Nathan Lewis - Class 4: Lamentations - The Precious Sons of Zion

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

1. 0:03

   Brother Nathan sauce that we move straight to his comments rather than by way of introduction through a reading. So our subtitle for today, for study for the meaning of suffering and our topic is the precious sons of Zion brother, Nate. Well, thanks, brother Brendan and good morning again, brothers and sisters and our Lord Jesus Christ. We now come to the last class, really proper on the book of Lamentations that we’re going to spend together this week because tomorrow we’re going to really look at the subject of fellowshiping our Lord.

2. 0:46

   Jesus Christ’s sufferings. So this morning we want to consider Lamentations chapters 4 and 5 but you will remember from Our last class that we looked at the Survivor of chapter 3, the man that had seen Affliction and we saw that despite experiencing all of the pain and suffering that the nation had experienced in Lamentations 1 and 2. He was able to see past the destruction, past the horror, and the grief, and the loss.

3. 1:23

   To what is described in chapter three, Verse 26, the salvation of yah-yah-yah is salvation yahushua. And we saw that this man had perspective, hope Trust yahweh’s compassion’s and new every morning. He told us that if amidst the darkness of Affliction, we lose hope. It is because we have forgotten the character of God himself. He told us that our tribulations are the pressure that God brings to conform us to the image of his son and that amazingly we can be grateful for his hand.

4. 2:08

   We can be satisfied with the travail of our soul. That remarkably the trials of this life, are his Mercies in Disguise that. Our sufferings might be our biggest blessings. And this man’s example, in verse 30 of chapter 3 was to willingly submit to whatever his father thought was the best way to develop his love, whatever his father thought was the best way to develop his trust, whatever his father thought was the best way to develop his faith.

5. 2:47

   And if chapter 2 and verse 13 posed, the question, our bruise is great like the see who can heal us. Then this suffering man, stepped forward to provide the answer the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 of whom it is said with his bruised, we are healed and you might remember that. We spent some time looking at the progression of thought in chapter 3, but just to summarize, Guys, what we looked at yesterday? This is really the thought flow of chapter 3. The man of Affliction, he never blames God, but he’s highly aware of his miserable State versus 1217. Then in verses 18 to 21, choosing wisdom, he remembers the experiences of the past, he reminds himself in verses 22 to 23 of God’s glorious, merciful character. In verses 24 to 32.

6. 3:55

   He concludes that suffering. Has purpose and ultimately good objectives which means verse 33 to 36. God will never afflict without excellent reason. And if we question or complain about our sufferings, we are doubting God’s character and his promises. It was a slow but inevitable change towards a new way of thinking, an amazing perspective to see.

7. 4:28

   So clearly God’s objectives and goodness amidst the chaos and misery. This is God’s perspective, it is his Divine work, we can’t understand it, sometimes we can’t even see it. Happening in our lives. But in the trials of life, When we look back. We are becoming more patient. We are becoming more humble. We are becoming more trusting more reliant on him.

8. 5:00

   And the suffering that we that we we don’t want to ensure that we despised that we want to cast off is actually changing our minds and characters. Now, you’ve probably never heard of a Woman by the name of Elizabeth. Kubler-Ross she is a Swiss psychiatrist. She wrote a book in 1969, entitled on death and dying in which she outlined the five stages of grief.

9. 5:35

   She received 20 honorary degrees from different universities around the world and apparently she taught 125 thousand students. Her theory on Griff and here it is. There’s five stages to grief. It starts out with denial, is this really happening to me? Then it moves to anger. Why is this happening to me? Emotional disturbance, then we move to bargaining.

10. 6:12

    We attempt to negotiate as this really feel true. How can we how can we make the situation better? Is this a trade-off. Maybe we can do something to to convert the situation. But slowly we realize No, we have suffered loss. We enter into depression Preparatory, grieving. And finally The grand stage of acceptance where we are able to achieve some objectivity.

11. 6:47

    This is the greatest psychiatrist that the world has seen with the best cycle of grief yet discovered. But what a lousy ending? What a lousy ending brothers and sisters to the cycle that we get to the end. We’ve experienced all of this trauma and pain. And the end of the cycle is just, yes, it has happened to me. I accept it.

12. 7:16

    What is missing from this human model of coping with Affliction. And the answer is this last step that we see purpose that we find meaning behind are suffering. This only comes by a relationship with God without God. This last step is impossible, it needs his character, his compassion, his purpose, and what a wonderful Journey.

