Week 31 Lamentations 3
Jeremiah puts together a long list of what he calls afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger. The afflictions aren’t against Israel…they’re against him! I counted 21 of them. (There’s at least 21 because if there were 2 in one verse I only counted 1 (for example Jeremiah says the Lord has attacked me and surrounded me with anguish and distress).)
Anyway here are 10 of the things the Lord did to Jeremiah:
1. He brought Jeremiah into deep darkness
2. His hand was heavy on Jeremiah
3. He broke Jeremiah’s bones
4. He buried Jeremiah in a dark place
5. He bound Jeremiah in heavy chains
6. He shut out Jeremiah’s prayers
7. He twisted Jeremiah’s road with many detours
8. He blocked Jeremiah’s path
9. He shot his arrows into Jeremiah’s heart
10. He rolled Jeremiah in the dust.
That’s 10 afflictions and there’s at least 11 more. Summing up how he felt about things Jeremiah says: I will never forget this awful time. And that sounds like a pretty typical and understandable reaction.
So it’s a bit of a surprise when Jeremiah wraps it all up by saying: yet I still dare to hope when I remember that the unfailing love of the Lord never ends. By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.
I’d class that as a non-typical reaction. Somehow Jeremiah’s reflection on the Lord looks like it’s totally independent of his own excruciating and oppressive personal circumstances.
Note: quotes from Lamentations 3:1 5 2-16 20 22-23 (NLT)