8 WAYS WE KNOW THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL — SERIES
“GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS” | Lamentations 3:22 – 24 | September 29, 2020
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS
The word “lamentation” means “to mourn, having sorrow, great depression.” It is the type of emotion that one would feel at a funeral and the loss of a loved one. The time in history is around 586 B.C., which appears to be right after the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar II. The author of the book is believed to be the prophet, Jeremiah.
Jeremiah is lamenting over the fall of Jerusalem that can be paralleled to Jer. 39:1 – 18. Other accounts can be found in 2 Kings 24 – 25, and 2 Chronicles 36. Not only does the author of the book witness the results of the recent destruction of Jerusalem, he also seems to have witnessed the invasion itself (Lam. 1:13 – 15). Jeremiah was present for both events.
Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world. However, while Job dealt with unexplained evil, Jeremiah lamented a tragedy entirely of Jerusalem’s making. The people of this once-great city experienced the judgment of the holy God, and the results were devastating. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord (Lam. 3:22 – 25). This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness shines as a beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience.
(ref. from Chuck Swindoll)
LAMENTING
I am a positive person by nature. I look at things with the perspective that the “glass is half full.” Yet, there have been times in my life that I mourned for days, months, and years. The loss of someone or something needs time to heal. In my case, the loss of grandparents, parents, and the loss of freedom while I was in the Air Force, were some of the biggest losses and depressions of my life. We can also lament over sin that occurred in our lives. Even after confession and repentance to God, sometimes the guilt of our commission of that sin can linger for lengths of time. In some cases, it took a long time to get over some of these events of my life.
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. Much of Jeremiah’s poetry concerns itself with the fallen bricks and cracking mortar of the overrun city. Do you see any of that destroyed city in your own life? Are you mourning over the sin that’s brought you to this point? Do you feel overrun by an alien power? Are you in need of some hope from the Lord? Turn to Lam. 3:17 – 26, where you’ll find someone aware of sin’s consequences and saddened by the results, but who has placed his hope and his trust in the Lord.
LAMENTATIONS 3:17 – 26
I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
APPLICATION
During the period of time that it takes for us to go through the mourning process, we need to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus. As we often sing, “Your compassions, they fail not. Great is thy faithfulness.” As Jeremiah finished this portion of Scripture, his message was, “wait, hope, seek, wait quietly.” WHY? Because the Lord promised a salvation plan for all those who believe in Him.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings from Carlton Ringer