"I have thrown myself, reeking with sin, on the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ His blessed Son and our (yes, my friend, our) precious Redeemer; and I have assurances as strong as that I now owe nothing to your rank that the debt is paid and now I love God - and with reason. I once hated him - and with reason, too, for I knew not Christ. The only cause why I should love God is His goodness and mercy to me through Christ."

 

DAILY READING : LAMENTATIONS 3:37 - 5:22

 

TEXT : Lam 3:31 For the LORD will not cast off for ever:  3:32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.  3:33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

 

THEME : HOPE

 

In the midst of terrible suffering, Jeremiah utters a statement of hope. It is an incredible announcement, a nearly unbelievable declaration of optimism. Although the minds of the people are black with depression and despair, and dejection rules over them where the LORD once reigned, the prophet speaks of the goodness of God. For more than four decades, he warned the Jews of judgment to come. Further, though they rejected the LORD and Jeremiah sees the horrible judgment he preached about, he is still able to offer a word of courage and anticipation of good.

 

"For the LORD will not cast off forever." He declares - "He will have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies." He does not afflict willingly says the weeping man of God!

 

Certainly, the scene before him is one of indescribable sorrow. Thus, we have the "lamentations" of Jeremiah. Mothers have boiled their children and eaten them. The rich cling to a dunghill. The groaning of hunger and the want of life's necessities fills the air with piteous and deplorable crying. The old, honorable men are cast aside. The Chaldeans have taken the young men away as slaves, and raped the women. Truly, in this world it does not get any worse. How then, can there be any hope? Yet, the prophet states -

 

Lam 3:21  This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lam 3:24  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lam 3:25  The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Lam 3:26  It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

 

The secret of hope is in looking to the LORD and not to Man. God is good. He is so good that even evil has a [good] purpose! Isaiah uttered the mind of the LORD concerning Judah and the Jews for 60 years - about 100 years before the scene you see in Lamentations. Rabbinic tradition says he was 90 years old when the Jews sawed him in half in the trunk of a carob tree. Still, he writes -

 

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "IN CHRIST, THERE IS HOPE IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE."

 

The student of the Bible will run into trouble in interpretation if he or she does not discern between the [two] covenants. The canon of Scripture has 66 Books. It is easier for the purpose of "rightly dividing" the Word of God to consider each Book of the Bible as one chapter of the whole. This way you are not confused when reading any one Book, or passage of the Scriptures, forgetting its context in history and the entire Bible.

 

The Messiah has come. You are under the New Testament. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the prophets spoke of the Christ. They prophesied of His healing, mercy, love, compassion, and salvation.  Although the New Covenant is no license for committing the same sin God condemned in the Old Covenant, we do have mercy. We also have hope in the midst of trouble.

 

Our hope is in "better promises, established on a better covenant." [Hebrews 8:6] We are under the grace and mercy of God, who as John Randolph spoke of above, you can - "throw [yourself] myself, reeking with sin, on the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ His blessed Son and our (yes, my friend, our) precious Redeemer; and I have assurances as strong as that I now owe nothing to your rank that the debt is paid and now I love God - and with reason. I once hated him - and with reason, too, for I knew not Christ. The only cause why I should love God is His goodness and mercy to me through Christ."

 

Truly, in Christ, there is hope in the midst of troubles!