(God Speaks Through Both Justice & Mercy)
Scripture Reference: – Lamentations 2:17 – Lamentations 3:22-23
“The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes.” Lam 2:17
“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.” Lam 3:22-23
Old Testament Israel – What a mystery! As a young boy, I knew very little about the Bible. In my youth I was exposed to the Old Testament, and I did my best to follow along the history of God’s people, the Israelites. I learned early on as a little boy that God had chosen a special people for Himself, and He made a number of promises to those people.
Those promises included a number of covenants where the nation of Israel was told that they would be mighty blessed and that their descendants would be as the sand of the seashore. The history of the Jewish people, from Moses leading the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt was pretty simple and straightforward. There would be blessings for obedience, and great judgment for disobedience.
Throughout hundreds of years of history, God’s people, the nation of Israel proved time and again to be good at one thing. “They were covenant breakers.” They were not content to allow God to be their one and only God and to rule over them. They had to have more.
God gave them what they wanted, hence the long period of “the Judges.” For a little more than 400 years, We think about the judges as both a period of time and a book of the Bible. The period of the judges began after the death of Joshua in the early fourteenth century BC (Joshua 24:29) and continued until Saul was crowned king of Israel by the prophet Samuel in 1051 BC (1 Samuel 10:24). The Judges didn’t do such a good job and after more complaining and grumbling, God again gave the people what they asked for; to be ruled by a King.
For the next 520 years we follow the period of “The Kings.” It began with a united Israel under King Saul, a nation soon to be divided due to Solomon’s foolish son Rehoboam, and the chronology of events that led to the fall of Judea due to the army of Nebuchadnezzar.
As a young boy I could never figure out how the Israelites could never get it right. The history of the nation of Israel was the history of a stubborn and rebellious people. God proved Himself time and again to be a tolerant and long-suffering God, but one thing he could not stand, and that was turning to other gods; a blasphemous idolatry that finally led them into captivity.
("For the EYES of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:12)
God raised up the major prophets and then the minor prophets, and they all carried the same message of warning to Israel; get your act together; put away the worship of idols or suffer the consequences.
My Old Testament reading this morning found me doing a slow read through the five chapters of Lamentations. Reading the narrative of those first few chapters, with such a blatant reprisal against the Israelites was unbelievable. The book of Lamentations reveals Judah's pathetic condition following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, which occurred as a result of the people's sins and disregard for prophetic warnings. By studying Lamentations, Christians can gain insight into the sorrow, remorse, and consequences that can accompany sin. Lamentations is about an unnecessary tragedy.
While we read about Jeremiah’s amazing lament and grief throughout Lamentations, we must keep in mind that God was still a loving, just but merciful and compassionate God, who demonstrated his covenant love to the faithful remnant of Israel. In our two verses today, we see both the justice and mercy of God combined.
Why is Lamentations so important?
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 (Lamentations 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.
An unwillingness to follow God, attempts to "do life" the way you want and a stubborn heart will lead to costly and tragic circumstances. Have you created your own affliction? (Like Jonah created his own storm by going the opposite direction.)
Four Lessons from Lamentations for a Time of Suffering
Whatever you are facing today, whatever trial, heartbreak or let down, know this: God has not left you. He is near to your broken heart. While the days may be difficult, He sees you, and how you respond to the hurt matters. It will reflect to a lost world where your hope lies.
For more years than I can remember, I’ve been inspired by a suffering champion of the faith – Joni Eareckson Tada. Her continued faith in the midst of unimaginable pain and suffering have inspired suffering believers all over the world. She is a woman who taught me what it means to suffer well.
She has been through so much in her journey of pain for 50+ years, suffering since the age of 17. Yet, Joni always responded with grace, and her eyes set always on Christ. She was a testimony of what it meant to walk faithfully with God in the darkness. Her response always pointed me to the truth of the gospel, our eternal hope in Christ.
Does It Matter How We Respond When Everything Falls Apart?
As believers, we will face trials and difficulties, and if we don’t share our pain or react in a way that honors God, we are missing a chance to share the gospel. When we hide our messes and imperfections, the world starts to believe the enemy who tells them they will never be good enough for God. When there is heartbreak, and we respond as the world does, then we are not sharing any hope.
As His children we sing a different song — we proclaim a different name.