13. 7:46

    Looking back through Lamentations, we can see that the nation and the prophet were taken on by their loving Heavenly Father. Because when we look at these stages of grief with our sixth stage tacked on the end, we can see that in actual fact, both the nation and the prophet are taken through these five or six stages of grief, wonderfully by our loving heavenly father. Let me just illustrate it very quickly and you can look at it in your own time.

14. 8:22

    Looking under the nation. When it says denial chapter 1 verses 11 and 12 all her people sigh, they seek bread, they have given their Pleasant things for me to relieve, the soul CE, o, Yahweh and consider for I am become vial. Is it? Nothing to you all ye that pass by behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow?

15. 8:50

    Is this really happening to me? Is that really? This bad? The nation is saying to the passers-by. Have you ever seen anything like this? Tell me. It’s all a dream. What about the third section bargaining? Negotiating with God? Look at chapter 2 and verse 20, behold o, Yahweh, and consider to whom thou Hast done this reconsider.

16. 9:15

    Is there any chance we can? We can have a talk about about changing things. Show the women, eat their fruit and children of a spend long show. The priests in the prophet be slain in the century of Yahweh. Is this really where you want to leave us. God The nation starts bargaining. But finally they come to the point of seeing the purpose behind their suffering. Suffering was to make them turn and in chapter 5 and verse 21, we finally get there and we will this morning turn their us unto thee o Yahweh and we shall be turned as a brother. James showed us straight words, straight out of Jeremiah So lemon tations has everything that the top clinical psychiatrist in the world have come up with and more. This is a masterpiece brothers and sisters in dealing with grief.

17. 10:10

    And this morning, we want to focus on chapters 4 and 5. And see just how the nation which was engulfed in Hopeless. Blackness back in chapters one and two respond. Now to the man of chapter 3 We’re now going to go from The Afflicted Daughter of Zion to the precious sons of Zion and the answer to that question. How has the man of chapter three affected them is? Not much at all.

18. 10:45

    By the time we start chapter 4, chapter 4 is really a return to the Blackness of chapters 1 and 2 to the pitiful, horrific state of the nation. And it starts again with this National lament, how is the gold become dim? It’s a return to self-pity and disbelief return to the story of how everything was upside. I’d down and in actual fact, the first 12 verses of chapter 4 are going to be a series of six couplets where the profit is going to describe how completely God has turned everything upside down.

19. 11:32

    We read in verses 1 and 2. These words, how is the gold become dim? How is the most fine? Gold changed the Stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street, the precious sons of Zion comparable to find gold, how are they esteemed as Earthen pictures the work of the hands of the Potter? The most fine.

20. 11:59

    Gold was changed. Their faith was gone. Now it was lusterless dim contaminated unreflective. You remember Ezekiel had said in Ezekiel 21 and verse 26 of zedekiah, remove the diadem take off the crown, the shall not be the same and it wasn’t the same, it wasn’t the same, the most precious possession of Any Nation.

21. 12:29

    Its people had gone from Feingold to something like element IAM a base metal that gone from holy Stones as the revised Standard Version. Puts it in in verse 12 shattered, Pottery, it was a remarkable Fall From Grace, God’s peculiar treasure verse 7 says more ready than rubies like sapphires for brightness, his gemstones.

22. 12:59

    Now lay scattered abandoned discarded in the street The Feingold. The faith of the nation was gone. It had changed. It’s a bit like Solomon’s Shields of of gold Feingold. And first of Kings teen and verse 17. You remember that got replaced with kind of cheap imitations by riobamba and first of Kings, 14 verses 26 to 27.

23. 13:28

    In the brass Shields, really weren’t the same as the Feingold. The Feingold has Has changed and here Jeremiah bewails. Again the said and sorry state of the nation their faith had gone in verses 3 and 4. It’s going to describe the departure of the feelings of the people. He says, even the sea monsters draw out the breast and give suck to their young ones.

24. 14:00

    The daughter of my people has become cruel like the ostriches in the wilderness. The tongue of the sucking child cleave Earth, to the roof of his mouth for thirst. The young children, ask bread and no man break Earth it unto them. Do you know the Hebrew word for sea monsters? As probably bitter rendered jackals. That’s how the RSV puts it in.

