October 30
Lamentations 3:1-66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22
Irma hit Naples in 2017! “Oh my,” I whispered as we turned into our association and surveyed the destroyed homes and scattered debris lying about us. In a minuscule way I could empathize with Jeremiah’s feelings as he surveyed the dead bodies, flattened temple, and crumbled walls that left Jerusalem in shambles after the Babylonian invasion.
The first Hebrew word of Lamentations is êkâh meaning “Alas!” or “How” and was a cry of lament. The book of Lamentations is the funeral dirge of Judah. As we read Lamentations 3 we feel as if all Judah’s sins are weighing on Jeremiah as he speaks of affliction, broken physical and mental health, darkness, blocked paths, teeth broken from his face being slammed in the gravel, gall or bitterness, and finally lost hope (v.18). Then Jeremiah has “one ray of hope,” he was not consumed because of God’s loyal love, His compassions that never fail, and His great faithfulness every morning (vs.21-13, TLB). God was the same every morning regardless of what happened. He was definitely punishing Israel for their sins, but He remembered His covenant with the nation.
Lamentations 3:24 is Jeremiah’s response to his hope: “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” According to the NKJV Study Bible, “portion” refers to Numbers 18:20 when Aaron is denied land in the Promised Land, but is given the Lord Himself as his portion and inheritance. Jeremiah will be satisfied with God and waited for Him to act. Hope is a sure-footed expectation suggesting a “waiting attitude” (NKJV Study Bible).
We also find hope in the book of Hebrews where the writer presents Christ as better. Hebrews 1 states Christ is better than angels and the following chapters will show Christ as better than leaders, priests, the old covenant, and the best sacrifice for our sins. The writer explains this is the reason new Jewish Christians need to cling to Christ instead of returning to the old Jewish rituals. Choose the best and do not settle on second best because Christ is the stamped image of God’s very nature.
The writer of Hebrews uses the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 102:25-27) to rephrase the same hope of Jeremiah: “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will wear out like a garment…But you remain the same and your years will never end.”
So, since He remains the same and His loyal love and tender mercies are fresh every morning, why choose second best?
Question of the day: What makes it so hard to keep our focus on Christ as first choice and final hope?
Dear Father, I am so finite in my thinking and the problems multiply. May I wait on you and be renewed every morning by Your love, mercy, and faithfulness. Amen.
Irma hit Naples in 2017! “Oh my,” I whispered as we turned into our association and surveyed the destroyed homes and scattered debris lying about us. In a minuscule way I could empathize with Jeremiah’s feelings as he surveyed the dead bodies, flattened temple, and crumbled walls that left Jerusalem in shambles after the Babylonian invasion.
The first Hebrew word of Lamentations is êkâh meaning “Alas!” or “How” and was a cry of lament. The book of Lamentations is the funeral dirge of Judah. As we read Lamentations 3 we feel as if all Judah’s sins are weighing on Jeremiah as he speaks of affliction, broken physical and mental health, darkness, blocked paths, teeth broken from his face being slammed in the gravel, gall or bitterness, and finally lost hope (v.18). Then Jeremiah has “one ray of hope,” he was not consumed because of God’s loyal love, His compassions that never fail, and His great faithfulness every morning (vs.21-13, TLB). God was the same every morning regardless of what happened. He was definitely punishing Israel for their sins, but He remembered His covenant with the nation.
Lamentations 3:24 is Jeremiah’s response to his hope: “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” According to the NKJV Study Bible, “portion” refers to Numbers 18:20 when Aaron is denied land in the Promised Land, but is given the Lord Himself as his portion and inheritance. Jeremiah will be satisfied with God and waited for Him to act. Hope is a sure-footed expectation suggesting a “waiting attitude” (NKJV Study Bible).
We also find hope in the book of Hebrews where the writer presents Christ as better. Hebrews 1 states Christ is better than angels and the following chapters will show Christ as better than leaders, priests, the old covenant, and the best sacrifice for our sins. The writer explains this is the reason new Jewish Christians need to cling to Christ instead of returning to the old Jewish rituals. Choose the best and do not settle on second best because Christ is the stamped image of God’s very nature.
The writer of Hebrews uses the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 102:25-27) to rephrase the same hope of Jeremiah: “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will wear out like a garment…But you remain the same and your years will never end.”
So, since He remains the same and His loyal love and tender mercies are fresh every morning, why choose second best?
Question of the day: What makes it so hard to keep our focus on Christ as first choice and final hope?
Dear Father, I am so finite in my thinking and the problems multiply. May I wait on you and be renewed every morning by Your love, mercy, and faithfulness. Amen.
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