Lamentations
Chapter
3
{Jeremiah's
Personal Autobiography Now}
1~~I
{Jeremiah} . . . {am} the man who has seen affliction
by
the rod of His wrath.
{Note: Jeremiah shared in the divine discipline on the nation.}
2~~He
has driven me,
and
made me {Jeremiah}
walk
in darkness rather than light.
{Note: The Chaldeans put him in prison and he continued to preach. So they then moved him to the cistern/sewer under the prison where there was no light, and he still would not shut up!}
3~~Indeed,
He has turned His head
against
me again and again all day long.
{Note: This sounds like a complaint. Jeremiah still suffers with the people. But it is not really Jeremiah complaining as we will see in the following.}
4~~He
made my skin and my flesh grow old
and
He has broken my bones
{when he was thrown into the cistern, bones were broken}.
5~~He
has besieged me,
and
surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
{Verses
6-8 the Fifth Cycle of discipline - Bronze -
see Revelation 1:14}
6~~He
has made me live in dark places
like
those who have been long dead
{again in the cistern - the sealed it up with him inside}.
7~~He
has walled me in
so
I can not 'go out'/escape.
He
has made my bronze piece/chain heavy
{slavery after 5th cycle of discipline}.
8~~Even
when I cry and call for help,
He
shuts out my prayer.
9~~He
has barred my way with blocks of stone,
He
has made my paths crooked
{the cistern was small and he could not walk in a straight line
anywhere}.
10-11~~He
was like a bear lying in wait,
like
a lion in hiding 11~~
He
'dragged me from the path/
'has
turned aside my ways' {discipline},
and
'pulled me in pieces'/'mangled me' {discipline}.
He
has 'left me without help'/
'made
me desolate'/despondent {more discipline}.
12~~He
drew His bow,
and
made me the target for His arrows
{explained again in the next verses}.
13~~He
has caused the arrows of his quiver
to
enter into my emotions/kidneys {kilyah}.
14~~I
became a laughing-stock/derision
to
all my people {the 'arrows' of verse 12}
and
the 'mocked me in song' all day long.
15~~He
has filled me with 'bitter herbs'/bitterness
{wormwood - representing mental attitude sin},
and
He has 'sated me with venom' {m@ror}.
{Note: One of the worst of all sins is bitterness. It fills the soul with venom. Jeremiah was the object of the bitterness of the people who remained behind.}
16~~He
has caused the breaking of my teeth
with
gravel stones.
He
has trampled me in the dust
{Jeremiah's enemies have done this}.
17~~I
have been deprived of tranquility
{idiom: literally 'peace/tranquility of the soul'}.
I
have forgotten what prosperity is.
18~~So
I say, "My splendor is gone
and
all that I had hoped for
{that the people would respond to his message from God}
from
the Jehovah/God.
{Terrible
Explanation}
19~~Remember
my stress/afflictions {an order}
and
my straying/restlessness -
bitterness/wormwood
and venom/gall
{bitterness is one of the worst mental attitude sins
and it is like venom of a snake in your soul}.
{Note: Bitterness means you refuse to take personal responsibility for your sins - you hate. Jeremiah is suffering mainly because of the bitterness of the people. He prophesized these things would happen. When then happened, they said 'it is all your fault Jeremiah! Bitterness and hatred toward the MESSENGER instead of saying you were right, it is my fault.}
{Jeremiah
is in Fellowship - Indicated by Humility}
20~~Surely/Definitely
my
soul {nephesh} remembers,
and
is humbled/'bowed down' in me.
{Note: This verse clarifies that it is NOT Jeremiah who is bitter. He keeps his humble attitude as directed by God's Word - Relaxed Mental Attitude regardless his circumstances - Jeremiah put his faith in the Lord (see next verse).}
21~~This
I {Jeremiah} have been
caused
to remember/'recall to mind' {shuwb - Hiphil causative stem};
therefore,
I have been caused
to
have hope/'confident expectation' {yachal - Hiphil stem}.
{Note: In Romans, Paul explains that to those of us who truly believe, then 'hope' really becomes 'absolute confidence'. Christ DID rise! He IS in resurrection body today and we WILL also have a resurrection body like His . . . forever! Not a 'hope' but an absolute confidence that this IS reality. Hebrews 11:1 declares in corrected translation 'doctrine IS reality' - if God says it is Truth in His Word, then it IS Truth.}
22~~The
'unfailing mercies'/ loving-kindnesses {checed}
of
the Jehovah/God never cease;
because
His compassions {racham}
never
fail.
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