25. 14:23

    Actual fact, it’s used six times in the book of Jeremiah and it’s always translated jackals rather rooms has wild dogs keil and delitzsch has she-wolves. So, it’s talking about wild dogs. He’s saying even the wild dogs give suck to their ones. This this nation was worse than Scavenging, dogs. Scavenging, dogs might eat their own vomit. But not usually their own children. But verse 10 tells us that’s exactly what the nation of Judah were doing.

26. 15:04

    They were worse than Scavenging dogs. There were eating their own children. Now, this is not the first time that the prophets have compared Israel to animals and found them wanting you might like to take a quick note of these Isaiah 1 and verse 3. The ox knoweth his owner, the S his master’s crib but Israel does not know. My people does not consider Or Jeremiah 8 and verse 7, ye the stalk and the heaven knoweth her appointed time, the turtle and the crane and the swallow observed, the time of their coming, but my people know not the Judgment of Yahweh in exactly the same way here.

27. 15:47

    The nation is worse than the animals. Even the animals do what God has asked of them. Here, the nation has no natural affection, that become like ostriches and verse 3, which job 39 and verses 15 to 16. Say, they leave the eggs and the Earth. They forget that their foot may crush them.

28. 16:13

    She’s hardened against two young ones as though they were not hers. All natural feelings are gone. She’s indifferent to the needs of her own children. All her feelings have gone. In verses 5 and 6, we’re going to find that. Their wealth was gone. The wealthy have become desolate. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets.

29. 16:40

    They that were brought up in scarlet and Brace dung Hills for the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown, as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. The revised standard version. 4 verse 5, says these that feasted on dainties and now begging for scraps.

30. 17:07

    Everything is upside down if you want a description of the high society Dandy’s of Judah, just go back and read in your own time. Isaiah 3 verses 16 to 26, The daughters of Zion are haughty with stretched forth Knicks and wanton eyes minsang. As they go, they have tinkling ornaments bracelets Mufflers. Bonnets headbands, tablets earrings, Rings knows Jewels mentals whimpers.

31. 17:47

    Crisping pins mean it puts the fashion models of today to shame. And God is saying those people, those who were the fox, who dined, sumptuously, who, cultivated good taste, who worried about fashion, and the Arts. Rather in the says, they who used to be carried on Crimson. Now, embracing dung Hills rubbish heaps, scratching through the the bins, at the back of the restaurants searching for food.

32. 18:24

    It’s a graphic description of God, turning High Society upside down their wealth and their status was gone. Incidentally, verse 5 seems to be, doesn’t it? Perhaps the basis for Christ. Parable of the rich, man and Lazarus. In Luke chapter, 16, the rich man is clothed in purple, he fears sumptuously every day.

33. 18:55

    But then the dogs come and lick his sores. He is, he is punished for his sins and maybe Christ alludes to Lamentations. What about verses 7 and 8? The nazarites, the leaders are unrecognizable, they’re not known in the streets, her nazirites were pure than snow, they were whiter the milk. They were more ready and body than rubies are polishing was of sapphire.

34. 19:24

    But now the envisage is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets, this skin Cleaver to their bones of his withered, his become like a stick. The lead is separated to Holiness and cleanness. And now withered and dirty. Look at how verses 7 and 8 are a contrast of each other. The nazarites used to be pure than snow. But now blacker than coal verse 8, they used to be whiter than milk now.

35. 20:03

    Unrecognizably, dirty. They used to be more ready than rubies now, this skin cleave Earth to their bones are used to be more beautiful than sapphires. Now, that just like a worthless ugly withered stick The Holiness, they cleanness, their health, their beauty had all been taken away. They have gone from whiter than snow verse. 72 as the margin says in verse 8.

36. 20:42

    Darker than Blackness, there couldn’t be a greater Fall From Grace. For the rulers, the leaders, the Elders of the nation. Complete reversal of Fortunes once highly esteemed. Now forsaken, their leaders were gone, the cream of the nation. And what about, what about verses 9 and 10? The compassionate mother’s boil their own children, their conscience was gone.

37. 21:15

    The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in verse six were destroyed in a moment. But look what it says in verses 9 and 10, they that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with Hunger for these pine away stricken through for want of the fruits of the field, the hands of the pitiful woman have sodden their own children, they were there.

