The Book Of Lamentations – Part 3 – Judah Despised The Temple – Now All The Precious Things Have Gone - Chapter 1:7-10 Series

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 3 – JUDAH DESPISED THE TEMPLE – NOW ALL THE PRECIOUS THINGS HAVE GONE - CHAPTER 1:7-10

Currently we are looking at Jeremiah’s description as a summary of the catastrophe that befell Jerusalem. Times were horrible but reality of the bad conditions clarifies the reasons why this happened. The laments are both Jeremiah and the people.

PART [A]. THE REMEMBRANCE OF PRECIOUS THINGS GONE

{{Lamentations 1:7 “In the days of her AFFLICTION and HOMELESSNESS, Jerusalem REMEMBERS all her precious things that were from the days of old when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her. THEY MOCKED AT HER RUIN.”}}

There is nothing like loss and adversity to bring on the realisation of all that has departed which once was held dear. It is all gone and can’t be retrieved. That causes remorse and regret but it is too late. I do wonder about those who have spurned God’s message of salvation and today are in hell to recall their lost opportunity. All full of regrets; all too sad; all too permanent. We must all make sure of our standing before God. {{2 Corinthians 6:2 for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”}} - In hell there is no salvation.

Those captives who survived the great pall of death and destruction, along all the way to Babylon, would recall all the lovely things that had been lost and the affliction they suffered. Their national home had been destroyed. The expression “fell into the hand of the adversary” indicates there was no hope for them, and no avoidance of their fate. It was their gross sin that caused this to happen.

No one wanted to help Judah because all the surrounding nations hated her and were themselves enemies of Judah. It is similar today in Israel for all the surrounding nations want to see the end of Israel but it will not happen. They themselves will be destroyed. Gladly would many nations of the world like to see the end on Israel in the growing move of anti-Semitism. We know this opposition will happen. As we move very close to the Tribulation, in that time Jesus said this would happen – {{Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you and you will be HATED BY ALL NATIONS on account of My name.”}}

Most of all, it was the LORD who did not help Judah. Of course His eye was over the people but He did not intervene. When you reject God, don’t expect God to deliver you, but if you call in repentance upon the Lord He will hear you. God is gracious and merciful to all those who call on Him, but for the stubborn and blasphemers and rejecters of salvation, He will be a Rock that crushes the bones in pieces. Judah singularly earned its own wages sadly.

Verse 7 above says Judah’s enemies WATCHED ON AND MOCKED the suffering of the people. It is even worse than that. Hellish Edom helped slaughter the people trying to get away from Nebuchadnezzar’s army. That is covered here in Edom’s destruction –

{{Obadiah 1:10-11 “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem - you too were as one of them.”}}

{{Obadiah 1:12-14 “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, the day of his misfortune, and do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction. Yes, do not boast in the day of their distress. Do not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity in the day of their disaster, and do not loot their wealth in the day of their disaster, and do not stand at the fork of the road to cut down their fugitives, and do not imprison their survivors in the day of their distress.”}} There are 8 “do not” here and Edom did every one of them. Obadiah wrote through inspiration of what God knew would happen.

That disgraceful and monstrous behaviour rose up before God and He declared Edom’s full destruction because of their satanic action against God’s sinful people. Israel was idolatrous and wicked but it is not in our authority to take action against the earthly people of God. The promise given to Abraham is valid for every phase of human history – {{Genesis 12:2-3 “and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing. I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU and THE ONE WHO CURSES YOU I WILL CURSE. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed,”}}