Saying and Doing Lamentations 3:37

After completing three things which the Lord does not approve, Jeremiah begins a new vein of thought as he continues his discourse in the third chapter of Lamentations in verse thirty-seven. This time he begins with a series of questions where we read:

Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?

The verse begins, “Who is he that says, and it comes to pass,...” Jeremiah asked, “Who is he” to begin his series of questions, and then adds a qualifying phrase “that says”. The idea is “to speak or utter” in a “bold or proud” manner. We might picture a person who is within a crowd of people who makes a boastful proclamation, prediction or uttering so that all around him may hear, but Jeremiah augments his question with this “and it comes to pass”. The validity of the pontification is whether or not it happens just as the person stating it said it would. It is one thing to predict, and it is quite another for that prediction to come true.

The verse goes on to say, “...when the Lord commands it not?” After asking who could make a boastful forecast and it come to pass, Jeremiah states “when the Lord commands it not?” If the Lord is not involved in the completing of the proud words, fulfillment of them will never occur. Though a man may boastfully act as though he has some sort of control or handle upon things happening, without the Lord's completion of it, his words are wasted. In other words, the Lord's “commands” are essential to the culmination of any boast.

Have we ever been around someone who makes a boastful statement as though he or she can control the future? Perhaps we remember a time when we boastfully stated something as though we had full regulation of the outcome. When these situations arise we must keep in mind that Almighty God oversees every happening of man, and nothing occurs without Him completing or allowing it. Though we may feel in control of certain outcomes, ultimately it is the Lord who decides. Jeremiah wrote in the book after his name in chapter seventeen and verse ten:

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

May we always remember that the Lord is the source of our happenings, and no matter what is boasted before us, He is ultimately in control.

Next time we see Jeremiah's second question which concerns evil and good, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Subversion Lamentations 3:36

Jeremiah was in the middle of a trilogy of thoughts concerning people who are mistreated in this world and how “the Lord approves not” of this behavior. In verse thirty-six of the third chapter of Lamentations we consider the third of these mistreatments where we read:

To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approves not.

The verse begins, “To subvert a man in his cause,...” The idea behind the word “subvert” is “to be bent, be crooked, bend, make crooked, or pervert”, and Jeremiah's thought is like a person who intervenes in a “controversy, strife or dispute” by twisting facts and turning others against the just person. He conveys the idea of intermingling in the midst of a quarrel and making the righteous person be as though he or she is wrong.

The verse goes on to say, “...the Lord approves not.” We have discussed how this short phrase applies to all three of the maladies shared within this and the last two verses. “To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,” and “to subvert a man in his cause” are three behaviors which the Lord “watches, inspects, looks at, perceives, considers, regards and observes”. There is no one ill treated whom the Lord does not see, and for Jeremiah to take the time in the midst of his lamentation to write about it lets us know the importance of these things to God.

As we ponder this verse, let's allow our mind to go back over the three things in which God does not approve in these verses. How do we behave toward others in these areas, and are there one or two of them in which we have found ourselves the victims at times? Perhaps we wondered if God was watching or maybe we assumed that He did not care. When these things happen to us we would profit from remembering what Hebrews chapter four and verse thirteen says:

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

In other words, God sees. God knows, and God is paying attention to all the mistreatment that is in the world and nothing ill fashioned is done in secret but is open to His eyes.

Next time we see how the Lord says and does, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

The Right Turned Aside Lamentations 3:35

In verses thirty-four through thirty-six of the third chapter of Lamentations, Jeremiah described three behaviors toward people that “the Lord approves not”. In verse thirty-five Jeremiah shared how God doesn't turn away from the justice of a man. We read:

To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

The verse begins, “To turn aside the right of a man...” Jeremiah used the phrase “turn aside” which means to “to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow” and refers to “the right of a man” or the “judgment, justice, and ordinance” of a man. The idea is like a judge who altered justice to someone who faces the law. In other words, it would be as though a man were being tried for a criminal or civil case and the judge was unjust in his judgment concerning the case. The judge would “turn aside the right” judgment for the man.

The verse goes on to say, “...before the face of the most High,” Jeremiah makes it clear that these unjust judgments do not go forth without being “before the face of the most High”. God sees every judgment, every perversion and every alteration of that which is right. Every bribe is before His face, and every purposeful stretching of the law is before His eyes. No bending of the righteous law goes beyond His presence because every judgment is within His view.

We live in a world where it seems that injustice prevails and that which is right according to the Bible is turned aside. Evil deeds and behaviors receive a wink, and the book is thrown at those who obey the Holy writ. Because of Jeremiah's words, we should not faint or lose heart when these poor judgments occur. There is no judgment that God does not see, and His all-knowing presence is at every judge's bench. Though it may appear that there are wrong decisions about what is right according to the Bible, we can be assured that “the Lord approves not” concerning them, and in the end, the Lord will bring justice upon those who pervert His judgments.

Next time we see how the Lord reacts to subverting, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Crush Under His Feet Lamentations 3:34

As we have shared previously, most of the book of Lamentations is an acrostic which begin with each succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The third chapter employs three verses for each letter, and verses thirty-four through thirty-six correspond to the Hebrew letter “lamed”. These three verses continue to describe the Lord's actions among men, and in verse thirty-four we read:

To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

The verse begins, “To crush under his feet...” The idea conveyed by the word “crush” is to be made “contrite, broken, or shattered”. One who would “crush” another under his feet would take advantage of their difficult circumstances. It is like kicking someone when they are already down.

The verse continues, “...all the prisoners of the earth,” Jeremiah then identifies of whom this one is crushing, “all the prisoners” which are the “captive or bondmen” who are “of the earth”. Those who were made captives by the nation of Babylon because of their rebellion against the Lord would not experience the Lord's crushing, and as we read ahead to verse thirty-six we discover that “the Lord approves not” of this. Though the Lord allowed the people of Jerusalem and Judah to be captured and made as prisoners He does not delight in crushing them in their demise.

