Tag: Lamentations 1-5
New mercies each morning!
Scripture reading for August 18th: Lamentations 1-5
Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because he had a tender heart of compassion for God’s people. (Lamentations 1:16) He had warned them faithfully of the coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. He had witnessed this destruction and now was writing to chronicle the grief process going on in his heart. Jeremiah was a lot like Jesus Christ, who also wept over the city of Jerusalem as He saw prophetically the destruction that was to come upon it for their rejection of Him as their Messiah. (Matthew 23:37-39) God values tears so much that the Psalmist said He gathers them up in a bottle and records them on a scroll. (Psalm 56:8) Tears are a sign of caring and compassion and they were modeled by Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb and again over Jerusalem.
In Lamentations 3, the prophet was recounting his misery and pain and described it with images that bring Isaiah 53 and the crucifixion to mind. In the middle of his rant, he turned his thoughts to hope! (Lamentation 3:20-21) The cause of this hope was the thought of God’s steadfast love and His great compassion and mercy. Jeremiah stated that His mercy was “new every morning” and “great is God’s faithfulness”. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Because God was Jeremiah’s portion, he would wait for the Lord.
This funeral lament ends with words of faith, hope and a prayer. God is sovereign and reigns forever. He would have compassion and restore them as they prayed. Take a moment and offer a prayer of thanksgiving and trust in the Lord and His compassion for you. His Son Jesus Christ wept over us and bore our sorrows and tears that we might live in the joy of His love and receive new mercies every morning!
“You, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” Lamentations 5:19-22
New Mercies each morning!
Scripture reading for August 16th: Lamentations 1-5
Lamentations is a series of five funeral songs about the death of Jerusalem and the captivity of God’s people. This book is helpful to gain insight into the process of grief and helping people deal with death and loss. Mourning people go through stages ranging from disbelief and shock, to mourning and depression, blaming others or God, to quiet acceptance and finally readiness to move on. These stages may take various amounts of time to process. God understands our grief. Jesus was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. (Isaiah 53:3)
Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. (Lamentations 1:16) He had warned the Israelites faithfully of the coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. He witnessed this destruction and now was writing to chronicle the grief process. Jeremiah was a lot like Jesus Christ, who wept over the city of Jerusalem as He saw prophetically the destruction that was to come upon it for their rejection of Him as their Messiah. (Matthew 23:37-39) God values tears so much that the Psalmist said He gathers them up in a bottle and records them on a scroll. (Psalm 56:8)
In Lamentations 3, the prophet was recounting his misery and described it with images that bring Isaiah 53 and the crucifixion to mind. In the middle of his lament, his thoughts turned to hope! (Lamentation 3:20-21) The cause of this hope was God’s steadfast love, great compassion and mercy. Jeremiah stated that this mercy was “new every morning”. (Lamentations 3:22-23) The Lord is good to those who wait for Him and put their hope in Him!
This funeral lament ends with words of faith and hope and a prayer. God is sovereign and reigns forever. He would have compassion and restore as they had prayed. Take a moment and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s compassion and renewing mercies. His Son Jesus Christ wept over us and bore our sorrows and tears that we might live in the joy of His love and receive new mercies every morning!
“You, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” Lamentations 5:19-22
Hope From the Ashes
Scripture reading for August 18th: Lamentations 1-5
“How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was a queen among the provinces has now become a slave.” . . “Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness: she herself groans and turns away.” (Lamentations 1:1,8)
Jerusalem, the once proud city of the nation of Israel was turned to rubble! Those who lived there were either killed or taken captive by their enemies and the rest were slaves of a foreign occupying power. Jeremiah wrote this book of Lamentations as a funeral song over the death of a city and nation. He knew why this had happened and repeatedly told the people what was coming and why! Their sins had piled up and God had allowed them to reap the consequences!
The consequences of sin were horrible and sad! Jerusalem was destroyed and burned by fire, and its walls broken down. The children and infants suffered in the siege and had no food to eat. Many starved to death and some were actually eaten by their parents in order for them to survive! (Lamentations 2:11-12, 19-20) Others were murdered or slaughtered by the conquerors. The ravages of war and siege left a deposit of hopelessness and bitterness in the hearts of the survivors and even in Jeremiah’s own heart! (Lamentations 3:5-7, 19-20)
But Jeremiah found cause to hope in the midst of all the destruction and depression. “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.” (Lamentations 3:21-24) God’s great love and mercy brought hope to the prophet. He knew that God was faithful to His word and the many promises He had made for His people and holy city.
In his grief, Jeremiah was comforted by God’s mercy. It is the same in our day. God’s love through Jesus Christ will sustain us through life’s trials and save us from the consequences of our many sins. He is our portion and we can trust in the God of all hope! (Romans 15:13)
New mercies each morning!
Scripture reading for August 18th: Lamentations 1-5
Do you enjoy funerals? How about mourning and wailing over the dead? Well, this next short book of Jeremiah is a series of five funeral songs about the death of Jerusalem and the captivity of God’s people. As a pastor, this book is helpful to gain insight into the process of grief and helping families and individuals deal with death and loss. Grief takes time and energy to process. Mourning people go through stages ranging from disbelief and shock, to mourning and wailing, blaming others or God, to quiet acceptance and finally readiness to move on. These stages may take various amounts of time to process and work through. God understands our grief and sorrows for Jesus was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. (Isaiah 53:3)
Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because he had a tender heart of compassion for God’s people. (Lamentations 1:16) He had warned them faithfully of the coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. He had witnessed this destruction and now was writing to chronicle the grief process going on in his heart. Jeremiah was a lot like Jesus Christ, who also wept over the city of Jerusalem as He saw prophetically the destruction that was to come upon it for their rejection of Him as their Messiah. (Matthew 23:37-39) God values tears so much that the Psalmist said He gathers them up in a bottle and records them on a scroll. (Psalm 56:8) Tears are a sign of caring and compassion and they were modeled by Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb and again over Jerusalem.
In Lamentations 3, the prophet is recounting his misery and pain and describes it with images that bring Isaiah 53 and the crucifixion to mind. In the middle of his rant, he turns his thoughts to hope! (Lamentation 3:20-21) The cause of this hope is the thought of God’s steadfast love and great compassion and mercy. Jeremiah states that this mercy is “new every morning” and that “great is God’s faithfulness”. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Because God is Jeremiah’s portion, he will wait for the Lord. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him and put their hope in Him! It is truly God’s mercy that gives us hope and leads us to repentance! (Romans 2:4) His unfailing love and compassion will come through for those in deep grief!
This funeral lament ends with words of faith and hope and a prayer. God is sovereign and reigns forever. He will have compassion and restore them as they pray. Take a moment and offer a prayer of thanksgiving and trust in the Lord and His compassion for you today. His Son Jesus Christ wept over us and bore our sorrows and tears that we might live in the joy of His love and receive new mercies every morning!
“You, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” Lamentations 5:19-22