GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LAMENTATIONS 3:57
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57 You came near the day I called to you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
This verse fits neatly with the general consensus that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, since this is what God told Jeremiah when he called him to prophesy (Jeremiah 1:8), and many other times to both the prophet and the nation of Israel throughout Jeremiah’s book.
Poetically, this verse concludes the 19th stanza of this chapter (there are 22 three-verse stanzas in chapter 5). It follows the prayer, “Do not close your ear” by reminding the Lord that previously he had listened to his cry for help. He had said, “After I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them” (Jeremiah 12:15). And again, with words that describe the way shepherds counted their sheep at the gate: “ ‘In the cities of Judah, flocks will once again pass under the hand of the one who counts them, says the LORD’ ” (Jeremiah 33:13). Therefore even the Jews in exile, those who bore the first cross of this book, turned in repentance to their Lord and expected good things from him; expected his rescue, his salvation. Even if this did not mean that all of them would return from their exile (some would be too old, or too infirm, or would die in the distant land), their descendants would return (Jeremiah 30:10; 46:27). As Paul said, “He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13 EHV). The Christian may not have any way out of a disease or illness apart from death, but the Lord will give him or her an outcome– even death– that they will be able to bear without losing their faith.
There is a British war movie called “The Cockleshell Heroes” (1955) in which some captured British marines are about to be executed by a firing squad, and their officer’s command to the men is something like, “Keep the line straight, boys.” In their case, it was to maintain their pride, courage, and discipline. In our case, maintaining our faith in all circumstances, even in the face of death, is to glorify God and keep up our courage and faith that he will be with us always (Matthew 28:20).
We turn our eyes to the second cross, the cross of Jesus on Calvary, and we hear the same words, “Do not fear.” When did the Father speak words like those to his Son? He did not need to, and yet we see that after the Devil left Jesus at the temptation, angels came to Jesus and served him (Matthew 4:11). And again, at the transfiguration, the Father sent Moses and Elijah to talk with Jesus “about his departure, which he was going to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). And there are those times when the Father spoke to Christ during his ministry. One of these was also at the transfiguration (Mark 9:7), and another was on Palm Sunday (John 12:28). Jesus received encouragement from his Father again and again, and each time an unspoken addition was “Do not fear.” According to his divinity, Jesus did not need to be told this. But according to his humanity? The Father did not hesitate to tell him about his love, or his good pleasure, or that he was with him. Perhaps we should leave the question there.
The third cross is of course our own, those little or large crosses we carry which do not atone for anything or save us from anything, but which we bear on account of the sin of the world which is snarled at us, shouted at us, thrown at us, dumped upon us, and worse. God does not punish us with our crosses, but he permits them so that we flex and build up our spiritual muscles and our Christian stamina, to be able to run the race laid out for us (Hebrews 12:1). But it is not our following that is key. It is not even the true central point. It is who we are following that makes all the difference in heaven (I am not exaggerating) and earth. It is his cross that means everything. Think of the failures, the mistakes, the errors, even the bad mood that you (or I) was in the other day (or today). Those things did not give glory to God. Those things didn’t elevate God above everything else. Some of that, including you-know-who’s bad mood, really said, deep down, “God doesn’t know what he is doing.” Those are things that need to be laid down at the foot of his cross, because only there is there atonement. Only there is there forgiveness. And only there are we right with God again. And then we can serve him. Then we can pick up the daily crosses we carry that crush those sinful attitudes, to stamp down that Old Adam that lives within us, and to say, “God knows exactly what he’s doing. And on top of everything, he is the one who says to me: ‘Do not fear.’”
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 3:57 Do not fear