Lamentations 3:1-18 – The Rod of His Wrath
The words of Jeremiah as a representative mourner are intended to be used not only by the citizens of Judah in his particular time and place, but by all who find themselves in dreary sorrow. As the glorious hope and confidence that will be found in this chapter is the possession of every believer, so the Holy Spirit has given us words to express our spiritual sorrow in these verses.
The Prophet laments the “rod of his wrath.” As Christians we must remember that sometimes the comforting rod of God becomes one of discipline. The author of Hebrews brings this out most clearly when he asks: “For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” He goes on to say: For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:8, 11). Certainly Jeremiah’s experience is not pleasant. He says God “brought me into darkness,” “turns his hand against me,” “has besieged and enveloped me,” “has walled me about,” “is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion hiding,” and “he drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver.”
But the real grief is in the way these things steal away from Jeremiah a sense and experience of his spiritual comfort. He senses the door of prayer is closed to him (v 8), because of the crooked path of sin he is now set on the crooked path of sorrow (v 9), and his peace has vanished (vv 17-18). Have you ever felt that?
While the blessings of God are never removed from his people, our experience of them change. Because of our sin we can and do lose a present enjoyment of the things he has promised. Yet, even in these unpleasant times the Lord is treating us as sons. Even Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered (see Hebrews 5:8). The severe rod of his discipline is only intended to secure us all the more in the covenant blessings.
Questions
- What is the discipline of God?
- What good comes out of God’s discipline?
Prayer Points
- Ask God to help you learn obedience.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.