228: Nathan Lewis - Lamentations: The Man That Has Seen Affliction

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to good for selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk

2. 0:50

   for this week. We’re listening to a class that was given by brother Nathan Lewis at the winter Bible School in New Zealand back in 2021. This is the third class from the series. He gave their on the topic of Lamentations entitled, the man that has seen Affliction, what I really appreciate about this class in particular, what is brother, Nathan is, reminding us of the perspective that we take when dealing with trials and struggles that we’re facing in our life. The entire series is taking a really deep look at the book of Lamentations.

3. 1:19

   And I found it to be helpful to understand the book in general, understand the flow of how the book fits together with the story of Jeremiah and Really enjoyed listening to, it will include in the show notes, the link to brother Nathan slides. Yet, some really excellent slides for all five classes as well as having the entire series posted on the extended version of the podcast. If you’re interested in hearing at all. What I appreciated most about it is, it’s just a good reminder of the way that we look at and put the perspective that we have when we’re going through difficult times. And that we need to focus on the good that God has put in our lives rather than on the He’s and remember that. Even when we face those difficult times, those things are there to help us to grow and encourage us to become better reflection of God’s character rather than the reflection of our own desires.

4. 2:12

   This class, the entire series was a recommendation that somebody had sent in shortly. After the winter Bible School concluded, they recommend it very highly, I’m sorry, it took us to the better part of a year to get to it, but I agree with the recommendation. I think this was spectacular class. I hope you enjoyed this.

5. 2:29

   Cooler one. And that you listen to the entire series because it is also excellent. So as always, thank you for everyone who listens and sends in comments and suggestions, please continue to send those in and I hope you enjoy this class by brother, Nathan Lewis on the book of Lamentations titled. The man that has seen affliction Welcome back to Lamentations this morning Jeremiah’s masterpieces on the meaning of suffering, the value of Affliction and this morning we come to the very heart and center of the book. The verses that we know and love from Lamentations chapter 3. And the man that has seen Affliction, the one who can see through the incomprehensible fog who can see past the smoking ruins.

6. 3:20

   The Destroyed families, the lives, torn apart to the reason why. So this morning we hope to go from how could this be too? Why has this happened? You remember in our study yesterday that we delved into the hopelessness and the Blackness of Lamentations chapters 1 and 2, where the people were floundering around.

7. 3:44

   Amidst the chaos trying to make sense of all of this pain They realized too late that everyone had abandoned them in their hour of need the Babylonian swept in and the parties, the good times, the friends evaporated even God had gone because with God at the center of their hearts and minds and worship and lives due to was the beauty of Israel. God’s princess, his wife But without God at the center, they would just like the Babylonians naked widowed childless humiliated and broken.

8. 4:28

   And yet, we saw towards the end of chapter 2, inklings of hope. You will remember 2:13 for they breach is great, like the see who can heal thee. We have the very first hint that God could heal this Emptiness. That he could be not just the cause of the problem but the solution as well.

9. 4:54

   He could heal the bruise, the Grievous wound in their souls. If only as we read in verse 19, they could lift up their hands towards him. And it is out of this overwhelming, Blackness this foggy despair, the desolation of chapters 1 and 2 with just a stirring of Hope on the horizon. That a man of chapter 3, emerges Survivor to answer their questions and to tell them in chapter 3 and verse 41 that we need to not just lift up our hands towards him as chapter 2 and verse 19. It said, but our hearts as As well. The solution is going to need not just our words, but our hearts, but God has promised to heal those as well if we turn to him.

10. 5:49

    And so now this morning as we come to the man that has seen Affliction, Jeremiah is going to lay aside his narrators quill and he’s going to sit down to write a personal Soliloquy of sorrow and in Perspective pathos filled chapter that describes his own position of loneliness and suffering, amidst the devastation. And we don’t have time this morning to go through how Jeremiah is a type of Christ and how Lamentations points forward to Christ.

11. 6:27

    But I have two handouts out the front up the front here. So feel free to Avail yourselves of those at the end and in your own time, you can examine those eyes. But clearly Jeremiah and especially chapter 3 is going to greatly typify. The work of Messiah, our Lord, Jesus Christ. And the first point that he wants to make in chapter 3, is that he’s no different to the rest of the nation. He has seen Affliction by the rod of yahweh’s Roth verse one in verses 1 to 20, is really all about how this man has experienced.

12. 7:08

    All the heartache and pain of the nation. He was not exempt. He was not aloof, he was not separate from the people. He was not different or protected from the Troubles by God this man Jeremiah and the first instance, but clearly Messiah himself in the ultimate sense. Has experienced all the misery of the nation. The Jerusalem bible has 4 verse 1. I am the man that is familiar with misery. Look at this.

