Jeremiah continues in his song of Lament over Jerusalem – here is the second stanza. God 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3 He has cut down in fierce anger all the might of Israel; he has withdrawn from them his right hand in the face of the enemy; he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around.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. The glory has departed – Jerusalem truly is ‘Ichabod’ at this point, 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 tough truths for us as His people.
4. 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 the parent or grandparent who has prayed for them in the womb only to have them turn away from Christ when they are older.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell groups on Holiday break
Prayer Points
1. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours 😉
2. Pray for those on holidays and travelling.
3. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof and solar.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
5. Church finances to meet our new staff and to put a roof over our café.
6. Sunday’s message from Lam 4 - “This is kinda sad.” – Pastor Jay.
Praise Points.
1. Gina’s testimony on Sunday was a great blessing and wonderfully tailored into the sermon.
2. New cell groups.
3. Praise and worship – thanks Josh, Ben, Rin, Tim, Dan and Doug. great job.
Announcements
1. Cell groups and other ministries on break over the holidays.
2. PlayPatch starting up next term for toddlers at church. See Maddison for details.
3. Men’s brekky TBA. But will be down at Colleges Crossing within the next month or so on a Saturday morning.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
