Scripture for Today: Jeremiah 17:11 “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those that gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.”
The only partridge I am familiar with is the one “in a pear tree” as part of the Christmas song! In reading about her, I have learned that up in a pear tree is the last place one would find a partridge. These birds build their nest close to the ground in the fields and hedges of farmland. The partridge hen produces some of the largest “clutches” of any bird species; up to 22 eggs!
Our verse for today refers to a partridge hatching eggs. Not only is she hatching her own, but those of others. This is not a behavior common to this bird but it makes the point. The partridge produces more eggs than any other bird. Wanting more is a good description of insatiable greed. How many eggs are enough? For some, gaining more and more riches is the goal of life. As acquiring more does not satisfy, one is driven to continue amassing wealth by any means.
How sad to see a life impoverished by ill-gotten riches! Reputations are ruined. Relationships are irreparably broken and life ends up becoming meaningless. The person described here proves himself a fool. What a contrast with the one who puts their trust in the Lord! (vs. 7) He will be blessed and rewarded for his honesty and integrity. Riches “will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” (Prov. 23:5) I want to be content with the number of eggs in my own nest.
Lord, thank you for the blessing and reward that comes from trusting You.
Devotions By Jan 