Turn to Lamentations 3:1726, where youll find someone aware of sins consequences and saddened by the results but who has placed his hope and his trust in the Lord. Lamentations begins with the Hebrew word Eicha (how), and the book is known in Hebrew as Megillat Eicha (the scroll of Eicha. Our Creator intended us for labour, not for indolence. II. Hope, not despair, is the central theme in Lamentations. The salvation of the Lord is when all conceivable means have been employed and have failed. They continued after the temple was rebuilt during Zechariahs time (c. 520 BC; see Zechariah 7:35; 8:19). When we pray we can be strengthened, encouraged, and reminded that Gods mercies are new for us each and every morning. 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 . If you turn to the life of Whitfield our great and mighty Whitfield in more modern times, what was his character? We owe it, further, to the character of God. All rights reserved. What Does It Mean that Job Spoke Rightly of God? Images are resized for social media and compatible with mobile phones (iPhone and Android), tablet devices, laptops and desktops. The waters flowed over my head; 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. 2023 Insight for Living Ministries. 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). i. Next: Lamentations 3:24 . vi., p. 141.Lamentations 4:22 . How the Gold Has Grown Dim (4:122) (2) Our reason. Lamentations 3:25-26 . With the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people to Babylon, the third of thesethe promise of landappears to have failed. Permission Notice: Crossway reserves all the rights for all of the content of the ESV Global Study Bible, including but not limited to all print, electronic, and audio rights. Remember Gods mercies from yesterday so that you can be encouraged that they are still true today. 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. For He does not afflict willingly, 3 Esther, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS KEY VERSES: 2:17: The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. 1. This, then, is the first thing for us to do, if we would strengthen hope, to see that its objects are right and good that is, accordant with the Divine will and beneficial for us; we may learn this by consulting God's word and our own thoughtful experience. God is our only hope HISTORICAL BACKGROUND A. Lamentations Old Testament Overviews 7:17 This collection of poems captures Israel's expression of grief in the chaotic aftermath of their exile and Jerusalem's destruction. 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. The Lord does not approve. Perhaps this time should be identified with Jeremiah 39:1-18. Let us lift our hearts and hands 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. In other words, nothing we have faced or will face can possibly remove us from Gods love. c. And turn back to the LORD: All the self-examination in the world does little good if it does not lead us back to this place. Lamentations 4 Jeremiah compares the conditions of the Jews before and after the destruction of Jerusalem. Speaking in the first person, Jeremiah pictured himself captured in a besieged city, without anyone to hear his prayers, and as a target for the arrows of the enemy (3:78, 12). 15-16 v. 7 v. 17 v. 8 v. 18 Lament 3 The Lamentations Of Jeremiah Lesson 3 6 Get time, if it be only a few moments, for meditation before you speak to God, and you will find a freshness in your thought of Him which will certainly inspire and help your supplications. Their enemies had brought them into the deepest miseries. (Poole). It will tell her so much. In darkness and not in light. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. The fall of Jerusalem resulted in the destruction of Solomon's Temple and the exile of the Jews from the promised land. severed from Judges and Lamentations from Jeremiah. To God in heaven. We have transgressed and rebelled; Here Jeremiah fulfills that role with tears that flow and do not cease, without interruption. God placed him not in a "sleeping hollow" to fatten in idleness; but in a large garden, to dress it and to keep it. 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. C. J. Vaughan, Pulpit Analyst, vol. We owe it to the Divine precepts, invitations, and promises. xxx., No. In chapter 3, every third of the 66 verses begins with successive Greek letters. II. E. Mellor, The Hem of Christ's Garment, p. 138. Sign up for Rethink Updates and youll also get access to 3 exclusive articles! Introduction from the NIV Study Bible | Go to Lamentations Title. That is the very office of the family toward its young and inexperienced members. Pursue and destroy them If so, complaint is at once removed by the second consideration which our text suggests. b. I called on your name, O LORD: Even from the pit Jeremiah knew he could call upon the LORD, and that God would hear His voice. You drew near on the day I called on You, 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. 