The Book Of Lamentations – Part 36 – Hopeless People In A Desperate Situation. Great Sadness In The World - Chapter 4:17-19 Series

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 36 – HOPELESS PEOPLE IN A DESPERATE SITUATION. GREAT SADNESS IN THE WORLD - CHAPTER 4:17-19

The next 4 verses move back to the details of the suffering of the survivors and we take this verse by verse -

PART [17]. A HOPELESS SITUATION – DESTITUTE AND ALONE

{{Lamentations 4:17 “Yet OUR EYES FAILED. Looking for help was useless. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.”}}

The eyes of the survivors scanned the horizon and hoped beyond hope that help would come for them but it did not. Their eyes failed in the task, and wasted away. It is the despairing look, and people in despair seem to show that look in their eyes and on their faces. What these people were undergoing was tragic and people would be quick to blame God for it all. Firstly, that God caused it to happen, and secondly, that He seemingly did nothing to assist those who remained after the catastrophe.

We live in a grossly sinful world where the dark forces of the devil twist and turn around events to disfavour the innocent party. On 7 October 2023 Hamas attacked Israel and butchered 1195 people initially and carried off many captives. Since that time the evil of Satan has caused the world to look on Israel as the source of this evil. The United Nations issues resolutions, one after the other against Israel.

The left wing, Socialist media is always trying to highlight someone killed by the Israeli response while ignoring the vile murders and attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah, even upon their own Gazan people. Hamas steals the emergency food convoys and sells the food at exorbitant prices. The world blames Israel for the food shortage while Israel has done so much to get food into Gaza. Politicians such as Prime Minister Albanese and the Green Party of Australia, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and some of the American Democrats, support Hamas and constantly condemn Israel for wanting to defend themselves.

It is no surprise that the world is readying itself for judgement and God’s wrath, for God promised long ago to Abraham that those who curse Israel will be cursed. God’s judgement will come swiftly once He has removed His Church and the world plunges into the Tribulation from Revelation 6 onwards. {{1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 for you yourselves know full well that THE DAY OF THE LORD will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then DESTRUCTION WILL COME UPON THEM SUDDENLY like birth pangs upon a woman with child and they shall not escape, but YOU, BRETHREN, ARE NOT IN DARKNESS, that the day should overtake you like a thief”}}

If you do a search on this 2023 event, Google and other search Engines makes sure you get the more radical, anti-Israel results to come up first like the BBC and ABC News, and especially Al Jazeera News. You don’t expect fairness in this world any more. The survivors in Judah realised they could not expect anything. There was no help coming from any quarter. They were alone in their situation and no food aid came to them from any place. They were starving to death in a hopeless situation.

Maybe this is one reason why people neglect the study of Lamentations, because it is too sad or depressing. So is sin. People’s reaction is to turn away and pretend that sin is not part of their lives but it is. A person will never be free of it, and if your sin is not covered by the blood of Christ, then you are going to stand one day before God and be accountable for it. You will never be able to turn away from it.

The people must have been sitting in their misery and recalling a time that was too late now, but back then they would have repented and did what God wanted, but that is hindsight. It was in the past and their stubbornness prevented them repenting and responding to Jeremiah’s preaching. This is what Jeremiah said when the rumblings were on the horizon and the Babylonian army was making its presence felt, ready to invade and overthrow –

{{Jeremiah 37:5-9 Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted the siege from Jerusalem. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, ‘THUS YOU ARE TO SAY TO THE KING OF JUDAH, WHO SENT YOU TO ME TO INQUIRE OF ME: “BEHOLD, PHARAOH’S ARMY WHICH HAS COME OUT FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IS GOING TO RETURN TO ITS OWN LAND OF EGYPT. “THE CHALDEANS WILL ALSO RETURN AND FIGHT AGAINST THIS CITY, AND THEY WILL CAPTURE IT AND BURN IT WITH FIRE.”’ “Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us, for they will not go.”}}