Lamentations 5:20-21 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
Ah my Friends, it’s one of those days when I feel like being joyful; singing and dancing while giving thanks and praise to the Most High! But unfortunately the guiding Spirit led me to Lamentations, and since I’m pledged to obedience, (smile) I must follow it’s leading. So here we are. Jeremiah’s lamenting the ‘sufferation’ of his people. ‘Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned (over) to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows…Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. Our fathers have sinned and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. Servants have ruled over us: there is none that deliver us out of their hand.’ (Lam.5:1-3, 7-6) Yes my people, those are some of the misfortunes that struck the inhabitants when the kingdom of Judah fell and the holy city of Jerusalem was destroyed. All of that befell the nation and the city because of the people’s sin; forsaking the Lord God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This continuous, wilful, disobedience invoked a severe judgement from the Lord. Apparently Jeremiah was an eye witness to the tragedy and seeing all that suffering drove him to put his thoughts to paper, lamenting his people’s sinful plight, outlining their trials and tribulation to the Lord and crying out for mercy and forgiveness. ‘Our skin was black (hot) like an oven, because of the terrible (fever of) famine. They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. Princes are hanged up by their hand: The faces of the elders were not honoured. (respected) They took the young men to grind, (at the millstones) and the children fell under the wood. (staggered under loads of wood) (Lam.5:10-13) Oh my people, those are some of the unfortunate things that happen when one country invades another. The inhabitants are made to bear the brunt of the physical and menial labour while only receiving crumbs in return, and it’s sure a long, hard, excruciating fall from master to suddenly slave. Now that’s what happened to Judah because of their disobedience, their total lack of respect for Almighty God. He sent Jeremiah long before to warn them, but they didn’t listen, they thumbed their noses at Him. But Friends, patience is one of the many attributes in which our God abounds. As they say, time longer than twine, and He patiently bided His time, for, as we’ve been saying, the wicked always falls, it just depends on the Lord’s timetable. So Judah went on thumbing their noses at the Most High God for years until Babylon destroyed them. The vengeance of the Lord befell His chosen people. Then there was much moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth. But it’s the simple story of if you don’t hear you’ll eventually feel. And the Lord had to make an example of them, otherwise everybody would think that they could sin, be disobedient, worship idols and get away with it. They’d then assume that the Lord’s bark was much worse than His bite. But Friends, Jeremiah lived to tell the opposite; the Lord’s bite is terrible. ‘The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music. The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us that we have sinned.’ (Lam.5:14-16) And right there Jerry hit the nail on the head people; ‘ woe unto us that we have sinned.’ I guess that’s why the Spirit led me to Lamentations although I was not in a lamenting frame of mind. It wanted to point out to us in bright, living, Technicolor what happens when a people consistently disobeys the Word of the Lord, and makes a mockery of His statutes. And Friends, there’s no set way for the Lord to invoke His displeasure and punishment, but He always gives sufficient time and warnings for the wrongdoers to change their evil ways. Then the punishment can come in one sudden big blast, like Sodom and Gomorrah, or it can be long and drawn out, like it was with Judah. But again too, the Lord always makes a way where there seems to be none. In this case there was Jeremiah, who though he felt for his people, stood strong and acknowledged the Lord’s dominion on their behalf. ‘Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.’ (Lam.5:19)Then he pleads for them: ‘Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long a time? (Lam.5:20) That hearkens back to the Psalmist’s plea: ‘How long wilt thou forget me O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take council in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?’ (Ps.13:1)Ah my people, there’s only one antidote for the sin of disobedience; that’s repentance. And Jeremiah knew this. Thus he urges it, claiming; ‘Turn thou us unto thee O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.’ (Lam.5:21) Jeremiah’s pleading that God in His faithfulness, righteousness and mercy would work on his people’s hearts so that they would turn back to Him in godly sorrow and repentance. It’s like Rachel’s mourning comforted: ‘I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned: for thou art the Lord my God.’ (Jer.31:18) Oh Friends, let’s all pray for that to happen in all our hearts, before the Lord becomes thoroughly dissatisfied with our sinful behaviour and causes even more evil to befall us than has already occurred. I believe we’re coming close to that time when the Lord will reach the end of His rope, and severely punish us for our wilful disobedience and rejection of His law. Right now we’re just in the waiting stages, so it’s not too late to repent and make amends to Almighty God, but we all must do it my people, it must be nationwide to make any impact. So let’s do our best to get everybody on the same page and cry out in repentance and godly sorrow to the Most High God Jehovah, for mercy and forgiveness. Much LOVE!…let’s take in front (repent)…before in front (disaster) takes us…
