The Nation’s Plea

April 25, 2021 Background Scripture: Lamentations 5 Lesson Passage: Lamentations 5 Lamentations is a written account of an eyewitness’ view of the people of God being punished for years of backsliding. The prophet Jeremiah is the author of this writing. There is no wonder Jeremiah was called the “weeping prophet”. How could a servant of God who had cried out against the sins of God’s people for such a long time not weep when those warnings went unheeded? Not only did Jeremiah prophesy about God’s displeasure with the actions of Judah, but he also warned them of the consequences of their actions. Once Judah’s punishment started, Jeremiah already knew how far it would go because of the prophetic word he received from God. This was the beginning of a seventy-year exile in foreign lands. The beautiful city of David and the magnificent palace and temple had been destroyed. All that David, Solomon, and the other kings who followed had worked to build now seem to be for naught. The splendor of the nation was gone. Even worse, a once proud and sovereign people had become servants of foreigners. The best and brightest of their young people were being deported to serve as slaves. Lamentations is littered from start to finish with the intercessory prayers of the prophet. In a real sense, they are sincere prayers of repentance. First, the prayers acknowledged that the punishment the nation was enduring was less than the punishment they deserved. Judah had received every conceivable blessing from God. Indeed, God had given her more than she asked in many cases. Yet, she did not draw closer to God but withdrew farther from His presence. Many of her leaders, beginning with several of the kings, did not walk in the precepts of God. They readily embraced foreigners who were not God-fearing. They also embraced some of the ungodly practices of other nations. Throughout that time, God continued to send prophets to call the nation to repentance. This continued for one hundred thirty-six years after the northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians. Secondly, the prayers described Judah’s condition and shame because of the punishment. What the prophet saw was horrendous, and he did not try to sugar coat it. He talked about the ugliness of what he witnessed. Thirdly, the prayers acknowledged God’s holiness, righteousness, and patience with His people. Even during punishment, God’s holiness was still recognized and worshiped. God does not change. The people of God will sometimes get out of character. God does not get out of character to correct His people. God remains steadfast in righteousness. Finally, the fourth part of those prayers were words of hope. There is the remembrance of God’s mercy even during punishment. So, the plea went out to God that He would temper His justice with His mercy. God was asked to do for His people what they seemingly could not find it within themselves to do; give them a change of heart so they could return to following Him. A person’s made-up mind is not an effective tool against sin. We can allow our will to make us servants of sin. However, our wills cannot deliver us from the grip of sin. Only God can deliver us from sin. This is never more apparent than when we are being punished for sin and make our plea to God for deliverance. Robert C. Hudson April 3, 2021