Verse Lamentations 3:66. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. Having sunk low in his soul (Lamentations 3:20), Jeremiah now remembered something that started hope within. Let us try our ways, that by them we may try ourselves, for we are to judge of our state not by our faint wishes, but by our steps, not by one particular step, but by our ways, the ends we aim at, the rules we go by, and the agreeableness of the temper of our minds and the tenour of our lives to those ends and those rules. But these and similar expressions in the following verses may be merely metaphorical, to point out their straitened, oppressed, and distressed state. (Clarke), ii. Destroy them in such a manner that all who see it may say, It is a destruction from the Almighty, who sits in the heavens and laughs at them (Ps 2 4), and may own that the heavens do rule," Dan 4 26. 4. The issue or effect; the subject, adjunct, or accident, or produce of a thing, is frequently denominated its son or child. If, indeed, any sinner be kept out of hell, it is because God's compassion faileth not. Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. A sad complaint of God's displeasure and the fruits of it, ver 1-20. Do not hide Your ear It is possible to interpret this chapter as a record of the feelings of Jeremiah himself, or as a personification in an otherwise unknown individual or the nations tragic sufferings. (Harrison), ii. so Job argues, ch. What have I contributed to the public flames?" And their whispering against me all the day. Lamentations 1:3 Commentaries: Judah has gone into exile under But he is in a particular manner good to those that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. My enemies without cause Note, When we draw nigh to God in a way of duty we may by faith see him drawing nigh to us in a way of mercy. To every mourner we may say, on the authority of God, Fear not! Who could be preserved in the night, if the Watchman of Israel ever slumbered or slept? A verification email has been sent to the address you provided. conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy The Chaldeans said that they would destroy Jerusalem, and it came to pass, not because they said it, but because God commanded it and commissioned them to do it. The Chaldean forces broke in upon them as the breaking forth of waters, which rose so high as to flow over their heads; they could not wade, they could not swim, and therefore must unavoidably sink. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee (Ps 130 1), as Jonah out of the whale's belly. It is he that causes grief, and therefore we may be assured it is ordered wisely and graciously; and it is but for a season, and when need is, that we are in heaviness, 1 Pet 1 6. That is, thou hast made us to all nations extremely contemptible, so as they value us no more than the sweepings of their houses, or the most vile, refuse, and contemptible things imaginable. (Poole). 2. While they continued weeping, they continued waiting; and neither did nor would expect relief and succour from any but the Lord. He has caused the arrows of His quiver Our seeking will help to keep up our waiting. Jeremiah considers himself as part of these people but thereby repents and puts his hope in spite of all mourning in God. When we are in affliction it is seasonable to consider our ways (Hag 1 5), that what is amiss may be repented of and amended for the future, and so we may answer the intention of the affliction. It is good because it keeps from bearing the devils yoke. 52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. Mine eye runneth down I weep incessantly. To God in heaven. 63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music. I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. What hope is there of either peace or prosperity? He hath filled me with bitterness bimrorim, with bitternesses, bitter upon bitter. The faithful lament their calamities, and hope in God's mercies. The living man should be grateful he still has life, and recognize there is some justice in the punishment of his sins. Lamentations 3 - Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible - Bible I. That, bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. Due thoughts of the evil of sin, and of our own sinfulness, will convince us that it is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. It leads too to the willingness to be treated like a slave (v. 30), for the yoke was a symbol of servitude (but cf. