How lonely sits the city
that was full of people!How like a widow has she become,
she who was great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
has become a slave.
She weeps bitterly in the night,
with tears on her cheeks;among all her lovers
she has none to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.
Judah has gone into exile because of affliction
and hard servitude;she dwells now among the nations,
but finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.
in the midst of her distress.
These are the mourning words from the book of Lamentations, bemoaning the desolation of Jerusalem by Babylon because of the people's sins.
Left alone and distraught the people of Judah cry because they looked else where for their satisfaction besides the God who had rescued them and built them up. Those they once turned to for their political stability now turn around to mock and accuse them.
These poisonous friends are much like using pornography. They promise ecstasy sans intimacy and sans the messiness of relationships which come with sex the way God intended it to be. Yet at the end, all it does is leave the gnawing longing for intimacy unsatisfied, and the stark loneliness augmented as you come to the realisation that you're still alone as ever. The very thing you turned to for comfort now stands, having shoved you head first into the mud, laughing at your shameful state.
Like a good friend always tells me, "tell the truth and shame the devil". Know pornography for what it really is - a cheap, twisted imitation of a rich, good thing, and shame the devil. Pursue instead, healthy relationships founded on the gospel, where you can be open about your struggles; where you can encourage each other in your struggles; and where you can rebuke one another. Take courage also, in knowing that the fight is not a futile one. You can keep standing up to fight after each knock-down because the Holy Spirit is with us, empowering us to say no to worldly passions.
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