Lam
1:12, 14 (NIV) "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look
around and see.
Is any
suffering like my suffering
that
was inflicted on me,
that
the Lord brought on me
in the
day of his fierce anger?
. . .
14
"My sins have been bound into a yoke;
by his
hands they were woven together.
They
have come upon my neck
and the
Lord has sapped my strength.
He has
handed me over
to
those I cannot withstand.
NOTE: The Mosaic
covenant was very clear in its blessings and curses. There should be no surprise at the severity
of the punishment. In fact, the most
surprising aspect is how long God delayed.
From 1375 BC to 586 BC, 790 years, Israel has gone back and forth in its
relationship with God, alternating between disobedience and obedience, between
good rulers and evil rulers. And now, 20
generations later, God finally judges her sin.
We all desire
mercy. We appreciate God's long
suffering. In the NT, there is no longer
specific curses for failures, but there are warnings for backsliding and of
discipline (the book of Hebrews). These
do not take away our salvation, just as those who walked through the Red Sea
did not lose their salvation at Kadesh Barnea.
But they did suffer in not reaching the earthly rest promised in the
promised land.
Father, as believers
we all fail in many ways. Forgive us and
have mercy on us. We repent of our sin
and ask that you will again help us to live in a manner that pleases you.
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