Lamentations: Week 3 (Wednesday 26th January 2022)
(from www.insightforliving.org.uk)
Overview
Survey of Lamentations
Though fashioned by God and chosen to reflect heaven’s presence on earth, Adam and Eve chose their own path and fell from their divine calling. Destruction and chaos and suffering ensued. The tragic experience of humanity’s fall in the garden of Eden finds itself symbolized in the tragic experience of the nation of Israel—the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of God’s people. Jeremiah spoke for God as a prophet of God by warning the nation against forgetting its divine call. The people didn’t heed the prophet’s words and thus ate the bitter fruit of their actions, which they had sown across centuries. Jeremiah poured out his anguish by writing some of the finest poetry in the Hebrew Bible. Just as the fall of Israel symbolizes the greater fall of humanity, Jeremiah’s elegiac couplets symbolize all our laments as we journey through a world that has lost its way. But Jeremiah’s laments don’t leave us in darkness. Through them we find the light of hope in the God of hope who enters our pain with us. The prophet Jeremiah is writing Lamentations. He’s walking through the
remains of the city of Jerusalem after it has been taken captive and destroyed. A temple that stood for centuries is now in ruins, burned and in rubble, and Jeremiah is heartsick. He’s broken. As he records what he witnesses, he cries out to God for God’s strength and God’s help. In the middle of it, he finds hope in God’s faithfulness.
PREPARE YOUR HEART
We study the Word because it conveys to us the heart and mind of God. That’s why it profits us. It equips us to complete the spiritual endeavors to which God has called us. Take a moment now to seek God’s presence and blessing for your time in His Word.
TURN TO THE SCRIPTURES
A City Now Deserted
Lamentations 1:1–4
Jeremiah opens his letter with a panorama of Jerusalem’s devastation to help the reader take in the full scope of the tragedy.
Observation Interpretation
Observe Lamentations 1:1–4.
What are the key ideas and main subjects?
Record one timeless truth about God or God’s ways from this passage.
Application: Living the Truth
We apply biblical truth to our lives by appropriately responding to it. Sometimes, the Bible informs; other times, it inspires. Sometimes, it warns; other times, it directs. That means we obey its directives, heed its warnings, trust its promises, and embrace its truths. With that in mind, translate the timeless truth you recorded into an appropriate response. Record why it’s important and how you can incorporate this truth into your life.
His Mercies Never Cease - Lamentations 3:19–25
Amid his tears, Jeremiah recalls the faithfulness of God and commits himself to the good hand of his Father.
Observation Interpretation
Observe Lamentations 3:19–25.
Summarize its message below. Record one or two timeless truths from this passage.
Application: Reflecting the Character of God
Translate one of those timeless truths into an appropriate response by which you can express your love to Jesus or your neighbor. Why did you choose that response?.
Joy Has Left Our Hearts - Lamentations 5:15–19
Here, Jeremiah gives one final expression to the pain he, along with the whole community, feels. Notice how they turned to God. In Lamentations, Jeremiah exemplified the vital practice of preaching God’s Word to oneself.
Observation Interpretation
Observe Lamentations 5:15–19.
What emphases do you see in this passage?
Note a couple of the timeless truths in the passage that prove especially instructive.
Application: Receiving Divine Influence
Just as you did with the previous two passages, convert one of the timeless truths above into an obedient response. Reflect. Tailor that response to your current circumstances just as you tailor it to the truth of God.
A FINAL PRAYER
Thank You, Father, for Your great care over us. We don’t deserve what You do for us, but we accept it. It’s called grace. Thank You for meeting our needs when we have often not given to Your work. You’ve been faithful to give even when we haven’t. Indeed, Your mercies are new every morning. In Christ’s majestic name, amen.