Lamentations 3:21-25 - Hope In a Hopeless Situation

Lamentations 3:21-25

Hope in a Hopeless Situation

INTRODUCTION

LONDON HAS FALLEN is a 2016 American action thriller film ... It is a sequel to Antoine Fuqua's 2013 film Olympus Has Fallen and stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman, with Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Sean O'Bryan, Waleed Zuaiter and Charlotte Riley in supporting roles. It is the second installment in the Fallen film series. The film follows a plot to assassinate the world leaders of the G7 as they attend the British Prime Minister's funeral in London, and Secret Service agent Mike Banning's efforts to protect US President Benjamin Asher from being killed by the terrorists.

· G8 intelligence services locate Pakistani arms trafficker and terrorist mastermind Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul) at his compound on the outskirts of Lahore, and authorize a US Air Force drone strike during his daughter's wedding, based on intelligence supplied by a covert MI6 informant, killing Barkawi's family and seemingly Barkawi.

· Two years later, British Prime Minister James Wilson suddenly dies, and the G7 prepare to attend his funeral in London. Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett) assigns agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) to lead American President Benjamin Asher's (Aaron Eckhart) overseas security detail, even though Banning's wife Leah (Radha Mitchell) is due to give birth in a few weeks. The entourage arrives via Air Force One at Stansted Airport, and Banning arranges an earlier arrival at Somerset House in London via Marine One.

· As Asher's Presidential State Car arrives at St Paul's Cathedral, a band of mercenaries led by Barkawi's son Kamran (Waleed Zuaiter) launch coordinated attacks on the city disguised as Metropolitan Police, the Queen's Guardsmen, and other first responders, killing five Western leaders, damaging major landmarks and generating mass panic. Asher's early arrival throws off the St. Paul's attack, and Banning returns him and Jacobs to Marine One. The terrorists destroy the helicopter's escorts with Stinger missiles, forcing the damaged helicopter to crash-land in Hyde Park. Fatally injured, Jacobs makes Banning promise to stay alive for his unborn child, and to punish those responsible for the attacks. Banning escorts Asher into the London Underground as the city's power is lost and residents shelter indoors.

· In Washington, D.C., American Vice President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) investigates the incident with British authorities while trying to track down the President. He receives a call from Barkawi, still alive after all and operating in Sana'a. Seeking revenge for the drone strike that killed his family, and having poisoned Wilson to lure the G7 to London, Barkawi knows Asher is still alive, and promises that if Kamran captures him, he will broadcast Asher's execution online. Trumbull orders his staff to locate Barkawi's known operatives and find any connection to the attack, while British authorities stand down all first responders so any left in the open can be identified as terrorists. Morgan Freeman makes his profound statement, “London has Fallen.”

“There are many Christians who believe hope is waiting on something that you are never going to get.”

God’s punishment of Judah was not God’s rejection of Judah.

Central Idea of the Text (CIT): Jeremiah’s purpose for writing Lamentations was to give a message of hope during a time of hopelessness.

“Lamentations responds to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple 586 B.C. This collection of poetic reflections emerges from the rubble of a Jerusalem laid waste by the Babylonians.

In Lamentations 1, we explore the shame of suffering and lament tin the context of death. The city of Jerusalem has died, so the first chapter of Lamentations reminds us of the deep pain experienced by the community as a result of this death.

In Lamentations 2, the author seeks to understand the source of suffering.

In Lamentations 3, the author reflects on our engagement with the full expression of human suffering, calls us to examine ur worship life and seeks a form of spiritual expression that honors those that suffer.

Thesis: This text is tailored to teach us that there is hope in God in the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation.

The Main Objective of the Sermon (MOS): When we leave here we want to be assured that no matter how hopeless a situation may seem to be, in God, there is always hope.

Divine Interruption (3:21)

3:21 At the moment of his deepest despair and as he recalled his bitter affliction, a remarkable transition in his attitude took place. His hopelessness expressed in vv. 18–20 turned to hope as he remembered the Lord.^^

to remember (recall) v. — to recall knowledge from memory or have a recollection.

mind (heart) (internal feature) n. — the locus of a person’s thoughts (mind), volition, emotions, and knowledge of right from wrong (conscience) understood as the heart.

(hope) - to wait (in place) v. — to stay in one place and anticipate or expect something; wait for, i.e., extend a period of time in a place or state, implying a hope of resolution to some situation*

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Ps. 30:5-KJV)

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Ps. 3:5-NIV)

The unbroken mood of despair was displaced by a beautiful affirmation of hope in spite of suffering (cf. Job 1:21; Hab 3:17–18; Rom 5:3; 1 Pet 4:12–13).

“And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21, NKJV)

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines; Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food; Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” (Hab. 3:17-18, NKJV)

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance...” (Rom. 5:3)

^^Huey, F. B. Jeremiah, Lamentations. Vol. 16. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993. Print. The New American Commentary.

Divine Benevolence (3:22-23)

3:22

because (conjunction) for the reason that; since**

“a Covenant love

Lord’s lovingkindnesses - loyal love n. — an unfailing kind of love, kindness, or goodness; often used of God’s love that is related to faithfulness to his covenant; obligation to the community in relation to relatives, friends, guests, master & servants, &c. unity, solidarity***

(The Divine) Benevolence is another modification of goodness. This attribute is developed in (1) complacency toward the good and happy; (2) compassion toward the unfortunate; and (3) mercy toward the wicked.^

^Summers, Thos. O., and Jno. J. Tigert. Systematic Theology: A Complete Body of Wesleyan Arminian Divinity Consisting of Lectures on the Twenty-Five Articles of Religion. Vol. 1. Nashville, TN: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1888. Print.

consumed - to end v. — to have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical.

complete, finish, i.e., bring an event or activity to a successful end****

consumed - we are not cut off”

compassion n. — a deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering.

