Transcript
Dealing With Suffering
Has the poet of Lamentations taught
us anything about how to relate to
those going through times of
suffering?
Review
Context
• Creation, Fall, Covenants, Kingdom,
Exile, Restoration
• Deuteronomy 28
AND
• Deuteronomy 30.
Review
Theology
God is Righteous (Ch. 1)
God is Judge (Ch. 2)
God is Faithful (Ch. 3)
• God is Sovereign (Ch. 4)
• God is the Restorer of Israel (Ch. 5)
Lamentations 4: Introduction
• Lamentations 4 begins the process
of zooming out from center.
• Chapter 4 cannot be understood
apart from chapter 3
• Chapter 3 said that there is hope to
be found in the faithfulness of God.
• Chapter 4 follows this by saying, “But
sin still has consequences.” It will end
with hope, but there is once again the
shocking reality of the exile.
Lamentations 4: Introduction
• Theme: Everyone is affected by the exile regardless of age, sex, or their religious/social/political status!
• Message: • Sin has consequences
• God is Sovereign
• Salvation is coming
Lamentations 4: Introduction
• Structure:
• The chapter will build up to Vs. 11-12
• The truth revealed in these verses
will then be assumed through the rest
of the chapter.
• Vs. 1-10 are parallel in subject matter
to Vs. 13-20.
Lamentations 4: Introduction
Vs. 1-2: Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen
Vs. 3-10: The Depth of Devastation
Vs. 11-12: The Lord is Sovereign
Vs. 13-16: Leaders Rejected by God and Man
Vs. 17-20: No Escape From the Destroyer
Vs. 21-22: Hope Remains for Zion
Oh, How The Might Have Fallen
(Vs. 1-2)
• There has been a great reversal in
Israel: Her glory is tarnished!
Oh, How The Might Have Fallen
(Vs. 1-2)
Vs. 1
• Begins with eka (1:1; 2:1)
• Disagreement about the topic of this verse
• Gold of the Temple? (Vulgate: “Stones of the sanctuarii”)
• Splendor of Zion?: (2:1; 4:2-10)
• Moral strength of Israel?: (4:3)
• Zion’s young men?: (2:2)
Oh, How The Might Have Fallen
(Vs. 1-2)
Vs. 1
• Conclusion: The glory of Israel is
undergoing a sharp reversal.
• The analogy is explained in vs. 2
• The analogy is continued in vs. 2-10
Oh, How The Might Have Fallen
(Vs. 1-2)
Vs. 2
• This verse is about the men of Zion,
who are now clay jars compared to
precious gold.
• Introduces a list of examples (vs. 2-
10) which show that the exile
impacted everyone.
• This verse is a continuation of the
more general analogy begun in vs. 1.
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
• The exile affects everyone
regardless of age, gender, or
social status.
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.3-4
• There has been a great reversal in
the women of Jerusalem.
• The women are acting worse than
wild animals.
• The children are suffering because
of this.
Deuteronomy 28:56-57
56 “The refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and refinement, shall be hostile toward the husband she cherishes and toward her son and daughter,
57 and toward her afterbirth which issues from between her legs and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in your towns.
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.5
• Even the wealthy are suffering.
• “Those who ate delicacies”
• “Those reared in purple”
• Money can’t even buy food
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.6
• Two possible translations:
1. “Their sin was greater”
2. “The punishment for their sin was
greater”
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.6
• I believe that the sin is in focus here (with the NASB, not the ESV)
• It was merciful for God to not totally destroy Israel
• The quick destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a sign of displeasure, not mercy.
• See 5:21–22
• Point: Despite their merciful punishment, their sin was greater than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.7-8
• The beautiful are impacted just like
the rest of the nation
• “White” refers to their clothes, not
their skin
• “Bone” refers to their bodies
• NASB: “Polishing” refers to their
hair probably.
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.9-10
• Graphic picture to show why it is better
to be killed with the sword (or in a flash
of light like Sodom and Gomorrah)
• It would have been better to die than to
even see these things.
Deuteronomy 28:53-55
53 “Then you shall eat the offspring of
your own body, the flesh of your sons and
of your daughters whom the Lord your
God has given you, during the siege and
the distress by which your enemy will
oppress you.
Deuteronomy 28:53-55
54 “The man who is refined and very
delicate among you shall be hostile
toward his brother and toward the wife he
cherishes and toward the rest of his
children who remain,
Deuteronomy 28:53-55
55 so that he will not give even one of
them any of the flesh of his children
which he will eat, since he has nothing
else left, during the siege and the distress
by which your enemy will oppress you in
all your towns.