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. a. I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath: In chapters 1 and 2, Jeremiah wrote mainly as Jerusalem personified. Oh, Book of books, the map of the way to glory; that man invokes a terrible curse upon his own head who refuses to study thee! Desolation and destruction. God will plead thy cause, and redeem thy soul. Note, We all owe it to the sparing mercy of God that we are not consumed. God had said once (Hos 5 14), I will be as a lion to the house of Judah, and now he has made his word good (v. 10): "He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, surprising me with his judgments, and as a lion in secret places; so that which way soever I went I was in continual fear of being set upon and could never think myself safe." These rivers of mercy run fully and constantly, but never run dry. Salem Media Group. He actually felt it useful to remember it, to understand it for what it was, and to not pretend it wasnt there. I have become the ridicule of all my people He has set me as a mark for his arrow, which he aims at, and will be sure to hit, and then the arrows of his quiver enter into my reins, give me a mortal wound, an inward wound, v. 13. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. 1 Cor 4 13, We are made as the filth of the world and are the off-scouring of all things. (Lamentations 3:27-29) Hope for the silent soul. 3. 3. I am their taunting song. He never afflicts us but when we give him cause to do it. You drew near on the day I called on You, He has besieged me The prophet here laments the injuries and indignities done to those to whom respect used to be shown, ver 1, 2. Verse 34. In darkness and not in light. We are men, and not brutes, reasonable creatures, who should act with reason, who should look upward and look forward, and both ways may fetch considerations enough to silence our complaints. And again, a man! i. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. i. The sum is, If tribulation work patience, that patience will work experience, and that experience a hope that makes not ashamed. ( Lamentations 3:1-21) "I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. (Lamentations 3:10-18) God an adversary in many ways. Our own wickedness corrects us, Prov 19 3. In chapter 3, every third of the 66 verses begins with successive Greek letters. Early habits, when good, are invaluable. 2. b. My eyes bring suffering to my soul Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. They are new every morning; 55 I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Note, God will one day call sinners to account for all the hard speeches which they have spoken against him and his people, Jude 15. Before the face of the Most High, These are all declaratory, not imprecatory. i. b. 3. b. No; he has more reason to be thankful for life than to complain of any of the burdens and calamities of life. Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. However, while Job dealt with unexplained evil, Jeremiah lamented a tragedy entirely of Jerusalem's making. He is not quarrelsome, nor apt to resent injuries; he suffers long and is kind. We may bear ourselves up with this, 1. Like a lion in ambush. 9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. The Septuagint and Vulgate seem to have read "From under heaven, O Jehovah:" and the Syriac reads, "Thy heavens, O Jehovah!" He comes out of his place to punish, for his place is the mercy-seat. Fear not. He does indeed afflict, and grieve the children of men; all their grievances and afflictions are from him. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, Thank you for registering. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. That, when we are cast down, yet we are not cast off; the father's correcting his son is not a disinheriting of him. Early discipline is equally so. He delights not in the misery of any of his creatures, but, as it respects his own people, he is so far from it that in all their afflictions he is afflicted and his soul is grieved for the misery of Israel. Pentateuch At first, the language sounds like the stock vocabulary of the lament psalms: darkness, pains, broken bones, desolation, arrows, etc. 22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, Whatever measure he was to receive, whatever inheritance, whatever future, it would all be found in Yahweh. Now Jeremiah prayed that Yahweh would repay their enemies, and give them a veiled heart even as Judah was blind. Shall a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Even in their catastrophe, God was faithful. That, when God returns to deal graciously with us, it will not be according to our merits, but according to his mercies, according to the multitude, the abundance, of his mercies. He answers in the following verses, 1. Jeremiah 20:1-2). (Ellison). Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? 6. They were surrounded, hedged, and blocked. My eyes flow and do not cease, Yet these flashes of light are welcome and necessary. We need a constant supply and God has promised to send them without fail. The prophet here seems to check himself for the complaint he had made in the former part of the chapter, wherein he seemed to reflect upon God as unkind and severe. He does not dispense his frowns as he does his favours, ex mero motufrom his mere good pleasure. The New Testament And, when God's hand is continually turned against us, we are tempted to think that his heart is turned against us too. 6 He has made me dwell in darkness. He is filled full with reproach. When we are humble and patient under our affliction. Poetical Books Verse 24. 