“What We Learn From Grief and Compassion?”
Text:
Lamentations 3:31-33
“For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
33
For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.”
About Lamentations –
Author:
Jeremiah
Title:
From the Hebrew ‘Ekhah’,
which means; “Oh How”, and is the opening thought of the text (1:1).
When the ancient texts were translated into Greek, it was given the
title, ‘Qinoth’; which is
translated into the English “Lamentations” or “Elegies”, which is
appropriate to the context.
Occasion:
The truly tragic events that Jeremiah was made to witness surrounding
the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
Elegies:
The fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the sanctuary, the exile of
the people, the terror of the sword and fire, and the famine in the
city.
Style:
This letter is written in the acrostic style. Jeremiah begins each
chapter with the first Hebrew letter (‘aleph’),
he then progresses verse by verse through the Hebrew alphabet; literally
weeping from A to Z.
Lesson:
This letter stands as a reminder to any future generation that may turn
their back on God to suffer His wrath.
Outline:
Chapter 1-2:
The Siege of Jerusalem.
Chapter 3:
The Exile of the People.
Chapter 4:
The Ruin and desolation of the City.
Chapter 5:
His Prayer for the People in the Dispersion and Captivity.
Notes on Chapter 3 –
Chapter 3
is the one chapter that is written in acrostic triplets; the
first
three verses begin with ‘aleph’,
with each
three verses after beginning with
the consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (22 letters in all, to equal
66 verses instead of 22, as in the other four chapters).
The
three verses of our text are right in the middle of this chapter,
comprising the final triplets of the first half of the chapter, and uniquely
the book; summarizing the first half theme.
It could also be the heart cry of every saint in any age experiencing God’s
chastening hand.
Although Jeremiah had not been part of the great sin of his people, his
nation as a whole had turned their back on God and come under the rod. The
prophet could only assure his people that God would renew His compassion on
the faithful. God does not willingly send affliction.
In the
first two chapters, the destruction of the city is described. The
third
chapter brings the subject into clear focus by giving a
description of these events from the perspective of a single person. As
individuals, we are often moved to sympathize by the plight of individuals.
Being brought near to something is a requisite for sympathy.
What We Learn from Our Text –
-
God’s love does not nullify His righteous wrath, in fact it demands it!
-
God’s wrath only comes after great longsuffering!
-
God’s wrath does not endure forever if we return to Him and are guided
by Him!
Two Primary Thoughts of Our Text –
Grief:
Grief signifies pain of the body or mind. It is always brought on by things
that cause grievances or sorrow.
-
For you and me;
it can be brought on by the injustice of the servant to master
relationship; where the endurance of grief and suffering is commendable.
1 Peter 2:18-19
“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not
only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19
For
this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures
grief, suffering wrongfully.”
-
For you and me;
the endurance of chastening seems grievous, but leads to the peaceable
fruit of righteousness.
Hebrews 12:11
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful;
nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to
those who have been trained by it.”
-
For you and me;
it is factual that we all in this physical life will experience grief of
some kind; yet, we should be the ones who in the face of grief, can
reflect on hope!
Ezekiel 14:14
“Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they
would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord
GOD.”
Ezekiel 14:20
“even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I
live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they
would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”
James 1:2-4
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4
But let
patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing.”
Compassion:
Signifies mercy or pity with a desire to help. A feeling of distress brought
on by the calamity of others that inspires a desire to relieve.
-
For
you and me;
God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.
2 Peter 2:9
“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of
- of judgment”
-
For you and me;
He will always provide a way of escape – not special providence, but
universally the final result of faithfulness rewarded.
1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God
is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may
be able to bear it.”
-
For you and me; it is the fulfillment of the
prophetic teaching of the Lord, to His own disciples and people,
concerning the paradox of “Happy
are they that Mourn”.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
This
impressive paradox is answered for the children of God in two ways:
Physically
–
To
recognize that the love of the world is separation from God (1
John 2:15-17); thus to overcome trials of this life produces joy,
patience,
and faith (James
1:2-6); which finally leads to the knowledge of the true path of
comfort – obedience to God (1
John 5:3). This is the knowledge that all good gifts come from
God (James
1:17).
Spiritually –
To know that the wages of sin is death (sin is lawlessness against God –
Romans
6:23); this then creates godly sorrow that ‘leads’ to the need to
repent and return to God (2
Corinthians 7:10), and once set free from sin, we are the
beneficiaries of eternal life (Romans
6:22).
In both cases, there is no guarantee that we will not suffer in the flesh.
In fact we learn from our text that the righteous suffer in this life right
along with the unrighteous. The unique difference is that only the righteous
have hope!!!
What Do We Learn?
If we suffer in this life, as surely we will! God will provide
compassion for the faithful!
Ezekiel 14:22-23
“Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought
out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you,
and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted
concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I
have brought upon it.
23
And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and
you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done
in it,” says the Lord GOD.”
2 Peter 1:10-11
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and
election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
11
for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”