Lamentations 4_Overheads

Lamentations 4:Sin Still Has Consequences

Coaches Corner July 27, 2014

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.


• Visually:

12

54

3


• 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


• 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.


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!


(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)


(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


(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.


(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.


(Vs. 3-10)

Vs.5

• Even the wealthy are suffering.

• “Those who ate delicacies”

• “Those reared in purple”

• Money can’t even buy food


(Vs. 3-10)

Vs.6

• Two possible translations:

1. “Their sin was greater”

2. “The punishment for their sin was

greater”


(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.


(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.


(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.


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.


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,


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.


(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.


(Vs. 11-12)

Vs.11-12

• Center of the poem

• Vs. 1-10 have been background

information building up to this point


(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?


(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)


(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.


(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.


(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.”


(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.


(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.


(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)

• There is no way to escape the

consequences of their sins.


(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)


(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

Lamentations 4: Conclusion

• Message:

• Sin has consequences

• God is Sovereign

• Salvation is coming

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_Overheads

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