2. I have eaten ashes like bread," Ps 102 9. To turn aside the justice due a man before the face of the Most High: The MT of verse 35 lends force to the concept of natural or inherent human rights when rendered, to pervert the right which a man has in the very presence of the Most High. Lamentations 1:3. II. The waters flowed over my head; Now he prayed that their enemies would face Gods anger. Here is, I. hichphishani beepher, "he hath plunged me into the dust." The streams of mercy acknowledged: We are not consumed. Therefore I hope in Him! 54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. Passwords should have at least 6 characters. Seeking Him again would bring renewed expressions of His goodness. Bad as the case is, one favourable look from heaven will set all to rights. 1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 10. He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; Those curses came upon Jerusalem in Jeremiahs day; now he prayed that those curses come upon their enemies. He was so low that life seemed ebbing out, and he groaned. (Spurgeon), ii. This may refer to the prophet's personal experience, with which he encourages himself in reference to the public troubles. i. Those who in their haste have chidden with God must, in the reflection, chide themselves for it. He had silenced their fears and quieted their spirits (v. 57): "Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou didst graciously assure me of thy presence with me, and give me to see thee nigh unto me, whereas I had thought thee to be at a distance from me." He was overwhelmed like a man drowning in a pit (the waters flowed over my head). It is good because obedience to God is best learned when young. He has besieged me 4. Let them be dealt with as they have dealt with us; let thy hand be against them as their hand has been against us. The above verse is quoted in reference to our Lord's passion, by Matthew 26:62. Because God has laid it on him; Our hearts must go along with our prayers. Historical Books I see nothing but misery; and I feel, in consequence, nothing but pain. Text is available under the . (Lamentations 3:40-47) Humbly turning back to God. "If God, who now covers himself with a cloud, as if he took no notice of our troubles (Job 22 13), would but shine forth, all would be well; if he look upon us, we shall be saved," Ps 80 19; Dan 9 17. We have work enough to do at home; we must each of us say, "What have I done? Though all this take place, yet let his "trust be in God, who will not cast off for ever." in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry. He appeals to God's judgment upon this fact: "Lord, thou hast seen my wrong; there is no need of any evidence to prove it, nor any prosecutor to enforce and aggravate it; thou seest it in its true colours; and now I leave it with thee. A mother listens for the breathing of her babe in the dark. By their conduct they will bring on themselves the curse denounced against their enemies. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point Such burdens can best be borne in youth when a man has the requisite vigour, and when his personality needs to be disciplined more than would be the case in his more mature years. (Harrison). He has led me and made me walk in darkness: This seems to be the hardest part of our lot, that God should lead us into darkness: He hath led me, and brought me into darkness. Yet dear brethren, that is, on the other hand, the sweetest thing about our trial; because, if the darkness be in the place where God has led us, it is best for us to be in the dark. (Spurgeon). IV. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, 51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD: Even under the great sense that God was their opponent and adversary (Lamentations 3:1-18), Jeremiah recommended the proper and humble approach. We are men, and not angels, and therefore cannot expect to be free from troubles as they are; we are not inhabitants of that world where there is no sorrow, but this where there is nothing but sorrow. Lamentations 3 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary; Christian. I. That great is his faithfulness. And this is an encouragement to them to hope that he would yet further appear for them: "Thou hast delivered my soul from death, and therefore wilt deliver my feet from falling; thou hast pleaded the causes of my life, and therefore wilt plead my other causes.". (2.) b. The yoke in his youth: Early habits, when good, are invaluable. That God has compassions and comforts in store even for those whom he has himself grieved. (2.) We continue thus weeping till the Lord look down and behold from heaven. Note, The Israel of God, though children of light, sometimes walk in darkness. Spurgeon suggested many reasons why it is good to bear the yoke when young: b. Your curse be upon them: According to the terms of the covenant Israel made with God (as in Deuteronomy 27-28), Israel would be terribly cursed if they disobeyed and rejected God. Lamentations 3 NIV - I am the man who has seen affliction by - Bible
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