There are times in our lives where it may seem that all the world is against us, and if we are not careful, we might even assess that God Himself is our foe. God does not delight in crushing us, especially when we are down. He longs to have a relationship with everyone even as He did with Jerusalem, but often people refuse His longing. Perhaps we are feeling trapped, captive, and as a bondman in this world and should be reminded of Jesus' words in the gospel of Luke in chapter four and verses eighteen and nineteen:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

May the Lord ever deliver us from all that imprisons us as we continue to serve Him.

Next time we see what the Lord does with the right of a man, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Affliction Not Willingly Lamentations 3:33

As Jeremiah continued his lament, he shared what it was like to be afflicted by the Lord. He stated that the Lord would not cast off forever which means there is as time limit involved, and that though He may cause grief, the Lord does not do so without compassion and a multitude of mercies. In chapter three and verse thirty-three we learn that God does not allow afflictions willingly where we read:

For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

The verse begins, “For he does not afflict willingly...” As Jeremiah considered the compassion and mercy of the Lord, he gave reasons for the afflictions that people endure. He uses “For” which means “because” in this case, to convey that contrary to what may be believed, the Lord “does not afflict willingly”. In other words, He does not cause grief because He desires to do so or just for the delight of it, but rather because He has been given reasons for doing so. Jeremiah infers that the Lord would rather not have to afflict at all, however, people's actions and attitudes cause Him to use this form of correction.

The verse continues, “...nor grieve the children of men.” Though the Lord is known to “cause grief” as we learned in verse thirty-two, Jeremiah insures that God does not do so as a manner of meanness or spite. No, rather, when the Lord allows grief to enter “the children of men”, He does so with an eternal purpose in mind.

Some people have the idea that God Almighty stands with a baseball bat in hand ready to strike anyone who gets out of line in any manner. Although the Lord allows affliction and grief to enter our lives, He always has our eternal interest in mind. The Lord knows when we need alteration, correction, and reproof, and He sometimes uses grievous events to align us with His ways. Though we may endure affliction and hardship for a time, we may know that all things are working for our good. As we endure these times of grief, let us ever keep in mind the words of Paul the Apostle as recorded in the epistle written to the Romans in chapter eight and verse twenty-eight where he wrote:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Next time we see what the Lord does with His feet, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Grief, Yet Compassion Lamentations 3:32

When we last read of Jeremiah's state, he declared “the Lord will not cast off forever”, and in chapter three and verse thirty-two he declared a qualifying statement concerning grief and compassion. We read:

But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

The verse begins, “But though he cause grief,...” Once again we encounter the word “but” as Jeremiah continued to share about the man who “bears his yoke in his youth”. This time the disassociation conjunction links itself to the idea of being “cast off forever”. We see the origin or “cause” of this “affliction, suffering and grievance” as being “the Lord”. The qualifying and quantifying word employed is “though” which leads us to know there is more that Jeremiah will add to his commentary concerning grief.

The verse goes on to say, “yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.” Jeremiah doesn't deny the origin of his grief, but he once again realizes that it has limits. God's “compassion” which is to “love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection” towards another will be measured by “the multitude of his mercies”. God's “greatness and abundance” of “goodness, kindness, and faithfulness” becomes the degree and limit to which he responds to the one in whom grief He causes.

At first glance we may be taken back by the fact that God would “cause grief”, and we may be inclined to ask, “How could a God of love cause us to go through grief?” When we consider these things we should also meditate upon these words by the Prophet Isaiah when he wrote concerning Jesus in chapter fifty-three and verse three of the book called after his name:

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

He also added this in verse ten of the same chapter:

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Jesus is acquainted with grief. He experienced it Himself, and when He allows us to experience grief, we may know that as He was enduring His grief that a greater purpose may be obtained, so it is with us. “The pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” both with Jesus and with us as we make our way through this sometimes very grievous world. May the Lord continue to extend his “multitude of mercies” and “compassion” toward us as we venture.

Next time we will see more about how the Lord works with grief, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Not Cast Off Forever Lamentations 3:31

As Jeremiah continued his lament over the destruction of Jerusalem, he wrote of the man who bears his yoke in his youth. He says that he is alone, silent and puts his mouth in the dust symbolizing humility. He extends his cheek to his oppressors and is filled with reproach. In chapter three and verse thirty-one Jeremiah states that there is a time limit to this venue of the Lord where he wrote:

For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

This verse declares, “For the Lord will not cast off for ever:” Jeremiah employs the word “For” and begins a new conclusion concerning this man of humility. He says “the Lord will not cast off” which means to “reject, spurn or forcefully renounce” someone “forever” or for a “long duration, antiquity, futurity, everlastingly, evermore, perpetually, continuously or indefinitely”. In other words there is a time limit to this seeming rejection of the Lord. Though the difficulties may seem everlasting, “the Lord will not” allow them to be perpetual.

When we go through hard times and trials, they may seem to last forever. We might be inclined to wonder if the Lord will ever relieve us of these burdens. No doubt Jeremiah felt this way as he reflects upon the man who bears his yoke of humility. The Lord Jesus does have a limit to the suffering we will endure. Even He had a limited time that He suffered as He went to and endured the cross. Time, as we know it, is in God's hands, and though our difficulties may seem endless, there is a set limit to our suffering. We must resolve to believe that “the Lord will not cast off forever”, and remember what Paul the apostle wrote in his letter to the Romans in chapter eight and verse twenty-eight:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

God has a plan for our lives, and He is going to work it out in His own timing. May He ever work as He sees best.

Next time we will see how the Lord works even when He causes grief, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore