Bearing the Punishment for our Sins: Lamentations 4:37-39, 55-59

After the beautiful promise of Lamentations 3:22-33, the book once again plunges back into the drudgery and dire circumstances of the people of God in exile. Once again, God is the one punishing the people, but there is also the understanding that God is in control above all the trouble and turmoil. There is hope, because God has not walked out on His people, He has only withdrawn His protection from them.

Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it?
³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that both calamities and good things come?
³⁹ Why should the living complain
    when punished for their sins?

                                                                 Lamentations 3:37-39

If God has not decreed something, it will not happen. Even the devil works within the parameters of God’s sovereignty, as the book of Job shows. Verse 38 also echo’s Job’s understanding that “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” But in Job’s case, the dilemma that ensues is because Job has not sinned. That is not the case with Lamentations, as 3:39 explains.

The entire book of Lamentations openly acknowledges the sin of the people that led to the destruction of Jerusalem, Judah, and the exile of all her people. It does not shy away from the fact that God is completely just in bringing the calamity on the city and people, and is using the circumstance to shape the people and refine them.[1]

The thing I keep coming back to in all this is that God knows the future; so, before he created the earth, called Abraham, formed the people of Israel, commissioned Solomon to build His temple, He knew it would all end in destruction. God knows that of me and my life too. Before I accepted Him as my Savior and pledged to follow Him all my life, He knew I would mess up. He knew my temper would get the better of me, that I would lash out and hurt others. He knew I would swim in the murky depths of depression and struggle to find my place in His will. He knew He would have to tear me down, repeatedly, so He could rebuild me into a more perfect image of His son.

Lamentations 3:55-59 continues:

I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths of the pit.
⁵⁶ You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
⁵⁷ You came near when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”

⁵⁸ You, Lord, took up my case;
    you redeemed my life.
⁵⁹ Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.
    Uphold my cause!

The nations that God brought in to judge His people, were ruthless and unjust. This happens to us too. The justice of this world is imperfect and flawed. The authors of the exile (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Habakkuk, etc.) all acknowledge that God will judge the nations that destroyed Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem. They will not escape punishment because their justice was imperfect. In verses 55-59 above, the poet is crying out for relief from the turmoil and violence of the situation. He wishes God would make it stop, or change something, or do something. He knows God is watching what is going on and hears his prayers even if it doesn’t feel like He does (3:8, 44). The poet has acknowledged the wrong doing of the people, and wishes that God would act![2]

And God does answer Him. But He doesn’t say, “You know, you’re right, they are being unjust and doing too much, going too far; let me just stop that.” No, He says, “Do not fear.”

The poet continues to say that God “redeemed my life. You have seen, O Lord, the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!” Such confidence! The poet heard from God, “Do not fear,” and responds with great faith and trust. God has answered Him, which means God has seen his circumstances, and heard his prayers. If God tells him not to fear, it is because God is sovereign and in control of everything that is going on. If God noticed him, it means he is not worthless to His kingdom, but has a place in it as a redeemed servant of God. If God says, “Do not fear.” It means God is going to work everything out.

He whispers this to us too, you know: Do not fear. When you are sinking, when the walls are closing in, when you can’t even bear to stand anymore; Do not fear. When you think I can’t hear you, when you don’t think I am near, when you think you are outside of My reach; Do not fear. When you are being punished beyond what is just and right, and there is no end in sight, when it looks like evil will win the battle; Do not fear. When you are sick, when you are at a loss, when you are broken; Do not fear.

God is acting on His timetable, and not ours. It’s hard to wait for God to redeem our situation—if he ever does in this world. When we are suffering from the consequences of our own sin and wrong doing, we have to hold to the promise that one day, death will be swallowed up, and all the tears will be wiped away, and there will be no more shame (Isaiah 25:8, Revelations 21:4). I wish I could see God’s plan for how He is going to make right all the wrongs, and put everything in order so that there will be no tears in the New Heavens and New Earth. But that is why our relationship with God requires faith. We have to trust Him, that when He says He is in control, He truly is, and He truly is working everything out for our salvation and holiness in His kingdom. Prayer and confession bring us into fellowship with God.[3] We can’t close the lines of communication, even if we don’t understand why things are so much worse than we imagined they would or could be.

