therefore have I hope 0
This is a beautiful set of verses. It seems as if you were to put it to music it might become a beloved hymn. As the words to Amazing Grace sound so much sweeter at a funeral service these words will mean so much more to you if you understand them in context.
If you read the first 18 verses of this chapter you will find Jeremiah listing his trials and tribulations. You will see the theme of the first part of this chapter in verse 3 “Surely against me is he turned”. Jeremiah is not only explaining his terrible situation but is saying that the Lord “hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.” This is a dark day in Jeremiahs life.
Then we get have these wonderful words of hope…
20My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lamentations 3:20-24
Jeremiah appeared to down a path of depression. Feelings of hopelessness are the steps along that path. There is a battle in the mind of Jeremiah. Then he does what is right, what is best, and what gives God the glory due unto His name.. Jeremiah focuses his attention on God’s goodness.
In verse 22 Jeremiah reminds the people of the fact that they deserved to be consumed. That the problems they are facing is a result of God’s mercy and not an outpouring of the wrath they deserved. He brought life into a proper, grace filled perspective.
He then says “great is thy faithfllness”! The Israelites were far from faithful. They had been in a constant cycle of sinning, repenting, returning, and then sinning again.
The last two lines sum up Jeremiah’s apparent sudden change of heart. In verse 21 he says he has no hope. But in verse 24 he says that he hopes in the LORD! Why the sudden change of heart? Remember that in verse 21 he was bombarded with these images and memories of his pain and suffering, his humiliation at the hands of the people. This blocks out any hope, if your hope is in this life. For if your hope is in this life, then your hope rests in personal happiness, dignity and honour, power, health and self-esteem. But Jeremiah had been stripped of all these things by God. In verse 24 he realises that it is God that is his portion – it is not things in this life that he needs, but only God! Take everything else away and leave God, and he would still have his hope! Only when we can truly say this from the heart will we know pure joy in suffering.
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