He is our Reason
Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust – there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For no-one is cast off by the Lord for ever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
Lamentations 3:28-33 NIVUK
High up in the side of one of the cliffs over a river lies the Sohoton cave system. This is truly something else. It's a natural cave. There are no coloured LED lights or safety rails or nice asphalted floors. This is a cave as it should be enjoyed.
But when you enter through the jungle from the bright sunlight of Filipino daytime, it's pitch black. You can't see a thing. And it goes without saying that in a cave system dark spells danger, especially if you aren't familiar with its layout. But as soon as a guide turns on their head light or torch, you are treated to a wonderland of stalactites and stalagmites and incredibly beautiful rock formations. It is truly a sight to behold.
But you need a light to appreciate it. Without light there is only darkness, and threat and danger.
Jeremiah continues to shed a light on his, and his nation's, suffering in some of the most challenging yet beautiful verses in Scripture. We need to take the time to really understand them. But when we do, it will totally change our perspective, in the same way that our guides turning on their torches gave us a thoroughly different view of that cave.
Jeremiah gives three pieces of advice to a suffering soul here that are simply earth-shattering and life-changing in their significance. If we take them seriously, they will dramatically alter our perception of suffering.
The first is stark and simple: accept it.
Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him.
Lamentations 3:28 NIVUK
Let me give you some examples of this. When news broke that my office was closing and everyone was being made redundant, of course it was all most people talked about for weeks. That would be normal, right? One of my colleagues actually honestly said, "I wish everyone would stop talking about being made redundant. I'm sick of hearing it! As far as I'm concerned, it's not happening."
But do you think it happened to her? Of course it did! Her denial changed nothing.
What about the Philippines? Every so often the country is struck by big and often life-threatening typhoons. If the government sat in a corner, covered their faces and pretended it wasn't happening, how many lives would they save? None! It would be totally irresponsible!
So how many lives do you think are being saved by conspiracy theories that say there is no such thing as Covid-19? Let me tell you: none. But lives are actually being put at risk by these unsubstantiated lies.
No problem was ever solved by hiding from it, denying it or dousing it in alcohol or drugs. No. First and foremost, we must accept that it is real and it is happening. So stop arguing. Stop complaining. Stop denying. Accept it.
Secondly, feel it.
Let him bury his face in the dust – there may yet be hope.
Lamentations 3:29 NIVUK
The clear inference from this is of someone who is pushed down by their circumstances. The Bible is clear that people are made from dust and return from dust (Ecclesiastes 3:20; see also Psalms 90:3). As the excitable boy commented after hearing this preached, "Mum, I've just looked under my bed and someone's either coming or going!"
The dust is a stern reminder of our own mortality. Jeremiah is saying that we should be prepared to face the emotional cost of this. We shouldn't back off or use our cultural 'stiff upper lip' as an excuse. If there is a painful price to pay then we should be willing to pay it. There is a time to weep as well as laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4). And often facing tough things like funerals or bereavement is good for our soul because it reminds us of who we truly are (Ecclesiastes 7:2, 4).
Often in hard times our emotions can be like a blister or a boil. In order to deal with them, we need to pierce the barrier and let them come out in a controlled way. Don't deny yourself the possibility of dealing with them. If you repress them, they will come back and bite you later.
So we see that Jeremiah needed to accept and feel his suffering. He also need to do one more thing: face it.
Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.
Lamentations 3:30 NIVUK
This verse parallels Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek when men oppress us (Matthew 5:38-42). In other words, to face your situation and to live gracefully and submissively within it.
And this is never easy.
I remember once at work I'd had a run of making a few mistakes and missed out on a promotion. That hurt. But the guy who got the job instead of me did not have the skills he needed, even though I did. So although they gave the job to him, they asked me to provide him with the knowledge he needed to do the job.
To say it hurt was an understatement. I felt completely humiliated. Not to mention used. I can't say I reacted one hundred percent gracefully at the time. But I did give him the help he needed, much to the astonishment of everyone around me, and a year later I earned a double promotion to a better job.
Accepting, feeling and facing our position means setting aside any anger or frustration we have about it. It means we don't shake our fist at God. It means we don't hold protests or vigils or sign petitions or complain about it on social media. It means we understand that this is something we have to go through for a while and we submit to it, no matter how painful.
But why should we?
Jeremiah tells us why.
For no-one is cast off by the Lord for ever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
Lamentations 3:31-33 NIVUK
Jeremiah has no doubt who has brought this upon his people. He knows God did it. In the book that bears his name, he has spent 52 chapters telling them of how God is angry at their sin, will destroy them and then remake them from the remnant left behind. As I said earlier, he spends seventeen verses in this chapter alone, before he reaches these verses, explaining the depth of the suffering of his people and apportioning this to what God has done. How could he now say it was anyone else?
But what is absolutely clear in Jeremiah's books is that he understands the root cause. He understands completely that this is happening because his people have sinned. He sees this suffering as painful, but entirely just.
So what about us? There are many deep tragedies in life that seem to be completely unjust. The loss of a close friend or relative. The death or disabling of a child. Sudden serious illness. The loss of employment or dignity. No-one can ever minimise the incredible pain these events bring with them.
But what we can learn from Jeremiah is a critical truth that can entirely change our perspective. What if the Sovereign God who rules over these things is good, even if these things are bad? What if He can use such often crushing suffering for good? What if He has a larger purpose for us that we don't fully comprehend that makes it necessary for us to go through this suffering? What if God takes no delight in our suffering and instead only allows us to endure it so that His good purpose for our life can be fulfilled?
Well, to my mind, that puts an entirely different light on things. Just like the darkness of Sohoton caves, when the Lord shines the light of His Word on our suffering, we can see things differently. We may even see beauty in the darkness. And, I can say this from personal experience, we may look back on our sufferings and say, "Yes, it hurt. It hurt badly. But I can see why God did that now and yes, it was good."
Jeremiah sees plainly that the Lord is the reason why his people have had to suffer. He sees Him as being behind it. But He also sees a reason, a logic, and, most importantly, a heart behind it. He sees a loving heart, that only administers the cudgel of suffering when absolutely necessary, and will lift it as soon as possible, once His purpose has been served.
For that reason, Jeremiah trusts in Him. And we should too.
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