Lamentations 3:21-38 — What to Remember When Sorrow Strikes

Introduction:

Historical Backdrop:

We understand the date of Lamentations to be during one of the most devastating events in Israel’s history, the destruction of Jerusalem in 586BC. Which was brought about by the Babylonians under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar.

As seen in the title of the book, this is a book of lamenting. It is essentially a commentary on how great the destruction of the city of Jerusalem has been because of God’s judgement.

Now, throughout the book, there are many sections that are spoken from a third-person perspective.

For example 1:1 says, “How lonely sits the city That was full of people! She has become like a widow Who was once great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces Has become a forced laborer!”

But at the same time we also see many sections spoken from the first-person perspective. And we see that shift take place most fully in chapter 3.

Verse 1 says, “I am the man who has seen affliction Because of the rod of His wrath.”

The speaker is narrating the destruction as if it’s solely targeted on him.

The passage that we will be examining this morning, which is 3:21-38, is the most personal section of Lamentations.

Most scholars agree that the prophet Jeremiah is the author of this book. And there are several reasons for that:

We know that his ministry extended up to this time, the siege of Jerusalem

And also when you examine the book of Jeremiah, you’ll quickly find many similarities between Jeremiah and Lamentations.

In the book of Jeremiah, you’ll notice that one of the features of the prophecy is that Jeremiah, being Jewish, feels this deep anguish within the very depth of his soul as the Word of the Lord has commissioned him to proclaim the inevitable judgement that is coming upon the Jewish people — his own people.

For example, in Jeremiah 4:19, he says, “My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.”

Likewise, in Lamentations 3:48–49 “My eyes run down with streams of water Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes pour down unceasingly, Without stopping,”

Jeremiah laments. He is filled with deep sorrow and overwhelming grief as he is looking at a people that he loves and cares for — and because of their spiritual adultery and treason against the Most High God, Yahweh is unleashing His judgement by virtue of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.

Now, in chapters 1 and 2, Jeremiah almost acts like an observer. And this is what he observes:

The city that was once full is now lonely, it weeps. There is no one to comfort her.

The roads to Zion mourn, the gates are desolate, the priests groan, and the virgins are afflicted.

The people are under harsh servitude. There is no rest.

The enemies, they prosper. The sanctuary has been violated by the nations. All majesty has departed.

Famine was so severe during this time that Jeremiah says in chapter 1 verse 11: “All her people groan seeking bread; they have given their precious things for food.”

He goes on in chapter 2, to show us just bad it got: Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy?

Hunger was so desperate that woman began to do the unthinkable and eat their children.

He goes on in chapter 2, verse 20 to say: “Should priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? On the ground in the streets lie young and old; my virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of Your anger, You have slaughtered, not sparing.”

Even in 5:11-15, Jeremiah says, “11 They ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah. (This means the woman being raped) 12 Princes were hung by their hands (which is a way to say that they were executed); Elders were not respected. 13 Young men worked at the grinding mill, And youths stumbled under [loads] of wood. 14 Elders are gone from the gate, Young men from their music. 15 The joy of our hearts has ceased; Our dancing has been turned into mourning.

For 18 long months, the Babylonian army laid siege to the city..

The city once filled with dancing and joy has now been breached. It has burned to the ground. The walls are torn down. Solomon’s temple, that magnificent infrastructure was looted, burned, and utterly destroyed. People were starved, killed, humiliated and the survivors were dragged away into exile.

This was a time of unimaginable tragedy.

Think about this for a moment: In the past 100 years the United States has experienced some tragic events, like Pearl Harbor or more recently 9/11, but those events, grievous as they were, still do not rise to the level of what Jerusalem endured.

This was not merely an attack; this was the devastation of a nation. It would be like seeing our entire nation consumed in fire, stripped of its strength, its security, and utterly destroyed.

And friends, undoubtedly national tragedies will almost certainty happen again, possibly worse than what we have seen in the past.

And even more certain than that is that every single person in this room will at some point in your life experience a personal tragedy.

And the question is: How are you going to respond when it comes? What will you do when tragedy strikes, when sorrow comes, when deep affliction enters your life?