13. 7:43

    This is a summary of Lamentations 3 and Lamentations 1 and 2 because the man of chapter 3 has experienced everything that the nation experienced in chapters 1 and 2. He experienced God’s anger He felt like God was destroying his body and his bones. He felt he judged and devoured. Roundabout, he felt like no one was answering.

14. 8:14

    He felt like God was destroying like a more rewarding animal. He felt desolate. He felt like God was bending his bow and shooting arrows at him in verse 14. He felt mocked by those around him. He experienced bitterness he sat and Sack cloth and Ashes. He felt no rest or peace in his mind.

15. 8:37

    His strength failed. If he felt alone, he felt that God had shown no pity. Tears flowed like Rivers. He felt swallowed up in the waters. Covered his head. The experiences of the man of chapter 3 are identical to the experiences of the nation and chapters 1 and 2. In this man is at pains to tell us. Did he came to share our weakness? That he was not different or detached from the nation. God didn’t shelter or protect him, especially in, still, ate him.

16. 9:14

    From misery from Missouri. He learned obedience as it says, in Hebrews 5 and verse 8 by the things, which he suffered just as the nation experienced the the correcting Rod as Isaiah 10. Verse 5 puts it. The sorrow Babylonian Rod of mine anger. So Christ would Perience, chastening and suffering, he would be acquainted with grief and sorrow. He was a representative of the human race. This man can only lend us his strength because he first came and shared our weakness.

17. 9:56

    He identifies in every way with all of our pain, there’s nothing that Christ experienced brothers and sisters, that is beyond our experience or nothing. We’ve experienced that he has not He was with the nation in all of their heartache, you know, that’s an amazing thought, isn’t it? If you think just for a moment that maybe just maybe The book of Jeremiah which is like a catalog of Jeremiah sufferings was just to establish the credentials of the man who is now going to write this chapter. And give us the meaning behind all of the pain. No one could claim that the Survivor didn’t really understand.

18. 10:48

    He is familiar with misery. Oh he didn’t sin like the rest of the nation. He was not suffering as a punishment for his sins. We read in verse 52 that his enemies. Chase him without cause and God himself pleads his cause in verses 58 259. He is not abandoned God like the rest of the nation but he is still touched by the feelings of their infirmities.

19. 11:17

    Here is a man who was just like us And just to highlight a few aspects of his suffering from the first few verses especially just look at this man. This man who has seen Affliction verse 4 tells us My Flesh and my skin. Has he made old literally it means wasted away worn out.

20. 11:48

    It’s the same word used of Sarah in Genesis 18 and verse 12 when she was too old to Bear children. It’s the same, you word used of the gibeonites clothing and Joshua 9 and verse 13. It was fully worn out. This man had aged before his time. He was literally so acquainted with grief that he was physically worn out as Isaiah 52.

21. 12:19

    In verse 14 says his visit was marred more than any other man. And John chapter 8, they look at him and say up there, not yet fifty years old and he’s only 33. This man is worn out by his misery and Why has Affliction? He’s a Survivor but only just, and if there was any doubt that his experiences mirrored, the nation’s look at verse 7.

22. 12:50

    He has hedged me about that. I cannot get out. He has made my chain heavy and the word. Chained. Literally means Fitters of brass. It’s exactly the same word as second of Kings, 25 and verse. Evan wins, either Kaya and no doubt. The other slaves were bound with Fetters of brass and marched off as captives into Babylon.

23. 13:19

    This man was no different to the rest of the nation. His Fiddler’s of brass his human nature would just as heavy, just as painful. Here was a man who could represent. The nation for his misery was just the same. Look at verses 10 and 11. He was on to me is a beer lying in wait and is a lion and secret places. His turned aside my ways and pulled me in pieces. He’s made me desolate.

24. 13:56

    He’s a man who felt like he was being ambushed in mauled by an animal. A wild animal a lion or a beer do you know that God had promised to the nation in Hosea, 13 and verses 7 and 8. Eight. I will be unto them as a lion. I will meet them as a beer bereaved of her whelps. I will devour them like a lion.

25. 14:22

    And here, this man feels exactly the same. His experience was identical to what? God promised, the nation would experience in Hosea, 13, verses, 7, and 8. He’s just like them. He’s at pains to tell us in the first 20 verses of this chapter. Messiah is I’m just like the rest of the nation, look at verses 12 to 13. He hath bent his bow sit me as a mark for for the arrow. If cause the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins, he felt hunted by God himself.

26. 15:03

    Just as in Chapter 2 and in verse 4 God had bent his bow to shoot arrows of displeasure at the nation. Now in chapter 3 in verses 12 to 13 his bent his bow to shoot it. This man in fact the word Mark in verse 12 is usually translated prison. He has set me as a prison for his arrows. None of these arrows are coming out. Out that all going to stay in his body like a prison, the arrows into into his reins and some 38 verse 2 says, they Narrows stick fast in me.

