Jeremiah continues in his song of Lament over Jerusalem – here is the second stanza. God is against His people…ultimately for their good.
Lamentations 2: The Lord Has Destroyed Without Pity
1 How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendour of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.
2 The Lord has swallowed up without mercy all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonour the kingdom and its rulers.
3 He has cut down in fierce anger all the might of Israel; he has withdrawn from them his right hand in the face of the enemy; he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around.
4 He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set like a foe; and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes in the tent of the daughter of Zion; he has poured out his fury like fire.
5 The Lord has become like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel; he has swallowed up all its palaces; he has laid in ruins its strongholds, and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins his meeting place; the LORD has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.
7 The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they raised a clamour in the house of the LORD as on the day of festival.
8 The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languished together.
9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.
12 They cry to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers' bosom.
13 What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is vast as the sea; who can heal you?
14 Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.
15 All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: "Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?"
16 All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: "We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!"
17 The LORD has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes.
18 Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite!
19 "Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street."
20 Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 In the dust of the streets lie the young and the old; my young women and my young men have fallen by the sword; you have killed them in the day of your anger, slaughtering without pity.
22 You summoned as if to a festival day my terrors on every side, and on the day of the anger of the LORD no one escaped or survived; those whom I held and raised my enemy destroyed.
Things to think about…
1. Lamentations contains 5 stanzas in this song of lament. This second stanza invests more detail the most recent history of Jerusalem perhaps weeks or months after the inhabitants were killed or taken captive. When Israel first came into the land they were to destroy all the nations because the land was polluted with idols. There was corruption in the land. Israel was to be a light of righteousness and God’s law among the nations. Israel was warned that if they became corrupt like the nations, being Israel would not save them. After many warnings their judgement is complete. The Lord hates hypocrisy, especially from His people. Jerusalem’s judgement was to preserve the honour of the Lord’s name. Grace will never cover wilful wickedness.
2. The glory has departed – Jerusalem truly is ‘Ichabod’ at this point, His glory had departed. All who were delightful were destroyed Lam 2:3. Notice that the judgement is described as coming from the Lord. It is His anger, vs 1, He is the enemy, vss 4,5, He scorns the altar and lays waste, vss 7,8. The Lord has done what He purposed, vs 17. God’s people should never think that they are exempt from discipline. Praise God with respect to the Christian, the judgement of God has fallen on the Son. This is what we celebrate more intentionally every Easter, but discipline is God’s love on display towards His children, Heb 12:6-11.
3. The gates have sunk and the bars are broken, Lam 2:9. These are the very ones that would be restored and raised up by Nehemiah over 100 years later. The temple would again be completed in 516BC, but the walls and gates were finally completed around 445BC. Some of the older folk who had returned to Jerusalem lamented that the rebuilt temple had nothing of the glory of the former temple. We can lament for the days of old, Eccl 7:10, but the Lord will do a new thing after a season of judgement.
4. Even in exile there were those that did not speak the truth about Jerusalem’s true heart condition and ‘not exposed her iniquity to restore her fortunes’, Lam 2:14. The oracles were misleading. What good is a message if it is not true? Sometimes we need to hear tough truths about ourselves. Let’s never be defensive as individuals or as a church when the Lord has a tough truth for us to hear as His people.
5. Jeremiah says the only answer is to plead to the Lord for mercy, Lam 2:19, 20. Ask that the Lord sees the suffering of those who are left in the city after the judgement. Even Jeremiah, the one who prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem with its people is amazed at how thorough the Lord has destroyed the city and the subsequent fallout, Lam 2:20-22. The young men and women lie dead in the street, vs 21. What is truly tragic in this picture is that Jeremiah says of these young people, “those whom I held and raised my enemy destroyed”, vs 22. Jeremiah had taught these young people the ways of the Lord, but they and their parents rebelled against His word. Such a tragedy when young people are raised to know Christ and yet wilfully turn away. There is no greater lament for a parent or grandparent who has prayed for a child in the womb only to have them turn away from Christ when they are older.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. 6:30pm every Wednesday. 5:30pm prayer.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for Ric and specialist care this week. Hopefully his condition can be finally dealt with. Has a procedure today
2. Pray for Phil and Anna Kennedy especially over the next few days
3. Pray for the work we have going on with site development and TMR.
4. Keep praying for PlayPatch on Fridays, pray for more families to be reached.
5. Pray for Chaplaincy and Kids Hope at Karalee State School.
6. Pray for peace over the US elections
7. The ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.
8. Church finances to continue to grow and expenses to be more than met.
9. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
10. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
11. Pray about the possibility and planning of a Farmers Market at Chuwar Baptist Church once a month on Saturdays. Anastasia taking the lead on this. Pray for us as we plan
12. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
13. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Ric sounded his usual self after Sunday’s events. Praise God he is still with us.
2. Praise God for God’s ministry on Sunday and café afterwards.
3. Did really well with the kids at face painting considering Sunday’s events.
4. Wonderful ministry from CMI and Dr Ron Neller on Sunday night.
5. Praise God for young people stepping up in a number of ministries.
6. New people helping with Playgroup.
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Members meeting next Sunday morning 25th Aug after morning tea.
2. Prayer meeting 5:30pm and Life Group Wednesday 6:30pm at church.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for August...
Q. 23. What is meant by transgression? A. Doing what God forbids.