Let me close with this. God calls us to trust Him and not to fear this world or anything in His creation because He is a good and holy God who loves us. “For many people, failure to acknowledge the truth about God is less an intellectual matter and more a moral matter; and more particularly a matter of the will.”[4] We must submit our will to His when we are wrong, when we are right, when we are hurt, and when we are healthy. Not only will He bring good out of the wrongs that others have done to us, but he will bring good out of the wrongs that we have done to others. Trust in the Lord, it’s the only way to truly live.

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[1] J Andrew Dearman, Jeremiah/Lamentations, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2002), pg 460.

[2] Ibid., 461.

[3] Ibid., 462.

[4] Ibid.

Every New Morning, Lamentations 3:22-33

A little while ago I saw a poster on Facebook that said something to the effect of, “I have a 100% success rate at surviving bad days.” I can’t remember who posted or if it was quoted by someone, only that it is true. Lately I feel like I’ve been having a lot of bad days. A lot of yelling and my son, the dog, my husband. He says that sometimes I’m his Cholula hot sauce – a nice flavor and a tickle on the tongue – but lately, I’ve been a ghost hot pepper, searing and almost unbearably hot. Believe me, I’d rather be Cholula sauce.

Lamentations 3:22-33 is about the fact that even when the people of Jerusalem were unbearably bad, there was still hope because God is infinitely compassionate.

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹ For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.

The above passage is from the NIV, but truthfully, I love how the ESV translates verses 22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end,

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Whatever happened yesterday, today is new. It’s another chance to do it over and try again. As I mentioned in last week’s post, God uses our circumstances to refine us. That is how God is merciful. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve. We deserve hell, God gives us a new opportunity to repent and be faithful every morning. He is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. When we lose sight of what it means to be righteous, and live holy lives, God does not. He continues to mold and shape us to look more like Christ with every breath we take.

The passage continues though, and it speaks of bearing our troubles with dignity, hope, and understanding. Verse 26 hits me hard: it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. I don’t really wait quietly. I’m a complainer, a whiner. I don’t like being uncomfortable and I generally let others know about it in my own way. Waiting quietly is not something I’m good at, but this passage would suggest that it is because I don’t really understand the goals and will of God. God’s goal for me is that I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37), and that I love my neighbor as myself (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 27:39). If I am focused on the world, then I am not loving God. If I am not loving God then I am not able to love others properly. Thus, God is merciful to me in that He refocuses my attention on Him.

It is good to learn this stuff in our youth. I can still remember how easy life seemed before my son was born. Right now I only have one kiddo, but about when there is two? Three? When they are teenagers with activities from the rising of the sun until the setting of the same? How can I learn to live, love, and trust, when I am busy all the time? Thus the importance of sitting alone in silence to learn about the great mercies of God. Hence my goal for the year: Rest.

When we bury our faces in the dust and dirt of life, and when we are filled with disgrace, we find ourselves longing for so much more. Personally, I think God has to remind me that I am supposed to be dissatisfied with this world so that I can shift my gaze heavenwards and long for something better. The book of Lamentations is a warning about the consequences of being satisfied with this world and not longing for God’s redeeming love and grace to fill our lives.

The last stanza of this passage is an answer to last week’s post about feeling unheard and unseen by God. It’s an answer to the trouble and distress present in the entire book about being rejected and forsaken by God. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. God wants us to be holy, and He is willing to sacrifice our happiness and comfort for that goal. He is not against us being happy and comfortable, but He loves us too much to let us have our way and be tempted away from heaven by the false gleam of this world. He gives us a fresh start every morning to learn to love Him, live by His standards, and trust in His goodness and sovereignty. Great is His faithfulness!

When there is no Answer: Lamentations 3:8, 44

God? Are you listening? Where are you? Do you hear me? Do you hear me crying out to you, begging you for a break, a change, a healing word? Will you answer me?

