Lamentations 1:15-22 says...Bible reading week 16, day 3
Today's verses are Lamentations 1:15-22, which read,
15 “The Lord has rejected all my strong men in my midst; He has called an appointed time against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a wine press the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I weep; my eyes run down with water; because far from me is a comforter, one who restores my soul. My children are desolate because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out her hands; there is no one to comfort her; the Lord has commanded concerning Jacob that the ones round about him should be his adversaries; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against His command;hear now, all peoples, and behold my pain; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.
19 “I called to my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and my elders perished in the city while they sought food to restore their strength themselves.
20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress; my spirit is greatly troubled; my heart is overturned within me, for I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword slays; in the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I groan; there is no one to comfort me; all my enemies have heard of my calamity; they are glad that You have done it. Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed, that they may become like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You; and deal with them as You have dealt with me for all my transgressions; for my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Israel is feeling the consequences of sinning against the Lord. Many times those consequences are not immediate. We do have a few examples in the Bible when it is like Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts but usually God gives a long lead before He pulls it taunt. God has been sending prophet after prophet telling of the errors of their ways and Jeremiah is just one of them. Many times we do what verse 15 says and rely on some strength other than the Lord. We lean on a strength of our popularity or a strength of a good name but whatever we substitute for God will always come up short.
Verses 16 and 17 talk of something that is now gone because we have gone against God and that is His comfort. We go toward our comfort instead of following His commands and end up with losing His comfort. We trade His comfort for our comfort and we end up comfortless. As we have stated before, this action of disobedience is not just effecting us but also those around us and especially our children. Jerusalem is now seen in a different light to the rest of the world. It was once known for being a city following after God and now it is known as a city who is suffering from the God that is used to follow.
Verse 18 is crucial because Jeremiah says that God is just in His judgment. He is fully righteous in allowing and fulfilling what He said would happen if repentance and obedience didn't happen. Many times the "Why me?" is really because of me and I shouldn't be asking the question at all. I am getting what I deserve and also what God said was coming with full disclosure to me ahead of time. Do I think I am going to get a pass on this? Do I think that God gives mulligans? The compassion of God is that He was sending all these prophets to warn them but they disregarded the message. This will be a lesson that many will not have learned even when God sends His own Son Jesus.
In verses 19, 20, and 21 the realization sets in that God is the only One who can comfort. The thought lovers or friends are now turning on Jerusalem. They are taking advantage of Jerusalem's disloyalty to God. It is an opportunity to take jabs much like the jabs thrown at the church through the ages when it was not acting like the church of God, godly and holy. Sometimes those calling of us as hypocrites are very well justified and the pain we feel is real. We realize that we need to be on our knees. We need to see how we have put trust in ones who can turn on a dime. We have adopted their ways over God's way.
The chapter ends with the knowledge that God is the judge of all, even to those who are treating Israel badly in the midst of Israel's disobedience. All transgressions will be dealt with. It is common to look at others and their sins but we need to focus on where we stand with God in relationship to our obedience. Those who oppose need to see those who obey even in the midst of persecution. They need to see those who live according to God in a world that is running from Him. Our obedience opens up the door of credibility to the One we are proclaiming. Let's make it personal. When I don't and realize what I am doing, I have physically groaned over what could have been. I miss God's glory being seen possibly by me and substitute it with some inferior self-pleasure that ends with regret. If I want to live a life of no regrets then I need to follow passionately after God. Let us pray.
"Lord, how I have been were the people of Israel are. How I have substituted obedience to You with a regretful consequence of disobedience. I ask for forgiveness and acknowledge Your righteousness and justice for what I am experiencing. May today be a day of no regrets because my mind is renewed to glorify You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
16 “For these things I weep; my eyes run down with water; because far from me is a comforter, one who restores my soul. My children are desolate because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out her hands; there is no one to comfort her; the Lord has commanded concerning Jacob that the ones round about him should be his adversaries; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against His command;hear now, all peoples, and behold my pain; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.
19 “I called to my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and my elders perished in the city while they sought food to restore their strength themselves.
20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress; my spirit is greatly troubled; my heart is overturned within me, for I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword slays; in the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I groan; there is no one to comfort me; all my enemies have heard of my calamity; they are glad that You have done it. Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed, that they may become like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You; and deal with them as You have dealt with me for all my transgressions; for my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Israel is feeling the consequences of sinning against the Lord. Many times those consequences are not immediate. We do have a few examples in the Bible when it is like Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts but usually God gives a long lead before He pulls it taunt. God has been sending prophet after prophet telling of the errors of their ways and Jeremiah is just one of them. Many times we do what verse 15 says and rely on some strength other than the Lord. We lean on a strength of our popularity or a strength of a good name but whatever we substitute for God will always come up short.
Verses 16 and 17 talk of something that is now gone because we have gone against God and that is His comfort. We go toward our comfort instead of following His commands and end up with losing His comfort. We trade His comfort for our comfort and we end up comfortless. As we have stated before, this action of disobedience is not just effecting us but also those around us and especially our children. Jerusalem is now seen in a different light to the rest of the world. It was once known for being a city following after God and now it is known as a city who is suffering from the God that is used to follow.
Verse 18 is crucial because Jeremiah says that God is just in His judgment. He is fully righteous in allowing and fulfilling what He said would happen if repentance and obedience didn't happen. Many times the "Why me?" is really because of me and I shouldn't be asking the question at all. I am getting what I deserve and also what God said was coming with full disclosure to me ahead of time. Do I think I am going to get a pass on this? Do I think that God gives mulligans? The compassion of God is that He was sending all these prophets to warn them but they disregarded the message. This will be a lesson that many will not have learned even when God sends His own Son Jesus.
In verses 19, 20, and 21 the realization sets in that God is the only One who can comfort. The thought lovers or friends are now turning on Jerusalem. They are taking advantage of Jerusalem's disloyalty to God. It is an opportunity to take jabs much like the jabs thrown at the church through the ages when it was not acting like the church of God, godly and holy. Sometimes those calling of us as hypocrites are very well justified and the pain we feel is real. We realize that we need to be on our knees. We need to see how we have put trust in ones who can turn on a dime. We have adopted their ways over God's way.
The chapter ends with the knowledge that God is the judge of all, even to those who are treating Israel badly in the midst of Israel's disobedience. All transgressions will be dealt with. It is common to look at others and their sins but we need to focus on where we stand with God in relationship to our obedience. Those who oppose need to see those who obey even in the midst of persecution. They need to see those who live according to God in a world that is running from Him. Our obedience opens up the door of credibility to the One we are proclaiming. Let's make it personal. When I don't and realize what I am doing, I have physically groaned over what could have been. I miss God's glory being seen possibly by me and substitute it with some inferior self-pleasure that ends with regret. If I want to live a life of no regrets then I need to follow passionately after God. Let us pray.
"Lord, how I have been were the people of Israel are. How I have substituted obedience to You with a regretful consequence of disobedience. I ask for forgiveness and acknowledge Your righteousness and justice for what I am experiencing. May today be a day of no regrets because my mind is renewed to glorify You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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