Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

June 28, 2015

“GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS” (LAMENTATIONS 3:22-33) 22

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." 25

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28

Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust— there may yet be hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike and let him be filled with disgrace.

him,

31

For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. 33 For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. Introduction: This sermon could just have easily been entitled “Dealing with Defeat and Depression.” What! That’s quite a contrast with “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”! How can this be?

The Setting of Lamentations: Lamentations is the saddest book of the Old Testament. It is written by Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. While the book of Jeremiah primarily anticipates the fall of Jerusalem (warning), Lamentations reflects back upon it (weeping). In other words, the book of Jeremiah exhorts: “Don’t lose it!” While Lamentations mourns: “It’s lost.” There is an intense sense of failure, loss, grief, and regret. The Structure of Lamentations: This book contains five dirges (emotional poems/songs of intense grief often times used in a funeral). In the Hebrew text it is clear that the first 4 chapters of Lamentations are alphabetic acrostics. - The first word in each of the twenty-two verses of chapters 1, 2, and 4 begins with the twenty-two successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. - Chapter 3 has sixty-six verses, because three verses are allotted to each Hebrew letter. - Chapter 5 has twenty-two verses, but it is not an acrostic poem. The above elaborate structure stands in balanced contrast to the passionate and dramatic outpouring of grief in these five lament poems. The acrostic form was used to express the full range (from A-Z) of the people’s sufferings. Jeremiah also chose to use “limping meter” (such as da-da-da; da-da) in his poetic lines, because this melancholic (depressing) rhythm was used in funeral dirges. The Themes of Lamentations: There are three main themes that run through the five laments (dirges) of Lamentations: 1 - The most prominent is the theme of mourning over Jerusalem’s destruction. 2 - The next theme is a confession of sin and acknowledgment of God’s righteous and holy judgment on Judah. 3 - The least prominent yet very important theme is the note of hope in God’s future restoration of His people (see especially Lam. 3:22-23). The Key Chapter: This has got to be chapter 3, since in the midst of ruin, destruction, and hopelessness, this section still expresses faith and hope in the promises and mercy of God. The Immediate Context: Lamentations 3:19-21 marks an important turning point in this book:

19

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Each of these three verses begins with the letter (z), the seventh letter in the Hebrew alphabet. “Bitterness” (la‘anah) is literally a small, shrublike plant known for its bitter taste, while “gall” (ro’sh) is a plant with bitter fruit and could even be used as a poison. Also, “downcast” (shuwach) in verse 20 can be translated as “sink down, be bowed down, be humble,” and refers to depression of the mind. A very dismal, bleak perspective. ∴ While verses 19-20 end the complaint thus far in chapter 3 with no grounds for hope, verse 21 points forward to the following more positive verses. Proverbs 13:12 helps to capture the emotional feel of this passage: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” When someone loses all hope, then life doesn’t even seem to be worth living. None of us are promised perfect circumstances, perfect health, or perfect friends and relatives. In fact, difficulties, suffering, and pain are guaranteed for everyone in this life. What’s the key to getting beyond, even overcoming, these challenges and not losing hope? Psalm 25:5 puts it this way as a prayer: “Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” I. Great in “Faithfulness” (3:22-24) → Each verse begins with in Hebrew

(ch), 8th letter

22 – “LORD” (YHWH) is the personal name of God, and is most clearly explained in Exodus 3:14 in which Yahweh says, “I am who I am.” In other words, all that God is He will be to help His people. YHWH primarily emphasizes God’s revelation to humanity, as well as His nearness to and concern for His people. “Great love” (chesed) is an important word that is rich in meaning. Some scholars have maintained that chesed only refers to “covenant love” which is understood to be Yahweh’s loyalty or faithfulness to His covenant (a written contract or unwritten binding agreement). There is certainly an element of truth in this understanding, but God’s chesed refers to His love and kindness that He shows and freely gives to undeserving and helpless people. The concept of loyalty is

