Lamentations: The Lord Saves, Only the Lord

Introduction

Open to Lamentations 5:16–22 this evening.

Last time we saw an explosion of praise in the middle of hardship.

American culture is a culture of pleasure, just like every affluent culture before it.

What a shock to the culture, and sin nature it self to hear the words

“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.” (La 3:27–30, ESV)

What? Suffering is a good thing? Having a weight you cannot carry is Good?

I sent most of this week meditating on that.

How good is it for a man to come to the end of himself and find his only resilience on God.

Even you ever ment that old Christian man?

Maybe some of you know who I am talking about, he is fearless for truth, he doesn’t think like anyone around him. He has been forged into a servant of the king, he is like Bunyan Mr. Great Faith. He is tested against the ruffian's of doubt, worldly wisdom, and lying words and he may have scars, but he has emerged victorious.

One does not become like great faith with the tests.

One does not overcome fear and doubt without the doubt and fear to over come.

Do you, especially you men, aspire to be like Mr Great Faith?

Do you ever pray Lord, lay my mouth in the dust so that I my learn to trust you.

Or do you pray, Lord keep hardship, keep trial, keep difficulty, keep hard work far from me?

I have often said that Christianity is the manliest of manly pursuits

One of those prayers is manly, the other is … childish.

There is a whole sermon there about equipping your mind, and about working, about thanking the Lord for the hardship that makes you like Christ. But our text to night is about much better things, who is that God we trust in.

Let’s Read

Lamentations 5:16–22 ESV

16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim, 18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it. 19 But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. 20 Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days? 21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old— 22 unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy and Infallible Word

Let’s Pray

Transition

Body

The State of Man

Lamentations 5:16–18 ESV

16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim, 18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.

The crown that fell feel long before Jeremiahs day.

The direct application for Jeremiah’s day

Isreal used to triad with the world and starves and dies.

The parallels with 70 AD are amazing.

The scripture wide application

Man is in a fallen state,

Man was created as God’s ruler of this world, with a crown so to speak

Man lost that crown

Mount Zion, the crown jewel of the crown now in desolation.

Transition

The Lord is King Forever

Lamentations 5:19–20 ESV

19 But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. 20 Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?

Its not like God’s thrown was case down.

God lost nothing in the destruction of Jerusalem he throne is translated and eternally.

The prophet here appeals to an unchanging God.

“For when we fix our eyes on present things, we must necessarily vacillate, as there is nothing permanent in the world; and when adversities bring a cloud over our eyes, then faith in a manner vanishes, at least we are troubled and stand amazed. Now the remedy is, to raise up our eyes to God, for however confounded things may be in the world, yet he remains always the same.[1]

Remember we just read, his mercies are new every morning, great is his faithfulness.

why do you forget us,

The saints need to be reminded the time my be interminable in our eyes but God is not slow to take case of his own.

“8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Pe 3:8–9. ESV)

The prophet does not intend these words as a to be answered. This “why do you forget us” is rhetorical because every child of God know he never forgets his own.

Transition

Restoration is from the Lord

Lamentations 5:21–22 ESV

21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old— 22 unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

The words restore us to yourself, probably more directly rendered “turn us back to you.”

Its not the wealth, its not the status that the prophet wants when he says “Renew our days as of old”

There is definitely a desire not to be at war, not to be hungry, not to see death at every turn. But the primary desire is the return of God;s presence nation.

Notice to whom the plea goes. Lord you turn us back.

Conclusion

Benediction

References

[1] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations, vol. 5 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 511.

Bibliography