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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 11, 2010
Lamentations 3:14-16
14I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. 15He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. 16He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes;
The Story: There is no denying that something had gone terribly wrong. It was assumed that evidence of the existence or at least the power of a region’s god was demonstrated by his providing and protecting the people. But, which god was the true God? Baal, Yahweh, or who? Further, it is believed that the real God rewards those with whom He is pleased and punishes those with whom He is angry. Such one dimensional thinking has often led to wrong conclusions only revealed in time. Defeat in battle gave opportunity for the victors to gloat as they assumed they understood the answer to the questions.
After successive declensions of the once great Davidic empire, the last postage-stamp size territory felt, and in doing so, negated the prior boasts. In reality, the last hopeful stir of national revival came under Josiah nearly forty years earlier, and since that time worship and obedience to the Lord had slipped badly in the hearts of the kings and people of Judah and Jerusalem. Now, the nation was no more, and it would seem that the centuries-long question of whose god was God was at last answered. Yet the story is not ending, and the voice of the prophet is about to unveil an ancient perspective that will be the basis for recovering hope.
The Structure: Even as he was on the road to vindication of his truthfulness, Jeremiah had himself been the laughingstock of his own people. He keenly understood the anguish of soul of being ridiculed, painfully remembering the occasions when he was summarily rejected even as He spoke the words of the Lord (Jer. 20:1-6; 37:11-38:13; 43:1-7). Now, it was Jerusalem’s remnant that received derisive insults. Therefore, Jeremiah’s starting point of describing his own bitterness is his way of extending genuine empathy and drawing his fellow suffers a bit closer.
In searching through your own occasions of suffering—whether mental or physical anguish or both—are you now being brought into another’s life as a consoling and empathetic voice?
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “The Church Under Siege,” by Chuck Colson.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 10, 2010
Lamentations 3:10-13
10He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; 11he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; 12he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. 13He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver;
The Story: Jeremiah’s complaint is bold to our ears in asserting that the Lord allows such painful things, even to those who think themselves as deserving. One could quickly conclude that the stalking Lord is done with the covenant relationship, as He is pictured here as a predator seeking to kill. What other conclusion could people make? In starting at this myopic perspective, the prophet creates an emotional connection of how the remnant feels, voicing this embittered view out of his own experiences, extending the acute anguish voiced in the first two laments. But Jeremiah knows where he will lead them. Other biblical writers have noted this sense of one becoming the Lord’s prey (cf. Hos. 13:8; Amos 5:19). Job voiced this universal human response of lashing out at God (Job 16:12). Yet, both Job’s and Jeremiah’s experience would be richly vindicated, in both time and eternity. Their testimonies of their faithfulness—as they groped for understanding amidst severe tribulation—are their legacy to us. We must catch ourselves from giving in to despair and concluding that we are only animals of prey rather than what we are, the Lord God’s image-bearers with whom He lives in covenant.
The Structure: The vivid pictures of the bear and lion waiting in ambush and the hunter-archer sending an arrow into his prey place Jeremiah in the scene. His series of complaints reflect the genuine suffering he personally endured. His message was often rejected (Jer. 7:1-8:3; 26:1-11), his own tribe stood against him (11:18-23), and he frequently suffered harm because of what he said (20:1-6; 37:11-38:13; 43:1-7). In order to bring any believable encouragement into the hearing of his fellow sufferings, Jeremiah opens his own life that they would easily identify with him. In doing so, he would pave the way for a more profound perspective, giving them a different and more accurate portrait of their covenant Lord.
Does the God you believe in abandon His promises? On some days it would seem so, but this perspective is false. The Lord is faithful.
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “What Cancer Taught Me About God,” by Regis Nicoll.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 09, 2010
Lamentations 3:4-9
4He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; 5he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; 8though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.
The Story: Jeremiah places himself in the company of Jerusalem’s survivors and fully acknowledges the Lord’s harsh discipline. In doing so, he embraces the narrative of his people as his own. He was once their prophet sent to prepare them for the imminent wrath of God even as others try to silence him. But, the Lord’s faithful servant would himself endure through not only persecution from his people; he would also share in their lot. In the description above, one could quickly assume that the consequences being endured are deserving punishment as a result of sin. Rather, in the plan of redemption, the righteous Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ, foreshadows and models what God’s people may be asked to take up (Is. 52:12-53). Even during this new age of the growth of the kingdom, the Lord’s plan of redemption will not spare His people from suffering. Paul clearly explained this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 as he gave the basis of real hope. American and western European believers today must not assume that they will be spared the persecution their brethren in the broader world now endure for His name’s sake.
