Author	Thread: Series on the book of Lamentations
Streetevangelist520^ View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 15 Jul, 2023 05:06 PM I am going to start a series on the book of Lamentations. Here's the themes of this book from the Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible: 1. An Intricate Lament. 2. The Judge Who Restores. 3. Therefore . . . Hope. I pray that we find our hope in Jesus no matter what the circumstances in this book of the Bible. Post Reply
Streetevangelist520^ View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 15 Jul, 2023 05:39 PM I just got done with chapter 1 and here's theme: Jerusalem in Affliction. How does this theme apply to our practical everyday lives today? First, our afflictions should drive us to the LORD in repentance over our sin and cast our cares on Jesus continually, for He can handle them and we can't. This a big benefit of having a personal relationship with Jesus, we can talk to Him about anything anytime. May this teaching motivate us as Christians to do and be the same way in Jesus name no matter what, PRAISE THE LORD. Post Reply
Moonlight7 View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 16 Jul, 2023 10:57 AM Just a bit of information on the Book Chuck Swindoll preaching Chuck Swindoll’s overview of Lamentations Who wrote the book? While the author of Lamentations remains nameless within the book, strong evidence from both inside and outside the text points to the prophet Jeremiah as the author. Both Jewish and Christian tradition ascribe authorship to Jeremiah, and the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament—even adds a note asserting Jeremiah as the writer of the book. In addition, when the early Christian church father Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he added a note claiming Jeremiah as the author of Lamentations. The original name of the book in Hebrew, ekah, can be translated “Alas!” or “How,” giving the sense of weeping or lamenting over some sad event.1 Later readers and translators substituted in the title “Lamentations” because of its clearer and more evocative meaning. It’s this idea of lamenting that, for many, links Jeremiah to the book. Not only does the author of the book witness the results of the recent destruction of Jerusalem, he seems to have witnessed the invasion itself (Lamentations 1:13–15). Jeremiah was present for both events. Where are we? “How lonely sits the city / That was full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1), so goes the beginning of Lamentations. The city in question was none other than Jerusalem. Jeremiah walked through the streets and alleys of the Holy City and saw nothing but pain, suffering, and destruction in the wake of the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC. It also makes sense to date the book as close to the invasion as possible, meaning late 586 BC or early 585 BC, due to the raw emotion Jeremiah expresses throughout its pages. Why is Lamentations so important? Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world. However, while Job dealt with unexplained evil, Jeremiah lamented a tragedy entirely of Jerusalem’s making. The people of this once great city experienced the judgment of the holy God, and the results were devastating. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:22–25). This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness shines as a beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience. What's the big idea? As the verses of Lamentations accumulate, readers cannot help but wonder how many different ways Jeremiah could describe the desolation of the once proud city of Jerusalem. Children begged food from their mothers (Lamentations 2:12), young men and women were cut down by swords (2:21), and formerly compassionate mothers used their children for food (4:10). Even the city’s roads mourned over its condition (1:4)! Jeremiah could not help but acknowledge the abject state of this city, piled with rubble. The pain so evident in Jeremiah’s reaction to this devastation clearly communicates the significance of the terrible condition in Jerusalem. Speaking in the first person, Jeremiah pictured himself captured in a besieged city, without anyone to hear his prayers, and as a target for the arrows of the enemy (3:7–8, 12). Yet even in this seemingly hopeless situation, he somehow found hope in the Lord (3:21–24). How do I apply this? Lamentations reminds us of the importance not only of mourning over our sin but of asking the Lord for His forgiveness when we fail Him. Much of Jeremiah’s poetry concerns itself with the fallen bricks and cracking mortar of the overrun city. Do you see any of that destroyed city in your own life? Are you mourning over the sin that’s brought you to this point? Do you feel overrun by an alien power; are you in need of some hope from the Lord? Turn to Lamentations 3:17–26, where you’ll find someone aware of sin’s consequences and saddened by the results but who has placed his hope and his trust in the Lord. Post Reply
Moonlight7 View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 16 Jul, 2023 11:22 AM Insight for Living Ministries Post Reply
Streetevangelist520^ View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 16 Jul, 2023 03:27 PM Thanks for posting that information from Insight for Living Ministries, it is greatly appreciated. My Dr. David Jeremiah study Bible says the same exact thing. I respect Chuck Swindoll deeply as a preacher of the gospel. Thanks for posting Moonlight7. Post Reply
Moonlight7 View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 16 Jul, 2023 04:16 PM You're welcome! I don't know that much about him but I do try to read things before I post . I have head him on the Christian radio station. Post Reply
Streetevangelist520^ View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 16 Jul, 2023 04:18 PM I just got done with chapters 2 through 5. Here's the themes of these chapters: 1. God's anger with Jerusalem. 2. The Prophet's Anguish and Hope. 3. The Degradation of Zion. 4. A prayer for Restoration. How do these themes apply to our practical everyday life today? 1. You reap what you sow. If you make wrong choices you will reap curses and if you make right choices you reap blessings. Galatians 6:7-10 illustrates this point and i can attest to this in my own life after all the wrong foolish choices i've made in my past but thank God that He's given me many chances to change my choices in my present so i can have a more blessed future in Jesus name. Second, be honest with Jesus about everything and let it drive you to hope in Him, nothing else. I'm going through some horrible circumstances right now where i'm living but God is greater than them all and it's made my a stronger man in Jesus. Third, God cannot wink at sin, there are consequences for your choices whether good or bad and i can attest to this in my own life. Fourth, God keeps His promises. Fifth, repentance leads to restoration. I'm definitely believing God to restore my life after all the dum choices i've made. If you are in the same spot i am, come to Jesus in confession and repentance, ask Him to help make the right choices in your life, do your part and think about how your words, actions and choices not only yourself but others and your relationship with Jesus. And when you make mistakes, own up to them with God's help and then confess and repent of them with God's help and go on. Don't blame other people for your mistakes. This is called taking personal responsibility for your actions and this is not taught much in our world, but the Bible teaches it and 2 Cor 7 illustrates this point. I need to hear this too and so do all of us Born-Again Christians. May all of us heed these words of encouragment and warning. I am not here as an evangelist and discipler to tickle peoples' ears but speak the truth of God's WORD in love to you all. It may not be popular to preach all this but i'd rather please Jesus than man. I don't care what any of you think of me but what God thinks. We need to repent as the church of Jesus Christ worldwide for tolerating compromise and false doctrine in our own lives and churches. The rapture of the church is near and God is cleaning up His church worldwide before the rapture. Lets be on fire for Jesus and not be lukewarm. Post Reply
Streetevangelist520^ View Profile History	Series on the book of Lamentations Posted : 16 Jul, 2023 04:26 PM By the way i just got done with this book, PRAISE THE LORD. Post Reply