38. 21:44

    Meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people and of Sodom and Gomorrah verse. Six were destroyed in a moment that turned out. Out to be God’s mercy. That it just took a second and they were did Jerusalem and its people have tortured themselves to death over months and months and months of pain. What a graphic picture.

39. 22:08

    Imagine imagine Wanting to be like Sodom and Gomorrah in their destruction, in the swiftness of that judgment was more compassionate to boil your own son, then to watch his life. Either way from Hunger or maternal Instinct. All conscience is gone what a horrific time. Jeremiah had predicted hadn’t. He that they would eat their own sons and daughters and friends in The Siege and in the straightness, Jeremiah 19 and verse 9.

40. 22:42

    And it had all come true. Everything was upside down and you couldn’t get more upside down then, mothers eating their own children. But it had happened and lastly, the last couplet verses 11 and 12 the destruction of the city.

41. 23:06

    Where am I? I’m lost are here before we move on to the last. Couplet I have inserted another slide and it’s this. This is a great lesson. By the way, the children, Have been eaten. This is a sub theme throughout Lamentations and it’s the fate of the children. Look at this lemon. Tations. 1 verse 5, the children have gone into captivity.

42. 23:32

    The children are crushed in desolate. The infant’s Swoon in the streets, their soul is poured into their mother’s bosom. It’s the small ones that faint for hunger. In the streets children are span longer eating his food, the Yong Li did on the ground. Those are swaddled are consumed. The little ones, the children are dying of thirst and hunger and 4:4 The Boiled, and eaten his food. The children fell under the wood, what’s Lamentations telling us, brothers and sisters. It’s telling us.

43. 24:08

    That when we fail in our faith, our children disproportionately suffer at children, disproportionately suffer, and we might have failed in our faith, but look what happens to them. What a lesson in our own lives to take heed to These Warnings. And so lastly, we come to the last couplet verses 11 and 12 the kings of the Earth.

44. 24:38

    Nobody would have believed that Jerusalem could be taken. Their city was gone. Yahweh has a couple of stirs Fury. Verse 11. He hath poured out his Fierce anger and has kindled a fire in Zion. He has destroyed the foundation’s their of the kings of the Earth, all the inhabitants of the world would never have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the Gates of Jerusalem. There was a real sense of wonder incredibleness about the Uh seen God’s impregnable City in the temple that you think God would never allow to be destroyed.

45. 25:16

    Now, lay in ruins, it was the ultimate proof that he dwells not in temples made with hands but it was all gone their faith. Their feelings, their wealth, their leaders, their conscience. This city. Everything was gone. Wow. How had this happened?

46. 25:39

    It’s like a return to the darkness of chapters 1 & 2. But you see chapters four and five are distinct from chapters one. And two, it is not all doom and disaster because chapters four and five have a sincere self-examination, a sincere repentance a turning back to God. And we see the start of this in verse 17 to 20 because verse 17 to 20 of chapter 4 is a section that describes the broken. Flexions of the common people on how foolish they had been in hindsight.

47. 26:21

    That been deceived by their leaders. LED astray by false prophets, they were guilty of trusting and man, rather than God having itching ears that only wanted to hear what Isaiah calls and Isaiah 30, and verse 10, smooth things. And we know that verses 17 to 20 is a distinct section where Jerusalem is talking.

48. 26:45

    The common people are talking because, well, look at the explosion of different pronouns. In the text. And for those of you who have done the coloring in this will jump off the page for you, and you’ll immediately see why coloring in the pronouns is so helpful. When you come to verses 17 to 20, it’s all about.

49. 27:05

    We it’s our eyes. Our vain help. We have watched for a nation that could not save us. These are the broken reflections of the common people on how foolish they had been. Now, we looked Very briefly in our introduction session at the characters of the drama, but just to just to illustrate why this is so important.

50. 27:32

    It really gives us another layer of understanding Lamentations that we haven’t really looked at. It’s a bit like the Song of Solomon. These different people speaking interacting with each other and we did look at this very briefly when we were in chapter one, but you may be able to see from here. Here. This is 1:9 and look how halfway through verse 9. It just changes from one speaker to the other and you can tell because of this little change of pronoun. All right.

51. 28:03

    So it’s helpful to establish who’s speaking in the text and we see these are the characters of the drama and a few. If you haven’t got a note of that, you can get a note later or color it in in the coloring in So, here in chapter 4 in verses 17 to 20, you can see that we are back to Jerusalem reflecting on what might have been on, what they did wrong, how they put their trust in man and refuse to listen to God.