The book of Lamentations reminds us of this truth in the middle of suffering. Jeremiah is weary and heartbroken by the judgment that God has poured out on the people of Israel. The devastation was great, but this book in its entirety reminds us that God can restore even those who have earned God’s judgment.
God can restore and redeem as He pleases, even when it doesn’t make sense to the world. He will use it to reveal His glory, His power, His majesty, and redemption to the generations to come. He will reveal His light to those who walk in darkness.
Suffering doesn’t look the same for all of us. It may not look like what Israel experienced with the destruction of the city. It may look like the loss of a job, someone we love, a long prison sentence or the loss of our health. Suffering isn’t limited and does not discriminate. There are truths we learn from the book of Lamentations about this suffering that will come. They are hard truths but will be ones that equip us.
Here are several lessons from Lamentations about suffering:
1. God will bring us to desperate places.
Israel was brought to desperate places often. We are too. There are times and seasons that don’t make sense, troubles that overwhelm us, and problems that cripple us.
God doesn’t waste desperate places. In fact, He will allow them to test where we are placing our faith and trust. He may allow the desperate places to strengthen the faith we have, or remind us of the faith we lack. When God asks you to swallow that bitter pill of adversity, you can rest assured that even though you’ve been knocked down, His sufficient grace will stand you up on legs made stronger.
Desperation reminds God’s people that their greatest need is God alone.
2. God is merciful and draws His children to repentance.
God did not leave Israel in their suffering. He offered them repentance. Jeremiah reminds us that God’s mercies are new each day, even in the midst of our worst struggles.
Everyday, God extends his offer of grace, mercy and repentance for all who are ready to turn from their sin. Maybe our circumstances have come as a direct result of our sin. Maybe our circumstances are fully out of our control, in either situation we need God’s mercy. He is faithful to pour it out on broken, repentant hearts.
In our flesh, there will always be a need for a heart of repentance.
3. God is patient with our response to suffering.
Jeremiah faces the great tribulation of watching Jerusalem's destruction, during which he calls to mind the truth he knows about God. This truth fuels how he responds to the trouble.
When he reminds himself that the Lord is steadfast and His love unceasing, the attitude of his heart seems to change. He is remembering the truth that gives us cause to hope.
Casting our eyes on our circumstances will only draw our hearts to grief, but turning our eyes to the truth will point us to hope.
4. A God Who Restores.
From desperation and destruction to restoration, that is the story we see in Lamentations. God brought the people to a desperate place but did not leave them there.
We may find ourselves in the darkness, but the light will always come. Weeping may come at night as we make our bed in tears, but joy comes with a new morning. Whatever the suffering season you are facing, God walks with you. He does not leave us without a way out, without hope, and without His peace.
Knowing that God delivers and restores should provide every believer with hope in how we respond to suffering.
Witnesses to a Hurting and Broken World
In our broken chaos, we display our desperate need for Jesus. Through Christ, we show the world what it means to be covered by grace, despite the hurts of this life.
Our response counts. When pain comes, Psalm 34:18 is a promise of God: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Our Father is always near, and He brings comfort when nothing else can touch the hurt we feel. He will bind up wounds that only He can heal.
Final Thought
When everything falls apart, our fleshly response is to run and hide, to escape and look for cover. We want to be anywhere trouble cannot find us. But, the truth is we cannot run from trouble. In a sinful world it will always find us. Being God’s child does not exempt us from pain, and it is our response to our trials and trouble that reveals who we belong to.
Whatever you are facing today, whatever trial, heartbreak or let down, know this: God has not left you. He is near to your broken heart. While the days may be difficult, He sees you, and how you respond to the hurt matters. It will reflect to a lost world where your hope lies.
Practical Application: Even in terrible judgment, God is a God of hope (Lamentations 3:24-25). No matter how far we have gone from Him, we have the hope that we can return to Him and find Him compassionate and forgiving (1 John 1:9). Our God is a loving God (Lamentations 3:22), and because of His great love and compassion, He sent His Son so that we would not perish in our sins, but can live eternally with Him (John 3:16). God’s faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23) and deliverance (Lamentations 3:26) are attributes that give us great hope and comfort. He is not a disinterested, capricious god, but a God who will deliver all those who turn to Him, admit they can do nothing to earn His favor, and call upon the Lord’s mercy so that we will not be consumed (Lamentations 3:22).
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith & Life Journal: By Gregg Harris
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