Restore Us, Lord!

[Christsdaughter]

Restore Us, Lord!

Friday April 1, 2011

“1How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at the head of every street.
2How the precious sons of Zion,
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter's hands!
3Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.
4Because of thirst the infant's tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.
5Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those nurtured in purple
now lie on ash heaps.
6The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like sapphires.£
8But now they are blacker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as a stick.
9Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.
10With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11The LORD has given full vent to his wrath;
he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed her foundations.
12The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the world's people,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.
13But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her
the blood of the righteous.
14Now they grope through the streets
like men who are blind.
They are so defiled with blood
that no one dares to touch their garments.” (Lam 4:1-14)

The people of Judah put their security in their prosperity and became prideful, rather than placing their security in God and giving Him all the glory. They refused to repent of their sins and turn to Him, so God had to judge them. The above verses state that their punishment was greater than that of Sodom, which is the city that God destroyed by sending burning sulfur from heaven! Wow! I guess if you think about it, famine really would be much worse because starving is not as quick as a death as being burned.

Instead of turning to the Lord in their troubles, many people resorted to cannibalism. Verse 10 says that “compassionate” women cooked their own children! Obviously, the Lord was being sarcastic here when He called them compassionate. He was very angry with the people and how heartless they were. They were only concerned with their own survival. This all sounds so horrible to me. I am so hurt to even think of people really eating their children (or anyone else for that matter)! That was how depraved the people had become when they turned away from God. That is truly the ugliness of sin! That is selfishness to the fullest! No wonder God wanted to punish them! No wonder He disciplines us today! He knows the ugliness of sin and where it leads! This is what we look like to God when we continually refuse to repent of our sins! Both the natural consequences of sin plus the judgment that comes from being unrepentant effects many people, including the innocent.

Verse 12 states just how prideful the people were and how powerful the rest of the world thought that that Jerusalem was. They did not think that enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem. They could not have been more wrong! Neither nation nor any power is greater than God! God can overthrow and destroy the whole earth in an instant! He destroyed Jerusalem because her priests and prophets because of their own sins and because they led the people into idolatry.

“17Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain for help;
from our towers we watched
for a nation that could not save us.
18Men stalked us at every step,
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come.
19Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles in the sky;
they chased us over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.
20The LORD's anointed, our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.
We thought that under his shadow
we would live among the nations.
21Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
you will be drunk and stripped naked.
22O Daughter of Zion, your punishment will end;
he will not prolong your exile.
But, O Daughter of Edom, he will punish your sin
and expose your wickedness.”

They looked to Egypt for help, but Egypt was not able to help. Jeremiah had warned them not to ally with her. They also placed their security in King Zedekiah, “The Lord’s Anointed”, but since he chose not to put his faith in God and to instead listen to the messages of the false prophets, he was captured by the enemy. Even though Jeremiah’s prophecies were coming true, the people still chose not to put their trust in God and not to turn to Him. In verse 21, God lets Edom know that though they were seeing their enemy destroyed, their own time of judgment was coming. Judah’s punishment would come to an end and Edom would then be punished for her sins.

In Lamentations 5, Jeremiah models the correct response to troubles. He cried out to the Lord for his people and asked God to restore them and to have mercy on them. When we turn to the Lord in our troubles/ griefs, we will experience His great love, mercy, and compassion. Let us allow our troubles to turn us to the Lord rather than to anything else that we think may make us feel secure.

“21Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return;
renew our days as of old” (Lam 5:21)