Lamentations 3
BBCLamentations 3:1
IV. THE PROPHET VOICES THE SORROW AND CONFESSION OF THE REMNANT (Chap. 3) A. The Judgments of God (3:1-18)Alternating between I and we, the prophet draws a parallel between his own experiences and those of his people. God’s wrath is depicted under the figures of darkness, incessant blows from His hand (vv. 1-3); premature aging, broken bones, confinement in bitterness, woe, and a living death (vv. 4-6); inescapable imprisonment, unanswered prayer (vv. 7-9); animal-like ambush, target-like attack (vv. 10-12); deep wounds, derision, a diet of bitterness (vv. 13-15); broken teeth, ashes for clothing (v. 16); loss of memory, peace, and prosperity, all hope of divine help perished (vv. 17, 18).
Lamentations 3:19
B. The Mercies of the LORD (3:19-39)With a prayer to God to remember his bitter plight, yet with lingering depression over his misery (vv. 19, 20), the prophet gets his eyes off himself and onto the Lord. Hope is revived when he remembers that the LORD’s mercies and compassions . . . are new every morning, and that His faithfulness is great (vv. 21-24). He cites lessons learned in the school of affliction: it is good to wait quietly for the Lord’s deliverance and to submit to His yoke early in life (vv. 25-27); to accept divine chastening and human blows and insults without talking back (vv. 28-30); God’s rejection is neither final nor causeless; His compassion and mercies will always follow (vv. 31-33); the LORD does not approve of oppression, injustice, or the denial of rights (vv. 34-36); He is sovereign, His Word prevails, all things serve His will; to complain when He punishes sin is senseless (vv. 37-39).
Lamentations 3:40
C. The Call for Spiritual Renewal (3:40-42)The way of blessing is found in self examination, and turning back to the LORD. Unconfessed sin is not pardoned.
Lamentations 3:43
D. The Sorrow of Jeremiah over Jerusalem (3:43-51)The subject reverts to the sufferings of Jeremiah and his people. God had pursued and slain without pity, cut Himself off from their prayers, and made them the scum of the earth (vv. 43-45). All their enemies mocked while God’s people experienced fear, danger, and destruction. The devastation of his people caused the prophet to weep without interruption (vv. 46-51).
Lamentations 3:52
E. The Prophet’s Prayer for Deliverance from His Foes (3:52-66)Hunted down like a bird, stoned in a pit, engulfed by water, the prophet thought the end had come (vv. 52-54). He prayed earnestly from the lowest depths, and God answered, telling him not to fear (vv. 55-57). Now he asks the LORD to consider how he has been mistreatedthe vengeance, schemes, reproach, insults, gossip, and taunts against himand to judge his case. Righteousness demands that his enemies be punished, cursed, pursued, and destroyed (vv. 58-66). “A veiled heart” (v. 65), as in “when Moses is read, a veil lies on their [the Jews’] heart” (2Co_3:15), probably does not refer to “hardening, but blinding of the heart, which casts into destruction.”