Do not fear: How powerful is this word when spoken by the Spirit of the Lord to a disconsolate heart. He who can bear contempt and reproach, and not render railing for railing, and bitterness for bitterness, who, when he is filled full with reproach, keeps it to himself, and does not retort it and empty it again upon those who filled him with it, but pours it out before the Lord (as those did, Ps 123 4, whose souls were exceedingly filled with the contempt of the proud), he shall find that it is good to bear the yoke, that it shall turn to his spiritual advantage. But here it seems to be meant of the yoke of affliction. 63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music. Perhaps they had some tune or play, some opera or interlude, that was called the destruction of Jerusalem, which, though in the nature of a tragedy, was very entertaining to those who wished ill to the holy city. The LORD is my portion: As in Psalm 119:57, Jeremiah found the key to satisfactionfinding ones portion in the LORD. God has access to the spirit, and can so embitter that as thereby to embitter all the enjoyments; as, when the stomach is foul, whatever is eaten sours in it: "He has made me drunk with wormwood, so intoxicated me with the sense of my afflictions that I know not what to say or do. Note, It becomes us to have humble hearts under humbling providences, and to renew our penitent humiliations for sin upon every remembrance of our afflictions and miseries. Verse Lamentations 3:2. If you will turn to the lives of any of the saints of God, you will discover that they were the victims of slanders of the grossest kind. He had silenced their fears and quieted their spirits (v. 57): "Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou didst graciously assure me of thy presence with me, and give me to see thee nigh unto me, whereas I had thought thee to be at a distance from me." a. Error: Passwords should have at least 6 characters, Error: Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. These are the two things which our afflictions should put us upon. The Gospels I have even given up all for gone, concluding, My strength and my hope have perished from the Lord (v. 18); I can no longer stay myself upon God as my support, for I do not find that he gives me encouragement to do so; nor can I look for his appearing in my behalf, so as to put an end to my troubles, for the case seems remediless, and even my God inexorable." The more I look upon the desolation of the city and country the more I am grieved. Formerly he inflicted punishments with reluctance, while there was any hope of amendment: but, in the instance before us, the case was so hopeless, that God acts according to the simple principle of vindictive justice. This I recall to my mind, &c. Here the prophet begins to suggest motives of patience and consolation: as if he had said, I call to mind the following considerations, and thereupon I conceive hope and comfort. So (v. 11), "He has turned aside my ways; he has blasted all my counsels, ruined my projects, so that I am necessitated to yield to my own ruin. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. In the midst of the peoples. Why do I fret thus?" Many times through the affliction he felt God to be his adversary, not his friend. - Universal Beginnings (Chuck Missler), God was like the judge, giving a cup of judgment and. Note, Those that are cast down are commonly tempted to think themselves cast off, Ps 31 22; Jon 2 4. According to the work of their hands. Destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord; let them have no benefit of the light and influence of the heavens. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, The third poem is significantly different in structure from the others, being made up of single lines grouped in threes, and commencing with the same consonant of the Hebrew alphabet. (R.K. Harrison), In the Hebrew Bible, the first three verses all start with aleph, the second three verses with beth, and so forth. (Philipp Ryken). Note, Men are but tools which the great God makes use of, and manages as he pleases, in the government of this lower world; and they cannot accomplish any of their designs without him. They had several times complained that God had not pitied (ch. With Lamentations 1:3 begins the specific account of the misery over which Jerusalem sorrows so deeply. Let us search and try our ways, search what they have been, and then try whether they have been right and good or no; search as for a malefactor in disguise, that flees and hides himself, and then try whether guilty or not guilty. 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. My eyes flow and do not cease, General Epistles Things are bad but they might have been worse, and therefore there is hope that they may be better. They complain of the contempt of their neighbours and the reproach and ignominy they were under (v. 45): "Thou hast made us as the off-scouring, or scrapings, of the first floor, which are thrown to the dunghill." God will plead thy cause, and redeem thy soul. The nations recognition of itself as offscouring (so most evv) employs a descriptive term sehi, occurring here only in the Hebrew Bible, and in the context denotes anything rejected as unfit for use. To give emphasis, Jeremiah asked the same question in different words. 