52. 28:35

    This is the reflections and the regrets of the nation of Israel. Look what they say, our eyes as yet failed verse 17. Just like zedekiah, their failed King, who turned out to be wrong. And what happened to his eyes? His eyes got put out by the king of Babylon. Our eyes have yet failed. It’s an acknowledgement where are exactly the same as king. Zedekiah.

53. 29:11

    Verse 17 says, we have watched for a nation that could not save us. And they acknowledge that Egypt was not the friend that they thought in. Jeremiah was, right, because Jeremiah had said in Jeremiah 30:7 and verse 7, Pharaoh king of Egypt will not help you. He will return to his own land. It was words as clear as that, and they had not listened and now they acknowledge.

54. 29:40

    Jeremiah you were, right? In verse 18, they said at the end is come. Now we saw that phrase come out in our readings. This morning with brother James from Jeremiah chapter 4 but look where else it comes from Ezekiel chapter 2 over and over and over and over again. Your end your end has come. The end is come, the end has come in Ezekiel, they say now, zekiel, you were right.

55. 30:11

    Our end is come, they say our persecutors are swifter than Eagles. Where does that come from? That comes from Jeremiah chapter 4, and verse 13. We just read that this morning. The Babylonians had come and they were swifter than Eagles, and Jeremiah you were, right?

56. 30:33

    In verse 20, the anointed of Yahweh was taken. It was an acknowledgement that they had relied on Josiah too heavily and they never developed a personal faith. He was taken away from them and they hadn’t listened to his wisdom. The profits were right, everybody, that warned us was right. And we were wrong. The broken reflections of a broken people. and so now we come to chapter 5 and the closing prayer of the nation. God has slowly brought them to a point of reflection acknowledgement of their failures and now comes the response that God has been waiting for chapter 5 in verse 1.

57. 31:25

    Remember o Yahweh what has come upon us consider and behold our approach. Remember this is the word that came from the lips of the man of chapter 3. And now in chapter 5, the people are slowly being changed by his perspective. This is the change. This is the nation’s response. If Lamentations 1 and 2, are the thief on this side who just wallows and self-pity and misery without meaning. The now we come to the nation, the thief, on this side, who is beginning to turn, who can look to the man in the middle Christ on the cross.

58. 32:14

    And see an example of how to deal with suffering in faith and in trust. And now, this nation recognizes the innocent sea of the man in the middle. And he starts to turn. He starts to repent, he starts to change. And what did that Thief say? Remember me when that comes first in thy kingdom, this is the nation’s response to the man of chapter 3 and look what the nation does. They remember.

59. 32:49

    They recall to mind that’s Lamentations 3, 19 to 21, they acknowledge, we have sinned, we have transgressed, that’s Lamentations 3 and verse 42. They talk about God’s steadfast love and mercy, as which are forever in verse 19. They say, Yahweh will not cast off forever. In verse 20, that comes from Lamentations 3 in verse, One they say, yeah, we will not utterly reject us or crush us in verse 22, which we’ll come to in a few moments that comes from verses 33 to 34 of Lamentations 3.

60. 33:33

    And finally, in verse 21, they say turned our us unto thee o Yahweh and we shall be turned that comes straight out of Lamentations 3 and verse 40, let us search and try our ways and turn again unto Yahweh. So, Lamentations 3 and the man of Affliction has greatly influenced now, the nation and their response in Lamentations five.

61. 34:07

    They complained about their Brews and who could heal them but now the man who was bruised for their iniquities, was able to give them that. Perspective. And they were responding. You know, it’s a pretty hard confession to make. Isn’t it in verse 16? When the Nations says, we have sinned And you know that’s the point of suffering. That’s the point that God wants to bring all of us to finally the nation gets there in chapter 5 and verse 16, they acknowledge their sin but look brothers and sisters how it is dragged out of them.

62. 34:50

    Look at chapter 4 in verse 7. Well, we’re prepared to admit that maybe we’re not quite as pure as the driven snow. 4:13, well, maybe the prophets and the priests might have sinned. Chapter 4 verse 17 to 20. Well we could have been more faithful, Preps. 5:7 well, our fathers certainly sinned and we are suffering because of them until finally.

