Volume 19 in the Tyndale Old Testament . a. Yet even in this seemingly hopeless He hath hedged me about, that I cann 8 get out: he hath made my chain heavy. 4. Amid unthinkable tragedy Jeremiah describes his agony in the face of this suffering. That, whatever sorrow we are in, it is what God has allotted us, and his hand is in it. Lamentations agrees with the Psalms that prayer is the way to restore a broken relationship with God. Regardless of who wrote it, the historical events of Lamentations overlap significantly with those of Jeremiah. 1 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3 surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. But this promise still rings true, Gods mercies are new every morning. Now Jeremiah prayed that Yahweh would repay their enemies, and give them a veiled heart even as Judah was blind. If we do not recognise this we are disloyal, we set up some false god, we are guilty of the sin of idolatry, we break the first and chief commandment in His holy law. b. because they rejected Gods Word sent through the prophets (2:8, 14, 17); G. W. Conder, Christian World Pulpit, vol. If it be a life of sickness, a life of widowhood, a life of captivity, yet all this deserves no mention in opposition to the privilege of existence. God draws near to his suffering saints. If you will turn to the lives of any of the saints of God, you will discover that they were the victims of slanders of the grossest kind. The book of Lamentations is all poetry that deals with many different key themes throughout such as justice, sin, and various imagery. III. Lamentations 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Lamentations in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, [1] [2] part of the Ketuvim ("Writings"). Self-examination is a rehearsing of the judgment day, for it is a having the soul up before conscience, and conscience is God's voice in the heart. Gods mercies are new every morning. Ibid., vol. Our Creator intended us for labour, not for indolence. (1) Hope: ( a ) The foundation of hope may be said to lie in desire. 3. The composition of acrostics requires great skill. And thats where the meaning of Lamentations shines through. To give emphasis, Jeremiah asked the same question in different words. 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. Thats what David is getting at in Psalm 46:10. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love (Lamentations 3:3132). VII. As in the book of Jeremiah, so in Lamentations we see that it is those who were called to lead Gods people who are largely responsible for misleading them. severed from Judges and Lamentations from Jeremiah. Repay them, O LORD, . II. They are new: (1) because they were forfeited yesterday by our sins; (2) because new light is thrown upon them, and our hearts have been renewed to see them better; (3) because they can be dedicated anew, used for new services and new love; (4) because of the "night of heaviness," which endureth but for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. c. because their leaders led them astray (4:13). Women are being raped (Lamentations 5:11) and are even boiling and eating their own children (Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). In Lamentations 3:18, Jeremiah's endurance and hope have perished, but two verses later Jeremiah remembers something, and it fills him with hope once again. 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. (Lamentations 3:24). How the Gold Has Grown Dim (4:122) They were against him like a fowler is against a bird. viii., No. The Lord does not approve. If there was nothing unjust in God's appointing Adam to act as our representative, then there is nothing inconsistent either with the strictest justice or the amplest benevolence in our being accounted to have sinned in Adam. Hope, not despair, is the central theme in Lamentations. One side is very dark and full of sadness, sharply inclined towards despair; the other is brighter than the summer morning, tuneful, sunned with all the lustre of saintly hope. All rights reserved. V. The self-examiner is a profitable attendant in the services of the church. But it is not a joyful and pleasant thing to consider closely our own way, and see how we have behaved ourselves towards our good and gracious Father who is on high. In the midst of the peoples. We forget, that although we did not ourselves elect Adam to act as our representative, we should, almost beyond doubt, have elected him, had it been put to our choice. In later years, Lamentations was read and sung as part of annual observances marking the temples destruction. Taking Jeremiah's experience as a whole, what do we find that sanctified sorrow had wrought in him? ii. I don't have to tell you, this has been a traumatic week in the life of our church family. God's wrath is against me all day long, says Lamentations (3:3); and God's mercies are new every morning (3:23). It also shares the Psalms ' emphasis on God's sovereignty (see Ps. How Did Jesus Take Away the Sin of the World? Remembering him and his cross, and the glory into which he entered and into which we too shall enter (Romans 8:17), we trustingly submit to him and his fatherly governance of