Great is Your Faithfulness

 Recently I've heard many people again talk about the possibility of World War III. You probably have, too. We saw the attack in Israel and the protests with the threats of a 'day of rage' or a 'day of resistance' last week. People are on high alert with the threat levels increasing. Some are saying we're seeing Biblical prophecy played out right now in the Middle East. Is Armageddon coming? Are these the end times?

World tensions continue to rise - and when you look at the prophesied events of the end times, they always revolve around Jerusalem and that region. It's our understanding that the nation of Israel will play a key role in the end times. So when we see the horrific images from the attack, people start to speculate about what it all means for the 'big picture'.

God called Israel His 'chosen people'. They were the people through whom God chose to bring The Messiah. But even with the designation of 'God's chosen people' - Israel had always had its share of tragedy. I shared a passage from the book of Lamentation just a little over a year ago - but I thought it would be beneficial to revisit it again at this point.

As we see the sheer brutality of the violence against the Jewish people - women and young girls raped and taken hostage, targeting of the elderly and babies being slaughtered - I can't help but think back to when the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC. It was so thorough a defeat that no significant remnant of that city prior to the people's exile survived to the present day. The prophet Jeremiah was an eye witness to this horrific event. The book of Lamentations in the Old Testament is his formal composition of grief over what took place.

Listening to his words you can get caught up in the horror of what transpired back then...

Lamentations 4:5-11 (NIV)

Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those nurtured in purple now lie on ash heaps. (6) The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her. (7) Their princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk, their bodies more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires.

(8) But now they are blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. (9) Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. (10) With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed.

(11) The LORD has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.

For whatever reason - in the past - God allowed the Babylonians to inflict all of that destruction. There was a reason that Jeremiah wrote down this awful account. Jeremiah wanted the people…

I. To remember

Jeremiah painted a word picture of what occurred. In this modern war we have 24/7 live coverage of the city of Jerusalem. We've seen terrorists live streaming their own brutality towards their victims and hostages. We have real time recorded death tolls in this war. But that's not the case for an event as far back as 586 BC. So Jeremiah wrote down the horrific account of what happened. His book starts this way...

Lamentations 1:1-7 (NIV)

How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. (2) Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is none to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. (3) After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place.

All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress. (4) The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she is in bitter anguish. (5) Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. The LORD has brought her grief because of her many sins. Her children have gone into exile, captive before the foe. (6) All the splendor has departed from the Daughter of Zion.

Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer. (7) In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction.

Now of course, the circumstances in this account were drastically different from what we see today. Back then - Israel was in a covenant relationship with God and had ignored God commands. The circumstances today of Israel being attacked by the terrorist organization Hamas is very different - but their suffering is the same. Israel is no stranger to conflict and pain. So back then, in order for the people to remember, Jeremiah recorded…

A. A lesson

The truth is, as powerful as these words are, reading them in English you can't really get the full impact of what Jeremiah crafted. You see, these chapters are a long Hebrew poem in five parts. And Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme. It makes a statement and then re-states it in different words. It's called parallelism. Take the lines for example, "How desolate lies the city, once so full of people". Now here's the same thought expressed in different words; "How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations."

And I don't want to lose you in the weeds with too much detail - but there's a reason - even more remarkable is the fact that this poem is a series of acrostics. For instance - Chapters one, two and four each have 22 verses. That's the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. And in each chapter, each verse one begins with 'aleph', the first letter of their alphabet (we would say "A"). Verse two begins with 'beth' or "B", verse three 'gimel' and so on.

And I hope I haven't lost you, but I wanted you to realize that there's more to what he's written than first meets the eye. This remarkable composition of sorrow is an attempt on the prophet's part to properly memorialize what took place. Jeremiah wanted to insure that his people would never forget the significance of those days, and he also wanted them to learn from what had happened.

So Jeremiah wrote this poem using his acrostic style to make it easier to teach and to remember. And he's underscored what it was that needed to be fully understood. The destruction of Jerusalem, the punishment of God's chosen people, in this specific instance - had been God's doing as much as it was the Babylonians - it happened because of Israel's many sins.

Jeremiah wanted them to remember, but also to give the people…

B. Hope

Jeremiah explained the reasons behind the tragedy, but also included words of hope regarding their future. This is the passage that Josie read earlier...

Lamentations 3:19-23 (NIV)

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: (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.

Jeremiah didn't deny the pain and sadness he felt - but he also recognized the faithfulness of God!