63. 35:28

    It is rung out of them and 5:16 Woe unto us that we have sinned at last there is total Acceptance in ownership of their sin. And even verse 7 was just a partial acceptance of responsibility. It took God’s judgments. It took his punishments, it took knocking the crown clean off the heat of the princess verse 16 for her to realize. I have sinned I am guilty.

64. 36:00

    God only is righteous and in the last A few verses of, the final prayer of the book and only their does God get the nation to where he needs them to be. We can see the progress that they have made. Look at Verse 18, but read with me from verse 17, For this, our heart is faint.

65. 36:27

    For these things, our eyes are dim because Of the Mountain of Zion, which is desolate. The foxes walk upon it. Do you know that the word desolate is a keyword in Lamentations but look at the progress of this nation They start out in chapter 1 and verse for all her gates are desolate.

66. 36:58

    The city is desolate. By the time we come to chapter 1 verse 13. He has made me desolate. I am desolate. By the time we come to chapter 1 verse 16. My children are desolate. 4:5. The people are desolate. They that did feed delicately are desolate until finally. In chapter 5, we find that the mountain of Zion is desolate. God, and His Mountain are desolate. And the people start to think about something other than their own misery.

67. 37:38

    How does God feel With his inheritance turned over to strangers verse 2. How does God feel with his own children did or abandoned verse 3? How does God feel when his people are paying money for the Water of Life? Verse 4, that he had given them without price. I mean Jeremiah had said to the people and 2:13 and chapter 17 and verse 8 that God himself was the Fountain of Living Waters and now they’re paying for water. How does that make God feel?

68. 38:16

    How does God feel in verse 18 that the foxes unclean scavengers are prowling over his Holy Hill in the attention of the people suddenly turns, to God. How does God feel about all this desolation? I mean, up until now it’s just been about me but now How does God feel about his temple in Ruins?

69. 38:44

    How does God feel about his people carted off into captivity? Look at verse 19, thou o, Yahweh remain us forever. Thy Throne from generation to generation. This is another sign of progress. If we saw that the word desolate was able to take us through a progression of thought, from just being totally self-consumed to finally realizing that Yahweh was desolated by what Babylon had done.

70. 39:17

    Then what about this idea of his sanctuary. In chapter 1 and verse 10. The Heathen have entered into her Sanctuary. There was disbelief at the desecration Then in Chapter 2, there’s a realization that he has abhorred. His Century there was confusion that God could allow this. How did how could God do this to his Sanctuary? Then in chapter 3, there’s an acknowledgement that we ought to lift up our hands to God, who dwells in the heavens? A realization that God dwells not in buildings made with hands in chapter 4.

71. 40:00

    In verse 1, the stones of the century are poured out the destruction, they realize, it must have been God’s will. But now in chapter 5 and verse 19, they realize that actually God’s Sanctuary could never be destroyed. Even though Jerusalem lay in smoldering ruins. There was now a realization, a recognition that Yahweh still set in throned in his real sanctuary in the heavens just as he did before. Roll the rooms, has their own Yahweh and two times age, abiding dust remain.

72. 40:42

    And it was suddenly brought home to them, how finite their minds were They were devastated about their homes, this city, this short lives. They’re man-made Temple, but Yahweh rained, and throned in the heavens unfettered by time, or place. And it lasts in the final words of the book. God sees his children, turn the whole purpose of our Affliction is to make us turn 3:40 and now they do. Verse 21.

73. 41:21

    Turned out us unto thee, o Yahweh, and we shall be turned renew our days as of old, but thou Hast utterly rejected us, Thou Art very rough against us. Now, you may know that verse 22 should really be rendered as a question. It is not a statement that God had utterly rejected them, but it should be like the margins says for wilt.

74. 41:50

    Thou Actually reject us, aren’t there? Still very rough against us? The ESV has unless you have utterly rejected us and you remain exceedingly angry with us. It’s a rhetorical question and we already know the answer to that. Question. From Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 31. He will not cast off forever. His character abundant and goodness and compassion.

75. 42:25

    And faithfulness means that he could never do that. Not to people who turn back to him. And now, God has the response that he’s been waiting for, from the nation in the same response that he waits for each of us, weights from from each of us in verse 21. turn their us unto thee, o Yahweh and we shall be turned Rotherham is has bring us back. Oh Yahweh unto thyself and we will come back at last. There is true.