27. 15:46

    They hand press with me saw. He feels hunted persecuted tormented smitten of God and Afflicted. In fact, this man of Lamentations 3 is none other than the man. Anne of Isaiah’s suffering Servant Song in Isaiah 53 and I’d like you to come back there. Isaiah 53. Look at this.

28. 16:19

    They can be no doubt that the man of Lamentations 3, the man who was seen. Affliction is exactly the same man as Isaiah 53, who is smitten of God and afflicted.

29. 16:37

    Because when we come to Isaiah 53, Messiah was going to have his visages mad. He was going to age before his time in Isaiah, 53 and verse 2. There was no for more beauty that we should desire him. He was going to be despised and rejected of men. He was going to be a man of Sorrows acquainted with grief stricken smitten Afflicted, wounded, bruised depressed. Sorry oppressed but silent nonetheless He would be taken from Justice cut off from the land of the living. It pleased Yahweh to bruise him a, but these are there’s something very interesting in Isaiah 53, isn’t there? Because it gets to the nub of what we want to look at this morning, here’s a man.

30. 17:35

    Who’s stricken smitten Afflicted yet? It pleased Yahweh to bruise him. There was a purpose, there was an objective, a grand reason for all of this misery and suffering, and look what we read in verse. Verse 10 of Isaiah 53, yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He hath put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed.

31. 18:06

    He shall prolong his days and the pleasure of Yahweh shall prosper in his hand, he shall see all the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall my righteous servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. There was a satisfaction attached to travail. What was that? Was their meaning to all this pain is there?

32. 18:37

    Hope beyond the tears? Maybe, maybe if these men are the same, the same man, he can answer these questions for us Messiah suffered its so much. But he emerged Us fide. Then maybe he should he can share his secrets with us. Because if Lamentations to in verse 13 ask the question. They bruise is great who can heal thee Then Isaiah 53 and verse 5 is going to answer that question with his bruises.

33. 19:17

    As it says in the margin, are we healed? Maybe this man has the answers to the questions that we want that. We need the meaning to suffering. There has to be satisfaction. There has to be something at the end of this hard Road. The pleasure of Yahweh would prosper in his hand and by this man’s knowledge, he would teach many of the meaning of suffering. So let us come back.

34. 19:48

    Now to Lamentations and chapter 3 and for the rest of this morning, we really want to focus in on verses 17 to 40 and look at Durham eyes inspired perspective on suffering and Messiahs. Perspective on suffering. Not how could this happen, but why did this happen? The meaning behind the misery. Now Lamentations 3 and verse 17 concludes the first section of the chapter, where, as we have said, this man identifies with the experiences and the horror and the grief of the nation, but look How It Ends.

35. 20:32

    Verse 17, there has removed my soul far off from piece. I forget prosperity. I forget Prosperity, he had forgotten everything. That was good as the word Prosperity has in the margin. There was only chaos privation and suffering that remained in this man’s mind. By the time he got to verse 17. Everything good had been forgotten. And you know, it’s tempting to feel like this isn’t it when we are suffering and troubles seem to be overwhelming us? Sometimes all we can think of is ourselves. Look at verses 18 to 20 and I said my strength and my hope is perished from Yahweh, remembering my misery, my Affliction, the womb would end the goal, my soul, hath them still in remembrance and his Old in me when we are overwhelmed, when we are troubled and distraught, we lose perspective, and our world, everything very quickly, shrinks down to my Affliction, my misery, my wormwood and Gall, it’s all about me and how I am suffering.

36. 21:59

    And why is this happening to me? And Messiahs answer is If we are forgetting the good then remember the good. Recall the good refocus outside of ourselves verse 21 is it says– in the margin, make our heart return to the good. So if we forget verse 17, Then we need to remember verse 19.

37. 22:42

    Have them in remembrance verse 20, recall to mind verse 21, see the point. When Trials come in our lives. And how often is this true? Sometimes the present just doesn’t make sense. And the future seems too distant and intangible and the only concrete Touchstone we have is the past. What God is doing right now.

38. 23:18

    Seems incomprehensible in the Kingdom. The future just seems too far away. The only thing that is real is what God has already done. And this man asks us to remember the past. That’s why but ancestors, we have the memorials On Sunday morning it’s not come and partake of something that looks forward to the kingdom. It’s remember what God has already done. And if we were to ask the question, what do we need to remember?

39. 23:55

    What do we need to recall to mind? The answer is verse 22 and 23. God’s character yahweh’s. Mercy verse 22. Yahweh’s compassion verse 22. Yahweh’s faithfulness verse 23. Yahweh’s goodness verse 25 and look at the emphasis on the goodness of God’s character. If we forget the good verse What Messiah reminds us of is the goodness of God, verse 25, the goodness of God, verse 26, the goodness of God verse 27. Remember God’s goodness and his character, we can’t miss the point.

