Lamentations 3
Jeremiah
38:6 gives us the background of Lamentations 3. He mentions that he was in a
pit and that is what the historical account in Jeremiah 38 explains. Just north
of the Damascus Gate of Old Jerusalem city to the right facing North, is the
Bus terminal and against that Rock is a hill that has been quarried through in
the days of Herod to build the temple so that the pit where Jeremiah was thrown
in, can be seen clearly there with an opening at the top where they have
lowered him in. Because of this pit, at a certain angle this hill looked like a
skull and it was on this hill that Christ was crucified. It is also near the
Garden Tomb. Jeremiah wrote this chapter in an acrostic style, namely, every
three verses begins with another letter of the alphabet in that order. Jeremiah
in his lament indicated that “I am the man who has seen affliction” (v. 1a).
His ministry was not easy. He used then the book of Job by Moses to relate his
own experience to that of Job. He says that because of God’s wrath he was
driven, made to walk in darkness and not in light (v. 2) as in Job 30:26. He had
rejection for his messages and he suffered a lot. People were not interested in
his sermons. His flesh and skin waste away, which means he lost weight and his
bones became brittle (v. 4). Bitterness and hardship was surrounding him (v. 5)
all the day (v. 3) as in Job 19:8. Because of the pit where they have thrown
him in, “in dark places He has made me dwell” (v. 6a). He was treated “like
those who have long been dead” (v. 6b). The empty pit was used as a cell in the
days of Zedekiah the last king, so “He has walled in so that I cannot go out”
(v. 7a) Job 3:23. He felt deserted for he said that “even when I cry out and
call for help” no one listened (v. 8a) as in Job 30:20. In that pit he felt
that God has “blocked my ways with hewn stone” (v. 9a). God is for him like a
bear lying in wait, a lion in secret places (v. 10a-b). He felt that the Lord
has torn him to pieces (v. 11a) as in Job 16:12. The Warrior God has bent His
bow to set him as a target, he felt (v. 12a-b) as in Job 6:4. The arrow of the
Lord entered his inward parts (v. 13b) and to all his people he has become a
laughing stock (v. 14a) as in Job 30:9. He repeated that the Lord has filled
him with bitterness. He sits in dust (v. 16b). He has no peace and happiness
(v. 17a-b). Strength and hope is gone (v. 18a-b). Remembering his bitterness
and state his soul is bowed down within him (v. 20a-b). He recalls this to his
mind and hope is within him (v. 21a-b). The basis of all his knowledge is this
that the Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never cease (v. 22a) for His compassion
never fail (v. 22b). Scholars are saying that the words lovingkindness and
compassion appears 245 times in the Old Testament and 177 times it means
unshaken stability. Jeremiah knows that every morning great is the faithfulness
of the Lord (v. 23a-b). Because Jeremiah’s life is in the Lord and the Lord in
him, “the Lord is my portion” therefore he has hope in Him (v. 24a-b). Jeremiah
knows that the Lord is good to those who wait upon Him since in the next three
verses (vv. 25-27) “good” is placed first in the sentence. He is good (v. 25a)
to those people who seeks Him (v. 25b). The faithful should “wait silently” (v.
26a) for the salvation of the Lord (v. 26b). It is good for a person to carry
the yoke of the Lord in his youth (v. 27a-b), says Jeremiah, and when problems
come, let him sit alone and be silent (v. 28a) for the reason is that the yoke
was placed upon the person by the Lord (v. 28b). The mouth of the faithful
sufferer should be given close to the dust in humbleness “perhaps there is hope”
(v. 29a-b). The sufferer should be willing to give his cheek to the smitter (v.
30a). Jeremiah placed “give” in both verses in the front of the verses. The reason
the sufferer should do this is verse 31 “for the Lord will not reject unto
eternity.” The Lord does not afflict willingly (v. 33a). He does not willingly
crush the prisoners of the land (v. 34b) or deprive a man of justice (v. 35a)
especially in His own presence. It is not His will to defraud a man in his
lawsuit of the things the Lord does not approve (v. 36a-b). No one can be
compared to the Lord because He speaks and it comes to pass (v. 37a-b). From
the mouth of the Most High goes forth both good [results] and evil [results
permitted but not willed] (v. 38a-b). Jeremiah asks why a human should complain
in view of his sins? (v. 39a-b). A very good point since the results of evil
and sins are unhappiness and sins are brought about by the person’s willingness
himself. So the sinner cannot blame God for suffering. Jeremiah thinks that the
solution is that the sinners need to “examine and probe our ways and let us
return to the Lord” (v. 40a-b). Jeremiah felt that the sinners need to lift up
their heart and hands toward God in heaven (v. 41a-b). People have transgressed
and rebelled and the Lord did not pardon for they did not ask for it or turned
to the Lord for the solution (v. 42). The Lord has covered with anger and
pursued “us” because also Jeremiah suffered in the exile (v. 43). The Lord has
slain and not spared (v. 43c). The Lord has covered Himself with a cloud so
that no prayer could pass through, Jeremiah felt (v. 44a-b). Jeremiah felt that
God has made them refuse in the midst of peoples (v. 45). He felt that all
their enemies have opened their mouths against them (v. 46). They are all in
panic and destruction (v. 47a-b). Jeremiah is crying with tears about his
people (v. 48a-b). His eyes are crying without stopping (v. 49a-b). Jeremiah
was crying until (ad) the “Lord looks down and sees from heaven” (v. 50). That
was his intention. So he had pain in his soul because of the people in the city
(v. 51a-b) and the enemy hunted him like a bird (v. 52). When they placed
Jeremiah in the pit “they have silenced me in the pit and placed a stone on me”
(v. 53a-b). Jeremiah felt that waters flowed over his head and he felt cut off the
same Jonah felt in Jonah 2:3-5. He called to God from the “deepest” pit (v. 55)
similar to Jonah in Jonah 2:2. Jeremiah, like Job in Job 34:28 acknowledged
that the Lord has heard his prayer (v. 56). Jeremiah witnessed that the Lord
indeed drew near and he said that they should not fear (v. 57). The Lord Christ
has pled Jeremiah’s soul’s cause in the Investigative Judgment and Christ has
redeemed his life (v. 58a-b). The Lord has seen Jeremiah’s oppression and
judged his case (v. 59a-b). The Lord could see all the vengeance and schemes of
the enemy against Jeremiah (v. 60a-b, repeated twice in v. 61b). The Lord could
see the lips and whispering against Jeremiah all day long (v. 62). He wants the
Lord to see their sitting and rising, their mocking song (v. 63) and he knows
that the Lord will recompense them (v. 64). The Lord will give the enemy
hardness of heart and the Lord’s curse will be on them (v. 65). In the
Executive Judgment the Lord will pursue them in anger and destroy them from
under the heavens of the Lord (v. 66). This will happen in the Hell after the
millennium.
Dear God
Also we are in
the pits of circumstances where the evil has cast us in and want to fence us in
sin and out of Your presence. But we are not separated from You and in You is
our full hope and salvation. Amen