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lamentations 3
Haystack bible commentary"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."
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Lamentations 3:1:
I Am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Lamentations 3:2-4:
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He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day. He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones.
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 Charles Spurgeon
“This seems to be the hardest part of our lot, that God should lead us into darkness: ‘He hath led me, and brought me into darkness.’ Yet dear brethren, that is, on the other hand, the sweetest thing about our trial; because, if the darkness be in the place where God has led us, it is best for us to be in the dark.” --Charles Spurgeon
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Lamentations 3:5-21:
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:
19 Remember my affliction and roaming,
The wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul still remembers
And sinks within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:
19 Remember my affliction and roaming,
The wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul still remembers
And sinks within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
==lamentations 3:22-23:
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It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. |
 Costen Harrell
A broken heart is exceedingly sensitive to spiritual things. In sore need of divine help, Jeremiah discovered a wonderful thing about God's mercies toward us. They are not stereotyped. They are not monotonous and lifeless and loveless. They are new every morning, as fresh as the dew on the grass, "to the level of every day's most quiet need."
-Costen Harrell; Walking With God; 1928 |
Daniel Ploof
No matter what difficulties we’re facing, the simple reassurance that tomorrow is a fresh opportunity to begin anew can mean the difference between surviving seasons of trials and tribulations vs. throwing in the towel and surrendering to fear, hopelessness, and despair.
Oftentimes, we become so focused on the storms surrounding us that we lose sight of how temporary they truly are. Yes, we live in a fallen world, and as such, life will bring incredible challenges and pain. However, that does not mean we have any reason to accept final defeat.
Regardless of the destructive waves which crash upon the foundation of our faith, as born-again followers of Jesus Christ, we know our joy will be permanently restored the day we embark upon eternity and see our Savior face to face.
Therefore, it does not matter what afflictions we face in the present or future. For as the writer of Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us, tomorrow promises continual blessing to those who place their eternal faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ. --Daniel Ploof; Wilderness Survival; Lamentations 3:22-23 (Faithfulness) 1.25.23
Oftentimes, we become so focused on the storms surrounding us that we lose sight of how temporary they truly are. Yes, we live in a fallen world, and as such, life will bring incredible challenges and pain. However, that does not mean we have any reason to accept final defeat.
Regardless of the destructive waves which crash upon the foundation of our faith, as born-again followers of Jesus Christ, we know our joy will be permanently restored the day we embark upon eternity and see our Savior face to face.
Therefore, it does not matter what afflictions we face in the present or future. For as the writer of Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us, tomorrow promises continual blessing to those who place their eternal faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ. --Daniel Ploof; Wilderness Survival; Lamentations 3:22-23 (Faithfulness) 1.25.23
==lamentations 3:24:
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24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.” |
“Let me experience, your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go, because I appeal to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection.Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground”. (Psalms 143: 8-10 CSB)  Mary Fairchild
As a teenager, before I received salvation in Jesus Christ, I woke each morning with a terrible sense of dread. But all that changed when I encountered the love of my Savior. Since then I have discovered one sure thing I can count on: the steadfast love of the Lord. And I am not alone in this discovery.
Just as people live with the certainty that the sun will rise in the morning, believers can trust and know that God's strong love and faithfulness will greet them again each day and his tender mercies will be renewed every morning. -Mary Fairchild; Learn Religions; His Mercies Are New Every Morning - Lamentations 3:22-24 8.11.21 |
Robin A Parry
"The change in the man's attitude found in 3:19-24 has affected the way in which he perceived his situation. It is interesting that now, in this final section, he no longer speaks of YHWH as his enemy but rather as the one who can deliver him from his human enemies. The recovery of hope has not led him to deny that YHWH is the ultimate cause of his distress, but it has led to a shift in emphasis. The focus now is on the immediate cause of his sorrow (his human enemies) and on God as his savior." -Robin A Parry; Lamentations. The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary series. Grand Rapids and Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010.
Warren Wiersbe
“Jeremiah had been dwelling on his sorrows and the sorrows of his people, but then he lifted his eyes to the Lord — and this was the turning point. In the midst of sorrow and ruin he remembered the mercy of the Lord. “‘His compassions fail not.’ We have failed him, but he cannot fail us. ‘Great is your faithfulness.’” --Warren Wiersbe on Lamentations 3
How encouraging is it that God pours out His love for us that His mercies are new everyday. Everyday is a new day in which we can move in a direction that defines our eternity. Our contentment is not found in the things of this world, but in God’s constant and consistent mercy; His saving grace.