Ah my Friends, it’s one of those days when I feel like being joyful; singing and dancing while giving thanks and praise to the Most High! But unfortunately the guiding Spirit led me to Lamentations, and since I’m pledged to obedience, (smile) I must follow it’s leading. So here we are. Jeremiah’s lamenting the ‘sufferation’ of his people. ‘Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned (over) to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows…Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. Our fathers have sinned and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. Servants have ruled over us: there is none that deliver us out of their hand.’ (Lam.5:1-3, 7-6) Yes my people, those are some of the misfortunes that struck the inhabitants when the kingdom of Judah fell and the holy city of Jerusalem was destroyed. All of that befell the nation and the city because of the people’s sin; forsaking the Lord God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This continuous, wilful, disobedience invoked a severe judgement from the Lord. Apparently Jeremiah was an eye witness to the tragedy and seeing all that suffering drove him to put his thoughts to paper, lamenting his people’s sinful plight, outlining their trials and tribulation to the Lord and crying out for mercy and forgiveness. ‘Our skin was black (hot) like an oven, because of the terrible (fever of) famine. They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. Princes are hanged up by their hand: The faces of the elders were not honoured. (respected) They took the young men to grind, (at the millstones) and the children fell under the wood. (staggered under loads of wood) (Lam.5:10-13) Oh my people, those are some of the unfortunate things that happen when one country invades another. The inhabitants are made to bear the brunt of the physical and menial labour while only receiving crumbs in return, and it’s sure a long, hard, excruciating fall from master to suddenly slave. Now that’s what happened to Judah because of their disobedience, their total lack of respect for Almighty God. He sent Jeremiah long before to warn them, but they didn’t listen, they thumbed their noses at Him. But Friends, patience is one of the many attributes in which our God abounds. As they say, time longer than twine, and He patiently bided His time, for, as we’ve been saying, the wicked always falls, it just depends on the Lord’s timetable. So Judah went on thumbing their noses at the Most High God for years until Babylon destroyed them. The vengeance of the Lord befell His chosen people. Then there was much moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth. But it’s the simple story of if you don’t hear you’ll eventually feel. And the Lord had to make an example of them, otherwise everybody would think that they could sin, be disobedient, worship idols and get away with it. They’d then assume that the Lord’s bark was much worse than His bite. But Friends, Jeremiah lived to tell the opposite; the Lord’s bite is terrible. ‘The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music. The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us that we have sinned.’ (Lam.5:14-16) And right there Jerry hit the nail on the head people; ‘ woe unto us that we have sinned.’ I guess that’s why the Spirit led me to Lamentations although I was not in a lamenting frame of mind. It wanted to point out to us in bright, living, Technicolor what happens when a people consistently disobeys the Word of the Lord, and makes a mockery of His statutes. And Friends, there’s no set way for the Lord to invoke His displeasure and punishment, but He always gives sufficient time and warnings for the wrongdoers to change their evil ways. Then the punishment can come in one sudden big blast, like Sodom and Gomorrah, or it can be long and drawn out, like it was with Judah. But again too, the Lord always makes a way where there seems to be none. In this case there was Jeremiah, who though he felt for his people, stood strong and acknowledged the Lord’s dominion on their behalf. ‘Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.’ (Lam.5:19)Then he pleads for them: ‘Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long a time? (Lam.5:20) That hearkens back to the Psalmist’s plea: ‘How long wilt thou forget me O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take council in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?’ (Ps.13:1)Ah my people, there’s only one antidote for the sin of disobedience; that’s repentance. And Jeremiah knew this. Thus he urges it, claiming; ‘Turn thou us unto thee O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.’ (Lam.5:21) Jeremiah’s pleading that God in His faithfulness, righteousness and mercy would work on his people’s hearts so that they would turn back to Him in godly sorrow and repentance. It’s like Rachel’s mourning comforted: ‘I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned: for thou art the Lord my God.’ (Jer.31:18) Oh Friends, let’s all pray for that to happen in all our hearts, before the Lord becomes thoroughly dissatisfied with our sinful behaviour and causes even more evil to befall us than has already occurred. I believe we’re coming close to that time when the Lord will reach the end of His rope, and severely punish us for our wilful disobedience and rejection of His law. Right now we’re just in the waiting stages, so it’s not too late to repent and make amends to Almighty God, but we all must do it my people, it must be nationwide to make any impact. So let’s do our best to get everybody on the same page and cry out in repentance and godly sorrow to the Most High God Jehovah, for mercy and forgiveness. Much LOVE!…let’s take in front (repent)…before in front (disaster) takes us…
SCRIP-BITS 