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. This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness shines as a Fear and a snare have come upon us, Because Gods love is steadfast his mercy and compassion will continue on through eternity. And thats where the meaning of Lamentations shines through. Again, the seeking stands here and everywhere for the pleading boldness of prayer, which requires to be qualified by its waiting humility. Where Does the Bible Say that Jesus Is God. He wrote to encourage . What questions do you have? Even the citys roads mourned over its condition (1:4)! The Book of Lamentations (Hebrew: , , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. (Read Lamentations 3:1-20) The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. As surely as judgment awaits the faithless, mercy awaits the faithfulthose who look to God, waiting on him, trusting in his Son, and yielding themselves to him. There is One who uses this very figure concerning His own Divine office. Beneath all such activity, however, stands the greatest hope of all: Gods unfailing, unstoppable mercy toward his beloved people. Click on the different category headings to find out more. Some interpreters have suggested that the specific date for the composition of the book should remain open, not because such a setting is implausible, but to move away from reading the book as a report on the destruction. Each verse begins, in alphabetical order, with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. . ( c ) There is a third element to be added to make our hope strong that of imagination. The throne of God. Repay them, O LORD, according to the work of their hands: God had repaid Jerusalem and Judah for all their sin and disobedience. S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 1st series, No. The meaning of Lamentations 3:22-23 is a powerful reminder of what God has done for us. Let him sit alone and keep silent: Under adversity, it is best to not try and figure everything out right away. 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. a. Lamentations 3:22-23. Gods compassion, his mercy, is a byproduct of his love. 2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. This change in art style made Giotto one of the pioneering forerunners . We as saints have the Lord as our comfort. The book of Lamentations is one of the smallest works in the Bible and yet one of the most powerful and enigmatic. But this appeal to God, this lifting up of our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens, may co-exist with effort, with activity, with diligence, with prudence, with the devout pursuit of an object, and with the right use of the strength, the talents, and the resources of our fellow-men and of our fellow-Christians. IV. O LORD, You have seen how I am wronged; Jeremiah gives us two notions about human discipline as regulated by God the Judge and God the Father. Like a lawyer pleading for his client, God pleaded the case for his life. Lamentations 4:2 . Indeed, Gods own people often suffer greatly due to their loyalty to Christ (Matthew 10:1625; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). Lamentations provides eyewitness testimony of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC in vivid, poetic detail. V. It is good for a man to bear in his youth the yoke of a public Christian profession. And whatever the woe and bitterness of our portion, wherefore should living men complain? We are surrounded by noise, notifications, and things that are clamoring for our attention. The pain so evident in Jeremiahs reaction to this devastation clearly communicates the significance of the terrible condition in Jerusalem. That man I may trust with my heart's life. You will rarely see piety of a rich and mellow tone in a man who has known nothing of sorrow. Holy bible book of The Lamentations of Jeramiahfor background and inspiration with crucifix cross Holy bible book of The Lamentations of Jeramiah for . Although it recounts suffering as bluntly and awfully as anywhere in the Bible, the high point of Lamentations is its spelling out of a steady trust that the Lord is good to those who wait for him (Lamentations 3:25), for the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end (Lamentations 3:22). It includes memorable prayers that confess sin, express renewed hope, and declare total dependence on Gods grace. He Himself provides, and He Himself rules. Some translations call this Gods steadfast love. . Pastor. While the author of Lamentations remains nameless within the book, strong evidence from both inside and outside the text points to the prophet Jeremiah as the author. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.". Readers can know that God never gives up on his people, even when they sin greatly. 1:6 . You can remind God about it. d. You have seen all their vengeance: Jeremiah brought his case to God, telling him of all the ways that his enemies had attacked him. 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. Each day will have a duty, a trial, a temptation, a strength, a joy. 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. Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? We may be very thankful that there are these periods and epochs in life these foldings down of pages we have read and openings of the new leaves of another chapter. holy God, and the results were devastating. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and chapters 1, 2 and 4 have 22 verses eacha verse for each of the 22 letters. Lamentations speaks from within that judgment. From the lowest pit. My eyes overflow with rivers of water 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. Till the LORD from heaven Lamentations 3 may fit with Jeremiah's experience of being cast into the pit (compare Lamentations 3:52-57 with Jeremiah 38:1-13). That is, thou hast made us to all nations extremely contemptible, so as they value us no more than the sweepings of their houses, or the most vile, refuse, and contemptible things imaginable. (Poole). The book, in their view, assumes such a setting for the prayers it expresses, but the emphasis is on praying, not reporting. 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. And threw stones at me. The composition of acrostics requires great skill. Jesus gave his cheek to the one who strikes him as He patiently received the suffering His Father had appointed (Matthew 26:67-68, Luke 22:64). Its his faithfulness to his promise that allows us to receive his mercies. I. I. 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. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. III. b. References: Lamentations 3:24 . Prayer isnt about getting something from God, but rather connecting with him. Jeremiah was brought to understand two things about the government of God: (1) that it was tender; (2) that it was minute. There is no greater evil committed by any of us than a practical forgetfulness of the common mercies of life: mercies, which because of their commonness, cease to be regarded as mercies. along with the historical and cultural background it provides, opens up to modern readers one of the Old Testament's most fascinating books. In other words, Gods mercy toward you will never finish, be concluded, or come to and end. "A joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful." 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. Lamentations 5 - God's faithfulness is worthy of trust. There are deep emotions involved in lamentation. 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. Reference: Lamentations 3:40 . 2. This is one of those very bright thoughts which lie across this dark book like an April ray upon a retiring cloud. In this patient seeking of God, there is reason for hope. It means complete, be concluded, be gone, be finished, be accomplished, or come to an end. G. W. Conder, Christian World Pulpit, vol. It is good for a man to bear in his youth the yoke of living godliness. 3. The possession of reason should stir us up to daily thanksgiving to Him whose mercies are new to us every morning. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him: Jeremiah said this in the context of patiently enduring suffering (Lamentations 3:27-29). By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. It is no pleasure to God to afflict men. (1) The one is needful to save the other from sinking into sin. Like a lot of Old Testament passages, (perhaps more so than New Testament) we lose a little of the impact of the text- by reading it in translation. All their schemes against me. V. The combination of seeking and waiting forms in its highest perfection the devotional state of the soul in which both the seeking and the waiting go beyond their former meanings, and blend into the habit rather than the act of communion with God. 6. I. It also makes sense to date the book as close to the invasion as possible, meaning late 586 BC or early 585 BC, due to the raw emotion Jeremiah expresses throughout its pages. Many find themselves in dire situations that seem hopeless. AUTHOR: Probably Jeremiah the Prophet A. They did it by despising him (their reproach), with schemes, with whispering lies, and their taunting song against him. 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. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is thou. (Spurgeon). Jeremiah 20:12). (Ellison). 103:19 ). A determination to go, yet a willingness to stand still that is the mystery of true waiting. Chapter 3 is slightly different as . II. God has brought Jerusalem's disaster, and the succeeding nineteen verses find the subject of their actions to be God alone. i. J. Burton, Christian Life and Truth, p. 368. (3:19) (God) keep recalling my impoverished condition, my misery feels like bitter poison. God will plead thy cause, and redeem thy soul. (Clarke). 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. As the verses of Lamentations accumulate, readers cannot help but wonder how many different ways Jeremiah could describe the desolation of the once proud city of Jerusalem. Life in any sense is a sweet mercy, even that which to the afflicted may seem a lifeless life. (Trapp). 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. 5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me . See Full Permissions Notice. 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. This thesis will employ the insights of Vietnamese metaphor theory to help shed light on the prevalent and varied use of divine metaphors in Lamentations 3:1-18. Heavenly Father we praise and thank You that You are a faithful God. 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. That, whatever sorrow we are in, it is what God has allotted us, and his hand is in it. to this point? Lamentations 3 may fit with Jeremiah's experience of being cast into the pit (compare Lamentations 3:52-57 with Jeremiah 38:1-13). Are you mourning over the sin thats brought you IV. II. (2) It is good for a man to bear the yoke. 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. Learn More Dive Deeper and Explore More Recommended Books The Message of Lamentations (The Bible Speaks Today Series) Free Seminary-Level Classes In His wise judgments God caused grief, but promised to also show compassion, and would do so according to the multitude of His mercies. Jeremiah and Lamentations. 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 day has already occurred in historical events like the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. 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. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Listen to Chuck Swindolls overview of Lamentations in his audio message from the Classic series Gods Masterwork. Lamentations often utilizes qinah meter, a type used in some passages that mourn the dead (e.g., Isaiah 14 . A man for the punishment of his sins. " a. The cause of all this pain is unmistakably clear: the people have sinned (Lamentations 1:5, 8, 14). It's a short read with only five chapters. Women are being raped (Lamentations 5:11) and are even boiling and eating their own children (Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). It's a collection of five lament or "funeral" poems (poems of sorrow and mourning) that give voice to the grief of God's people in the wake of Jerusalem's fall and Judah's demise in 587 B.C.E. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. We are come, by God's grace, to a new year. The Background of Lamentations 1 Author and Date The author of this literary masterpiece is unknown. Lamentations speaks from within that judgment. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. 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. Of this, death would deprive him; therefore let not a living man complain. (Clarke), ii. Copyright 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Those who trust in the Lord can know, when facing adversity, that they will never be forsaken by their Father, because Jesus hung on the cross and cried out in lamentation and was forsaken by his Father. 3 Historical accounts are in 2 Kings 24 --25 and 2 Chronicles 36. (3) The power of motion and action, and speech, is another mercy which is new every morning. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Lamentations. Many persons suffer seriously throughout their life by not having borne in their youth the yoke of a church. Jeremiah could not help but acknowledge the abject state of this city, piled with rubble. We may request cookies to be set on your device. From my sighing, from my cry for help.. II. The lips of my enemies i. As long as human means can avail, it is a man's duty, trusting to Divine help, to employ them. The first four chapters are composed as acrostic poems while the fifth chapter's poem - twenty-two verses, but not an acrostic seemingly points to a grief so unbearable Continue reading "Commentary on Lamentations 1:1-6" Collectively these five little books became known the . This essay selects Lamentations 3: 1-18 as a "case study" that assesses the prevalent use of divine metaphors in Lamentations 3:1-18 with insights of Vietnamese theory of metaphor. ( b ) The next element in Christian hope is faith. The Hebrew exclamation u001fekah ("How,"which expresses "dismay"), used in 1:1; 2:1, and 4:1, gives the book its Hebrew title. When the Lord has not commanded it? I am their taunting song. Although never named in the book, the book of Lamentations has long been attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, although some scholars have disputed this. This goes back to being still. A. C. Price, Ibid., vol. Look at their sitting down and their rising up; My enemies without cause hunted me down like a bird: Jeremiah and those like him felt under constant pressure from capture or killing. And every morning, as we arise, we shall wake to meet new mercies, newer than the dawn. Gods response to this seeking soul was, Do not fear!, i. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. The word that is translated as fail or sometimes end is the Hebrew word kalah. Thats why we need to be still. At the climax of the book, Gods covenant faithfulness is affirmed and celebrated. Introduction. We dont live constantly focused on our sins and failings, but there are appropriate times to carefully, deliberately search out and examine our ways. God will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love (Lamentations 3:32). It was and is worse to be at the mercy of blind fate. He gives you of Himself and of His resources as though you were His only son, and His heart is love towards you. Life is still left thee; and of whatsoever thou hast been stripped, there is such a counterpoise in the continuance of life that complaint must be groundless. " Life, when regarded as the seedtime of eternity, must appear to be so enormous in value that its sternest and most aggravated sorrows dwindle away into comparative nothingness. How we go about that is through prayer. You perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. Evening- Magheralin. . 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. And said, Do not fear! 3 I Am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. We also offer 4K UHD and will soon add 8K wallpaper resolution. Taking the opening of the chapter along with the text, we seem to find a good deal of inconsistency and, in fact, positive contradiction. b. Till the LORD from heaven looks down and sees: The intense weeping of Jeremiah and those like him must continue until God looks and sees, taking notice of and mercy to their misery. J. E. Vaux, Sermon Notes, 4th series, p. 48; Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 285.Lamentations 3:57 . Jeremiah the prophet wrote the book in response to the fall of Jerusalem to the . i. And its a verse that each of us should reflect on and commit to memory. 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 Your anger, c. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men: When God does allow or send His judgments, He does not do it with a happy heart. And what we need is to be reminded of this, especially on the difficult days. Keep me I pray from the sin of unbelief and help me to trust in your unfailing promises, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN. II. Or subvert a man in his cause And turn back to the LORD; Roman Empire Map - Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places. Gods mercies are true in the good seasons and the bad seasons. . While man has life, he may win Christ. Silence implies both an acceptance of Gods will and a refusal to complain to men. Matthew 23:37-38 Three themes appear in the Book of Lamentations: Mourning over Jerusalem's holocaust. In Lamentations as well as around the world and down through time, as the leaders of a people go, so go the people. 1) In 3:1, Jeremiah states that he has seen the affliction by the rod of God's wrath. Much of Jeremiahs poetry concerns itself with the fallen bricks and cracking mortar of the overrun city. Lamentations is attributed to the prophet Jeremiah who witnessed the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. Spiritual experience must be looked at as a whole. It is the salvation which a man needs in any crisis of life, where he suffers under trial or is threatened with it. viii., No. 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.
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