything but Jehovah. Surely it seemed as if God withdrew a distance to let them ‘enjoy’ the stupidity of their foolish choices. A small percentage, a remnant seems to have repented, confessed and sought God’s forgiveness. But the thought of God turning His back on them while they earnestly sought to love justice and mercy and walk humbly before their God is inconceivable. They seemed too much like us for that! Their cry ‘All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant.’ doesn’t ring true to me! We’ll see where tomorrow takes us.
Prayer: Help me to see clearly when I see dimly, O Lord!
As I read it! 