Again - Israel's circumstances today are drastically different. I'm not even remotely suggesting that any modern sins of Israel have lead to their suffering in this past week. There is no rationalization or justification of the barbaric acts perpetrated against Israel by those who attacked them. However - as we view the events of today, along with the suffering of Israel thousands of years ago. Based on Jeremiah's writings and insights...

II. What is our response?

What are we to do? How do we process this and how do we respond?

The prophet Jeremiah wrestled with how he would capture this event for his people. He couldn't do it with a simple plaque or historical marker of some sort. At that point, the land no longer belonged to Israel. He had to do it with words, words that could be visited again and again by parents and priests and his people, and eventually become an integral part of the heritage of that nation. To this very day, on the 9th day of the 4th month of the Jewish calendar, these words of God's ancient prophet are still read in synagogues all around the world.

These words were intended for ancient Israel - but they're also for us. What can we learn from Jeremiah's words? I ask again, what are we to do? The most important thing a believer can do is...

A. We are to pray

I mentioned that Israel was a nation in a covenant relationship with God. And as such, they were commanded to follow many rules and religious regulations in their worship. We see this urging, written by King David, in Psalms 122:6-9 (NIV)...

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure. (7) May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels." (8) For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you." (9) For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

This was a Psalm written by King David for the nation of Israel to sing as they went up to Jerusalem to worship God at the temple. I've heard different preachers share this as a call to pray now for Israel.

I've also heard people argue that scripture here is talking about the spiritual Israel and not necessarily the modern nation state of Israel. When I say we are to pray, I'm not making a political statement here. I understand that depending on a person's politics, people may have very different views on this modern conflict. But no matter your political allegiance you should be able to pray for peace in Jerusalem.

This passage that says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" was written by David, who was called 'a man after God's own heart'. If it's in David's heart to pray for peace in Jerusalem, to pray for Israel - whether or not this passage applies to us as a command - I think God wants His people to pray for Israel, His chosen people! We should pray!

What should our response be to things unfolding around us? Just like Jeremiah did back then, even in uncertain times - because of our faith in God...

B. We have hope

Halley's Bible Handbook states that Jeremiah's grotto, "Is the name of the place, just outside the north wall of Jerusalem, where, tradition says, Jeremiah wept his bitter tears and composed this sorrowful elegy over the city he had tried so hard to save. This grotto is under the knoll that is now called "Golgotha," the same hill on which the cross of Jesus stood. Thus the suffering prophet wept where later the suffering Savior died."

And once again, God brought triumph out of tragedy. Jesus died to give us life! With God in control – there is always hope!

I'm not talking about just 'sticking your head in the sand' and pretending nothing's wrong. This is not about denial. I'm not denying that things in this world are pretty awful, they are... But let's read Jeremiah's words one more time. Immediately after acknowledging his pain and despair, he then writes...

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: (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.

I saw this quote, regarding the current turmoil in the world. "Our King is seated. He's not frantically pacing. He's not anxious or nervous. He's not unsettled and scared. He is seated, steady and secure." Even when you can't see God's hand - He is working through everything to bring His plans to fulfillment! Back when Jesus was asked about signs of the end of the age, He responded...

Matthew 24:6-8 (NIV)

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. (7) Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (8) All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Jesus was clear with His disciples that terrible things would happen, but urged them not to be alarmed. We can see a similar account in Luke where Jesus was talking about the coming destruction of ancient Jerusalem, but He then turned His attention to the end times...

Luke 21:25-28 (NIV)

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. (26) Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. (27) At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (28) When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Jesus doesn't say, "When these things begin to take place, panic!" He says, "stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." "Our King is seated - steady and secure."

So What?

Is World War III coming? I don't know. Are Biblical prophecies playing out in Israel? I don't know. Is Jesus coming back soon? I hope so! The Bible isn't as concerned about telling us the exact 'when' of the end of this world - but it is very clear about 'whom' everything centers around! Bottom line - Jesus is coming back! Are you ready?

We can't lose hope and we must pray! And think of it this way - what if all Christians prayed to the same extent that you do, would our nation be more secure, or would we be in trouble? If you are typical of the prayer support lifting up our nation's leaders that they seek God's guidance - would they be properly covered, or would they be carrying out their duties lacking a key protection that only God can provide?

If Jeremiah could write the words we read from his position of despair and humiliation, we can have hope and lift up our heads - because our redemption is drawing near! Pray for our nation! Pray for Israel! Pray for Jesus' return! "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved!"