Lamentations 2:10

Lamentations 2:10 says, The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.  The people of Israel were in deep mourning at this time.   Verse eleven adds, Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.  Jeremiah said that he was also in deep mourning or distress because of the state of God's chosen people.   We, as followers of Christ, should be in deep distress when we see those who are called God's people in distress, even if they have brought the suffering on themselves by disobedience.  Verse twelve continues, They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom.  The children were crying out to their mothers asking where the food was.  We should be moved by compassion today when we see children crying out in hunger, but I believe we too often just see them as an inconvenience.  Verse thirteen states, What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?  Jeremiah asked what he could liken the suffering of the people of Judah and Israel to.  When God does pronounce His judgment on those who refuse to accept His salvation, there will be nothing to compare their suffering to.  Verse fourteen adds, Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.  Jeremiah said that the prophets had seen false things for the people and had not seen their iniquity.   If they had and had called the people to repentance, and they had responded, then the captivity might have been avoided.  We must be aware that we do not listen to false teachings or preaching today.  Verse fifteen continues, All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?  Jeremiah said that everyone who passed by laughed at what was once the city of Jerusalem, asking what had happened to the city that had called itself a city of perfection and beauty.  If we proclaim ourselves to be perfect today but are not following God's commandments and guidance, we will one day likewise fall.  Verse sixteen says,  All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.  Jeremiah said that all of the enemies of God's chosen people would think that they had defeated them by their own power.  The lost people of the world may believe that they have defeated Christians, but they will never defeat those who are God's true followers by their own power nor for good.  Even if we lose our life in the world today as we stand for God, the victory is still ours through our faith in Jesus Christ.   Verse seventeen adds, The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.  Jeremiah said that God had done what He said He would do to His people because He allowed them to be defeated since they had become His people in name only.   If we stop having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and following in obedience to God's word as what makes a person one of the family of God, then we should not be surprised if we are overcome by the world.  I know we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, but once 2e accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord, then we will be guided by by God's word.  Verse eighteen continues, Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.  Jeremiah told the people of Judah and Israel to cry out to their God if they would find relief from their suffering.   Verse nineteen states, Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.  They were called on to sincerely seek God's forgiveness, crying out to Him from early in the morning.   When we find ourselves out of God's will, there is never time to wait to seek His forgiveness.   Verse twenty adds, Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?   There was  a  call tto God for Him to consider what He had done, but they needed to consider what they had done.  We should never feel that we have the right to attempt to question God's plan for the world.   Verse twenty-one continues, The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.  Once more, the blame seems to have been put on God for their suffering and not on their disobedience.   Verse twenty-two concludes, Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’s anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.  Jeremiah said that there were none left of God's people, but we know there was a remnant.  We should never feel that we are the only one left who believes in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Lamentations 2:1

Lamentations 2:1 says, How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!   Jeremiah said that God was the One Who had covered the people of Israel with His anger.  God was angry at the sin of the people of Israel.  We need to realize that God will always hate sin and that He has provided a way to escape the power of sin, so if someone feels the wrath of God it is their own rebellion that is responsible.  Verse two adds, The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.  God brought down the kingdom of Israel,  no matter what country may have defeated it.  As long as we are under God's protection, we will not be defeated, but if we give in to sin and idolatry it will be God Who defeats or punishes us.  Verse three continues, He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round.  Though God is a God of love, He also is a God Who judges and punishes sin, and Judah and Israel, God's chosen people, had turned their backs on Him.  Therefore, they suffered His punishment for their sins.  Verse four states, He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.  God had brought good things to those who were supposed to be His people, but since they refused to obey Him, they now were feeling His punishment.   We need to realize that God does not just overlook sin.  Verse five adds, The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.  God was an enemy of Israel because Israel had started to worship idols and deny His word.  If we, who call ourselves followers of Christ, begin to worship idols, which can be anything placed before God, then we should not be surprised that God will be angry with us.  Verse six continues, And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.  God had done away with all the places associated with worship of Him, since they had been polluted, and had also done away with the king and priests who were supposed to represent Him.  Verse seven says, The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.  The people of Israel and Judah had believed that as long as 5hey went through to motions of worshipping God that He would have to accept what they did as worship, but He destroyed their houses of worship.   We need to make sure that what we do today in the name of worshipping God is accountable in His eyes.  Verse eight adds, The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.  Matthew Henry says that this means that God set a limit on His punishment.  Not all of the people of Israel and Judah were destroyed, because there was a remnant that still believed in and followed God.  We as followers of Christ need to be a part of that remnant no matter what happens in the world.   Verse nine continues, Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.  The people of Israel and Judah were now captives of the gentiles and their cities were destroyed.   As followers of Christ, we must be obedient to Him if we are not to suffer defeat from the powers of the world. 

