Greetings everyone and thanks for joining me for this edition of my Sunday School lesson commentary and preview. This Sunday’s lesson is entitled “A Plea For Restoration” and is found in Lamentations 5:1-22.
The name of the book “Lamentations” means “weep” or “tears”. It is an acrostic which is a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words. The Book of Lamentations is a composition of 5 songs, poems or chapters describing the fall of Jerusalem, the judgment and mercy of God and the destruction of Judah at the hands of Babylon in the form a 22 Hebrew letter acrostic written by the prophet Jeremiah.
The five chapters or songs emphasize a different pronoun. Chapter one uses “She” to refer to the city and the people within the city. Chapter two uses “He” to refer to God and His judgment. Chapter three uses “I” as seen from the point of view of Jeremiah as one of those affected. Chapter fours uses “they” to refer to the onlookers and those outside the nation. And finally, the last chapter uses “we” to refer to the redemption and return of those who were left back to the land one day.
The lesson text is from the 5th chapter or song in which Jeremiah make an appeal to mercy and redemption. He begins with by asking God to “remember” them and “look” upon us with pity. He describes their utter shamefulness and helplessness. Their devastation and destruction left them nothing to cling or point to of their former glory.
No group or demographic among them had been spared. From the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest and everyone in between had been caught up in the judgment of God. They were people who were left without anything left; captives and beggars and their plight for all the world to see.
This was something very difficult for Jeremiah to see and experience with his own eyes. To see his nation, people, their culture and wealth taken away was what he attempted to capture in the songs of Lamentations. But perhaps the saddest part of all was that all of it could have been prevented.
God repeatedly warned them and gave them space to repent. But they continuously ignored His warnings and dismissed His prophets. Had they believed it was going to be this tragic, perhaps they would have repented. They were so confident is their ability to survive without God, they refused to obey His voice despite the strongest warning of the consequences their disobedience.
At the end of his lament, Jeremiah asks God to restore them someday if He has not completely destroyed them and His anger toward them will not cease. They were judged and rightfully so. But God left enough of them so that one day, they would return and He would once again restore their identity as His people.
This lesson should serve as a warning to all of us who fear God. God will judge sin and sinful behavior of any nation. God has His own way and time to judge everyone. Because judgment that is delayed seems like judgment denied, people continue to ignore God’s warnings and live ungodly lives.
As believers, we must resist the urge to give up and stop trying to convince people to turn to the Lord. When judgment does come and people are eternally lost, it will not be because we didn’t try our best to convince them to come onto the Lord’s side.
If and when the nation falls under God’s judgement, we, like Jeremiah, will also suffer through the consequences just like he did. The land, people and culture he knew was in ruins. And it’s better not to fall than to plea for restoration.
Well, I hope you will be able to attend SS this coming Sunday. Invite someone to come and share your thoughts with the class. Sunday School at Flag Branch will begin at 9:00 am and you are invited to join us at www.fbmbc.org and clicking the online services link.
You and others can also join us by dialing 508 924-2890. If you have any comments or questions before then, be sure to place them in the comment section of this preview and I will get back to you. So, as always remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