40. 24:50

    Can we This is a key to overcoming at issues with suffering. We’ve got to remember God’s character now. Why does Jeremiah focus our minds on this one thing on God’s character and the answer is that he is drawing inspiration from another man. Another man who was overwhelmed with trouble and to pull himself out of the Blackness, he did exactly that and that man was David. Now I want you to draw your attention to one verse that we skipped over earlier and that is verse 6. Verse 6 of Lamentations three C’s, he has set me in Dark Places as they that be dead of old. And you may not have realized, but actually the whole of verse 6 is a direct quotation, as the margin, says of eyes of Psalm 143 and verse 3, and Jeremiah is going to lift a verse right. Out of a Psalm of David to explain how he feels. So let’s go there to Psalm 143 because embedded in, this Psalm is the inspiration for Jeremiah’s explanation on suffering.

41. 26:28

    Psalm 143. Now, in actual fact, some 143 is connected with some 142, they are in actual Fact. One Psalm we can see that because if you want to put a splash of color, in some 142, verse 3, It says, when my spirit was overwhelmed with in me and when we come to Psalm 143 in verse 4 it says therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me.

42. 27:09

    So Sam 142 and Psalm 143 are connected and it’s describing a time. Why? When David feels overwhelmed, overwhelmed the background Uh, this Psalm is probably first of Samuel 24, when David was desperately running from Saul hiding in caves different caves every night, hundreds of men under his control, he’s in trouble fleeing for his life. It was all too difficult.

43. 27:40

    We read in Psalm 142 and verse 4, that Refuge failed him. Nobody would offer him Comfort. He’s depressed, the six, he’s persecuted. He feels like he’s imprisoned verse 7. And out of this suffering, this Blackness that engulfed, his soul. We read Psalm 143 in verse 34. The enemy hath persecuted. My soul he is smitten my life down to the ground.

44. 28:13

    He hath made me to dwell in darkness. Is those that have been long dead. So Jeremiah quotes verse 3 in Lamentations 3 and verse 6, word for word. Clearly his mind was here and as it turns out, there are a few Illusions in Lamentations, 32, Isaac, to Psalm 142 and 143. 43. Because David here in the psalm, felt caught in the snare. Inverse for Refuge or hope had perished from him. He felt imprisoned, as we said, in verse 7, he was set and Dark Places his heart within him was desolate. He felt like he was one that went was going down into the dungeon.

45. 29:14

    It was too difficult for David at this time. But then, what happens in the psalm is that he starts to become more positive. He stops to say, things like that. Yahweh is my portion. He admits in Psalm 143, in verse 24 in thy sight shall no man living be justified. He admits that no man living Should really receive goodness from God.

46. 29:54

    And finally, He gets to this point. We suddenly we read in verse 5, I remember I remember the days of old I remember and if we were to ask, what does David remember? The answer is when we go through some 142 and 143 is exactly what Jeremiah is, going to ask us to remember in Lamentations 3, read with me some 143 God’s faithfulness verse 1 God’s loving-kindness verse 8 cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning.

47. 30:44

    We just that phrase come from in Lamentations it comes right from here some 143 in verse 8. This teen lead me into the land of uprightness for thy spirit is good verse 1. He remembers God’s righteousness, verse 11, God’s righteousness, verse 12, his Mercy, what does David remember? In Psalm 142 and 143, specially some 143, he recalls, to his mind, God’s good character. So, why does Jeremiah quote from the psalm? Because David, although physically exhausted. And emotionally overwhelmed, was able to drag himself up out of the pit of despair and see, meaning behind his suffering. Regain a true perspective.

48. 31:45

    Restore his mental health because of one thing. His remembrance of the character of God and Jeremiah using David for his inspiration. Does exactly the same. So, come back now to Lamentations and chapter 3 and Cy, the character of God is so critical to a true and balanced and fear and godly perspective on our suffering.

49. 32:16

    Why does God’s good character? Make sense. Of everything. Well, I think this is what happens when we forget the good when we forget, what is good? As we saw in verse 17, we lose perspective and we start to focus all on ourselves. We have this view that I deserve a good life. And so when we suffer, we often experience three main ways of thinking.

50. 32:56

    The first one is we get angry. and we say, Life seems unfair. It’s not fear. God is to blame and we blame God. Maybe maybe overtly or perhaps just in the back of our minds. What else can we do when suffering comes our way, or sometimes we get frustrated and we say it’s too hard and I give up how many times have we seen that when when suffering comes into the life of a brother or sister and it’s just all too difficult to come to the meeting and they lose faith, and leave the truth.