The Structure: Jeremiah’s credibility is put into effective action as a fellow sufferer. His vivid description is reminiscent of earlier instances before Jerusalem’s fall. In writing “though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer,” he speaks truthfully of the heart-breaking reality that some answers to our prayers will need to wait until the divinely set moment (Jer. 12:1-4; 15:10-21; 20:7-8). The message here is that the Lord has at His option the freedom to assign any of us to take up the role of a suffering servant. If He does, we must remember His kingdom is worth it, and many who have traveled this road have given valuable testimony to the rest of us of its worth (Heb. 11). It is their legacy of faith, given to us.
Would you hate the Lord if He placed you into the role of a suffering servant?
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “The Church Under Siege,” by Chuck Colson.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 08, 2010
Lamentations 3:1-3
1I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.
The Story: The third of the five lament draws encouragement based upon God’s covenant relationship with His people. At this historical moment, the recorded conditions for blessings had been spurned and His curses were released (Lev. 26:14-45; Deut. 28:15-68; 2 Chron. 6:18-42; 7:11-22). While the short-term perspective of the disaster that Jerusalem and Judah experienced was due to His anger, the Lord’s long-term unbreakable commitment gave reason for real hope. This covenant commitment has both corporate and individual dimensions. In earlier times, Moses was rebuffed by the people he had freed from Egyptian bondage; they would not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief (Deut. 1:19-46). The promise was left to the next generation to courageously enter the land under Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful remnant members from the older generation. Likewise, as Judah entered into exile, it would be Daniel, himself a man of no specific transgressions, who would plead for the Lord’s mercy and restoration (Dan. 9:3-19). As the righteous ones of any wicked nation can restrain the hand of the Lord from bringing curses, so too God’s punishment washes over all, even the righteous. However, His mercy makes distinctions during such times (Rev. 3:10). Each person has a dual citizenship responsibility, to further the Lord’s Kingdom within his own nation. In understanding his solidarity with his own people, the empathetic voice of a lone speaker calls out to the faithful remnant.
The Structure: The significance of this third lament is reflected in its arrangement and length. Being the middle lament of the collection of five, its content is central to the overall purpose. It consists of sixty-six verses, as opposed to twenty-two verses of the other four laments, arranged in three stanzas each. As the metered pacing expressing somberness continues, the voice of a fellow sufferer enters, probably Jeremiah’s, who now takes center stage. He knows first-hand of their pain but is sustained by the promises of the Lord. He understands both his individual and corporate responsibilities, even when sorely tempted by his earlier rejection and suffering.
In being both God’s people and citizen of the country we reside, do you embrace both callings?
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “The Law of God and the Heart,” by T. M. Moore.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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Seeking the Pity of the Lord |
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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 07, 2010
Lamentations 2:20-22
20Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? 21In the dust of the streets lie the young and the old; my young women and my young men have fallen by the sword; you have killed them in the day of your anger, slaughtering without pity. 22You summoned as if to a festival day my terrors on every side, and on the day of the anger of the LORD no one escaped or survived; those whom I held and raised my enemy destroyed.
The Story: We shall see in the third lament that crying out to the Lord for relief can be made on the grounds of His mercy upon us, for the His name’s sake, or for the relative innocence of the sufferer (Lam. 3). Here, it is seeking mercy by appealing to His pity. Indeed, the Israelites could remember how, when enslaved to the Egyptian pharaoh, they cried out for relief from their harsh bondage, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham (Ex. 2:23-25). The Lord remains true to His promises, and He extends mercy to those of our day and age. James would later write to the first century Church “to remember that the Lord is compassionate and merciful” to those who suffer for various reasons (Jms. 5:11). In addition to encouraging patience and resisting a complaining deposition, he prescribes confessing one’s sins to others within the fellowship, even calling on local church’s elders to come, receive confession of one’s sins and pray for healing (Jms. 5:13-16).
