The Book Of Lamentations – Part 21 – What The Lord Hates And God’s Sovereignty In Declaring Good Or Evil - Chapter 3:33-38 Series

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 21 – WHAT THE LORD HATES AND GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IN DECLARING GOOD OR EVIL - CHAPTER 3:33-38

INTRODUCTION FROM LAST TIME

Last time we looked at the LORD causing grief but then applying compassion. I think this is a bit like some medicines. When you were small you may have a cut on you, or a big graze from falling off a bike and your mother used some antiseptic or similar treatment on you, and it really stung for a time. Later though it was healed. God’s judgement may “sting” but the Lord applies His compassion and all is restored.

That is what will happen to Israel in the future. It was happening to these survivors who saw no hope of the Lord’s ministry to them but the Lord showed compassion to them after 70 years and they were restored again in Jerusalem from Babylon. It happens also to us who wander off the track and fall into sin. The Lord’s discipline is applied and it may be painful but it restores us again.

PART [31]. WHAT THE LORD DOES NOT DO; NEITHER APPROVES

{{Lamentations 3:33 “for HE DOES NOT AFFLICT WILLINGLY, or grieve the sons of men -

Lamentations 3:34 TO CRUSH under His feet all the prisoners of the land;

Lamentations 3:35 TO DEPRIVE a man of justice in the presence of the Most High;

Lamentations 3:36 TO DEFRAUD a man in his lawsuit - of these things the Lord does not approve.”}}

I have grouped these 4 verses for they are one thought in the prophet’s sequence in the dirge. Verse 33 begins with the conjunction/connector “for”, linking it with verse 32 we did last time speaking of grief and compassion. The grief caused to Judah by the LORD in His permissive, (and directive) will is carefully explained in these four verses.

I think sometimes of the Proverbs verses about what the LORD hates. 7 things listed He hates. In the lead up to the 7 things the LORD hates, we have verses 12-14 where 6 actions of a worthless, wicked man are mentioned. THEN in verse 15 we are given the judgement that befalls that worthless man. THEN in verses 16-19 we are given the 7 things the LORD hates.

6 ACTIONS OF THE WORTHLESS PERSON:

{{Proverbs 6:12-19 “A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who WALKS WITH A FALSE MOUTH,

Proverbs 6:13 who WINKS WITH HIS EYES, who SIGNALS WITH HIS FEET, who POINTS WITH HIS FINGERS;

Proverbs 6:14 who with perversity in his heart DEVISES EVIL CONTINUALLY, who SPREADS STRIFE.”}}

JUDGEMENT FOR THE WORTHLESS PERSON:

{{Proverbs 6:15 “Therefore his CALAMITY will come suddenly. Instantly he will be BROKEN, and there will be NO HEALING.”}}

THE 7 THINGS THE LORD HATES:

Proverbs 6:16 “There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

proverbs 6:17 Haughty EYES, a lying TONGUE, and HANDS that shed innocent blood,

proverbs 6:18 A HEART that devises wicked plans, FEET that run rapidly to evil,

Proverbs 6:19 A false WITNESS who utters lies, and ONE WHO SPREADS STRIFE among brothers.”}}

The LORD DOES NOT willingly AFFLICT people; does not willingly GRIEVE mankind; nor CRUSH people under His feet; does NOT DEPRIVE a man of divine justice; does NOT DEFRAUD or cheat man. The LORD does not approve of any of this, but these behaviours are commonplace among men of all nationalities and generations.

Before the Babylonian overthrow, the land of Judah was absolutely corrupt and the points the prophet mentioned in these verses happened all the time. Jeremiah spoke about them often in the effort for people to repent and so prevent the coming disaster but they refused to listen. It is very much like the hardness of today’s world, particularly in the developed western nations. God is doing a glorious work right now with so many conversions in Iran, China and in pockets of Africa.

Judgement is coming very soon and to understand the grief, the crushing, the misery of that when it comes, read chapter 6 of Revelation in particular, but actually, the whole book. Did you know there is a special blessing just for reading Revelation? {{Revelation 1:3 “BLESSED IS HE who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it for the time is near.”}}

The erroneous view that God vindictively throws out judgement on mankind and uses men as puppets to satisfy His own flawed actions, is from the Greek mythology. People’s concept of God is very distorted because they try to understand God on their own terms according to their own natures.

The Lord does not approve of sin in any way, and can not condone that attitude for Himself. Our thinking of God must be according to the biblical view. Woes to those who dismiss the bible, and to churches that selectively pick and choose what parts of the bible they think are of God. We live in the mutated views of the Laodicean age when everyone is doing what he/she sees best in the humanistic view of the bible.