51. 33:44

    It’s too hard. Right. That’s the Thorns, the difficulties of life. Or we experience doubt and we say it’s all too confusing and I can’t seem to see how God hears and when were in this situation, we need to remember the good because God’s good character puts all of this into the right perspective.

52. 34:17

    So, what we want to just do now is run through briefly. Verses 22 to 39 to establish Jeremiah’s perspective and the meaning that we can find in suffering, these are the verses that we know. So well from Lamentations and hopefully now we can see a little more clearly with a sit-in, the overall flow of the book.

53. 34:41

    The first part of this next section is going to describe what God’s character means. If we’re to remember God’s character, then that means that Us. And when we come to verses 33 239, it will describe the logical implications of our Understanding God’s character. So this first section that we’re going to look at is verses 22 to 32 and then by logical implication verses 33 to 40.

54. 35:15

    So what’s the first thing that we read in verse 22? It is of yahweh’s mercies that we are not. Not consumed because his compassion’s fail not God’s character. Is the Touchstone for suffering for the right perspective because it never changes. God’s character never changes. It’s the unchangeable thing in a sea of feelings, God’s character is a fact, it’s solid and reliable and in God’s character as described in Ezekiel. 34 is overwhelmingly, merciful overwhelmingly full of goodness.

55. 35:56

    Merciful gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and Truth. Keeping Mercy for thousands. Forgiving iniquity transgression and sin. And if we were to just pause and think how we would feel if a god described himself as sometimes unfair, often unsympathetic partially cruel sometimes heartless, vengeful callous and different. Uncaring impatient overly demanding. Vindictive. How would we feel about God?

56. 36:36

    We know what his character is. These are the things which are the solid rock and our lives. They might be characteristics. Those things like being vengeful, or cruel, or unsympathetic that we might like to ascribe to God and our difficult moments. But it’s not the absolute reality is it? God has overwhelmingly good.

57. 36:58

    Overwhelmingly good. So that actually everyday suffering or not, we live by his Mercy. We read this in verse 23, his compassion’s fail not, they are new every morning when we think God has forgotten us forever. We need to be reminded that while we sleep. He is preparing, fresh Mercy, fresh compassion, for us some 121 verses 3 to 4 says that the god, that keeps Israel Slumbers not nor sleeps the whole time that the nation is asleep.

58. 37:42

    During the night, he is keeping in guarding their lives. So when everything feels like it’s lost this man. Puts his trust in God. A God, who is preparing fresh energy. Fresh strength and breath for him while he is asleep. Verse 24, we read Yahweh is my portion. Seth, my soul. Therefore, will I hope in him actually this is the meaning of Jeremiah’s. Father’s name.

59. 38:17

    Jeremiah, the son of hilkiah, Yahweh is my portion or inheritance and all around him all around him. The nation had lost their portion, had lost their inheritance, their homes, their families, their lives, their positions. Look at Jeremiah. He’s found his inheritance, he’s found his position. And who is it? It’s God himself. What a remarkable difference in perspective versus 25 to 26 tells us that even when we might not understand, or we might not see the big picture that there is goodness attached to waiting.

60. 39:05

    To developing patients. God’s timetable may require our patients. It’s all, it’s not all about us. It’s all about actually waiting for him. His timing, his plan, Isaiah 25, and verse 9 says, it shall be said in that day load. This is our God. We have waited for him. We have waited for him.

61. 39:33

    He will save us. So suffering is not about us. It’s about waiting for God’s timing for his plan. And the sooner in life. Verse 27, we realize this the bidder It is good for a man that he bear the Yoke in his youth, the sooner and life. We realize that we need to wait for God’s solution. His salvation.

62. 40:01

    The in the list of Our Lives, we will waste futilely chasing our own solution. A yoke, can’t be Grievous. It can’t be heavy. If it’s God’s salvation, that’s what the vs. Saying. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy. Easy and my burden, it’s light. He was a man who understood that yoking ourselves to God’s way to his character, to his salvation will only make our lives easier that a burden shared with him as much more than a burden. Halved God’s character has the ability to change how we think about suffering because it’s not about us, it’s about him and his character being developed in us.

63. 40:54

    Look at verse 28, Once this character is recalled to mind, do you know what its effect is and our lives? Our mouths closed. We stop complaining. We stop murmuring. We stop whinging, and moaning about how tough this is for me and we quietly. Wait verse 26, we keep silence verse 28, we put our mouths in the dust, verse 29 and verse 29 is the point.

64. 41:31

    We all must come to when we consider our own foolishness and our heavenly father Has ever patient compassion. We put our mouths, our words, our complaints in the dust, his mercies and his compassion’s and does righteousness. Humble and silence us. This man in verse 29 is so obedient that he will be R, whatever God chooses to put upon him without complaint because he knows that it is only of yahweh’s mercies that we even draw breath.