surely involved in God’s chesed toward His people, but chesed is deeper than loyalty and faithfulness. It is actually the divine characteristic that provides basis for His faithfulness to carry out His covenant agreement and promises. The full meaning of chesed cannot be expressed by one single English term, but words like “love,” “loving kindness,” “steadfast/unfailing love,” and “mercy” are adequate since they stress that God’s love relationship with His people and favor expressed to them are completely unmerited on mankind’s part. This noun is plural in this verse, which emphasizes Yahweh’s manifold love for His people and His faithfulness to uphold all of His covenant promises. “Compassions” (rācham) include the concepts of mercy, love, and tender care. 23 – “Faithfulness” (’emuwnāh) is also translated as “firmness,” “steadfastness,” “fidelity;” the counterpart or compliment of chesed. 24 – “Portion” (chēleq) literally refers to a tract of land and relates to the Promised Land. Yahweh is pictured as the portion and inheritance of all Israel (Psalm 73:26; Jeremiah 10:15). As the people were utterly dependent upon the land for their very existence, so spiritually they rely upon Yahweh. ∴ No matter how desperate the situation, Yahweh’s love and mercy are there for His people. Regardless of how we feel, He is always there for us … lovingly, tenderly, compassionately. II. Wait in “Hope” (3:25-27) → Each verse begins with

(t), 9th letter in Hebrew

25 – “Hope” (qāvāh) is not mere wishful thinking but means “eagerly waits for” or “expects.” 26 – “Quietly” or “in silence” vividly brings out a humble attitude that does not speak out in rebellion but accepts God’s will and ways. 27 – A “yoke” was used to help oxen on a straight course, and may refer to the educational benefit of trials and suffering. In other words, submit to God and learn your lessons well from Him and daily life experience … while you are “young.” ∴ People can try to make themselves hope through endless “self-talk,” but oftentimes this is sheer delusion. We are confident in hope, because of real substance in this: “Yahweh is good.” III. Fate “in the Dust” (3:28-30) → Each verse begins with Hebrew

(y), 10th letter in

28 – This verse is similar to 3:26 in which “silence” gets across the idea of humble acceptance of God’s direction in one’s life. 29 – To “bury his face in the dust” is a picture of complete subservience, as one would do in the presence of a king. 30 – “To offer his cheek to one who would strike him” is a vivid illustration of absolute surrender. This is especially relevant since the Jews rejected God’s direction and discipline prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and refused to acknowledge their own “disgrace.” ∴ The God of all grace and mercy desires that we surrender to Him, as these verses affirm: - He gives more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. James 4:6-7 - The high and lofty One, the Holy One of all eternity, says this: “I live in the high and holy place, but also with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.” Isaiah 57:15 - The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17 IV. Date with Destiny “Forever” (3:31-33) → Each verse begins with Hebrew letter

(k), 11th

31 – “Cast off” (zānzch) may also be translated as “reject,” “spurn,” “be repelled,” getting across the concept of strong disapproval. 32 – “Compassion” (rācham) and “love” (chesed) were used above in verse 22. “Unfailing” (rob) is literally “abundant.” 33 – “Willingly” is literally “from the heart.” Conclusion: ♫ Great Is Thy Faithfulness ♫ Have YOU dealt with defeat, depression, disappointment throughout your life? Who hasn’t? While many hymns are born out of a particular dramatic experience, this one was simply the result of the author’s morning by morning realization of God’s personal faithfulness.

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1866. Without the benefit of high school or advanced training, he began his career as a school teacher at the age of sixteen, in the same country schoolhouse where he had received his elementary training. When he was twenty-one, he became the associate editor of his hometown weekly newspaper, The Franklin Favorite. Six years later he received Christ as his personal Savior during a revival meeting. Later Chisholm was ordained to the Methodist ministry but was forced to resign after a brief pastorate because of poor health. Chisholm retired in 1953 and spent his remaining years at the Methodist Home for the Aged, in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. In a letter dated 1941, Mr. Chisholm wrote; “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me until now, although I must not fail to record the unfailing faithfulness of a covenantkeeping God, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.” At this moment are YOU feeling a little down about something or someone? Tap anew into the great faithfulness of our loving Savior, Lord, and Creator. Assured in the cross and empty tomb of the Compassionate Christ, Pastor Steve Waterman