Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Sorrow Like Unto My Sorrow Lamentations 1:12

After ending the first paragraph of the first chapter of the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah turns his attention toward those who are looking upon Jerusalem and its plight. In chapter one and verse twelve we read:

Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

The verse begins, Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by?” As Jeremiah shares the question of Jerusalem's people, he employs the Hebrew word “adar” which is this entire phrase “ Is it nothing to you, all you that pass” and means “to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, or transgress”. The people of Jerusalem want to know if there is no consideration from strangers or their neighbors for their destruction as they look upon them while they “pass” “by” or which means along the “way, road, distance, or journey”.

The verse goes on to say, “behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me,...” Jeremiah calls them to “behold” or “look, observe, or take notice of” the sorrows they endure. He challenges them to weigh out other sorrows against theirs and determine whether anyone has had it a horribly as they. In fitting desperation the people of Jerusalem believe themselves to be enduring mental and physical pain which goes beyond any compare.

Finally the verse concludes, “wherewith the LORD has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.” The conclusion drawn by Jerusalem's people is that “the LORD” which is “Jehovah or Yahweh” is responsible for their “affliction” or “grief and sorrow”. Notice too that they accuse “the LORD” of doing this “in the day of his fierce anger” which is a reference to “burning heat” of his “nostrils or nose”. It's as though they see God in the fury of His anger toward them, and if His facial expression could be seen, He would be snarling with His nose toward them as well.

When we think about the words within this verse from Jeremiah, we might be able to relate to the people of Jerusalem. When we have great “affliction” we like others to notice how bad we have it. We wonder if they care at all as they “pass by” us. It seems they are too busy or negligent to care, and we might be inclined to hold a “pity party” when this occurs. Also, we might blame “the Lord” for our affliction as we picture Him with “fierce anger” toward us rather than remembering that we were responsible for bringing ourselves into this “affliction” in the first place. Regardless of our thoughts about this and our ability to relate, we know the reason God had Jeremiah write these words was to inform us that He does care, He does see, and He always stands ready to rescue us when we have times of affliction. Chapter twenty-two and verse twenty-four of the book of Psalms may be helpful to us when we are afflicted:

For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

Next time we will see how the LORD afflicted Jerusalem, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
 
Until tomorrow...there is more...
 
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