65. 42:08

    He’ll take whatever punishment, whatever suffering, whatever, persecution God’s, gracious ways will think necessary. Look at verse 30. He giveth his cheek to him, that’s my tooth him. He’s filled with reproach. He’s a man who’s not seeking to avoid more suffering. He is a man who’s happy to accept, what an absolutely righteous. God will bring upon him.

66. 42:35

    What an amazing perspective and he does all of this because of verse 31 to 32 the very heart and soul of the whole book of Lamentations. It’s because he knows from God’s character that Yahweh will not cast. Off forever. But though, he cause grief Yet. Will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies? Suffering is God’s opportunity to show Mercy to show compassion to reveal himself, it’s not forever. It all will always come to an end. It’s God’s way of showing himself, you know. Lung Young’s literal translation says, for verse 32, for though, he Afflicted yet, he hath pitied And this is the answer to one of.

67. 43:40

    We saw yesterday the themes of hopelessness from chapter 2. Remember we read in Chapter 2 and verse 2 and he hath not pitied verse 17 and he hath not pitied verse 21 and there is no pity. And here we have the answer. God didn’t pretty well actually. He does. He does pity. He has to.

68. 44:11

    It’s his character to be plenteous in Mercy. So hidden away here in the heart of the book of Lamentations is the reason for the atonement. God causes grief. So that He might show compassion. The reason suffering comes brothers and sisters in our lives is so that we can see the richness of God’s character.

69. 44:42

    So God can reveal himself to us. This is all the power of God’s character to change our perspective. And this whole section begins in verse 22 with mercy and it ends in verse 32, with Mercy Mercy. Bookends this little sick, This is all about the vital importance of remembering bringing to mind. The amazing character of our heavenly father. Now there are a whole raft of implications that logically flow from a consideration of God’s character and that’s verses 33 to 39 because by logical implication. When we come to verse 33, We read this because of God’s character.

70. 45:37

    She does not afflict willingly. Nor grieve the children of men. God never sins suffering without. An excellent reason chastening is necessary, but it does not give God pleasure. He doesn’t send. Suffering is the margin says from his heart. He’s not vindictive or Cruel, there is always an excellent reason although we may not know why.

71. 46:09

    In verse 34, we read that it’s not to crush under his feet, all the prisoners of the earth. God always provides an escape. So that we are not crushed. God might bruise But he will never crash Us. Crashing is for the seed of the serpent. They will always be a way of Escape. Even our Lord Jesus Christ or of Christ, it is said a bruised. Reed, will he not break?

72. 46:41

    It’s God’s design that we are bruised, but never broken, never crushed. In versus 35 to 36, we find that God is Not and cannot be unfair. Verse 35, or misleading verse 36. God will not turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most high or he will not mislead or subvert a man in his cause for this Yahweh approve Earth, not By virtue of his perfect character, it would be impossible for God, to be unfair or to be deliberately misleading verse 36 verse 37 is going to tell us that he controls everything. And to question his judgment is to doubt his promises, his word, his power and his character.

73. 47:48

    Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when Yahweh commandeth it. Not if God Is Watching The Sparrows brother and sisters and controlling the destiny of the nation’s, then verse 37 is saying that there is no such thing as good luck. Or bad luck in the lives of his Saints. Nothing happens without his approval and control. And so to question our suffering is either to say that God is not in control.

74. 48:24

    Or perhaps worse that God is doing a lousy job because I think I deserve better treatment, he doesn’t understand all the facts. His omnipotence wisdom is questionable. He has dubious judgment about what is best for me. That’s really what we’re saying when we Christian God. The RSV has, who has commanded it and it came to pass unless the Lord hath ordained it.

75. 48:56

    We’re not in a position. Are we brothers and sisters to question God’s ways? He’s never made a mistake a moss 3 and verse 6 is shall there be evil in the city and Yahweh hath. Not done it. Who are we to question him? Who we to question his chastening hand? The pressure of The Potters hands on the clay jr. WIN Job the example James uses of a righteous suffer, a lost everything.

76. 49:28

    It says he sinned, not nor charged god with Folly Job. 1 verse 22, he understood who was in control. He might not have understood, why he might have Have been greatly hurt greatly suffering but he never ever charged god with Folly. He never ever said that God’s judgment was dubious or he wasn’t in control or he could have done a better job and so now in verse 39, the section is going to come to a climax. Where it says wherefore doth a living man. Complain a man for the punishment of his sins. In fact, so lowly is their status compared to him and his power that if we are alive and the wages of sin is death, then we have not been rightly reimbursed. If God is unfair, it’s because he errs on the side of Mercy. Not judgment.