I am pretty sure that all Christians go through times of dryness. Living in a fallen world is not easy, and it is hard to keep it all in perspective, especially when we worship an unseen God. Several months ago when I first started studying Lamentations, I was going through a period of frustration and sadness. I felt that things were falling apart in my life and that any effort to pursue my dreams and desires was met with great opposition. Actually, it felt like any effort to even take care of myself and do what I needed to do to fill my tanks and keep myself refreshed was thwarted by the needs of others. Life continues whether we are ready for it or not. One step at a time, even if they are baby steps. Things got a bit better, but then just a few weeks ago I felt myself slip into a mild state of depression. All I wanted was to escape. I hated going to bed because it would mean I would just wake up in the morning feeling tired, but still have a whole day to get through. I had been praying and sending up requests for healing, for relief, and even for a good night’s sleep. But I got nothing. No healing, no relief. I was overwhelmed with my schedule and my very real need for peace and a break. Back in November, and then a few weeks ago, when I was trying to be productive and plot out future blog posts, I read these verses:

Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. (Lamentations 3:8)

You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.  (Lamentations 3:44)

Yes! This is exactly how I feel: unheard. And this is so tragic because if I can’t speak to God, if we can’t communicate, then there can be no relationship. Prayer and confession bring us into fellowship with God,[1] but if God won’t hear us?

So I began looking into these verses a bit more, and, come to find out, I’m not the only one who has ever felt this way:

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. (Psalm 22:2)

I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. (Job 30:20)

This is what I wrote in my journal back in November: “Will you please remove the cloud and hear me? Will you answer and just let me know that this is OK and good and that you have made me to handle this and that you love me?”

I know that the troubles I face are really quite minor compared to starvation, war, plague, etc. But they got me down all the same. Sometimes, God has us sit in our suffering for a while. For me, it was to remember that God is truly God, and without Him, I am nothing, and can do nothing. God doesn’t fulfill our prayers instantly because how would we grow in our faith then?

The rest of Psalm 22 is filled with the poet’s (David’s) lament over his situation of poverty and defeat. But at the end, he ends with this:

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27-28)

One day, everyone will bow before the King of Kings and LORD of Lords. Even when we feel down, God rules. When we feel attacked, God reigns supreme. This Psalm is immediately followed by what is probably the most well-known of David’s poems: Psalm 23. The same man who once said that God did not answer him, now says:

He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me… (Psalm 23:3-4).

God didn’t abandon David. He didn’t leave him dwelling in sin and self-destruction. His presence went with him into the darkest situations, and David emerged on the other side victorious because of God.

Lamentations was written about Jerusalem, which was supposed to be the beacon of light to the world. But their sin grew and grew until finally God exiled the people. God used historical circumstances to shape His people and draw them back into righteousness. They felt like God had blocked out their prayers, but truly, He was refining them.[2] Today, we are covered with the blood of Christ. God hears our prayers because Christ, our mediator, hears them, and Christ is God. Even when it feels like God isn’t listening, He is. But that doesn’t mean we don’t suffer, or that God doesn’t use our circumstances to mold us to look more like Him.

Sometimes I feel like I’m one of those children that God has to yell at to get my attention. In elementary school I had a teacher who wouldn’t yell, but would just flick the lights on and off to get our attention. Maybe that’s what God is doing to me. Maybe I became so fixated on worldly things that He turned off the light and plunged me into darkness to get my attention. Maybe He isn’t going to just flick the light back on either. Maybe it’s a dimmer switch and He is going to let the room slowly get brighter and brighter until I am restored to keep me waiting on Him.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

I want to know that it’s going to be OK, that I am going to make it. I want to know that someone understands when I feel that I am getting the silent treatment from God. Jesus took on the sins of the world and was, for a short time, forsaken by God. He did that for us so that we would never have to experience what it means to be forsaken by our Creator. Jesus knows how it feels, and that is where I draw comfort in this time. For now, I still dread bedtime. I want to cry during the day because I often feel so helpless to do anything good. But the room is getting brighter. God is teaching me how to live as His child, and not a child of the world. Bit by bit. One day it will be completely bright, and there will be no more shadows.

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[1] J Andrew Dearman, Jeremiah/Lamentations, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2002), pg 462.

[2] J Andrew Dearman, Jeremiah/Lamentations, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2002), pg 460.