22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. II. My strength and my hope have perished from the LORD: No wonder Jeremiah and Jerusalem could say this. b. I called on your name, O LORD: Even from the pit Jeremiah knew he could call upon the LORD, and that God would hear His voice. Shall a man complain? 6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. Lamentations 3 1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD's wrath. One can scarcely read this description without feeling the toothache. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point 3. That, whatever sorrow we are in, it is what God has allotted us, and his hand is in it. But he does not do it willingly, not from the heart; so the word is. Wisdom Literature It has already been noticed in the introduction, that this chapter contains a triple acrostic, three lines always beginning with the same letter; so that the Hebrew alphabet is thrice repeated in this chapter, twenty-two multiplied by three being equal to sixty-six. Who could be preserved in the night, if the Watchman of Israel ever slumbered or slept? That he bear the yoke in his youth. Would you prayerfully consider a gift of support today? It will tell her so much. It is good because it keeps from bearing the devils yoke. Did ever man paint sorrow like this man? b. It is persecuted of men, but not forsaken of God, and therefore, though it is cast down, it is not destroyed (2 Cor 4 9), corrected, yet not consumed, refined in the furnace as silver, but not consumed as dross. Is it not what he has ordained and appointed for us? English Standard Version. Those curses came upon Jerusalem in Jeremiahs day; now he prayed that those curses come upon their enemies. How powerful is this word when spoken by the Spirit of the Lord to a disconsolate heart. He will deliver his people from every trouble, and revive his church from every persecution. I am the man that hath seen affliction Either the prophet speaks here of himself, or he is personating his miserable countrymen. With God as adversary, what strength is there? Verse 51. That, whatever men's actions are, it is God that overrules them: Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass (that designs a thing and bring his designs to effect), if the Lord commandeth it not? That they were satisfied that God's gracious regard to them in their miseries would be an effectual redress of all their grievances. Spurgeon suggested many reasons why it is good to bear the yoke when young: b. In the time of his trial the Lord had become terrible to him. The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. (2.) We dont live constantly focused on our sins and failings, but there are appropriate times to carefully, deliberately search out and examine our ways. Waters of affliction flowed over my head. Keep silent: There came a young man to Demosthenes to learn oratory; he talked away at a great rate, and Demosthenes said, I must charge you double fees. Why? he asked. What hope is there of either peace or prosperity? But the complaints here are somewhat more general than those in the foregoing chapter, being accommodated to the case as well of particular persons as of the public, and intended for the use of the closet rather than of the solemn assembly. If men injure them under colour of law, and in the pretended administration of justice,if they turn aside the right of a man, so that he cannot discover what his rights are or cannot come at them, they are out of his reach,if they subvert a man in his cause, and bring in a wrong verdict, or give a false judgment, let them know, (1.) In a magnificent expression of faith in the unfailing mercies of God, the writer looks to the distant future with renewed hope. (Harrison), ii. Amralkeis, one of the writers of the Moallakat, terms a man grievously afflicted [Arabic] a pounder of wormwood. "If God, who now covers himself with a cloud, as if he took no notice of our troubles (Job 22 13), would but shine forth, all would be well; if he look upon us, we shall be saved," Ps 80 19; Dan 9 17. Una eademque manus vulnus opemque tulitThe same hand inflicted the wound and healed it. The people of this once great city experienced the judgment of the holy God, and the results were devastating. Of all the men who lived through that terrible period, no one had a better right to say this than Jeremiah. Prophets Pauline Epistles Therefore I hope in Him! That God's compassions fail not; they do not really fail, no, not even when in anger he seems to have shut up his tender mercies. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, You can copy the order of your preferred Bible translations from the Bibles Tab to the Version Picker (this popup) or vice versa. We are men; let us herein show ourselves men. Do not hide Your ear "I am chained; and as some notorious malefactors are double-fettered, and loaded with irons, so he has made my chain heavy. The living man should be grateful he still has life, and recognize there is some justice in the punishment of his sins. (Lamentations 3:52-56) Praying for help under enemy attack. Therefore I hope in Him: God couldnt really be his hope until he was first his portion. 3. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? You drew near on the day I called on You: Jeremiah knew that God responded when he called upon Him. He has not only failed in his dutyhis own suffering has left him without peace, happiness, energy, or hope (verses 17-18). There are times when the only thing a sufferer can do is wait for God. But this they brought upon themselves by sin. When we are sedate and quiet under our afflictions, when we sit alone and keep silence, do not run to and fro into all companies with our complaints, aggravating our calamities, and quarrelling with the disposals of Providence concerning us, but retire into privacy, that we may in a day of adversity consider, sit alone, that we may converse with God and commune with our own hearts, silencing all discontented distrustful thoughts, and laying our hand upon our mouth, as Aaron, who, under a very severe trial, held his peace. ( Lamentations 3:1-21) "I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. Judah has gone into exile, but she does not find any rest there among the nations. Verse 40. IV. Note, All the events of divine Providence are the products of a divine counsel; whatever is done God has the directing of it, and the works of his hands agree with the words of his mouth; he speaks, and it is done, so easily, so effectually are all his purposes fulfilled. All the prisoners of the earth By the prisoners of the earth, or land, Dr. Blayney understands those insolvent debtors who were put in prison, and there obliged to work out the debt. We are men, and not devils, are not in that deplorable, helpless, hopeless, state that they are in, but have something to comfort ourselves with which they have not. Verse 36. You have heard my voice: That, when God does cause grief, it is for wise and holy ends, and he takes not delight in our calamities, v. 33. And we must thus humble ourselves, if so be there may be hope, or (as it is in the original) peradventure there is hope. so Job argues, ch. (Lamentations 3:30-36) The goodness of God even in His justice. (Lamentations 3:1-9) The man afflicted by the LORD. Lamentations 3 The scope of this chapter is the same with that of the two foregoing chapters, but the composition is somewhat different; that was in long verse, this is in short, another kind of metre; that was in single alphabets, this is in a treble one. 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. My eyes overflow with rivers of water 44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. I weep, ways the prophet, more than all the daughters of my city (so the margin reads it); he outdid even those of the tender sex in the expressions of grief. 43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Note, However God may for a time suffer evil-doers to prosper, and serve his own purposes by them, yet he does not therefore approve of their evil doings. Does the Bible Condemn Using Tarot Cards? Johannine Writings Or it may include the remnant of good people that were among the Jews, who had found that it was not in vain to wait upon God. Verse 24. He hath hedged me about This also may refer to the lines drawn round the city during the siege. Through the LORDs mercies we are not consumed, Are we healthful or sickly, rich or poor? God's ear is wont to be open to the prayers of his people, and his door of mercy to those that knock at it; but now both are shut, even to one that cries and shouts. Our seeking will help to keep up our waiting. I am chastened every morning," Ps 73 14. He has besieged me conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy Even when I cry and shout, He hath builded against me Perhaps there is a reference here to the mounds and ramparts raised by the Chaldeans in order to take the city. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is thou. (Spurgeon). 1. (Lamentations 3:24-26) Gods goodness to the seeking soul. This verse seems to allude to the Chaldaic prediction, in Jeremiah 10:11. Hide not thine ear at my breathing He dared not even to complain, nor to cry, nor to pray aloud: he was obliged to whisper his prayer to God. The walling-up of prisoners within confined spaces so that they died very quickly was a form of torture made popular by the Assyrians., iii. That God will graciously return to his people with seasonable comforts according to the time that he has afflicted them, v. 31, 32. 