Day 384 Bible Only Podcast

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Our reading for today is Lamentations chapter 3.

Jerusalem had resisted Joshua, and Saul, but David had finally wrested it from the Jebusites. He established the city as his capital, and the LORD had allowed His name to rest there. It had been sacked by Shishak, threatened by Sennacherib, and protected by tribute payments to Assyria and Babylon, but for four hundred years Zion had survived.

Now Jeremiah records his lament as he walks through the charred citadel of the LORD’s people. The small book of Lamentations is worth reading in its entirety. It is not a disorganized wail, but, like the Song of Moses that commemorated the Exodus, this memorial is produced with memorable artistry. Chapter 3 is a tripled acrostic poem – three lines at a time beginning with the same Hebrew letter, in sequence through the alphabet. For the worshipper of Jehovah, the lines of celebration and grief are drawn with equal creativity and skill.

It’s impossible to separate Jeremiah’s lament from his prophecies. If you even casually peruse the book that bears his name, you’ll conclude that the surprise wasn’t that Jerusalem had fallen, but that anyone should be surprised by it. Jeremiah knew this was coming; the tragedy of his ministry is that no one would listen.

But this adds another layer when, in the middle of this lament, Jeremiah bursts out: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end.” Jeremiah could see and touch and smell the evidence that the LORD was faithful to His promises: if Israel could be destroyed, as promised, then she could be restored, as promised.

These verses formed the basis for the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness! by Thomas Chisholm: “Morning by morning new mercies I see!” That’s why I want to read Lamentation 3 again!