Chapter 3
MSB outline says this lament is Jeremiah's grief expressed. This is a listing of Jeremiah's (?) feelings/experiences during this outpouring of God's justice on Jerusalem. A few phrases:
7b, he has made my chains heavy,
8b, he shuts out my prayer,
9b, he has made my paths crooked,
17b, I have forgotten what happiness is. Then, in these vss, Jeremiah still has hope:
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. [Lam 3:21-23 ESV]
Also, the next verses tell how to endure - or more, how we should behave under chastening.
28 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; 29 let him put his mouth in the dust-- there may yet be hope; 30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. [Lam 3:28-30 ESV]
2025 - This one that I've previously gone right by:
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. [Lam 3:31-33 ESV]. In the ESV it seems to convey a different circumstance. In ESV, the grief is associated with His punishment.
2025 - In NASB95, it is like this:
31 For the Lord will not reject forever, 32 For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion According to His abundant lovingkindness. 33 For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men. [Lam 3:31-33 NASB95]. Here, it seems to have application to the loss of one very loved. Maybe just me...
We are to accept chastening humbly and without defense. We must recognize our wrong, repent, and accept the consequences. Then this concise reminder, this clear rebuke to any thought of complaint:
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? [Lam 3:28, 38-39 ESV] Can this be a FB post? Hard stuff for most to accept. Also, given this wording, how would one then answer the charge that bad things that happen to us are God's doing? Well, if we sin, then yes, God's justice demands punishment. Hmm...I don't think I'll put this on FB just yet. Maybe on the website.
2022 - This verse caught my eye again, especially the second part. If we sin, what right have we to complain about the consequences, even if they come from God directly? Should a bank robber complain at his imprisonment? Shall a murderer complain at his execution? Putting people in prison or electric chairs surely qualifies as the justice system doing "bad" things. But what is the alternative? There must be rules. Is this what really motivates the "no capital punishment" crowd, the "rehabilitation instead of punishment" crowd? They rebel against justice because justice requires the imposition of bad things on bad people? Another perversion of God's truth, perverted by Satan, this time (opposite Hebrews 10) by saying God would never do bad things to anyone, so neither should human justice systems. But look at the verse! Both good and bad come from the Most High. It also makes clear that any "bad" from God is punishment for sin, and as such is both just and necessary Look back at vs 33, which set this all up:
33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. [Lam 3:33 ESV]. God does not want to afflict, but sometimes justice demands it. Perhaps this is the reason that he waits so long to impose His wrath - on Samaria, on Judah, on Jerusalem all the way to 70 AD.
2023 - Previously, I've gotten some of this right each time, but never put it all together correctly. The "problem" we have with this verse is the presumption that God's will should never displease us. That is the foundation of our belief that nothing "bad" ever comes from God. In these verses, consequences are labeled as "bad" by the receiver, not the sender. Does the bank robber think his imprisonment is "bad"? Of course! Does the murderer oppose capital punishment? Of course! But...aren't they the justice that was promised before the deeds were committed? If you know the consequences and do it anyway, then the consequences aren't bad, they're justice. They might be unexpected, because no one wants to receive justice when they are in the wrong. They only want justice when they've been wronged. Definitionally, God dispenses justice according to his perfect will and perfect timing, and the Bible shows over and over that He holds off far longer than we would. And again, vss 31-33 "prepare" us for what is coming. God doesn't want to "grieve" us any more than a grandparent wants to discipline a grandchild. But sometimes he must, and like grandchildren, we don't always receive it well, and what grandchild expects discipline from a grandparent - even when they earn it!
Possible FB post using Lam 3:31-33 and 3:38,39. And 40 gives the right response - Examine your ways! "Discipline of saints".
2025 - The NASB is also very good with this verse:
33 For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men. [Lam 3:33 NASB95]. "Willingly" is a pretty interesting word to use here, since God never does anything that is against his own will. Not even Jesus' death was against his will. It is certainly not how he prefers that things go. I think we can say that without reservation. He would rather bless than punish. He would rather give us joy instead of pain. But He will do as His character, as his attributes, and his unchangeability demand. Else he would not be God.
2025 - Here is another interesting NASB95 verse:
33 For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men. ... 38 [Is it] not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? [Lam 3:33, 38 NASB95], and here is the ESV version:
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? [Lam 3:38 ESV].
We don't like hearing these. They make us feel confused. Because we have been told by so many false teachers that God only does us good, no matter what we do. That we have a get out of jail free card that means we never get punished for our mistakes, for our wanton sin, but we get blessed for every single tiny thing we get right. This is just not so. Remember Job? He's in the Bible too ya know! God's purposes in the world - from the overall to the tiniest creature - are what will happen. Only HE can label some things good and others evil. False teachers tell us that OUR OWN perceptions, our own classifications, are valid in all cases, but they are NOT! Job didn't see his circumstances as good, but he understood that they were his to deal with because the all knowing all-wise God caused them or let them happen. He did not raise a hand to stop them, AND HE ALSO stamped His approval on the application. His ways are beyond us. That is true teaching.
2022 - The lengths to which God must go to unleash wrath:
43 "You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, killing without pity; 44 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. 45 You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples. [Lam 3:43-45 ESV]