37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. Destroy them in such a manner that all who see it may say, It is a destruction from the Almighty, who sits in the heavens and laughs at them (Ps 2 4), and may own that the heavens do rule," Dan 4 26. We must be far from thinking that, though God cause grief, the world will relieve and help us. Oh, Book of books, the map of the way to glory; that man invokes a terrible curse upon his own head who refuses to study thee! The Jewish state may now be fitly compared to a man wrinkled with age, for which there is no remedy (v. 4): "My flesh and my skin has he made old; they are wasted and withered, and I look like one that is ready to drop into the grave; nay, he has broken my bones, and so disabled me to help myself, v. 15. You perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. The scope of this chapter is the same with that of the two foregoing chapters, but the composition is somewhat different; that was in long verse, this is in short, another kind of metre; that was in single alphabets, this is in a treble one. Every morning brings new strength for new temptations, duties, and trials. We are sinful men, and what we complain of, is far less than our sins deserve. The enemies, having taken some of them like a bird in a snare, chased others as a harmless bird is chased by a bird of prey (v. 52): My enemies chased me sorely like a bird which is beaten from bush to bush, as Saul hunted David like a partridge. Whatever measure he was to receive, whatever inheritance, whatever future, it would all be found in Yahweh. Oh, no: the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (Spurgeon), ii. He was so low that life seemed ebbing out, and he groaned. (Spurgeon), ii. Lamentations 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Lamentations in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, . a. Quietness is necessary to waiting, for all turbulency and impatience of spirit under sad providences is opposed to waiting. (Poole). Prayer is the breath of the new man, drawing in the air of mercy in petitions, and returning it in praises; it proves and maintains the spiritual life. Even in their catastrophe, God was faithful. Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. Minor Prophets We should complain to God, and not of him. That, when God returns to deal graciously with us, it will not be according to our merits, but according to his mercies, according to the multitude, the abundance, of his mercies. It is our wisdom then to submit, and to kiss the rod; for, if we still walk contrary to God, he will punish us yet seven times more; for when he judges he will overcome. Here we find a different feeling; he humbles himself under the mighty hand of God, and then his hope revives. (Clarke). I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. ii. And be full of reproach. Portions on earth are perishing things, but God is portion for ever. One can scarcely read this without feeling a suppression of breath, or a stricture upon the lungs! 2. You drew near: Jeremiah seems to record this fact with a considerable amount of surprise. 2. Lamentations 3 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Dr. Blayney thinks that elyon, instead of being referred to God, should be considered as pointing out one of the chief of the people. We are afflicted by the rod of his wrath, but it is of the lord's mercies that we are not consumed, v. 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. It is good for a man to bear 4. He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; It is our duty, and will be our comfort and satisfaction, to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord. We are men, and not children that cry for every thing that hurts them. "Judah" is the population not merely of Jerusalem, but of the whole kingdom . But this was not all: Thou saidst, Fear not. a. Verse Lamentations 3:65. In this patient seeking of God, there is reason for hope. 56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Looks down and sees. We are apt, in times of public calamity, to reflect upon other people's ways, and lay blame upon them; whereas our business is to search and try our own ways. God's compassions fail not; of this we have fresh instances every morning. However it be, yet God is good to them (Ps 73 1), and they may by faith see love in his heart even when they see frowns in his face and a rod in his hand. They are new every morning; To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient. The former is their state, the latter their fate. When those who are afflicted in their youth accommodate themselves to their afflictions, fit their necks to the yoke and study to answer God's end in afflicting them, then they will find it good for them to bear it, for it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are thus exercised thereby. 7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape; We are living men. Repay them, O LORD, according to the work of their hands: God had repaid Jerusalem and Judah for all their sin and disobedience. 2. The sufferers in the captivity must submit to the will of God in all their sufferings. again and again, all day long. Every morning brings new forgiveness for new sins. In his own day he was called the German beast, that for lust must needs marry Catharine. Our Lord Jesus has left us an example of this, for he gave his back to the smiter, Isa 50 6. Verse 23. By soul - is humbled in me. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. Verse 22. The sum is, If tribulation work patience, that patience will work experience, and that experience a hope that makes not ashamed. That is, thou hast made us to all nations extremely contemptible, so as they value us no more than the sweepings of their houses, or the most vile, refuse, and contemptible things imaginable. (Poole). GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point
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