The Depth of Devastation
(Vs. 3-10)
Vs.1-10
• Everyone is impacted:• Men
• Women
• Children
• Wealthy
• Beautiful
• Message: Despite the hope of restoration offered in Ch. 3, people still have to deal with the consequences of their sin.
The Lord is Sovereign
(Vs. 11-12)
• Despite the horrific consequences
of their sin, Israel can’t forget that
God is in control of these events.
The Lord is Sovereign
(Vs. 11-12)
Vs.11-12
• Center of the poem
• Vs. 1-10 have been background
information building up to this point
The Lord is Sovereign
(Vs. 11-12)
Vs.11-12
• How can these kinds of things happen?• God has accomplished what he
purposed to do (see esp. 2:17)
• Even, the surrounding nations thought that this kind of thing could never happen. Last time Jerusalem almost fell, the angel of God killed 185,000 Assyrians in the night.
• With a God like this, how can Jerusalem fall unless He is behind it?
The Lord is Sovereign
(Vs. 11-12)
Vs.11-12
• This verse repeats many ideas from
chapter 2
• “wrath” (2:4)
• “pour out” (2:4)
• “anger” (2:1, 3, 6)
• “fire” (2:3–4)
• “consume” (2:3)
The Lord is Sovereign
(Vs. 11-12)
Vs.11-12
• These verses become the
foundation for the rest of the
chapter.
• The assumption going forward is
that God is sovereignty.
The Lord is Sovereign
(Vs. 11-12)
Vs.11-12
• These verses also act to divide the chapter into two parallel halves.
• First half: Social impact
• Ends with the sovereignty of God
• Second half: Religions and political impact
• Ends with restoration and restitution based on the sovereignty of God
Leaders Rejected by God and Man
(Vs. 13-16)
• The spiritual leaders of Israel are
largely responsible for these
events; therefore, their punishment
is particularly strong.
Leaders Rejected by God and Man
(Vs. 13-16)
Vs.13
• Here the religious leaders are blamed for the exile. (cf. 2:14, 20)
• They shed innocent blood
• Omission (Lam. 2:14)
• Commission (Jer. 26:11)
Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied against this city as you have heard in your hearing.”
Leaders Rejected by God and Man
(Vs. 13-16)
Vs.14
• “They wandered blind”
• Real blindness (cf. Deut. 28:28)
• Spiritual blindness (cf. Deut. 29:2-4,
Isa. 29:10, et. al.)
• “They were defiled with blood”
• God doesn’t hear them because of
their impure hands.
Leaders Rejected by God and Man
(Vs. 13-16)
Vs.15-16
• Here the people are unwilling to
associate with the priests and
prophets any longer.
• The people cry out, “Away, Unclean”
when they see them in the streets.
• They begin to wander and can’t
find acceptance anywhere.
Leaders Rejected by God and Man
(Vs. 13-16)
SUMMARY:
The priests and the prophets are largely
responsible for spiritual depravity that led to
the exile.
They have led the people away from Yahweh,
they have shed innocent blood, and are,
therefore, defiled.
The people seem to have rejected them. God
has scattered them, and no one will welcome
them.
No Escape From the Destroyer
(Vs. 17-20)
Vs.17-19
• These verses depict the inability of
Israel to find hope in other nations
or escape from their pursuers.
• In the background it can’t be
forgotten that God is sovereign in
these events (Vs. 11-12)
No Escape From the Destroyer
(Vs. 17-20)
Vs. 20
• Even the king couldn’t escape.
• This is a huge blow to any hope of
restoration
• “The breath of our nostrils”
• “The Lord’s anointed”
Hope Remains For Zion
(Vs. 21-22)
• Restoration and restitution will
come through the sovereign hand
of Yahweh.
Hope Remains For Zion
(Vs. 21-22)
Vs. 21-22
• Only verses with any hope in Ch. 4
• What was prayed for in 1:22 is now spoken of confidently
“Let all their wickedness come before You;
And deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is
faint.”
Lamentations 4: Conclusion
Vs. 1-2: Oh, how the mighty have fallen
Vs. 3-10: The depth of devastation
Vs. 11-12: The Lord is sovereign
Vs. 13-16: Leaders rejected by God and man
Vs. 17-20: No escape from the destroyer
Vs. 21-22: Hope remains for Zion
top related