GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LAMENTATIONS 3:39-40
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39 What should a living man complain about–
a mere man about the punishment of his sin?
40 Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the LORD.
Repentance had two parts. The sinner is led to recognize his sin through the word of God and regrets that sin, and then through faith the sinner grasps the merit of Christ. Through Christ we receive gifts from God, especially forgiveness, justification (which is being declared not guilty by God himself) and eternal life in heaven.
Sometimes in the Bible when repentance or fear of God’s punishment is described, there may be no mention of faith, then we must understand that the full definition of repentance is meant, which must include faith. Ezekiel 9:2 is such a verse, where people who grieve and lament over sin and are clearly saved, but there is no specific mention of faith. We see from the context that faith is the point of the whole section, and that without faith, the grieving and lamenting would not have been genuine.
Our Lutheran theologian, Professor Adolf Hoenecke, wrote about this regret over sin. He said: “Remorse is the anguish of soul worked by knowledge of sins and of divine wrath, connected just as much with the voluntary confession of sins and of the temporal and eternal punishment deserved for them from God’s just judgment, as with the earnest rejection and abhorrence of sin.” Or to put it more briefly, our regret or remorse over sin comes both from the fear of punishment and also from our believing desire to serve God and to avoid the sin that displeases him.
After this remorse, or fear, the Holy Spirit sends faith and reminds us of Jesus’ glorious gift of forgiveness. The Spirit is often like the parent of an infant who is learning to drink from a cup. Again and again, a parent must make little loving adjustments to the way that little fingers grasp this marvelous instrument so that the baby is taught not to spill, not to miss his or her own mouth, how not to make a mess, how to get every drop of milk, water, or juice, and how to set the cup down again without spilling or sloshing. The parent is patient, and the Holy Spirit is patient with us. “Here, little darling,” says our hovering, doting God the Spirit, “take it again. Do it again.” And he never gets tired. He never gets frustrated with us. He never gives up in anger. And he never, ever, has something better to do, or anything he would rather be doing. “Here, little darling one,” he says, and he helps us all over again with the gospel, with faith, and with our trust in Jesus.
Under the first cross, the prophet takes the whole nation to task with his question, “What have you got to complain about? Whose sins got you where you are today?” Under the third cross, the prophet asks us the same thing: “What should a living man complain about– a mere man about the punishment of his sin?” Here I have translated geber as “a mere man.” In 3:1, we saw that this word often means “an individual,” the way we would say, formally, “the one,” or informally, “some guy.”
If we face affliction and trouble but we don’t know whether it’s from the devil or from the Lord, isn’t the result always the same? We turn to the Lord for help. “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). And as Peter said: “So repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, and in order that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you: Jesus” (Acts 3:19-20).
Our prophet adds: “Let us test and examine our ways.” This is the examination of our lives according to the Commandments and the preaching of Jesus (such as in the Sermon on the Mount) where he explains the spirit and the true nature of the Commandments and the will of God. Jesus teaches us the Lord’s Prayer as well to show us that our main focus of attention should be on our right relationship with God (the first three petitions) and also the dangers of sin and the way we treat one other (the last three petitions). But as for the things we need, which invariably have the highest tally of things we pray for, they are adequately covered by the short fourth petition, “Give us today our manna.” He explains: “Do not worry, asking ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unbelievers chase after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31-33).
But the second cross? There hangs a man who is no mere man. There, bleeding and barely breathing is the one, the only one, who had any right to complain about the punishment he received, because it was not for his sins. He did not deserve what he endured. But Jesus, our dear Jesus, accepted this punishment willingly in our place. “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). And John said, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). His cross brought us peace. His cross is what makes it possible for us to lift up our own crosses, our daily crosses, and endure. He loves us and gives us those crosses to keep us focused on him and his love. Trust him forever.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Lamentations 3:39-40 test and examine our ways