Lamentations 3:31-42
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, 36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! 41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: 42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
Verse 39 asks: "Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?". Yet we often do complain. Although we admit our sin, we sometimes complain that our situation is not "fair", for we see others "get away" with other sin. But this comparison game is a trap, for we do not see the whole story. The repetition of "a living man complain, a man" emphasizes that we humans do not see the whole picture. The bottom line is that we need to see the terribleness of our own sin, and let that humble ourselves and turn us back to the Lord (verse 40). A surprising phrase here is in verse 42, where it says that "we have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven". My natural reaction to this is to think that sure, I have sinned, but God must still forgive me. We need to look at this in context, for it is clear in other places that God does forgive us (e.g. verse 32). I think the point here is that God's forgiveness enables us to avoid eternal punishment, but does not avoid all temporary consequences. Instead he uses those to bring us back to repentance.
God, please forgive me for my sins and my whining; help me to repent and return to You.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, 36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! 41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: 42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
Verse 39 asks: "Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?". Yet we often do complain. Although we admit our sin, we sometimes complain that our situation is not "fair", for we see others "get away" with other sin. But this comparison game is a trap, for we do not see the whole story. The repetition of "a living man complain, a man" emphasizes that we humans do not see the whole picture. The bottom line is that we need to see the terribleness of our own sin, and let that humble ourselves and turn us back to the Lord (verse 40). A surprising phrase here is in verse 42, where it says that "we have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven". My natural reaction to this is to think that sure, I have sinned, but God must still forgive me. We need to look at this in context, for it is clear in other places that God does forgive us (e.g. verse 32). I think the point here is that God's forgiveness enables us to avoid eternal punishment, but does not avoid all temporary consequences. Instead he uses those to bring us back to repentance.
God, please forgive me for my sins and my whining; help me to repent and return to You.