Lamentation 1 - What Do We Value?

 

Lamentation 1 – What Do We Value?                                                                      

 

What causes us to cry, to shed tears of sadness? We would do well to pay attention to whenever we find our eyes filling with tears, for those emotional moments reveal much about what we value, what is important to us.

Jeremiah predicted the fall of Jerusalem. He wept at the fulfillment of his own prophecy. He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and he saw it burn. He sat down in the warm ashes, hot tears coursing down his cheeks.

This man Jeremiah had a woman’s heart. He was sensitive, sincere, and sympathetic. He was as tender as a mother. Yet he gave the strongest and harshest message in the Bible. He announced the destruction of Jerusalem and pronounced judgment, counseling the people to surrender to the King. His message did nothing but get him into trouble. He stood alone, weeping.

Why had the city been destroyed? Because the city sinned by rejecting God. God is righteous and He was right in what He did. When we think of the throne God established, we know He did it out of Love. The Lord does not tolerate those which sins against His throne. He will destroy it and all its instruments, in the interest of what is high and noble and pure. If you turn your back on Him, He will judge you, even though He still Loves you. He is the righteous God of this universe. When His own children disobey Him, God must discipline them, even though it breaks His heart. The Holy Spirit has come to reveal Christ as the Savior and He has come to convict the world of sin. There are sins of lying, stealing, murder, etc. but the worse sin is rejecting God. He has a remedy for all sins except for the man who rejects Him.

Being a Christian does not guarantee a pain free existence. In fact, our faith exposes us to difficulties and struggles that we may not have experienced. Suffering is not always punishment. God does allow people to face the miserable consequences of their sinful choices, but it doesn’t mean that every suffering person is being punished. Sometimes God allows people to suffer to strengthen their resolve, to shake them out of their complacency, or to help them empathize with other suffering people. God does not leave our side when we suffer. God will reward us for the suffering we endure for His sake. When we trust in God, we can change our perspective on life’s trauma’s from “why me” to “How can I grow from this?”

 

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J.Vernon McGee Thru the Bible. Nelson’s Quick Reference

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.