(never) to fail (disappoint) v. — to disappoint, prove undependable to; to have a state or process cease.

“Another basis of hope is God’s unfailing “compassions” (raḥămîm; from a word related to the womb, it describes the tender, caring love of a mother), which are experienced in a fresh and new way every day.”

3:23

new adj. — having relatively and recently come into being or been made, acquired, or discovered.

pertaining to something not previously known*****

great - numerous, many, enough

faithfulness - trustworthiness, constancy, steadfastness, permanence, reliability

God had always been faithful (Exod 34:6–7), but the point here is that the people finally realized it. Often in life people do not realize the faithfulness of God until the “bottom has fallen out” of their lives.

Divine Sovereignty (3:24)

say to myself - my innerself

Portion

the Lord is (continuous) my - portion - lot (life) n. — a person’s lot in life; including everything that happens to a person.

“... to have a portion in (someone)” means to be affiliated with that person or to belong to that person’s company or community” -

“reference to that which is dear and close to a person; thus Israel is called the portion of the Lord (Deut. 32:9), as the Lord is likewise Israel’s portion..”

wait - (hope) - to wait (in place) v. — to stay in one place and anticipate or expect something; wait for, i.e., extend a period of time in a place or state, implying a hope of resolution to some situation*

Divine Goodness (3:25)

“good’ means first and foremost what God is (‘he is good’, Ps. 100:5, et al.), then what God does, creates, commands, and gives, and finally what he approves in the lives of his creatures.”

Packer, J. I. “Good.” Ed. D. R. W. Wood et al. New Bible dictionary 1996 : 424. Print.

Myers, Allen C. The Eerdmans Bible dictionary 1987 : 841. Print.

Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. “Portion, Share.” Ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible 2000 : 1072. Print.

*****Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) 1997 : n. pag. Print.

****Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) 1997 : n. pag. Print.

***Holladay, William Lee, and Ludwig Köhler. A concise Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament 2000 : 111. Print.

**Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson, eds. Concise Oxford English dictionary 2004 : n. pag. Print.

*Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) 1997 : n. pag. Print.

3:22–24 The unbroken mood of despair was displaced by a beautiful affirmation of hope in spite of suffering (cf. Job 1:21; Hab 3:17–18; Rom 5:3; 1 Pet 4:12–13). The basis for renewed hope is God’s “great love.” The Hebrew word hesed, sometimes translated as “covenant love” or “loyal love,” is a word that has the basic meaning of loyalty or faithfulness, especially as related to the covenant initiated by God; the word involves obligations to family, friends, and the community.8 Another basis of hope is God’s unfailing “compassions” (raḥămîm; from a word related to the womb, it describes the tender, caring love of a mother), which are experienced in a fresh and new way every day.

Whereas earlier the writer accused God of cruelty and faithlessness, now he exalted God’s love and “faithfulness.” Verse 23 is the best known verse in Lamentations (memorialized by the popular hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”). In the midst of chaos and depression, the poet revealed a deep faith (vv. 22–24) in the trustworthiness of God: “Great is your faithfulness” (ʿěmûnâ). This word is from ʾmn in the verb and is connected to the word ʾamen, which means so be it, the word that closes prayers. Its meaning in English is connected to truth, faith, and trustworthiness. With reference to God, this word occurs only during the exile and after the exile (Jer 52). The semantic field of the word is that of constancy, reliability. It was a unique characteristic of the Lord.9 Contrary to the way neighboring peoples viewed their gods, the Jews now understood their God to be faithful to them, and there is no greater hope than knowing that God is totally reliable. God had always been faithful (Exod 34:6–7), but the point here is that the people finally realized it. Often in life people do not realize the faithfulness of God until the “bottom has fallen out” of their lives. In Lam 3 the “faithfulness” of God is to be interpreted in light of his promise to destroy, which he has done, and his promise to restore, which he would do. The poet realized that restoration was on its way, both nationally and individually. In a metaphor made bold by such a context of judgment, he claimed God as his “portion” (ḥeleq). This is a word that describes something that belongs to someone: “Yahweh is all I have” (NJB; cf. Num 18:20; Deut 32:9; Pss 16:5; 73:26; 119:57; Isa 61:7).^^^

Could Judah push God so far that He would finally abandon her forever? Was God’s supply of loyal love and compassion limited? Jeremiah’s answer was no. God’s “loving-kindnesses” (nasb) are new every morning. God offered a fresh supply of loyal love every day to His covenant people. Much like the manna in the wilderness, the supply could not be exhausted. This truth caused Jeremiah to call out in praise, Great is Your faithfulness. He was taken back by the limitless supply of God’s grace offered to him. Because of this, Jeremiah resolved to wait for God to act, bringing about restoration and blessing. He could trust God despite his circumstances because he now understood how inexhaustible was God’s supply of loyal love.^*

^*Dyer, Charles H. “Lamentations.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 1217–1218. Print.

8 See J. Krašovec, “The Source of Hope in the Book of Lamentations,” VT 42, 2 (1992): 223–233. The NRSV translates the first line of 3:22 as “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,” following the Syr and Targum (cf. JB, NAB, NASB, NEB). The LXX adds at the end of 3:22: “Pity (us), O Lord, early in the morning, for we are not brought to an end because his compassions are not exhausted.” See K. D. Sakenfeld, The Meaning of Hesed in the Hebrew Bible: A New Inquiry (Missoula, MT: Scholars Press, 1978), for a study of the word hesed.

^^^Huey, F. B. Jeremiah, Lamentations. Vol. 16. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993. Print. The New American Commentary.