Untitled Sermon (33)

Lamentations 4:1-9

2 Kings 24,25 Lamentations 4:1-9

Josiah is dead, Jehoahaz is in captivity in Egypt and Jehoiakim is king of Judah. He is evil and we know that because he burned the scroll of God’s prophecy through Jeremiah. Babylon has grown in power and Jehoiakim is a vassal king for a while. In Daniel 1:1-7 we learn that at this time Nebuchadnezzar takes all the important people, the tradesmen, the wealthy, the administrators, the best warriors basically the best and the brightest to Babylon along with many of the articles from the Temple. Then Jehioakim rebels against Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) and Nebuchadnezzar besieges the city of Jerusalem. During that time history tells us through Josephus that Jehoiakim is killed and thrown over the wall and the siege is ended. Nebuchadnezzar names Jehoiakim’s son Jehoichin king. Jehoichin only reigned for three months before Nebuchadnezzar came back and besieged the city again but this time Jehoichin went out to Nebuchadnezzar and was taken to Babylon. In 2 Kings 25:27-30 we find out that 37 years after becoming a prisoner of Nebuchadnezzar Evil-Merodach (Nebuchadnezzar’s son) released him from prison provided for him and let him eat at his table. When Jehoichin was taken to Babylon along with more of the leaders of Judah and anyone left of any prominence. Nebuchadnezzar named Jehoichin’s uncle Mattaniah as king and changed his name to Zedekiah. You can read all of that that in 2 Kings 24. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and I bet you can figure out what happened. In 587 or 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city one last time. There is debate as to how long the siege was but it was between 18 and 30 months. Either way it was long enough to cause extreme hardship for anyone inside the city. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos all prophesied about how bad it was. People were eating people, dove dung, donkey heads, and even their own children.

This is what Jeremiah wrote about it in Lamentations 4:1-9 1How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered At the head of every street. 2The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter! 3Even the jackals present their breasts To nurse their young; But the daughter of my people is cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness. 4The tongue of the infant clingsTo the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them. 5Those who ate delicacies Are desolate in the streets; Those who were brought up in scarlet Embrace ash heaps. 6The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, With no hand to help her! 7Her £Nazirites were brighter than snow And whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, Like sapphire in their appearance. 8Now their appearance is blacker than soot; They go unrecognized in the streets; Their skin clings to their bones, It has become as dry as wood. 9Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. There are a lot of things we could talk about but there are two things that really stand out here: First the punishment that the people of God were receiving was worse than what the sinners in Sodom received. Why do you think that is? Obviously the people of God knew better than to follow after false gods and neglect serving the true God not to mention that throughout the history that I just told you God kept sending Jeremiah to call them to repentance. The only warning Sodom got was having Lot in their midst but no true warnings or calls to repentance for them to neglect. But God’s people just kept getting worse and worse the more they heard from God. The second thing that stands out to me is that those who were hacked to death in battle were better off than those who are suffering in the siege of Jerusalem because they die more quickly than those who long for the goodness of what God could provide if they only had repented. Looking at it that way you can see that those who died in Sodom was better off than those who refused to repent when given the chance.

Jesus said some similar things when He was talking to the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 with the seven woes He pronounced. I’m not going to read all of those but He is pretty graphic in showing that those who should have known better are nothing more than hypocrites and deserves punishment. Then we read this in Matthew 11:20-24 20Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, who£ are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Or the parable of the unfaithful servant in Luke 12:42-48 42And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Or perhaps what Jesus said to Pilate when Pilate made sure Jesus knew he had the power to release Him or to crucify Him John 19:11 11Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” They knew.

How about this in Hebrews 10:2929Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

The point of all of this is that God held His people, Judah and her kings, responsible for how they responded to His law and His prophets. Jesus did the same with the Scribes and Pharisees and all those who knew yet did not obey. If that is true of non-believers who have heard yet refused to believe then wouldn’t it also apply to those who are believers but refuse obedience? Here’s a verse for you: 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire”. I suspect that even though Christ has borne the punishment of all the sins of all believers, nevertheless, this principle of greater or lesser blessing according to how we have handled the revelation available to us applies to believers also. As Jesus told Peter in that parable of the unfaithful servant in Luke 12:43-44 43Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. Do you want to be the blessed servant? Let’s pray.