Let Us Lament & Remember The Lord

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.

Scripture Reading

Lamentations 3

Lamentations 3:21–22 ESV

21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

Let Us Lament & Remember The Lord

Sorrow, grief, bewailing: Lamentation.

These are all words to describe the bitter fruit of sin. And it is the title of that woefull book of scripture: Lamentations:

(Perhaps fitting that we come to a book lamenting sins captivity so close to when so many will begin school)

TITLE:

A. Hebrew: The title to the book in Hebrew is hkya (‘Ekah). This is the Hebrew term for “How,” “Alas,” or “Oh” that appears as the first word in the Hebrew text in 1:1; 2:1; 4:1. This word was commonly used in Israelite funeral dirges (cf. ; )1

B. Greek: The title to the book in Greek is QRHNOI (Threnos) meaning “lament.”

C. Latin: The title to the book in the Latin Vulgate was a transliteration for the title “lament” (Threni) and was subtitled Id est Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophatae which became the basis for our English title “Lamentations.”

The date of this book would be around 586B.C. and after. It is just after the fall of Jerusalem, at the time of Jeremiah, which many believe wrote Lamentations.

Lamentations is a collection of songs or poems, each chapter making up one with a total of 5. And each poem following an accrostic type pattern.

PURPOSE:

There are a few purposes of Lamentations that are brought before us:

To provide emotional insight as a postscript to the book of Jeremiah and to express grief over the fall of Jerusalem because of her sin

To expres grief over the fall of Jerusalem because of her sin

To remind us the readers that “sin inspite of all of its allurement and excitement carries with it heavy weights of sorrow, grief, misery, bitterness and pain.”

To “offer reproof, instruction, and hope” to the survivors of fallen Jerusalem and to “chasten Israel that they recognize the righteousness of God’s dealings with them, and that in a spirit of repentance the cast themselves once again upon His mercy.”

KEY WORDS:

There are three keywords that help us to see what Israel is to learn as well as what we must learn from this book. The first word is that which creates the need for the second two. It is the causentory word that brings a need for healing. The second is that which begins a road to healing as well as that which can stand as a major fork in the road. The third is that which brings healing.

SIN - To do what commands you not to do or to not do what God commands you to do. (The sin of commission & commission). It is to transgress against the Lord & His commands.

Lamentations 1:5 ESV

5 Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.

LAMENT - Sorrow, grief, bewailing. Grieving such as that which is done at a funeral.

Lamentations 1:8–10 ESV

8 Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away. 9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future; therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter. “O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!” 10 The enemy has stretched out his hands over all her precious things; for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom you forbade to enter your congregation.

REPENT - To feel and to express pain, sorrow, or regret. To remember with sorrow past actions and to change the mind in consequence of the past injury done by past conduct. In context it is to recognize the captivity of sin and cast yourself at the mercy of another while lamenting your own previous actions, choices and decisions.

Lamentations 1:20 ESV

20 “Look, O Lord, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death.

THOUGHTS:

Having given background of the entire book. This morning I want to zero in on . Lamentations three is where we see not a sinful nation grieving of sin, but the very servant of God lamenting and in utter despair. I believe there is much to be gleaned from this on how God works. (Let me also say this - though we are not looking at a sinful nation - we are seeing the circumstance which specific sin brings forth over all.)

The book of Lamentations sits as the elephant in the room. It is that reality that nobody wants to admit to or even if we admit to it, we certainly don’t care to address it. Yet, as you ought to be picking up from your reading of the scripture, within those very things that our flesh stands against, lay our very real hope great hope.

Sin births captivity - it is ugly - it is death. If we are to be cured then lamenting must become us and repentance must be found by us.

Sin is wide spread, it’s circumstantial effects lay not only on the present sinner but also upon the righteous. And yet God is still wonderfully just and perfectly in control.

In either case, whether the sinner in need of discipline or the righteous in a sinning community, the remedy is repentance - it is looking, turning, trusting in and obeying God.

Our struggle is learning how to lament and how to repent.

You are suffering, you are grieving, you are sorrowful - but where does that take you?

What are you grieving?

In lamenting there is some form of death. We are effected by someone or something which emotionally is having that ill feeling effect of death upon us.

An expectation has been destroyed - a comfort lost - health wrecked - finances turned upside down - a child gone astray - a marriage in shambles - freedom lost - life lost - a friend or loved one gone....on and on it goes.

But what has caused the death, or rather, what has caused the emotions, the feelings of grief and despair? This answer is where the confusion comes in.

