Read: Lamentations 2-4
Lamentations gives us a morbid picture of exile. The city has been destroyed. the kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands and they now live under new laws. People are starving and the men hang their heads in shame. God had planned this for a long time and it is finally being executed just as he said. When God removes his mercy, it is not a pretty picture. I think the most hideous part of today’s reading is when the women ate the very babies they bounced on their knees. How can it get that bad? This is what happens when the people invite terror by rebelling against the Lord.
There are verses that we have quoted that have new meaning when we see them in context. The nation is ravaged by the Babylonians and there are dead bodies lying in the streets. Homes and the Temple are burned to the ground and yet the writer of Lamentations dares to hope. He remembers that the faithful love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is God’s faithfulness. It goes on to say that the Lord is good to those who depend on him and to those who search for him. God says that it is good to wait for His salvation.
Lord, in the midst of all the destruction and confusion we see amongst us, let us be reminded that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
No comments:
Post a Comment