I was reading through Lamentations and considering this very tragic book of the Bible. The book is one of the most depressing books of the Bible because it deals with the justice of God to punish sinners, even His own chosen people, the Israelites.
It’s a sad book.
Through all of the sadness, it’s good to see the wrtier of the book, believed to be Jeremiah the prophet, look to God for His consolation and comfort.
Consider Lamentations 3:22-26:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
**
Aren’t you glad His mercies are new every morning and that His faithfulness is great? I am. After reading this book, I realized how much I really do need His mercy and how much more faithful He is than I. It’s not even close!
Think about the implications of this in biblical counseling: counselees can ALWAYS count on the mercy and faithfulness of Christ!
God’s justice in this book is righteous. Nothing God ever does is wrong. We must keep this in mind as we read this short 5 chapter book of the Bible. I cannot imagine how Jeremiah must have felt having lived through the righteous punishment of God on Jeremiah’s own people knowing that God never delights in punishing His children.
-Mark (in the past, I compared myself to Jeremiah but not anymore!)
**The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (La 3:22-26). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.