Lamentations 1:12

Lamentations 1:12 says, Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.  Jeremiah asked if anyone cared about his sorrow, which he attributed to the fierce anger of God.  Jeremiah was not speaking of himself alone, but of the nation of Judah.  Jeremiah's distress was due to his concern for the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  Verse thirteen adds, From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.   Jeremiah recognized the grief and distress of the people of Judah as coming from God, and this was because of their rebellion against Him.   We as the church today must realize that if we stray away from God that He will bring His judgment on us.  Verse fourteen continues, The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.  Jeremiah said that God hand bound the sins of the people of Judah like a yoke upon their neck.  Sin will always weigh us down and control us, whether we realize it or not.  Verse fifteen states, The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.  Once more, God is seen as the One behind the defeat of Judah.  As long as the people of Judah followed God and lived by their part of the covenant relationship with Him, He protected them, but when they started following false gods, He removed His protection.   We cannot expect God to protect us in the world today if we do not follow His guidance.  Verse sixteen adds, For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.  Jeremiah said that the people were weeping because of the fact that the Comforter had left them.  The Holy Spirit is our Comforter today, and even though as Christians, He will never leave us, if we turn away from God and chase after the things or this world, we will lose His protection.  Verse seventeen continues, Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.  Jeremiah said that the people of Judah spread out their hand to God but that they could find no comfort.  I believe this was because they were still reaching out to God for Him to endorse their actions and not in real repentance.   Verse eighteen declares, The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.  Here, Jeremiah acknowledges that it is because of sin that the people have been led away captive.  If we are suffering today as Christians, we need to make sure that it is not because of sin in our life.  Verse nineteen adds, I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.  Jeremiah said that the false gods, who had been followed even by the priests, had failed them, as false gods and false priests will always do.  Veree twenty continues, Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.  Jeremiah said that the people asked God to recognize their distress, but He already knew about it, and they were in distress because of their failure to be faithful to Him in the first place.   Verse twenty-one says, They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.  Jeremiah said that even though the enemies of the people of Judah rejoiced that one day their judgment would come as well.  Verse twenty-two adds, Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.  Jeremiah said the people of Judah asked God to punish their enemies as He had punished them, and we can be certain that there is coming a day when everyone will be judged for their sins, and the only hope anyone has is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Lamentations 1:1

Lamentations 1:1 says, How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!  This book is credited to Jeremiah, so I will refer to him as the one writing what is said in the book.  Jeremiah was lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and asking how it could be true.  Of course,  I believe he knew why, and that was because of the judgment of God against the sins of the people of Jerusalem and all of Judah.  Verse two adds, She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.  Jeremiah said that those who had been friends of the people of Jerusalem had dealt treacherously with her.  We should realize that we like the people of Jerusalem and Judah can never depend on those who do not believe in God and may even be doing everything they can to discredit Him to stand by us in times of trouble if we are followers of Christ.  Verse three continues, Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.  Jeremiah was troubled because Judah had been taken away captive and now was in great servitude to the heathen.  The people of Judah had begun to worship the false gods of the heathen, those who were not God's people, and now they were enslaved by them.  As Christians, if we allow some false gods to come into our lives, we should not be surprised if we are soon imprisoned by them.  Verse four states, The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.  Jeremiah said that no one in Judah was coming to worship God.  They had already abandoned worshipping God even before they were taken away captive, and now there was no one left to worship Him.  Verse five adds, Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.  Jeremiah then acknowledged that this happened because of the multitude of transgressions by the people of Judah.   If we suffer the punishment of God, it will be because of our sins and not simply because God has arbitrarily chosen to punish us.  Verse six continues, And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.  The beauty of the daughter of Zion had been her relationship with God, and once that was gone, so was her beauty.  As Christians, it is our relationship to Christ that gives us beauty in the world, and if we abandon His calling and do not follow His guidance, then we lose the beauty of that relationship.  Verse seven declares, Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.  Jeremiah said the people of Judah remembered the days when they enjoyed the pleasant things of life before God allowed them to be defeated and enslaved.  If we are followers of Christ and find ourselves imprisoned by the things of this world, we need to remember that God is the One Who brings us joy.  Verse eight adds, Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.  Again Jeremiah said it was because of the sins of the people of Judah that she was suffering.  Sin will always ultimately bring suffering.  Verse nine continues, Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.  Jeremiah said that because of the sins of Judah, she had no Comforter, which was God Himself I believe.  We need to look to the Comforter, Jesus Christ, today to find forgiveness for sins and restoration with God.  Verse ten states, The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.  The places of worship, which should have been set aside for God and His people, were desecrated by the people of the world, those who did not believe in God.  We need to be careful that we do not allow the things of this world to desecrate the places of God today, and that means more than the church buildings.  We must keep every aspect of our life set aside for God.   Verse eleven adds, All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.  Jeremiah said that the people of Judah were willing to give up everything simply for bread to eat.  We can never afford to turn away from God simply to meet material or physical needs.

