Dark Places and the Dead Lamentations 3:6

As Jeremiah suffered personally from the devastation which occurred throughout Judah and particularly in the city of Jerusalem, he set out to describe the way he felt in words. His lament becomes an interesting type of Jesus Christ when He gave His life as punishment for our sin. In chapter three and verse six Jeremiah adds to the way he felt. We read:

He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

The verse begins, “He has set me in dark places,...” Jeremiah saw the Lord setting him “in dark places” which means “in darkness or in secrecy”. It was as though Jeremiah was in a “hiding-place, dark region or grave”. Rather than being open and free with his life, Jeremiah felt abandoned, exiled, and set aside like a corpse awaiting burial.

The verse goes on to say, “...as they that be dead of old.” Like those who were “dead of old” or with a penalty to “be put to death”, Jeremiah felt “dispatched” and “ready to be killed”. The idea was that he was like one who was put to death prematurely or awaiting capitol punishment by execution. We must admit that Jeremiah was very convincing and colorful with his descriptions.

What would it be like for us to experience these “dark places”. Perhaps we have, and maybe it has felt like we were “they that be dead of old”. Life is like that sometimes. Jesus knew this experience. When He was beaten for no wrong, chastise for no ill-doing, crucified while innocent, and put to death because He loved the world so much, Jesus suffered these great depths. Why? That we might have fellowship and a relationship with Him. When we relate to the way Jeremiah felt, we should keep in mind that there is one who knows exactly how we feel, and He cares.

Next time we see more of Jeremiah's reaction to his circumstances, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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