Lamentations, Deal gently with those who are suffering

Lam 1:8-12 (NIV) 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.


9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
she did not consider her future.
Her fall was astounding;
there was none to comfort her.
"Look, O Lord, on my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed."


10 The enemy laid hands
on all her treasures;
she saw pagan nations
enter her sanctuary —
those you had forbidden
to enter your assembly.


11 All her people groan
as they search for bread;
they barter their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
"Look, O Lord, and consider,
for I am despised."


12 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look around and see.
Is any suffering like my suffering
that was inflicted on me,
that the Lord brought on me
in the day of his fierce anger?


• The writer is not identified.  He was an eyewitness to Jerusalem's destruction.  There is some resemblance to Jeremiah's writing style.  There are indications in Chronicles and Jeremiah, that Jeremiah wrote a lament
• The writer has clearly identified the reason for Israel's misfortune.  Verse 8 says Jerusalem has sinned greatly
• We have to be a little careful in differentiating between the old and new covenant else we end up taking a "health & wealth gospel" approach.  Why exactly has Israel been punished? (not revealed here in the passage, but in the book of Jeremiah and other books of the OT)
• She broke the conditions of the old covenant.  The new covenant has no such conditions, although the new covenant warns of discipline
• She did not heed the warnings of the prophets
• And most importantly, she committed idolatry
• As people pass by Jerusalem, what does Jeremiah want them to see? Or as a sufferer, how does Jeremiah view his suffering?
• There is no suffering like it; it is the worse that possibly can be
• The Lord has brought it upon Israel
• Actually there are two problems with the writer's emotional response, what are they?
• There is worse suffering, but when you are in the midst of suffering, your suffering always feel worse than anything around you
• While God did bring the suffering, it was really Israel and not God who are the initiators.  We always want to blame God.  It is a very normal reaction of someone in the midst of suffering.  Ignore statements of emotional pain during this stage of suffering


Lam 2:11-15 (NIV) My eyes fail from weeping,
I am in torment within,
my heart is poured out on the ground
because my people are destroyed,
because children and infants faint
in the streets of the city.


12 They say to their mothers,
"Where is bread and wine?"
as they faint like wounded men
in the streets of the city,
as their lives ebb away
in their mothers' arms.


13 What can I say for you?
With what can I compare you,
O Daughter of Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you,
that I may comfort you,
O Virgin Daughter of Zion?
Your wound is as deep as the sea.
Who can heal you?


14 The visions of your prophets
were false and worthless;
they did not expose your sin
to ward off your captivity.
The oracles they gave you
were false and misleading.


15 All who pass your way
clap their hands at you;
they scoff and shake their heads
at the Daughter of Jerusalem:
"Is this the city that was called
the perfection of beauty,
the joy of the whole earth?"


• Actually, in these verses there is some rational arguments as to why they suffered, what is it?
• Their spiritual leaders failed them
• The leaders gave false and worthless teaching (apparently, they told them what they wanted to hear and not what they needed to hear)
• It is worthless teaching.  It didn't really deal with the issues which was their sin
• The leaders did not expose sin
• If they had exposed sin, it might have warded off captivity
• The teaching was false and misleading
• Misleading suggests that it did not offer real solutions.  I think "misleading" teaching is without application
• Or is without relationship to God's word
• What is the response of people who look upon Israel's situation?
• "I can't believe you were so stupid"
• "I can't believe you did not listen to God's message"
• The above two responses are exactly what people say today, but are we really that much different
• Do we act when our sin is exposed?
• Do we listen to God and make application to his word?
• Is God really a priority during the week, or just Sundays and Wednesday?


Lam 3:19-24 (NIV) I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:


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."


• In my quiet time journal, I wrote similar words to verses 19 and 20.  The bitterness and the ugly taste was so strong within me.  I wanted to believe with all my heart verses 21 to 24, but it seemed so difficult
• Ultimately, this is something that a person must get to individually.  You can preach it and teach it but each person must arrive at the point where they put there hope in God every morning for a better day
• Don't push someone who is not there yet
• Let then wallow in the pain
• Only when it seems like they will never progress out do you want to come in and gently remind them of hope
• Sometimes the church expects believers to jump to this point immediately and it is not possible for those who are honest with themselves and their emotions


Lam 3:25-33 (NIV) 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 men are not 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 the children of men.


• Does the writer believe suffering is good, why?
• He doesn't really say why
• He does think it is a good thing to experience when you are young
• What should we do?
• Don't be so quick to fix a person's suffering
• "Let him sit alone in silence"
• "Let him WAIT"
• "Let him bear the yoke"
• Why?
• Because God is still in charge
• Because God does not willingly bring affliction
• In other words?
• There is purpose in suffering
• God has not forgotten the purpose (whatever we might think as outside viewers)
• APPLICATION: When our children are hurting or struggling, we need to be there for support, but be careful of fixing things, because you may be interfering with God is trying to do in their lives.  Make it a matter of prayer and don't be quick to jump into the situation


Lam 3:37-42 (NIV) 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 any living man complain
when punished for his sins?


40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
42 "We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.


• What are some principles surrounding suffering from calamaties?
• God is sovereign but that does not mean he is the cause
• Some calamities are the result of the fall and a sinful world
• But all calamities are allowed by God
• Some calamities are because of sin
• In the OT, calamities were promised for failure to keep the covenant
• In the NT, there are warnings of discipline for disobedience
• In both cases, old and new covenant, salvation is never dependent on obedience but faith.  Rather obedience or lack of obedience is a missing out on the blessings offered (Sabbath-rest as Hebrews calls it)
• How should we respond to adversity?
• Examine our lives
• Seek God in prayer
• Repent of our sins


Lam 4:1-2 (NIV) How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at the head of every street.


2 How the precious sons of Zion,
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter's hands!


• One of the principles of suffering is how things that used to be so important lose their value during suffering
• Share story of Luke and trache incident, and feelings afterwards
• God uses suffering to change our value system
• Before suffering, we can see things from a very world perspective
• After suffering, the things of this world don't seem quite as important
• God uses suffering to change our affections


Lam 4:11-13 (NIV) The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;
he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed her foundations.


12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the world's people,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.


13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her
the blood of the righteous.


• Interesting, another reason given for Israel's sins, what is it?
• The prophets and priests shed the blood of the righteous
• How did they do that?
• It doesn’t say
• Maybe they did not stand up for the righteous, and the result was their death
• This could be specific to the time of Manasseh when the people went back to many of the old idols after Hezekiah had cleaned things up.  Hezekiah upset many people.  Manasseh tried to appease the people, which Hezekiah never did.  The voices of reason were probably put to death.  Essentially they gave the people what they wanted not what they needed
• One principle does come out.  Sometimes, in the old covenant, the suffering is not the fault of the individual suffering, but of individuals preceding.  The whole nation suffers because of the sin of some, and usually that is the leaders.  Which is why it is so important to have leaders who do the right thing even if it is not popular!


Lam 5:19-22 (NIV) You, O Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.
20 Why do you always forget us?
Why do you forsake us so long?
21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return;
renew our days as of old
22 unless you have utterly rejected us
and are angry with us beyond measure.


• Even though Jeremiah knew God would bring the people back in 70 years, the pain overwhelms the truth.  What does Jeremiah feel?
• Israel is forgotten
• Israel may never be restored
• Israel is rejected
• It is interesting to note that Ezekiel 1:1, the next verses, which very likely are written at exactly the same time frame, tell a different story
• For us, Romans 8:28 is a key promise in the midst of all pain and suffering.  It does not say that God is the cause but it does say that for those who love God (believers) … "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."