76. 42:59

    Repentance. True. Humility. A recognition that if the punishment all came from God, then forgiveness and healing and restoration must come from him as well. And, you know, brothers and sisters. The most amazing thing is that the people in verse 21 actually quote, do you know who Jeremiah himself because Jeremiah are verse 21 is a quotation of Jeremiah 31 in verses 18 to 19.

77. 43:38

    It’s almost as if they salute the prophet who had brought them slowly. But inevitably to this understanding it’s a mark of respect for the prophet who had willingly suffered everything they had but he’d been right all along. Just come back. If you will to the Jeremiah 31 because it’s just read those verses together and see how wonderfully the nation pays.

78. 44:04

    Homage to Jeremiah Jeremiah 31. And verse 18. These are God’s words out of the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet. I have surely heard a frame bemoaning himself, thus thou Hast chastise me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yolk. Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art, Yahweh, my God shortly after that I was turned I repented. And after that, I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh.

79. 44:47

    I was ashamed. Yeah, even confounded because I did Bear the Roach of my youth is Ephraim. My dear son. Is he a pleasant child for since I speak against him? I do earnestly. Remember him still there for my bowels are troubled for him and will surely have mercy upon Him saith. Yahweh, Set the up waymarks. Make the high heaps sit by heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest turn again.

80. 45:20

    Oh, Virgin of Israel turn again to these dice cities. And now the nation is going to directly quote from Jeremiah’s words because Jeremiah had prophesied of Destruction and misery into ruins. But he also promised the feelings of God for his own children. He promised healing and life and blessings. God was not only the cause of their punishment, but the solution to all of their woes, The purification and purging process of Affliction has a purpose to restore to show Mercy to build again. It’s vain to lament the past if our grief and soul-searching does not make the future better and God had promised a reversal of all of the destruction and misery a reversal of all of the pain and horror of Lamentations in Jeremiah chapter 31 is going to outline God’s solution for his people. If they turn just come back over the page and read with me what God had already promised.

81. 46:38

    And see if you can hear Echoes of Lamentations verse 10. Hear the word of Yahweh. Oh ye nations declare it in the aisles, afar off and say he that scattered him. Israel will gather him and keep him as a Shepherd. Duff is flock for Yahweh. Hath redeemed. Jacob, rent some time from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion shall flow together to the goodness of Yahweh for wheat and for wine, and for oil for the young of the flock and of the herd, their soul shall be as a watered Garden. They shall not so anymore at all. Then, shall the Virgin rejoice in the dance? Both young men and old together for I will turn their mourning into joy and Will Comfort them, and make them Rejoice from their sorrow.

82. 47:35

    I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness. It’s my people shall be satisfied with my goodness. Saith. Yahweh. Thus says, Yahweh a voice was heard in Ramah lamentation, bitter weeping Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children because they were not thus saith. Yahweh refrain thy voice from weeping. Don’t eyes from tears.

83. 48:03

    For they work shall be rewarded, saith, Yahweh, and they shall come again from the land of the enemy, and there is hope in those. Line in saith, Yahweh and thy children shall come again to their own border. That’s the immediate context. Of the nation’s quotation of I’ve Jeremiah’s words in verse 18. God already had the solution to all their pain to all their hurt to all their suffering. There is hope in the end, he’s outlined the solution before they even encountered the problem. Because you see brothers and sisters Lamentations is not just limited to 586 BC and the sufferings of one generation. It’s not a story that’s just limited to Jeremiah’s time. This is a story that will be repeated by the nation time and time again as they make the same mistakes and learn the same lessons over and over again.

84. 49:15

    That’s why it’s recorded for us because we make the same mistakes. and we are able to learn the same lessons, you know, back in Lamentations, in chapter 4, in verse 13. We read these words. For the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests. They have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. And whilst that was true of all of the profits and it was almost true of Jeremiah, he almost had his blood shed in the middle of Jerusalem.

85. 50:01

    The blood of the just in the ultimate sinks was our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ reaches back through the centuries to allude to the book of Lamentations again and again and again in his final days as he could see the nation on the brink of 80 70 and the destruction of another generation and another Temple. This time just by different enemies but all for the same reasons and our Lord Jesus Christ is going to allude to Lamentations in his lament over the city. O Jerusalem Jerusalem, you have shed the blood of the just your house will be left unto you desolate. The stones will be poured out, taken down one by one. The enemy is going to stand where they ought not. People are going to Marvel that the Romans even got into God’s holy place.

