Skip to content The Role of Spiritual Leaders: Reflections from Lamentations - Lamentations 4-5 Mar 18 · 11 min ...more
The Role of Spiritual Leaders: Reflections from Lamentations - Lamentations 4-5
March 18, 2025 · 11 min
A look at how Lamentations reveals the impact of spiritual guidance on the health of a nation and its people.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
The Suffering and Hope of Jerusalem 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. Today, we have the final 2 chapters of the book of Lamentations. We're looking at chapters 4 and 5, verse 21 of chapter 5. Restore us to0:21 yourself, oh lord, that we may be restored. Renew our days as of old. Chapter 4 is like chapters 1 and 2, an acrostic with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet having a single0:33 verse, 22 verses in total. Chapter 5, while broken into 22 verses, like the others,0:52 retracted siege and destruction of the city. Verse 1, chapter 4, How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold has changed. This holy the holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. The precious sons of1:03 Zion worth their weight in fine gold. How they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of potters' hands. Even jackals offer their the the breast. They1:15 nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel like the ostriches in the wild. The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst. The1:27 children beg for bread, but no 1 gives to them. Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets. Those who were brought up in purple embrace1:39 ash heaps. For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.1:51 You know, god's wrath was poured out on Sodom, and and it was done in an instant from the very hand of god. Jerusalem's punishment was protracted with the pending judgment meeting2:03 them every morning for a year and a half during the siege. The drawn out punishment was God's long suffering with the desire that they would repent and that he could send a blessing rather2:15 than judgment. In second Peter chapter 3 verse 9, it says, the lord is slow slow to fulfill his promise as some count. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards2:27 you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But as we see with god's own people, there comes a point that the opportunity2:39 to repent comes to a close. It's no longer possible. That's true of individuals and it's true of nations. And And and once that window closes, it's too2:50 late. You know, for us as as, human beings, as long as we have breath, we can repent. But once we take that final breath, there's no opportunity to repent. Our eternal3:03 destiny is set. Look again at the intensity of the desperation and the suffering. Yet in the midst of this, they would not return to God. Verse 4, happier were the3:14 victims of the sword than the victims of hunger who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field. The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children.3:27 They became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people. The lord gave full vent to his wrath. He poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that3:38 consumed its foundation. Wow. Now pay attention to close attention to this next verse, verse 12. The kings of the earth did not believe nor any of the inhabitants3:50 of the world that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. Now the way Jerusalem is positioned, it was a, is a just from a4:02 from a geographical standpoint, it's on a on a on a mountain, on a hill, and it was well fortified. It was impregnable. It was on a mountain with valleys all around it. And in in4:14 Jerusalem, quite frankly, they saw as too big to fail. Ever heard that before? But guess what? It was no match for god. Here's what we need to note. What we are led to believe4:26 will never happen is suddenly upon us. You know, we think, you know, our economy is too strong. Our nation is you know, we're we're strong. We have a good military. We have a strong economy. It can never happen to4:37 us. It can be upon us in a heartbeat. And why did this happen? Well, look at verse 13. Jeremiah lays it out very clearly. This was for the sins of her4:49 prophets and the iniquities of her priest who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous. They wandered blind through the streets. They were so defiled with5:01 blood that no 1 was able to touch their garments. Now did you see what Jeremiah just said? Jeremiah does not point to the corrupt self seeking political leaders.5:14 He points to the compromised spiritual leaders who should have been living and proclaiming the truth of god, challenging the people, and convicting the leaders to do the same. Instead of being the solution,5:26 these spiritual leaders were the problem. You see, the health of a nation is directly linked to the vitality of the pulpit. It is the truth being proclaimed without5:38 hesitation or apology. Elections and public policies that they produce are are are critical. I mean, that's what I do at the Family Research Council. We work on that. However, we5:50 understand we must understand that politics and policy are downstream from the culture, and the culture is downstream from the church. If the culture is corrupt, it's because the6:01 church has compromised its mission. And that's what Jeremiah is saying here. He's pointing to the source of the problem. The political class was simply following the lead of the spiritual.6:13 The church, that is followers of Christ, must understand and walk in our prophetic role. And what I mean by prophetic is not predicting the future, but by consistently and compassionately proclaiming6:26 the truth, the truth of god's word. Jeremiah warned Judah because they had departed from god's established word. He knew where they were headed because God had warned them of the outcome of6:37 disobedience. He didn't speak condescendingly. His heart, like that of Jesus, was broken for those that he was warning. Likewise, our hearts should be broken for6:49 those we proclaim the truth of god to. Alright. Then he closes the chapter with a hopeful look at the future. First, the judgment of Edom for their7:01 assistance to Babylon, but then he and let's look at that verse 21. Rejoice and be glad, oh, daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz, but to you also the cup shall pass. You shall7:13 become drunk and strip yourselves bare. The punishment of your iniquity, oh daughter of Zion, is accomplished. He will keep you in exile no longer, but your iniquity, oh daughter of Edom, he will7:25 punish. He will uncover your sins. There would be an end to Israel's punishment. Their time out would be over, and they would return, but not Edom. Now the7:37 final chapter is Jeremiah's prayer for the people. Verse 1. Remember, oh lord, what has befallen us. Look and see our disgrace. Our inheritance has been7:49 turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We have become orphans, fatherless. Our mothers are like widows. We must pay for the water we drink. The wood we get must be bought. Our8:00 pursuers are at our necks. We are weary. We are given no rest. We have given the hand to Egypt and to Assyria to get bread enough. Our fathers sinned and are no more,8:12 and we bear their iniquities. You see, disobedience comes at a very high price, and it comes with compounded interest from generation to generation.8:24 As Paul said, the earth groans under the weight of the sin that began with Adam. Verse 15, the joy of our hearts has ceased. Our dancing has been turned into mourning. The crown has fallen from our head.8:36 Woe to us for we have sinned. For this our heart has become sick. For these things our eyes have grown dim. For Mount Zion, which lies desolate, jackals8:48 prowl over it. But but look how he finishes. There is hope. Verse 19. But you, oh lord, reign forever. Your throne endures to all generations.9:00 Why do you forget us forever? Why do you forsake us for so many days? Restore us to yourself, oh lord, that we may be restored. Renew our days as of old, unless you have9:12 utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us. Now when this book was read publicly by the Jewish people, because the book ends on a negative note,9:24 verse 21 would actually be repeated after verse 22, so they would conclude the reading with this. Restore us to yourself, oh lord, that we may be restored. Renew our9:35 days as of old. And that's a great prayer. Lord, us to yourself that we may be restored. For if you restore us, we will be restored and renew our days9:48 as of old. Father, we thank you for your word. And, lord, I do pray that you would restore us to a to a spiritual vitality, that, lord, we would seek you with all our heart, mind, and soul, that you would be10:00 the the the object of our focus, our worship, our desires. And, lord, may we walk in obedience to you. We thank you for your mercy. We thank you for your grace, and we pray this10:12 in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Until next time. Keep standing on the word.10:21 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you10:32 can read through the entire bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Suffering and Hope of Jerusalem94K followers
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
94K followers
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.