September 18, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

““My sins have been bound into a yoke;
    by His hands they were woven together.
They have been hung on my neck,
    and the Lord has sapped my strength.
He has given me into the hands
    of those I cannot withstand.”  (Lamentations 1.14)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

As I listened to a message the other day on “Taking the Mind Captive,” I was challenged to read the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is a collection of five poems attributed to the Prophet Jeremiah. He is also known as “the weeping prophet.” As a piece of literature, the book is of sincere interest. Each of the five poems are acrostics (each stanza beginning with a consecutive letter of, in this case, the Hebrew alphabet beginning with Aleph and proceeding forward.) In my study on this work of Jeremiah, I heard it said that “Jeremiah wept from A-Z.” That literary fete alone should capture our attention, although in translation the craft of it is lost. What is not lost to the reader is the chiastic formula of the work. A chiasm is where the main idea of a work is found at the center. The words before and after mirror each other in sentiment and message while the words themselves will not be the same. They don’t just repeat; not usually, this is. This is a popular for of writing for the prophet and wisdom writers found in the Old Testament. The listener’s ears, and if they are privileged to read the text so will their eyes, are trained to experience the work in this fashion. Listening for the main idea that is being led up, we may say the climax of the piece, the audience does not then excuse their attention for the rest of the story. What is the mirror image of the verses leading in are truly reflective of the main point leading out. This is especially true of Jeremiah’s Lamentations. What makes it “especially true”?

These five poems are in and of themselves expressions of the prophet’s grief over the desecrated Jerusalem. By extension, as Jerusalem goes so goes the whole of Israel. I have spoken much about this in my reflections on Isaiah, Zechariah, Malachi and Joel. Jerusalem is the “heart of Israel” not just because it is the capital of the nation of Israel in the Bible (the same as it is today for the State of Israel), but because God had established it as the center of His work in the world. It was already in existence before Abraham came out of the Ur of the Chaldees upon God’s command. When Abraham entered into the region, Melchizedek was the King of Salem. Melchizedek was not only the king, he was a priest. The nations which surrounded Salem understood the power which it represented. Their rebellion against Salem, just as the nations today are rebelling against Israel, was in hopes of not only bringing the city down but to invalidate the God it represented. Of that in the modern age, I am not so sure of. God’s hand is most certainly over Israel. I am not sure Israel’s heart is always under the hand of God. Be that as it may, I move forward beyond that theo-political opinion. What is noticed in these expressions of Jeremiah’s grief over Israel is that they are “lamenting.” I do not say that all five poems are “laments” in the biblical literary sense of the word. The writing in each poem is not in a chiastic structure but an acrostic one, as I mentioned. However, the “book” of lamenting is written in that chiastic structure: chapter 1 and 2 are a unit with chapter 4 and 5 being a unit. That leaves us with chapter three. Chapter three is written in a true lament structure containing the four elements needed: a call to God either in praise or sorrow; the description of the problem which the author is experiencing speaking to God who alone can resolve the issue; a petition to God to bring about that resolution which is beyond the ability of the author/lamenter; and finally a statement of trust that God will act. What is unique in that fourth element is the pledge of the one in sorrow and grief to respond as well to the work of God. It is a pledge not only of enduring trust but investment into the process of restoration as well. We see this often in the works of David’s Psalms, such as Psalm 43.4 “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.“

Mighty ones of God, we have much to be sad about in the world today as evil, violence, horror and wars of every kind surround us. We can be empathetic in some cases and sympathetic in every case because our hearts are not made of stone but of flesh. We will not, and cannot if we are true believers, turn a blind eye nor a deaf ear nor a bound hand, a mute mouth or a dead spirit to the world around us. God’s people, saved and not yet saved, are hurting. But being empathetic and sympathetic is not enough. We must be biblical lamenters and commit ourselves to be a part of the solution and refuse to be a part of the problem. Give praise to God. Give thanks to God. Give yourself to God and make a difference in the world today…no matter the weight nor the cost. God sees, hears and responds.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.