Jeremiah Lessons Continued

 We also see that Jeremiah was often called on by God that to do some things that seemed strange,  but he did them because he had faith in God.  Today,  God calls on us to do some things that seem strange to the people of the world, such as loving our enemies for example.  This may not be as graphic as the things that Jeremiah was called on to do, but like him, we must do them out of faith.  The people who defeated Judah believed that they had defeated the God of Judah as well and destroyed all the things associated with Him.  In some countries today, the leaders attempt to remove all references to God, and they really think that they have defeated Him.  Leaders in America likewise attempt to remove references to God, but God will always be just as real as He always has, even if no one believes in Him.  Some of the people of Judah, a very few, continued to have faith in God or returned to faith in Him, and they were eventually restored to the promised land.  We may suffer at the hands of the people of the world today, but if we remain faithful to God,  we will one day be restored to a perfect relationship with Him in our promised land, which is Heaven.  One more thing, Jeremiah also teaches us that God will not allow idols in the lives of His people without their being consequences, so if we have allowed anything to become more important to us than our relationship with God is, then we need to repent and put our total faith in Him again.  Since we have been studying Jeremiah,  we will now look at his book of Lamentations. 

Easter

Today we celebrate Easter. We have likely recalled His triumphant entry into Jerusalem just a few days before, and many people today would worship Him if He were the triumphant leader that they thought He would be, but He wasn't in earthly terms. That is why many people refuse to follow Him. They cannot see anything material in it for them. We may have remembered His last supper, when Jesus said one of those there with Him, His closest disciples, would betray Him. We may think of the disciples looking around wondering who it was but knowing that it wasn't him, though Judas knew. Still, when things got really bad, they all betrayed Jesus by their disbelief. We may question the faith of others while we fail to follow Jesus in complete faith, thereby betraying Him. We may remember the time in the garden when the disciples could not stay awake for an hour, in spite of their professed undying loyalty to Him, and we may ask how often we have failed in the simplest things that God calls us to do. When we say we will pray for someone, do we basically sleepwalk through it. We may remember Jesus's arrest and the same people who welcomed now crying crucify Him as they chose to free Barabbas. We may likewise choose to stand with others as they take actions that in effect crucify Christ once more. If any person, good or bad, becomes more important to us than Jesus Christ, we have become guilty of sin, and death is the penalty and Jesus Christ is the only One Who is qualified to pay that price and redeem us. We may remember Peter standing defiantly against the mob, and then slipping away after Jesus was arrested and denying Him. There may be times when our faith is very strong, and then if things don't go as we desire, we wallow in doubt, at which time we are denying Christ. We may remember the beating and the crucifixion when Jesus was mocked. We also must realize that even though the crucifixion happened centuries ago, we are just as responsible as the people in that day were. Jesus Christ died for us all.  We may remember the burial in a borrowed tomb that was sealed and guarded, seemingly ending all hope. If we only see Christ crucified and buried and defeated, then we have no hope, but what we must see and what we celebrate at Easter is the fact that the tomb was unsealed and empty. Our hope is in the resurrected Jesus Christ alone. Had Jesus Christ simply died and been buried, even if it was done for us, then He would not be able to bring us salvation. In the resurrection, He defeated sin and death for all time. So, this Easter, if you have not, I pray that you will accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord so that you may know the real joy of Easter. For those who have already done so, I pray that we will put our faith in Him at all times. HE HAS RISEN.

Jeremiah Lessons

 We will review some things learned from Jeremiah.  First,  just because people are called God's people by the world or themselves doesn't mean that they are.  The people of Judah were God's chosen people in name, but they were worshipping false gods.  Being God's people means being a a covenant relationship with Him and being obedient to that relationship by obeying His word.  We also need to realize that God will not allow sin, even the sins committed by those who profess to be His people, to go unpunished forever.  The people of Judah felt secure in their status as God's people even as they worshipped idols.  We cannot claim the security of Christ while at the same time worshipping other gods or idols, whether it be a real man-made idol or simply the material things of the world.  God sent Jeremiah to warn the people of Judah and Jerusalem that He was about to allow them to be deflated because of their idolatry.   I don't believe that we will ever be able to allow sin and idolatry back into our lives as Christians and not be warned by God that this will bring consequences.  We also see that the leaders of Judah, both religious and governmental, claimed that Jeremiah was wrong, and even imprisoned him at times.  We need to realize that if we call ourselves a Christian nation, we must always listen to God,  and this begins by being in a covenant relationship with Him individually.   Salvation does not come by a national declaration, but a personal relationship with God on the part of each individual in that nation.  If religious or governmental leaders declare anything different, then we should never listen to them but to God.  As Jeremiah found out, declaring God's word can sometimes lead us into dangerous situations, but we must never waver in proclaiming His word.  God always told Jeremiah what to say and do, just as He will us today if we are truly one of His people through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and there is no other way to be one of His people.