Well, we are going to find the answers to that in our text this morning.

Structure of Lamentations:

And one thing that is striking about this book, is that although it is a book of lamenting, it is very ordered — there is an ordered nature of the grief.

There is a total of 5 laments — each containing 22 verses with the exception of chapter 3, which is at the center and it contains 66 verses.

And what we see is an acrostic structure.

Chapters 1, 2, and 4 follow a simple acrostic, meaning that each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, in English verse 1 begins with A, verse 2 (B) and so on.

Chapter 5 is not acrostic, but still has 22 verses.

And then smack in the middle we get chapter 3. Now, in some books the last chapter of the book is where you begin to see things make a turn, but not so with Lamentations. In Lamentations chapter 3, is really the turning point.

Chapter 4 provides more detail regarding the humiliating effects of Jerusalem’s destruction. Chapter 5 really functions almost as an exhortation.

But, chapter 3 is really the heart of the book. And it has 66 verses and it is also acrostic. But the difference is that each Hebrew letter gets three verses instead one. Verses 1-3 all begin with A, Verses 4-6 (B), and so on.

And the structure is important because what Jeremiah is telling us is the lamenting is not chaotic; there is order and ultimately what we see is that the lamenting is theologically informed.

It’s not just a book of tears; it is a book of tears governed by a biblical understanding of theology.

And his theological understanding really comes into view when you get the high point of the book which is the passage that we are going to examine this morning.

Now, before we get there, remember that in chapter 3, there is a major shift and Jeremiah now gets very personal. He becomes the center of the lament itself.

In verse 3 he says, “Surely against me He has turned His hand repeatedly all the day.” Verse 4: “He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones.” Verse 5: “He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship.” Verse 8: “Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.”

He even says in verse 18, and 20: “So I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the Lord.” “Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.”

At this point in the book, he feels completely hopeless.

But then in verse 21, we have the pivot point in the whole book. From total despair to steadfast hope.

This major shift comes about, not because a change of circumstances, not by the removal of present suffering, but the major shift comes about through a change in perspective.

And that change of perspective comes about through an act of remembrance:

In verse 21 he says, “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.”

To recall to your mind is to deliberately force yourself to think about specific truths.

The “mind” here is the faculty by which a person takes in reality, lays hold of it, retains it, and responds to it.

This isn’t just about knowledge, this interpreting reality and purposefully moving toward an outcome that brings glory to God.

It’s the opposite of heedlessness, confusion, mental stupor — Jeremiah is actively fighting the temptation to let suffering govern how he interprets what’s going on around him. He is intentionally bringing truth to his mind.

And by doing so he has hope. Now, hope doesn’t mean that Jeremiah knows exactly when the Lord is going to act.

There may still be pain, delay, and unanswered questions, but when he says, “I have hope,” He means that he patiently waits.

That now within him there is an enduring trust, a steadfast reliance upon Yahweh, and a confident expectation of the good that He is going to bring.

Now, what could Jeremiah possibly bring to his mind that would cause him to have such hope in such tragedy?

Well, the word “this” in verse 21 actually points us forward to what Jeremiah is going to say in verses 22-38.

When you deliberately recall to your mind these four realities that God has revealed about Himself in verses 22-38, you will not only glorify the Lord in this midst of the tragedy that you are going to face or are currently facing in your life, but you will also restore your hope and experience joy even in the midst of the storm.

Now, those four realities about God to recall to mind in the midst of great sorrow and tragedy is God’s

I. Unfailing Character — (22-24)

II. Providential Plan — (25-33)

III. Unerring Justice — (34-36)

IV. Absolute Sovereignty — (37-38)

Beginning with God’s unfailing character in verse 22, Jeremiah says:

I. Unfailing Character

“The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.”

LORD here is Yahweh. It literally means, “He is who He is.” It describes God’s self-existence, His immutability. He is unchanging in His being, character, purposes, and promises.

He is a covenant keeping God and that reality is reflected in the word “lovingkindnesses”

The Hebrew word is “hesed” — it refers to a combination of love and loyalty in the context of a relationship. It refers to God’s covenantal love — He has made a covenant with the people, there is this legally binding promise that God has made and He is committed to being faithful.