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The sense of The LORD is my portion may often be rendered, for example, “I trust God and I need nothing more,” “God is everything; I need nothing else,” or “I need nothing because God is with me.” -
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His Mercies Are New Every Morning, this reminds us of God’s powerful promise in His word that offers peace to our hearts in hard seasons. It was written for His people when times were very difficult.
It gives us great hope in the battles we face today, like rays of light breaking through the darkest night.For just as sure as the sun comes up every morning, we can be confident that His mercies never end. They are never based on how good we are, but only on His steadfast character. His compassion towards us is fresh every morning, and each day is a gift straight from His hand. We can trust His heart for us. -Christ Win
It gives us great hope in the battles we face today, like rays of light breaking through the darkest night.For just as sure as the sun comes up every morning, we can be confident that His mercies never end. They are never based on how good we are, but only on His steadfast character. His compassion towards us is fresh every morning, and each day is a gift straight from His hand. We can trust His heart for us. -Christ Win
==lamentations 3:25-66:
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust--
There may yet be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
33 For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under one’s feet
All the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the justice due a man
Before the face of the Most High,
36 Or subvert a man in his cause--
The Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That woe and well-being proceed?
39 Why should a living man complain,
A man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the Lord;
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.
42 We have transgressed and rebelled;
You have not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger
And pursued us;
You have slain and not pitied.
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud,
That prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us an offscouring and refuse
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies
Have opened their mouths against us.
47 Fear and a snare have come upon us,
Desolation and destruction.
48 My eyes overflow with rivers of water
For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow and do not cease,
Without interruption,
50 Till the Lord from heaven
Looks down and sees.
51 My eyes bring suffering to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies without cause
Hunted me down like a bird.
53 They silenced my life in the pit
And threw stones at me.
54 The waters flowed over my head;
I said, “I am cut off!”
55 I called on Your name, O Lord,
From the lowest pit.
56 You have heard my voice:
“Do not hide Your ear
From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
57 You drew near on the day I called on You,
And said, “Do not fear!”
58 O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;
You have redeemed my life.
59 O Lord, You have seen how I am wronged;
Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their schemes against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O Lord,
All their schemes against me,
62 The lips of my enemies
And their whispering against me all the day.
63 Look at their sitting down and their rising up;
I am their taunting song.
64 Repay them, O Lord,
According to the work of their hands.
65 Give them a veiled heart;
Your curse be upon them!
66 In Your anger,
Pursue and destroy them
From under the heavens of the Lord.
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust--
There may yet be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
33 For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under one’s feet
All the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the justice due a man
Before the face of the Most High,
36 Or subvert a man in his cause--
The Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That woe and well-being proceed?
39 Why should a living man complain,
A man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the Lord;
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.
42 We have transgressed and rebelled;
You have not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger
And pursued us;
You have slain and not pitied.
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud,
That prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us an offscouring and refuse
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies
Have opened their mouths against us.
47 Fear and a snare have come upon us,
Desolation and destruction.
48 My eyes overflow with rivers of water
For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow and do not cease,
Without interruption,
50 Till the Lord from heaven
Looks down and sees.
51 My eyes bring suffering to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies without cause
Hunted me down like a bird.
53 They silenced my life in the pit
And threw stones at me.
54 The waters flowed over my head;
I said, “I am cut off!”
55 I called on Your name, O Lord,
From the lowest pit.
56 You have heard my voice:
“Do not hide Your ear
From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
57 You drew near on the day I called on You,
And said, “Do not fear!”
58 O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;
You have redeemed my life.
59 O Lord, You have seen how I am wronged;
Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their schemes against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O Lord,
All their schemes against me,
62 The lips of my enemies
And their whispering against me all the day.
63 Look at their sitting down and their rising up;
I am their taunting song.
64 Repay them, O Lord,
According to the work of their hands.
65 Give them a veiled heart;
Your curse be upon them!
66 In Your anger,
Pursue and destroy them
From under the heavens of the Lord.