What Lessons Can We Learn From the Book of Lamentations?

     God keeps His Word.  When the Israelites would not repent of their idolatry, God had no choice but to send Nebuchadnezzar to burn their temple and take thousands of them captive.  I read in chapter 1 of the Life-Study of Lamentations that historians say that this book was written while the prophet Jeremiah looked down from a hill at the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem. 

I captured an eagle flying over a nearby bay

    Even in the midst of this desolation, Jeremiah speaks a word that has comforted me and I'm sure countless other people:

It is Jehovah's lovingkindness that we are not consumed, For His compassions do not fail; They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; Therefore I hope in Him. Jehovah is good to those who wait on Him, to the soul that seeks Him.  Lamentations 3:22-25

     In chapter 2 of this Life Study Witness Lee says that Jeremiah realized that even though thousands had been exiled, some were still left and that this was because of God's lovingkindness.  I found these excerpts on page 7 encouraging:

"The people of Israel had failed, but God's compassions did not fail. His compassions had preserved the remnant of Israel....'They are new every morning' (v. 23a). This indicates that Jeremiah contacted the Lord as the compassionate One every morning. It was through his contact with the Lord that he received this word regarding His lovingkindness, compassions, and faithfulness....Because He had made a covenant with Abraham and confirmed it with Isaac and Jacob, God had to be faithful to keep His word" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Lamentations. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1992, Print)

.    After this section he says in our lives sometimes it doesn't look like God is being kind, compassionate, or faithful. And when that happens, what will we do?  That's when we have to put our hope in Him and wait on Him.   Often we have to  face  difficulties and painful situations, and often that's for more than a week. 

     And then he shares that 's when we get to experience Lamentations 3:55 which says, I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, From the lowest pit.  Our waiting and our calling out to him will prove once again that God is compassionate and faithful!!  And this week I've been praying about something very close to my heart, and this word gives me renewed strength to believe in God's faithfulness.

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations on Life Study of the Bible  with Witness Lee.

Insights from Jeremiah - What Does God Consider Evil in Jeremiah 2:13?
Insights from Jeremiah - Taking A Closer Look at the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34