The Structure: The second lament’s final few phrases shift from the voice of the prophet back to personified Jerusalem where she tells again of the extent of her desperation. Here, the description is unimaginably ugly, and is without a doubt a result of the “anger of the Lord (v. 22).” Jerusalem does not call outward as she once did, but now calls upward to her personally named God (Her. YHWH). In doing do, she pleads for Him to relent. The first two laments have prepared the mourners for the third that grounds any hope they might have in the covenant promises of the Lord founded upon His love.
This day you may find yourself in severe personal trials, even suffering beyond what you can bear. Is this the time for you to come before Him freely and without restraint to bare your soul, asking Him to take pity?
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “Where are the Jehoidas?,” by T. M. Moore.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 06, 2010
Lamentations 2:17-19
17The LORD has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes. 18Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! 19“Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.”
The Story: The urgency of the moment reflects the severity of the judgment. Though many are dead, the weak and helpless are left to be carried away in the last wave of deportations to Babylon. The poet leads them to turn their cry upward. What their repentance could have once done, perhaps the pity of the Lord would now do. God’s dealing with Israel serves as a case-study of sorts in His dealings with the nations of the world. His judgment on each nation’s sins is certain; however those that heed His voice of righteousness will be spared (Pss. 2; 72:). But, even when they do not, there is yet a word from the Lord seeking to avert further judgment. Solemn assemblies had been called at various times in the history of ancient Israel where merciful answers were received (2 Chron. 7:14; 20:1-20). The promise of restoration coming as a response to sustain humility and obedience—evidenced by heartfelt prayer and fasting that attracts the mercy of God—would be an encouragement to the post-exilic generations (Joel 2:15-17).
The Structure: The narrator incorporates the prophet’s voice at exactly the right moment. Though the Lord has brought the disaster He promised, He may go even further. As the Lord was faithful to His word to bring judgment, so too, His people can depend on His faithfulness to bring about restoration. He must be taken at His word.
Even if we have no leaders calling us to gather for solemn assemblies today, maybe we should begin to ask the Lord if we should act, first visiting with church leaders about the need for revival among God’s people. Would you ask others within your sphere of influence if they see the need to gather for prayer for national repentance?
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “Your Word is Truth,” a paper published by Evangelicals and Catholics Together.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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By Sam Smith|Published Date: March 05, 2010
Lamentations 2:14-16
14Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. 15All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem; “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” 16All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: “We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!”
The Story: Jerusalem, as the last holdout of the Judean kingdom, once was at a crossroad where heeding the voice of the Lord’s true prophets could have diverted the anger of God (Is. 1; Jer. 4:1-4). Jeremiah’s message had been one of repentance, a message that required an about-face on moral and national issues separating the people from the Lord. However, his voice was not the only one purporting to come from the Lord into the ears of the king and people. Within the inner circle of power, priests and so-called prophets, who on their own took up the mantle of the office, opposed Jeremiah (Jer. 20; 28; 29).
The lingering memory of the choice of a wrong road taken comes at a teachable moment. “Did God actually say” the serpent spoke to Eve (Gen. 3:1). One of the basic tactics of Satan is to undermine what God says. This issue of authority is perennial, and the internal battles that the Lord’s Church face today—covering critical issues of morality, ethics, and essential doctrine—are easily answered, as we have the written Word of God to verify what exactly He says. But we must know what the Word says and be willing to submit to it.
The Structure: The prophetic voice continues bringing to mind the real issues that brought retributive judgment upon the Judean Kingdom. The text indeed affirms that Jeremiah was the duly commissioned spokesman from the Lord, even though other voices claimed this honor. The fulfillment of prophesy of his words was the proof of whom the Lord had commissioned. The Manhattan Declaration is a modern-day prophetic call to speak a clear word from the Lord about three critical issues being debated throughout our nation. They are: 1) the sanctity of human life, 2) the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and 3) the rights of conscience and religious liberty. Do you believe these values are supported by the Bible? If you do, then it is now up to you, in your own unique sphere of influence, to extend the prophetic voice.
As Jeremiah did with God’s people of old, what specific actions might I do this week in extending the Manhattan Declaration?
For more information on this topic, get the book, Jeremiah, Lamentations, by Tremper Longman III. Or read the article, “Civility or Silence?,” by Chuck Colson.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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