Thursday, April 1, 2021
When Judah was forced into exile, Nebuchadnezzar had laid siege to Jerusalem, the people were starved, the wall was broken down, most of the city was burned, the temple was destroyed, and all but the poorest were taken into captivity. Some of these events were recorded in the book of Lamentations, which was probably written by the prophet Jeremiah.
The chapters of Lamentations can each be made to stand alone because each of the first four chapters is a separate lament, written as an acrostic poem wherein each new line begins with the next successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter five is unique too because it is neither acrostic nor poem but a prayer, and the lack of rigid form lends credence to its sincerity, at least as far as I’m concerned.
Lamentations 3, I’m convinced, needs to be taken in its entirety. We have no other way of getting the full effect of verses 22-24, which are often cherry-picked from their context as proof of God’s encouraging heart for His people. But there is also much in here of judgment, sacrifice, vengeance, and doom. In fact, I see the Christ throughout it.
I recommend that you go and read it right now in the NLT version.
Jesus asked the disciples what they sought when they first followed Him. They basically replied, “You, sir.” Then He invited them to “Come and see.” This conversation is so thick with meaning that it’s difficult to condense, but it’s not like Jesus promises to solve all their problems or make them insta-holy.
When Jesus says, “Come and see,” I take it like a promise. “Come and see” means the invitation stands, and we are to engage it on our side. The opportunity to be intimate with the only expression of God that we can reckon with and understand is still good today. “Come and see” means Lamentations 3.22-24 is just as dependable today as it was when Jeremiah wrote it, but we must lay hold of it.
Yes, His mercies are new every morning. What have we done lately to acknowledge God’s favor over us? When was the last time we gave thanks for His priceless gift?
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