I will give two answers:

Sin

God

Lamentations 1:14–15 ESV

14 “My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand. 15 “The Lord rejected all my mighty men in my midst; he summoned an assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.

Lamentations 2:16–17 ESV

16 All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: “We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!” 17 The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes.

Lamentations 2:16

SINNER: Look to God, but don’t blame God. Seek God out - don’t run from God. Recognize your sin, the grief of your state, but don’t be bitter at God.

Proverbs 3:11 ESV

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,

RIGHTEOUS: Look to God, but don’t blame God. Recognize God as in full control, but don’t lack trust in his goodness, love and mercy. Trust that His purpose in the calamity that is present is good for you.

Hebrews 12:5–6 ESV

Sinful man repent and righteous man cry out.

Some immediately find themselves guilty and cripple themselves in not releasing their burden of guilt to Christ. They lament and lament but never seem to hear the mercy of God and get up and obey.

Others tell themselves that they are righteous and above God’s rod, and therefore set themselves at war with God and others when difficult times come.

Friends we are all in need of the discipline of God. We are all in need of His sanctifying work to be upon us.

Through the course of discipline, and that heavy blanket of emotions that overwhelm us we must remember that God is reclaiming our hearts, transforming our minds and drawing our all in all back to Himself. Thus, give God credit but don’t blame God

Through the seasons of lamenting and those long days of having that bitter sorrow for sin God is bringing us to the beginning of repentance and restoration which is then to be completed by turning to God in faith and obedience.

Hear the Word of the Lord church, does the Bible not say:

Proverbs 3:11 ESV

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,

Proverbs 3:11–12 ESV

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Question: Does this proverb speak of the sinning man, the righteous man or simply any man? I would offer that it speaks of any man and if it is in particular then it is in instruction to the righteous man. Indeed it is sandwiched between trusting in the Lord with all of your heart (v5), leaning not on your own understanding (v5), acknowledging God in all your ways, not being wise in your own eyes (v6), honoring God with your wealth (v9) and the blessing of the one who finds wisdom and understanding (13). Right in the middle of all of that comes “do not despise the Lords discipline nor be weary of his reproof”

discipline - to chastise, cultivate, instruct, correct, improve

reproof - to convince of a fault or make manifest.

When God is improving you - don’t despise it! Are you perfect in your understanding? Are you beyond God in your wisdom? Then seek to gain from God’s discipline.

Church, again hear the Word of the Lord:

Hebrews 12:5–8 ESV

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Hebrews 12:5 ESV

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

Hebrews 12:5-

Again I draw your attention to the context: This is the cloud of witnesses, the laying aside of every weight and sin that entangles us. It is the running with endurance and the looking unto Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith. It is the context which calls us to look to the hostility that Christ (the perfectly righteous one) endured in obedience to His Father and therefore be caused to be courageous rather than fainthearted.

The context here would have us in the middle of our lamenting, remember God and begin rejoicing in what He must be working, rejoicing that we are being loved by Him, rejoicing that Almighty God is taking the time to improve upon us rather than write us off and eliminate our existence. And this is where we can make since and learn from Jeremiah’s distress, repentance and worship of .

V1-6:

Problem: Jeremiah has seen affliction and the wrath of God. Physically, emotionally and spiritually Jeremiah speaks as a desperate man.

V8:

Problem: It seemed as though God had not answered Jeremiah’s prayers. There was no apparent personal sin to cause this.

Response: God was dealing with a nations perpetual sin. God’s righteousness and His perfect judgment of sin must go it’s course. Yet Jeremiah lamented and kept praying, longing to see repentance.

Problem: Jeremiah’s lament gets continually worse, and sitting as the cause is God. God is said to be as a bear or lion waiting for him. He is said to have torn him to pieces and made him desolate. In verse 16 we read of Jeremiahs teeth grinding together on gravel and in 17 his soul has no peace while his mind has forgotten happiness.

Friends, in verse 18 we read this:

Lamentations 3:18 ESV

18 so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”

Our question for this morning is: What happens next. When your lamenting reaches this point of hopelessness and your endurance is finished - where do you go?

If we follow , and read on in what Jeremiah does - then when endurance is dead, and hope has perished we remember God! We remember His truths as greater than our circumstance, we remember His plans as beyond our ability, beyond our limits. We remember that God is God and then, somehow in the same prayer where we begin as though we are in utter torment brought upon us by God we can say this:

Lamentations 3:19-

Lamentations 3:19–26 ESV

19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

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