The Bible Recap - Day 238 (Lamentations 3-5) - Year 6

Episode Date: August 25, 2024

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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Today we finished our 29th book of the Bible. We just finished Lamentations, which was possibly written by the prophet Jeremiah. Chapter 3 is a poem about God's faithfulness in the midst of all the evil that seems so prevalent. The author doesn't hold back in attributing these things to God, but as we know, these are things God has done in response to the sins of the people. And despite attributing all this to God, this is what he says about God in verses 22-24. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.

Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I will hope in Him. During Judah's struggle, the author is reminding himself of the truth when it seems most untrue and most inaccessible. When you feel it the least is when you need it the most. In verses 25 through 27, he goes on to say, The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Remember the yoke?

Remember what that does? The author is saying that challenges are actually beneficial to us. And they're especially helpful when they come to us at a young age, because then we have the whole rest of our lives to receive those benefits. Character is formed in those times. Knowledge of God is formed in those times.

In verse 39, he points out that any punishment we receive for our sins is justified. He says, why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? This is the kind of humility that brings about repentance, which is exactly what happens in the next verse. Verse 40 begins a call to examine their ways, confess, and repent to God, and God draws near when they repent. And can you guess the first and repent to God, and God draws near when they repent. And can you guess the first thing He says to them when He draws near? Verse 57 says,

"'You came near when I called on you. You said, Do not fear.'" God is always telling His people not to be afraid. He is near. And the author knows God has promised to take vengeance on Judah's enemies. God's enemies don't get the final word. Evil doesn't get the final word. God's people can find hope in the fact that sin doesn't get to win.

The author continues in chapter 4 with a poem about the two-year siege of Jerusalem and its subsequent destruction. He looks back longingly at the way they used to live in luxury and ease, how the wealthy who were raised in purple garments, which are the most expensive, now live in ash heaps. But again, we have to remember that not everyone was living in luxury and ease. They were oppressing the poor, sacrificing their children, and enslaving people illegally.

So even though the author reminisces about how things used to be wonderful, they weren't so wonderful for everyone. He says the things Jerusalem has endured are worse than what Sodom endured when God destroyed their city. Sodom was destroyed immediately, but Jerusalem's struggle lasted for years. So why is God acting more harshly toward his own kids? Most commentators say it's because since Sodom was his enemy, immediate destruction was fitting for them.

But with his kids, his aim is to discipline and restore, so he's keeping the long game in mind. He's trying to train them toward obedience and trust. And if you're a parent, you know that doesn't happen overnight. And in the process of disciplining his children, he also pours out wrath on those who don't know him. Things in Jerusalem are horrible. There's a famine so bad people resort to cannibalism.

Their king has been captured and they have no leaders, which often lends itself to chaos. And in response to all that, their neighbor Edom is gloating over their plight. So the author reminds them that their day is coming. God will punish Edom for rejoicing over the fall of Jerusalem. Chapter 5 closes out the book with a poem that acts as a communal prayer for God's mercy and restoration. And in this chapter, we see again that the discipline God brought has yielded the repentance He intended. In verses 16 through 17, the people say,

Woe to us, for we have sinned, for this our heart has become sick. And then in verse 19, they praise God in the midst of their circumstances. That verse says, But you, O Lord, reign forever, your throne endures to all generations. What was your God shot today? Mine was in 3.32-33, which points out the complexity of God's desires. Just like us, He can have desires that are in contrast with each other. But unlike us, none of His desires, even when they seem in contrast, are sinful.

And He always does what is right and best. Those verses say, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. So he causes grief, but it's not his preference. Because even more than he doesn't want to cause grief, he wants to produce obedience in the children that he loves. And the way he does that is through discipline, which does cause grief sometimes. And it's all done in conjunction with his compassion and his steadfast love. If you're a parent, you've felt this too.

Sometimes you have to do the thing you don't want to do in order to accomplish something far more important. God always knows and always does what is best. And in the layers of His will, He always lands on what serves His utmost glory and the greater joy of His kids. He's after His glory. He's after our joy. And He's where the joy is. Tomorrow, we'll be starting the Book of Ezekiel.

It's 48 chapters long. We're linking to a short video overview in the show notes that covers the first 33 chapters of Ezekiel, and then we'll link to the second video on Day 249 before we begin the second part of Ezekiel. Today's video is 7 minutes long, so check it out if you have some time to spare. Hey Bible readers, it's time for our weekly check-in. How do you feel about the fact that you just finished book number 29? How do you feel about the fact that you're almost 75% of the way through the whole Bible?

And how do you feel about the fact that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases? His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. New every morning. That means that wherever you're at in your desired timeline, he's going to keep meeting you there. Every day. You're right on time. And he's right there with you. I'll see you and all his new mercies back here tomorrow.