Some translators, translate it as “steadfast love” or “unfailing love”

And notice that “lovingkindnesses” is in the plural, which helps us understand that this isn’t merely referring to one of God’s attributes, but it’s more focused on the actions of God or expressions that evidence His unfailing love.

And he says, “indeed never cease”

The word “indeed” stresses the emphatic truthfulness of the statement.

It is absolutely true that the LORD’s steadfast, unfailing love and loyalty which is made evident through His actions or various expressions) — for His people — will never cease — they’ll never come to an end.

He goes on to say, “For” or also translated as “because” His compassions never fail.

The connection here is that the evidences of God’s loyal love (lovingkindnesses) (which is manifested in countless ways) flows from His unfailing compassions.

Compassions — the word is related to the idea of a mother’s womb, it conveys the thought of tender, mother-like compassion, deep affection, caring mercy.

Therefore, what Jeremiah is communicating here is that: Although, God has brought about judgement and is severely disciplining His people, He never ceases to be a God who is also always fully aware and never unmoved by the sufferings of His people (He is compassionate) — and because His compassions never fail, He will always provide manifestations of His loyal love to His people in the midst of great tragedy.

And the way in which Jeremiah finds hope in the middle of this horrific circumstance is by forcing his mind to remember that truth about God’s character.

And beloved, we must do the same. You can bank everything on the reality that this is who God is. It’s His nature to be merciful and good to His people even in the midst of their suffering. And when you recall the unfailing character of God to mind, you begin to have hope

But Jeremiah doesn’t stop there.

Verse 23 amplifies verse 22. In verse 22, we saw the breadth of God’s goodness, now we see the depth.

He says, “They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Not only does God’s steadfast love and compassions never cease or become insufficient — they are new every morning.

The word “new” carries the idea of renewing something in order to return it to its original pristine state.

And so he is saying day by day, morning by morning, God provides a fresh supply of His lovingkindnesses and compassions. They never grow old or take a day off.

And remember the context is the destruction of Jerusalem. As the night ends and the horrific circumstances have not left, Jeremiah understands without a shadow of a doubt, that when he wakes up, the new day will bear evidence that God in His great mercy has not forsaken His people.

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And as Jeremiah’s mind is totally caught up in these truths, he can’t help but burst forth and say: Great is Your faithfulness

The word “great” means abundant, overflowing.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 36:5 “Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” When you look up into the sky, it just keeps going. That’s the idea. God’s faithfulness is immeasurable, its boundless.

The word “faithfulness” describes God’s perfect constancy and reliability. It means that He is dependable. When God makes a promise, He always keeps it. God does what He says He is going to do.

It is in God’s character to never go back on His Word. He is always perfectly consistent with who He is.

And Jeremiah knows this to be true. He has seen it with his own eyes. He has already seen God remain true to His Word in the judgement that has now fallen upon Jerusalem.

Over 800 years before the exile, God said through Joshua…

Joshua 23:14–16 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. “It shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the threats, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. “When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”

God’s said, you will break my covenant and judgement would come. And He did exactly what He said He was going to do.

But Jeremiah also knows that God is faithful, and even more inclined to carry out His promises of mercy.

In Jeremiah 29:10, the Lord says, “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.”

And ultimately, Jeremiah would have remembered what God had revealed in Jeremiah 30–33, that great section often called the Book of Comfort. There God promises regathering. He promises healing, rebuilding, peace and security, renewed joy.

And at the center stands the New Covenant— where God will radically transform them inwardly, write the Law upon their hearts, and ultimately forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

That reality would have been on Jeremiah’s mind. God said it would happen and it certainly will.

Those evidences of God’s unfailing love and mercy, new every morning, causes Jeremiah to burst out in adoration because He knows that God is utterly reliable. And He will stay true to His promises. His faithfulness is abundant.

And beloved, if Jeremiah could burst out in praise and say, “Great is Your faithfulness,” while standing in the midst of devastation and only able to look forward to the New Covenant promises, how much more should we, who presently partake in the glorious realities of the New Covenant, burst in praise and adoration, no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in.

The Spirit of the living God permanently indwells you, He causes you to walk in His statues, you have peace with God, access to God, your sins are forgiven, the righteousness of Christ imputed to your account, you are a fellow heir with Christ, you are eternally sealed and secured by the Spirit, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is yours in Christ and on and on it goes.

Look, no matter how difficult your circumstances get, you worship a God who is perfectly trustworthy and committed to remain loyal to the covenant He has made with you.

Now, thinking back for a moment at 3:18, he had just said that “his strength had perished and so had his hope from the LORD”, but now since Jeremiah has purposefully changed his perception by deliberately remembering the unfailing character of God

He says in verse 24, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”

In the Old Testament, “portion” often referred to a piece of land allotted to a family. Since land was the basis of survival, losing one’s portion meant losing security, stability, and even one’s place in the community.

Now, the idea that Lord is our portion originated from Numbers 18:20, which tells us that the Levites, although they didn’t receive physical land as an inheritance, the Lord says that He would be their inheritance, their portion.

The Psalmist frequently pick up on this idea:

For example, Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

What the Psalmist is saying is that his relationship with the Lord is his most cherished possession. It is in the Lord and the Lord alone that he is most satisfied.

And that is what Jeremiah is saying, the Lord is his life, his treasure, and he believes that from the very depth of his soul.

And therefore, he has hope in Yahweh.

You know I’m sure Jeremiah knew that the Lord was his portion, but when tragedy like this strikes, it has way of making that truth much more real.

Look, whatever it is that you may be going through or will go through, you may mourn as Jeremiah clearly does, but one thing is certain (as a believer) you don’t mourn without hope

And sometimes when you are in the fire, you feel like there is no hope— the turning point, the dramatic shift comes when you begin to change your thinking and begin to contemplate on who God is and what God has done. And when you do — you will have hope in your God.

Well, the next reality that God has revealed about Himself that we must call to mind in the middle of tragedy in order to have hope is that God has a plan.

II. Providential Plan

A plan that He is bringing about in His sweet providence. A good plan. A plan that He brings about in order to sanctify His people.

And the way that we experience true growth in the Lord through suffering is by doing what we see in verses 25-30.

Within these verses we see 6 qualities that the suffering believer must cultivate in order to have hope and experience growth in the midst of trial.

Verse 25 & Verse 26 — Patience Verse 27 — Submission Verse 28 — Contemplate Verse 29 — Humility Verse 30 —

First, verses 25 & 26 we read: “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.

The Lord is good, even in tragedy, towards the person who is patiently, steadily, without complaining, without arguing — waiting for the Lord’s help, while simultaneously seeking Him.

This is a person who is dependent upon the Lord and is determined to be patient and wait for God to save and for God to rescue.

Verse 27: “It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth.”

The word “yoke” carries the idea of discipline and to bear the yoke means to submit to it.

Often times the Lord will bring about suffering as a way to discipline His people and we are not to complain against the Lord’s discipline, but rather submit to it.

The Lord is at work. He has a plan that He is sovereignly bringing about and that plan may include suffering and the faithful believer will submit to it.

And he even says in his youth, which means that those who learn in their youth to bear suffering will be better prepared for the hardship that may come when you get older.

Verse 28 he says, “Let him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him.”

The reality is Yahweh Himself has brought about this affliction, and therefore the proper response is not to complain, nor resist, but to quietly submit under the hand of God and contemplate what has happened.

This didn’t happen for no reason

Sometimes God will bring about suffering for reasons that we will never know - like what we see in the book of Job, Job was not suffering because of some personal sin, yet God still ordained his suffering for a wise and good purpose.

Other times, it is because of sin and that’s what we see here.

And the people are being called to sit quietly under God’s hand, to ponder what has taken place, and to humble themselves before Him—recognizing His sovereignty, His justice, and even His mercy and His grace.

Verse 29 makes it clear that another quality is that of humility: “Let him put his mouth in the dust, Perhaps there is hope.”

III. Unerring Justice

IV. Absolute Sovereignty

Conclusion