There is One who uses this very figure concerning His own Divine office. viii., No. This goes back to being still. He has led me and made me walk. In chapter 3, every third of the 66 verses begins with successive Greek letters. Supposing that you are ready thus to appeal, there are two evils to be guarded against: (1) That of lifting up the spirit without the hands depending upon mental prayer without times for prayer, seasons for prayer, words of prayer without an act of prayer. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone: he hath . c. LORD, You have seen how I am wronged: Jeremiah rested in the confidence that God was a righteous judge, who would see how he was wronged and who would rightly judge his case. wake of the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC. [There is a problem in that in Jeremiah 38:5 it is . When we sincerely repent and long for the ways of the Lord, we can trust in his salvation and be renewed. Indeed, Gods own people often suffer greatly due to their loyalty to Christ (Matthew 10:1625; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). How Lonely Sits the City (1:122) Lamentations provides eyewitness testimony of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC in vivid, poetic detail. We must plead for them, and yet learn in waiting the reason why they are withheld. You can also change some of your preferences. VI. I. There is a marked want about those Christians who have never suffered. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.". The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases (Lamentations 3:22). along with the historical and cultural background it provides, opens up to modern readers one of the Old Testament's most fascinating books. And not only are Gods people failing to enjoy promises made to them, but they are also now failing to be a light to the nations. It is when pain or overwork chases sleep away, when he lies upon his bed and waits for its coming but it comes not, when he begins to dread the nights lest he should have the same wretched experiences again and again a fear which prepares the way for its own fulfilment it is then that he begins to learn what is meant by sleep, and what high rank it takes among the common mercies of life. J. Thain Davidson, Forewarned Forearmed, p. 19. 4 Lamentations is written entirely in poetic form . Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. Lamentations presents many key theological realities from an important era in Israels history: 1. The author of the Book of Lamentations had experienced real, actual events that caused bereft of hope to his soul. b. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affliliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links. 4. Your curse be upon them! A consensus of Jewish tradition attributes authorship of this book to the prophet Jeremiah. To turn the current of the young life into a right channel to make good habitual by use, and (to that end) to insist upon conformity to a good rule to require, as the condition of maintenance, as the condition of protection, as the condition of life, that this and not that shall be the conduct and the speech and the temper, and (down to very minute particulars) the mode of living, this is the duty of a home, in order that it may bring after it God's assigned and certain blessing. When the Lord has not commanded it? [OT LIT: JEREMIAH & LAMENTATIONS] Page 1 of 13 Jeremiah & Lamentations Objectives of this lesson 1. Download. Prayer isnt about getting something from God, but rather connecting with him. This question suggests two considerations; each of which demonstrates the injustice of the complaint Why should a living man complain? 2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; 3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS KEY VERSES: 2:17: The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. Women are being raped (Lamentations 5:11) and are even boiling and eating their own children (Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). Like many of the prophets, Lamentations warns of the day of the Lord. This is the day when God judges sin. Let us search out and examine our ways, The people of this once great city experienced the judgment of the The Lamentation (c. 1304 - 1306) by Giotto di Bondone is from the proto-Renaissance art period, which portrays more three-dimensionality and volume in its subject matter compared to how Christian art was painted, flat and two-dimensional, in the preceding Byzantine period. And every morning, as we arise, we shall wake to meet new mercies, newer than the dawn. God will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love (Lamentations 3:32). He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is thou. (Spurgeon). IV. ( Lamentations 3:1-9) The man afflicted by the LORD. Lamentations has much to say about pain. That is the very office of the family toward its young and inexperienced members. Jerusalem had fallen to Babylon, and it was a time of deep grief and national mourning. Harrison, R. K. Brand. . Lamentations 3:21-26 (ESV) We have no argument that can win us back into God's favor, but his mercy and love are always available. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world. III. We owe an appeal on whatsoever concerns us to the personal providence of God, and the actual government of God. Spiritual experience must be looked at as a whole. Not only does the author of the book witness the results of the recent destruction of Jerusalem, he seems to have witnessed the invasion itself (Lamentations 1:1315). G. W. Conder, Christian World Pulpit, vol. That day has already occurred in historical events like the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. We thank You that Your love and mercy, Your grace and compassion, Your strength and your peace are new every morning. King James Version. c. because their leaders led them astray (4:13). (Genesis 18:25). Now, this isnt a get out of hell free card that we can abuse. You have covered Yourself with a cloud, Indeed, God himself is inflicting this pain upon his own people (Lamentations 2:18; 3:32). Notice a few of the common mercies which we are most prone to forget: (1) Take, as the first illustration, sleep. The book of Lamentations articulates the anguish of the Hebrews in the wake of the conquest of Jerusalem and the razing of the city by Babylon. We owe it, further, to the character of God. In a season of great suffering or calamity, it may be difficult to remember that God rules over all things if not directly, then in what He allows. A confession of sin and an acknowledgment of God's It will never fail. Lamentations agrees with the Psalms that prayer is the way to restore a broken relationship with God. Essay, Pages 3 (663 words) Views. I also receive Insight [for Today] daily. All our enemies a. Yet while Lamentations speaks of pain resulting from a very specific historical event, the dismay and despair that resound through its pages are universal experiences in this fallen world, right up to the present time. Thus are these two arguments of the text demonstrative of the unfairness of human complaint when the dealings of the Most High pass under review. We read that it was the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests (Lamentations 4:13) that resulted in the Lord giving vent to his wrath and pouring out his anger on Jerusalem (Lamentations 4:11). 2 - He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness,and not in light. When you remember that man is a transgressor, not only by imputation, but by every positive and personal working of evil, surely the marvel must be, not that so much of wormwood should drug the cup of human life, but that so much of sweetness should still have been left. . Parker, City Temple, 1871, p. 61; see also Pulpit Analyst, vol. III. Pastor. Lamentations 3:16-33 hold the tension of grief and hope in a beautiful mixture of proud sadness and . 3. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. You cannot receive Gods mercies if you arent looking for Gods mercies. We may request cookies to be set on your device. Its this idea of lamenting that, for many, links Jeremiah to the book. Crying aloud accurately describes this book, which consists of five melancholy poems of mourning over the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians. (2) That of lifting up the hands without the heart. b. It is good for a man to bear in his youth the yoke of difficulty and toil. Father. These are good times for reflection (sit alone) and listening rather than speaking. I use all as my study material. They were before the year; they were before all years; they will outlive the year. Lamentations 4 Jeremiah compares the conditions of the Jews before and after the destruction of Jerusalem. Opposed by the LORD. They were against him like a fowler is against a bird. The key passage in Lamentations is 3:1924, which affirms that belief in Gods mercy and faithfulness is the key to a restored relationship with God. II. 590. Regardless of how often you rely on Gods compassion, there will be more for you tomorrow. How easy and how common it is to discourse in a querulous and reproachful strain, on the fact of our being made to suffer for a forefather's transgressions, and on the fact of our deriving a polluted nature from guilt in which personally we took not any share. Was It Right for Boaz to Marry Ruth the Moabite? What a man is in private, that he is; and it is in the personal interviews with our Maker that the critical transactions of our religious history are performed. It is important to reflect on national tragedy as it happens and to empathize with its victims. Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, Helping you live out a biblical worldview. God's wrath is against me all day long, says Lamentations (3:3); and God's mercies are new every morning (3:23). He Himself provides, and He Himself rules. . b. S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 1st series, No. In Lamentations as well as around the world and down through time, as the leaders of a people go, so go the people. Like a lawyer pleading for his client, God pleaded the case for his life. I am their taunting song. Silence implies both an acceptance of Gods will and a refusal to complain to men. Prophets such as JeremiahProphet who condemned Judah's infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant More announced the Babylonian invasion as the judgment of God. 480. They continued after the temple was rebuilt during Zechariahs time (c. 520 BC; see Zechariah 7:35; 8:19). Click on the different category headings to find out more. It leads too to the willingness to be treated like a slave (v.30), for the yoke was a symbol of servitude (but cf. Lamentations points to the peoples sins as a reason Jerusalem is falling (Lamentations 1:18), as well as leaders who have failed (Lamentations 4:13) and people who have refused to follow their leaders. The book of Lamentations is one of the smallest works in the Bible and yet one of the most powerful and enigmatic. The entire Old Testament has been gradually working toward the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham in Genesis 12:13promises of blessing, descendants, and land. In fact, while mercy is briefly asserted as a theological . Or subvert a man in his cause The original name of the book in Hebrew, ekah, can be translated Alas! or How, giving the sense of weeping or lamenting over some sad event.1 Later readers and translators substituted in the title Lamentations because of its clearer and more evocative meaning. 1. However, we modern believers adjudicate that ancient belief. Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD: Even under the great sense that God was their opponent and adversary (Lamentations 3:1-18), Jeremiah recommended the proper and humble approach. Without repentance we shall perish, and repentance absolutely requires and supposes a careful review of the actions of our life, and that at stated and oft-recurring periods, so that the actions may be remembered and not slip through, from the length of time through which the review extends and the difficulty of recalling its performances. Lamentations isn't a "feel-good" book. It means complete, be concluded, be gone, be finished, be accomplished, or come to an end.
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