God is Faithful
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His
compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is Thy
faithfulness.
The LORD is my
portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.
--
Lamentations 3:22-24 KJVB
The Book of Lamentations tells of the destruction of Jerusalem and
the temple, which took place over 587 and 586 BC when Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar overran the city. The surviving inhabitants either fled to other
countries, were carried away to Babylon as slaves or remained under the brutal
rule of an occupying force.
Lamentations
is a collection of five poems. It does not name its
author, but it is generally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. For many years,
Jeremiah had warned the people and their leaders about their unfaithfulness to
God. Jeremiah knew that being chosen by God did not translate to a free pass.
He knew that actions had consequences. If God's people were not faithful to
God's instructions, bad things would happen.
But even when surrounded by death and destruction, Jeremiah still
had hope. He knew that even if the people were not faithful in their commitment
to God, God would still be faithful in His promises to them.
The
third poem, Chapter 3, speaks
of hope for God’s people. In verse 22 the writer speaks of God's "loving
kindnesses" and "compassion." The first term is the Hebrew word
transliterate as checed (pronounced "KHEH-sed"),
meaning "favor," "good deed," "kindly,"
"loving-kindness," "merciful kindness," "mercy,"
or "pity." The second word, racham ("RAKH-am"), meaning
"tender love," "tender mercy" or "pity." Both
words tell of God's faithfulness to express His kindness, His love and His
mercy toward His people even when they do not deserve it or return it.
Then, in verse 23, the writer observes that God’s love, kindness
and mercy are new every morning. The writer uses the Hebrew chadash (“khaw_DAWSH”), which means “fresh” or
“a new thing,” and he uses the Hebrew boqer (“BO-ker”), meaning “day,” “early,”
“morning,” or “morrow.” Here Jeremiah recognizes that with each new day, God’s
love, mercy and kindness are brand new; that God never tires in his
faithfulness. God’s captive people were first-hand witnesses to His
faithfulness a few decades later, with the overthrow of Babylon by Persia in
538 BC, the return of the people to Judah, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Beyond those events, God’s people would ultimately witness His faithfulness in
the coming of His Messiah, Jesus.
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