86. 51:07

    He wept over Jerusalem, your children will be lying on the ground. Woe unto them, that give suck. They’ll be distressed and wrath upon the people. He gives an exhortation to the daughters of Jerusalem. A phrase taken straight out of Lamentations chapter 2. Their punishment would be greater than Sodom and if Lamentations 2 and verse 12 asked, where is corn and wine?

87. 51:34

    We don’t need to wonder do we for the reason why our Lord Jesus Christ took bread. And took the cup. These were symbols from the beginning of time to demonstrate the presence of God amongst his people. And before he left, he wanted to leave them with those tokens before. The horrific destruction of the Roman swept down upon the people.

88. 52:03

    And the same thing happened to the nation again, he knew it was happening all over again. You see the book of Lamentations is for all times? It speaks of the universal experience of Affliction and it’s universal meaning. And while at the Dreadful events of Jeremiah’s time Babylon, was in the ascendancy. And Israel was subjugated on the decline. God’s plans for the future are entirely the opposite, he can reverse their Fortunes in a moment of time and he will do just that for Babylon because just as Israel didn’t turn to him in Christ stay and they suffered the same fate as Jeremiah’s people because Babylon has not recognize God. It will be their turn to drink from yahweh’s cup. Look how the the Dreadful terms of Lamentations are going to occur and pop up in Revelation as God’s. Judgments are poured out upon the very power, that desecrated the temple.

89. 53:21

    In Jeremiah’s time, we have a woman, an adulterer one clothed in fine Scarlet. She was drunk with Innocent blood as we just read the blood of the, of the just as poured out in her streets. She was once a great City, but now, has she Fallen? She’s become a dwelling place for beasts once a proud Queen. Once known for Delicacies.

90. 53:50

    Now, desolate sitting on the ground in sackcloth and Ashes. Lemon tation made for it in. Jeremiah 51 is going to say, how is she shek taken? How is Babylon become in astonishment among the Nations and Babylon will receive the same fate as Judah. If Judah was no better than Babylon, then Babylon was no worse than Judah.

91. 54:21

    And the lesson of This Book of Lamentations is about Universal suffering, Universal sin, Universal repentance and seeking for meaning, turning to God. If we don’t learn the lessons of this book, these people, the lessons of the past. We will be doomed to repeat their mistakes. So where do we stand brothers and sisters, is we look at the parable of the book of Lamentations.

92. 54:51

    Where are we? In this story we did we find ourselves in 2021. But we have the example in the middle of the book. The man of Lamentations 3, the man who has seen Affliction despite his innocence. But who offers meaning and hope in the choice for all of us is which way will we go? Will we be part of an unrepentant Community Afflicted because of sinfulness engulfed by grief without meaning chapters one and two?

93. 55:32

    Or will we respond to this man in the middle? This man who was able to inspire a faithful Community to rely on. God and to wait, patiently for him, we’re going to be The Afflicted Daughter of Zion. Or are we going to be the precious sons of Zion? We stand on the edge of Israel in the ascendancy and Babylon on Climb.

94. 56:03

    We are all waiting for yahushua. Yahweh is salvation and we’re doing what Lamentations 3 us us to do both hope in quietly. Wait for him. Todd sometimes, isn’t it brothers and sisters to wait. Quietly for him let’s try to see meaning in our minor miseries to see hope Beyond life’s troubles to realize that nothing happens by accident in God’s arrangements and that whatever happens to us, it’s his love, it’s his care. It’s his patients without an ability to learn. It’s his steadfast Relentless love to conform us. Us to the image of his son.

95. 56:55

    However, hard. That might feel. That when his son comes to raise Zions smoldering walls to restore, Israel’s Kings and Priests to make Jerusalem, a praise again in the earth that we can welcome him with open arms, brother and sisters. That we know that man. That we love him for what he has done for us.

96. 57:21

    He intimately new affliction. But now he doesn’t come as the man who knew Affliction, he’s going to come as the king of the world. The inspiration of all those who aspire to be, Zions precious Sons and Daughters. Let us brothers and sisters in young people try to take Lamentations into our own hearts and Minds to turn to turn back to him to be changed by his perspective.

97. 57:55

    To know that the sufferings of, this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glories that one day will be revealed in US. To know that the sufferings of, this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glories that one day will be revealed in US.