our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world today. It is good because it gives one many years of experience. b. Watch Now What's Next? 2021 All rights reserved | Enter the Bible and Luther Seminary | Privacy Policy, Prophet who condemned Judah's infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant. Lamentations speaks from within that judgment. How great soever his affliction may be, he is still alive; therefore, he may seek and find mercy unto eternal life. (2) Our reason. There is One who uses this very figure concerning His own Divine office. Watch our overview video on the book of Lamentations, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth the yoke of home. Answer: https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-major-prophets/lamentations "Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results . . Helping you live out a biblical worldview. ( b ) The next element in Christian hope is faith. Jewish tradition tells us that Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, though no author is identified in the book itself. Have opened their mouths against us. We owe it to the Divine precepts, invitations, and promises. Jeremiah 20:12). (Ellison). There are, with all of us, desires and tendencies which we have sternly to resist, and the denying of which is part of the training by which we are fitted for a noble and useful life. All rights reserved. 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. The prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations hundreds of years ago but the suffering described in the book (especially in chapters 1, 2 and 4) pictures very much the suffering of the people of Syria and Iraq the past years. We dont live constantly focused on our sins and failings, but there are appropriate times to carefully, deliberately search out and examine our ways. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone: he hath . Sign up for Rethink Updates and youll also get access to 3 exclusive articles! Lamentations reminds us of the importance not only of mourning over our sin but of asking the Lord for His forgiveness when we fail Him. to this point? The two terms signify the fervour and earnestness of prayer joined to persistency in that fervour; and the rare combination of these gives the highest character to the tone of cur devotion. It differs from desire in this, that desire pursues many things that can never be objects of hope to us. Jerusalem had fallen to Babylon, and it was a time of deep grief and national mourning. Our faith should have a direct impact on what we do and how we do it. [OT LIT: JEREMIAH & LAMENTATIONS] Page 1 of 13 Jeremiah & Lamentations Objectives of this lesson 1. Next: Lamentations 3:24 . He has led me and made me walk. Lamentations provides eyewitness testimony of Babylons destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC in vivid, poetic detail. A determination to go, yet a willingness to stand still that is the mystery of true waiting. Their enemies had brought them into the deepest miseries. (Poole). Now, faith isnt just about what we believe in our heads. The waters flowed over my head; It will help your own faith wonderfully to be engaged in some real labour for the Lord. He wrote to encourage . Was It Right for Boaz to Marry Ruth the Moabite? It is not enough to be under the rule of others. Lamentations speaks from within that judgment. As we learn from the judges and kings of Israel earlier in the Old Testament, wicked leadership breeds corporate wickedness, while godly leadership breeds corporate godliness. Meter. From under the heavens of the LORD. Give them a veiled heart; The rest of the meaning of Lamentations 3:22-23 ties into this first truth. J. Thain Davidson, Forewarned Forearmed, p. 19. Yet He will show compassion With all the distractions it can be hard to hear the voice of God and receive his mercy. Till the LORD from heaven In other words, nothing we have faced or will face can possibly remove us from Gods love. Now, this isnt a get out of hell free card that we can abuse. xxx., No. Lamentations 3 may fit with Jeremiah's experience of being cast into the pit (compare Lamentations 3:52-57 with Jeremiah 38:1-13). IV. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes. What does Peter consider to be Scripture according to 2 Peter? Perhaps this time should be identified with Jeremiah 39:1-18. According to the multitude of His mercies. These past deliverances created his assurance that Jehovah would yet act on behalf of His people and destroy their enemies from under the heavens. (Morgan), (c) 2021 TheEnduring WordBible Commentary by David Guzik ewm@enduringword.com. God therefore disapproves heartily of any attempt to deprive an individual of his rights in the law (36), or to condemn him unjustly. (Harrison). Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. The Lord himself sovereignly oversees all that his children go through, yet he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men (Lamentations 3:33). Book Title. Lamentations often utilizes qinah meter, a type used in some passages that mourn the dead (e.g., Isaiah 14 . 1) In 3:1, Jeremiah states that he has seen the affliction by the rod of God's wrath. V. We owe this appeal to God's provision for our full reconciliation to Himself. