Lamentations 3

Anger as Deliverance

“So I say, “My strength has failed, And so has my hope from the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:18 (NASB)

By verse 18, the poet has reached a point of pure exhaustion, and understandably so. The first 18 verses of this poem are heart-wrenching; God has judged Israel for its great wickedness. Throughout Israel’s history, God rescued His people from their oppressors. Like a shining knight, God saved Israel from their enemies, but now, Israel itself has become the enemy who needs defeated! God’s love for justice and righteousness has come into direct opposition with Israel’s wickedness and oppression of others. It is God’s great anger against evil which has brought ruin to the people of Israel.

Yet by the end of the poem, it is God’s anger against evil which the poet finds hope in.

By the end of the poem, the poet is confident in God’s justice saying,

Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause;

You have redeemed my life.

LORD, You have seen my oppression;

Judge my case.

You will pursue them (my oppressors) in anger and eliminate them

From under the heavens of the LORD!

Lamentations 3:58-59, 66 (NASB)

So what changes? How does the poet go from pure grief and exhaustion due to God’s justice to finding great hope in God’s justice? The hinge which swings the poet from grief to hope is recalling the Lord’s mercy.

My soul certainly remembers,

And is bent over within me.

I recall this to my mind,

Therefore I await.

The LORD’S acts of mercy indeed do not end,

For His compassions do not fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:20-23 (NASB)

The poet remembers that God is simultaneously perfectly just and faithfully merciful. God holds justice and mercy together. Yes, God has judged Israel for its sin, but God will also be faithful to Israel and preserve the people. God could easily wipe Israel from the face of the earth, yet in His lovingkindness, He stays with them. He holds them. He will not allow them to be utterly erased. He will guide them through their judgment and raise up a new generation. And He will judge those who do evil against Israel, just as He judged Israel.

The poet knows that those who do evil against Israel will face justice. The poet knows that God will not leave the world in chaos; He will right the wrongs in this world. By remembering God’s mercy, the poet can rejoice in His justice. May we do the same.

Here are some thoughts to dwell on:

How have you seen God’s mercy made new every morning?

Do you tend to find comfort or confusion when thinking about God’s justice and mercy? Why?

Just as the poet rejoices in God’s judgment against his enemies, the poet must also have mercy on his enemies. How can we imitate God’s simultaneous desire for justice and mercy?

God’s justice and mercy is ultimately brought together in the person of Christ. We know that God’s anger against evil was poured out on Christ, who was a willing, merciful substitute for us. We look forward to the day when Christ Himself perfectly rights every wrong and makes this world new again. In the midst of chaos, confusion, and grief, hold onto the hope you have in Christ.