77. 50:36

    What an amazing perspective you think about our sufferings every day. To think, well, if God was making a mistake, it’s the mistake really is keeping us alive, because that’s something we definitely don’t deserve. We need to be grateful, we need to be to put, aside our complaints, put our mouths in the dust, we are nothing without him so far, from complaining, about our suffering.

78. 51:05

    We need to be grateful that God isn’t giving us what we deserve. This is quite a different perspective. I’m not saying It’s easy. But I’m saying, it’s quite a different perspective, isn’t it? That Jeremiah and Messiah gives us. So, look how Jeremiah answers. Our original problems with God. When we lose perspective, when we forget the good, what about this problem of anger?

79. 51:33

    When we say, it’s all unfair and God is to blame Lamentations is going to tell us. If God was to be fear, we would be dead. Verse 22 and verse 39, and God’s ways and his goodness are not to be questioned verses 37 to 38. God never makes mistakes. It’s not unfair, we can’t get angry with God’s decisions. What if we experienced frustration, we say it’s too hard.

80. 52:11

    We want to give up limitations three C’s suffering is only for a time and it’s so that God can show compassion. And you know what, all we need to do is just last one day, because his compassion’s are new Every Morning. Verse 23, we don’t need to overcome suffering for the rest of our lives today. We just need to overcome it today. To just get through one day at a time and what about doubt when we say it’s confusing, God doesn’t care. Lemon, tations sees God’s ways, might not make sense at the time, but God does care.

81. 52:54

    And because of his character, he cannot afflict willingly, or without purpose. It’s impossible for him to do such a thing to have a righteous character. Like that, it’s impossible. So this is Lamentations answers. Jeremiah’s answers under inspiration to the three main ways of thinking that we have when we experience suffering, anger, frustration and doubt. So if we were to put this another way and ask the question, why do we suffer then?

82. 53:35

    This is what Lamentations Seas. Is it because God doesn’t care. Verse 32 and the answer is no. Is it because God gets pleasure from seeing us suffer in the answer, from verse 33 is? No, is it because God wants to crush us verse 34, and the answer is no, is it? Because God wants to confuse us, the answer from verse 35 to 36 is known.

83. 54:09

    Is it because? Well, it’s just a result of time and chance verse 37. The answer Is no why do we suffer? We suffer because their characters need to be changed verse 26, so that God can reveal himself verse 32. And to give us a chance to turn verse 40. And when you think about it, all of these bottom three answers are really all about, perfecting our characters. We have to change from selfish impatient self-reliant. Deluded sinners.

84. 54:51

    Yes. Two selfless, patient, trusting faithful Saints and suffering is God’s means of achieving this transformation. How else would we become humble or patient or trusting or obedient? Unless we had to experience difficult times where we were put under pressure and we learn to patients or trust or humility. We suffer because because God desperately wants us to be like him to be like his son and he won’t give up. He won’t give up on us.

85. 55:32

    We are being conformed As Romans 8 verse Verse 29 says, conformed by pressure to the image of his son. He wants his character to be our character and you know what it’s hard. Work doesn’t happen easy. There’s a lot of pressure that’s needed and finally we are conformed into that beautiful vessel that he desires.

86. 56:01

    Look at the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. We won’t go there. But you remember the words from Hebrews 5 yet though, he were a son yet learned. He obedience by the things which he suffered. We don’t often think about this, do we? Why did christ suffer? Why did christ suffer is? Certainly wasn’t for the reason of verse 39.

87. 56:29

    A man is suffering as a punishment for his sins, because he was sinless. So, what was he learning? Obedience, Hebrews 5 verse 9 goes on to say and being made perfect. Our Lord was not born perfect. He was made perfect by suffering. And that suffering develop character unlike us, he never sinned in the process but it was a learning process as he fully grasped and reflected from a young boy into a man, the character of his father. In fact, the die glocke has in Hebrews 5, it doesn’t say yet though.

88. 57:14

    He were a son. It says, because he was a son, that’s why he needed to suffer because that was Teaching ground by which he might absorb the character of his heavenly father. So why do we think it will be different for any of us if Christ was sinless and he still had to suffer to perfect his character to be conformed, to his father’s image. Why do we think it will be any different in our lives? Why do we have this view?

89. 57:45

    That will be like, will be. We weren’t, we won’t have to go through suffering. That’ll be something that we get to avoid because we’re more faith. Awful than the people in the world. Know, God will always bring it into our lives and all of our Lives because he wants to develop his character in us.

90. 58:03

    And in actual fact, when we read John chapter 15, what does he do to the the tree that brings forth fruit, he prunes it even more that it might bring forth more fruit, perhaps the more Godly we live, the more we absorb God’s character, the more suffering we can expect. Because we believe that God is working in US, suffering is essential.