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed. Repay them, O LORD, according to the work of their hands: God had repaid Jerusalem and Judah for all their sin and disobedience. The throne of God. Even the citys roads mourned over its condition (1:4)! According to the work of their hands. 1. beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. 2 - He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness,and not in light. Or subvert a man in his cause 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. See Full Permissions Notice. But there are things newer than the year. It was likely written between 586 and 516 BC, with an early date being more probable. Reference: Lamentations 3:40 . Every time we wake up, Gods mercies are new. Persecution, too, is as widespread and as volatile as ever it was before. For the Lord will not cast off forever: The suffering endured was not everlasting. Lamentations has much to say about pain. Now he prayed to God as his advocate. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. Now that weve looked at the meaning of Lamentations 3:22-23, lets look at how we can practically apply it to our everyday life. The year will grow stale, but these will always sustain their vigour and elasticity. Listen to Chuck Swindolls overview of Lamentations in his audio message from the Classic series Gods Masterwork. Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world. The author of this literary masterpiece is unknown. This goes back to being still. You can check these in your browser security settings. That man I may trust with my heart's life. For the Lord will not cast off forever. Background Although never named in the book, the book of Lamentations has long been attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, although some scholars have disputed this. Self-examination is a private work. This last part ties the whole passage together. Your curse be upon them: According to the terms of the covenant Israel made with God (as in Deuteronomy 27-28), Israel would be terribly cursed if they disobeyed and rejected God. 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. There are thousands who never kneel down and thank God for sleep. [There is a problem in that in Jeremiah 38:5 it is . Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 90. It is the only book in the Bible written by a person who actually lived through the divine judgment the Bible often refers to as the day of the Lord (see Joel 2:12; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:14 16). It will never fail. Rather, this is an opportunity to return to God even after we screw up. I. Item Length . They have been very rebellious (Lamentations 1:20). We receive mercy and compassion not because we are faithful, but because God is faithful. It affirms Gods never-ceasing mercy (3:1924; compare Deuteronomy 30:110). 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. i., p. 638. 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. My eyes overflow with rivers of water situation, he somehow found hope in the Lord (3:2124). Essay, Pages 3 (663 words) Views. a. Generally in the combination of these two terms, each expresses the perfection of all prayer as it is either the active seeking of God or the passive waiting for Him; in other words, what man does and what he must expect God to do in the whole business of devotion. In the Hebrew Bible it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillot (or "Five Scrolls") alongside the Song of Songs, Book of Ruth, Ecclesiastes and the Book of Esther although there is no set order. Lamentations 2 - God's wrath against the city of Jerusalem. 2023 Insight for Living Ministries. He is the Lord of hope ( 3:21,24-25 ), of love ( 3:22 ), of faithfulness ( 3:23 ), of salvation and restoration ( 3:26 ). That man I may trust with my heart's life. One thinks of global poverty and mismanagement of wealth, various kinds of assault on the dignity of the human individual, and conflict at the level of the family all the way up to international conflict. There is no book in the Bible which is more characterised by the illuminations of sorrow. To this very day it is asserted by Romanists that Martin Luther was a drunkard. IV. S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 1st series, No. More than 200 million people in over 60 nations today are socially sidelined and denied various human rights due to their loyalty to Christ. It is he that causes grief, and therefore we may be assured it is ordered wisely and graciously; and it is but for a season, and when need is, that we are in heaviness, 1 Pt. II. J. Burton, Christian Life and Truth, p. 368. AUTHOR: Probably Jeremiah the Prophet A. Women are being raped, families are starving, and lawlessness abounds in the city of God. III. Here too there is a yoke, and a yoke-bearing, or else a refusal of the yoke, with many sad consequences of sorrow and shame. i. The practice of self-examination will more assuredly soften and humanise the character in regard of the social intercourses of life; making him who is diligent in such practice gentle and merciful toward his fellow-creatures. It's a short read with only five chapters. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.". We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. It also shares the Psalms emphasis on Gods sovereignty (see Psalm 103:19). You can remind God about it. Background. Jeffery Curtis Poor | April 25, 2023September 21, 2022 | Understanding Specific Bible Stories (Biblical Interpretation), Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.His mercies are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. [There is a problem in that in Jeremiah 38:5 it . Everything that follows is because of Gods love for us. 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). Download. VI. This article is the book introduction to the ESV Global Study Bible, ESV Bible Copyright 2011 by Crossway. Why, said the master, I have first to teach you to hold your tongue, and afterwards to instruct you how to speak. The Lord teaches true penitents how to hold their tongues. (Spurgeon), ii. (3:19) (God) keep recalling my impoverished condition, my misery feels like bitter poison. Despite the heartbreak and agony this book still contains an incredible message of hope. In his own day he was called the German beast, that for lust must needs marry Catharine. Before the face of the Most High, (2) The one is needful to raise the other to its full strength. Their taunting song: Mocking or taunt-songs were also frequently used to express derision or contempt for an enemy. (Harrison). The nations recognition of itself as offscouring (so most evv) employs a descriptive term sehi, occurring here only in the Hebrew Bible, and in the context denotes anything rejected as unfit for use. Every strata of Like so many other Old Testament passages, Lamentations teaches that Jerusalem fell: a. because of the peoples sins (1:18); 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). i. How can a complaint against justice be itself just. (2) That of lifting up the hands without the heart. In addition, when the early Christian church father Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he added a note claiming Jeremiah as the author of Lamentations. A living man! Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. Husband. In 1, 2, and 4, each of the 22 verses begins with a successive letter of the Greek alphabet. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Lamentations provides eyewitness testimony of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC in vivid, poetic detail. It is the Lord who reigns in all circumstances, and He reigns over them. Lamentations 3:25-26 . 1291.Lamentations 3:31-33 . When we sincerely repent and long for the ways of the Lord, we can trust in his salvation and be renewed. To every mourner we may say, on the authority of God, Fear not! (Read Lamentations 3:1-20) The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. 1. Regardless of how often you rely on Gods compassion, there will be more for you tomorrow. It is to this that our blessed Saviour invites us when He says, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me." 579; Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 325.Lamentations 4:1 . But also how we choose to live our lives. I think this passage is the perfect reminder for us today. We must plead for them, and yet learn in waiting the reason why they are withheld. Let such authority be ever so great, there is still a sphere to which it cannot extend, and in which there is scope for a man's own conscience to assert its command. Here is the danger of forms and modes. You have seen all their vengeance, Jeremiah calls to mind that the the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, that His mercies never come to an end, that they are new every morning, and that His faithfulness is great . 6. Why should a living man complain, References: Lamentations 3:24 . Its New Testament counterpart (1 Corinthians 4:13) is equally rare, depicting the suffering of the apostles. (Harrison), ii. God placed him not in a "sleeping hollow" to fatten in idleness; but in a large garden, to dress it and to keep it. One of the key themes in the book of Lamentations is justice. We are surrounded by noise, notifications, and things that are clamoring for our attention. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. 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. Most of this book is lamenting, but sandwiched in the middle is incredible hope found in the meaning of Lamentations 3:22-23. Parker, City Temple, 1871, p. 61; see also Pulpit Analyst, vol. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; 5 he has besieged . They equip us, they give point and definiteness to new intention, they offer fresh feelings, they take us out of grooves, they stir up in us our immortality. The second thing is to consider what is meant by these exercises of the soul towards God's salvation, "to hope and quietly to wait." I am a pastor in Kenya. The soft, measured breath, or the laboring, gasping breath. The two words may be applied to the confidence and submission of prayer as it has to do with the seeking and waiting for special blessings. The first thing is to be a Christian; the next thing is to avow it. And their whispering against me all the day.