91. 58:29

    It’s the door through which we enter the kingdom. We know these quotations, we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God for verily. When we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation That you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which she also suffer. Yay.

92. 58:54

    And all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The reason why we suffer is so that Christ will be formed in us. It’s not an optional process. It’s God’s method of achieving a family likeness Look at this perspective. Now we can count it as a blessing because it proves to us that God is conforming us. He is in our lives, he does care he loves us and therefore as Hebrews 13 and verse 6 says he chastens every son or daughter, he receives suffering, makes us legitimate members of his family.

93. 59:35

    What an honor, what an honor to be illegitimate son or daughter? Of the Living. God, this is not Affliction without purpose or misery. Without meaning, this is an essential part of our discipleship. In the true disciple can see God’s mercies everywhere, even in their suffering. So now we can see how if we forget the good and we lose perspective and we focus selfishly on ourselves how far off beam we can be we have this view that we deserve a good life and therefore suffering is God’s fault suffering is God’s blessing.

94. 1:00:21

    To lead us to the glaring word in Lamentations 3 that we have not mentioned yet. Why do we suffer? And the answer is that all of these bottom three reasons, lead us to Hope. God doesn’t bring misery brothers and sisters, he offers hope. There’s a vast difference in those two perspectives, the purpose of suffering. Look at this Romans chapter 5 and not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience. Hope the purpose of tribulation is to lead us to Hope and look at Lamentations chapter 3 because the word Hope occurs five times in the chapter and that all tightly clustered around the remembrance of God’s character. Verses 18 to 29, is the progression of Hope and it begins with the mention of yahweh’s name. For the first time in the chapter. In Lamentations 3 and verse 18.

95. 1:01:47

    We read my hope is pure rushed from Yahweh, Jeremiah’s hope seems to be dead, but when we come forwards to verse 21, we read this. I recall to my mind, therefore, I have hope hope glimmers as a possibility. In verse 24. Yahweh is my portion. Therefore I will hope hope is a gift that comes fresh every morning verse 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly. Wait hope is a profitable and good thing. And finally by the time we come to verse 29, if so be there may be hope the man realizes that hope is He’s got. There’s a progression of Hope in this story, the dawning realization that hope is weird.

96. 1:02:47

    God is driving him to at first, it seems dead. Then a perspective changes with the focus on God’s character rather than on our own misery. And we realized that hope is all we have. And this man who had seen Affliction understood the vast difference suffering is not the indiscriminate. Imminent cruelty of a unloving God. But the careful alignment of consequences for our own sins that we might desperately grasp, hold of his hope. Lamentations 3 is a picture of a man who’s suffering whose Affliction lead him to God.

97. 1:03:30

    It brought him closer to God and in Lamentations 3, he shares his Secrets, his experience his perspective. Verse 26 says, it is good that a man should both hope and quietly. Wait for What does it say? Yahushua. Suffering is to teach us that is desperately bruised. And wounded by sin as we are.

98. 1:04:04

    We need to wait for Yahweh is salvation Jesus, the salvation of Yaya because you see brothers and sisters. As we conclude this morning on the road of life, we are all attacked by sin and left for dead. Our hope is perished, we don’t have time to look at this in any detail, but I believe that at least partially Christ gets his inspiration for the parable of the Good Samaritan from the story of Lamentations. The man who was from Jerusalem who was wounded and left for dead beaten up by enemies and thieves people pass by on the other side.

99. 1:04:48

    Then someone’s sympathizers shows, compassion, and mercy, and redeems his life. It all comes out of Lamentations. Christ’s inspiration for this little story, he is able to heal us. His example can Save us, he’s the Good Samaritan who binds up our wounds and redeems our lives and Lamentations chapter 3 is his secret to understanding the meaning of suffering.

100. 1:05:19

     He’s familiar with misery himself in every form and in every way. But he learned obedience by the things that he suffered, he forgot himself, he put his own mouth in the dust, he emptied himself, but he remembered God’s character. Is compassion’s every morning and each day. He grew more and more like him made. Perfect by weakness.

101. 1:05:45

     Let’s follow him brothers and sisters. Let’s put our mouths in the dust. It’s thank God that his compassion’s fail, not, and spend each day, hoping that he will come. And when the salvation of Yahweh does, come that he might recognize us beaten and bruised by sin as we are. ER, is those who have been conformed to be like him, people who have allowed his Healing Hands to bind up their wounds people who have allowed his perspective to change their lives. Fleets in the woods of Lamentations 3 and verse 40, search, and try our ways and turn again to Yahweh and with gratefulness, lift up our heart, with our hands to our father in the heavens.

102. 1:06:53

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103. 1:07:09

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104. 1:07:50

     God, bless and talk to you next week.