生命之道

Category: 先知书

  • Zephaniah Introduction

    Zephaniah Introduction

    1. Meaning of the name Zephaniah
      1. Yahweh hides or Yahweh has hidden or Yahweh treasured
      2. Three other men are called Zephaniah in Old Testament
      3. May point to God’s protection of His people during the impending difficulties in Zephaniah’s day
      4. Or may point to God’s protection of Zephaniah in his childhood during Manasseh’s wicked reign (2 Kings 21:16)
    2. Author
      1. We know very little about Zephaniah beyond 1:1
      2. He is the only prophet whose ancestry is traced back four generations (1:1). It implies he was a man of prominence and even of royalty.
      3. He was the great-grand son of King Hezekiah, which made him the only known Old Testament prophet with such high social standing. Royal genealogy would have given him the ear of Judah’s king, Josiah
      4. He was probably familiar with Jerusalem because God prophesied through him about the “Fish Gate”, the “New Quarter”, the “hills”, and the market district in Jerusalem (1:10-11)
    3. Date
      1. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC) of the southern kingdom (1:1)
      2. 1:8 mentioned that the king’s sons were old enough to make choices to choose foreign clothes. It hints that King Josiah was in his thirties.
      3. Wrote this book before the destruction of Nineveh (612BC), because  2:13 hints that Nineveh was still in existence when this book was written. Nineveh was destroyed by a coalition of Medes and Babylonians in 612BC
    4. Setting
      1. King Josiah’s father and great grandfather Amon and Manasseh were wicked kings.
      2. Manasseh:
        1. built altars to Baal
        2. worshiped the sun, moon and stars. He built altars to these stellar objects and placed them in the temple courts
        3. He made his own son pass through the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritist (2 Kings 21:6)
        4. Craved Asherah pole in the temple (2 Kings 21:7)
      3. Judah was having a brief spiritual revival under the reign of Josiah (2 King 22:1-23:30).
      4. The book of Law was discovered by Hilkiah in 622 BC(2 Kings 22:8)
      5. Josiah read the book of the Law (2 Kings 22:11, 23:2), and did the following
        1. Led the Jews to renewed covenant with God (2 Kings 23:3)
        2. Removed and killed the pagan priests (2 Kings 23:5, 20)
        3. Removed idols of Baal, Asherah from the teample (2 Kings 22:4)
        4. Re-established Passover (2 Kings 22:21)
      6. Judah was prosperous political because the power Assyrian was declining.
      7. However the revival was brief and superficial, it did not deeply affect the heart of the people. Worship of Yahweh was reestablished, but idolatry was not entirely removed. Both Zephaniah and Jeremiah prophesied to a politically prospering people of coming judgment.
    5. Theme
      1. “The day of the LORD” is used the most in this book than any other Old Testament books
      2. Thus the theme of the book is the impending judgment of God on Judah for its disobedience.
      3. Key verse is 1:7 “Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near.”
      4. Though judgment was sure, God’s promise to protect His people and fulfill His promises was steadfast and everlasting
    6. Outline
      1. 1:1-3:8 The Day of The LORD’s Judgment
      2. 3:9-20 The Day of The LORD’s Restoration
  • Amos Introduction

    Amos Introduction

    Amos

    1. Meaning of Amos: burden or burden-bearer
    2. do not confuse Amos with Amoz, the father’s of Isaiah (Is 1:1)
    3. From Tekoa (1:1), a small village about 10 miles south of Jerusalem
    4. A shepherd (1:1). The Hebrew word is not the common word for shepherd, it was used only one other time in OT in 2 Kings 3:4 where Mesha, king of Moab, is said to have engaged in sheep-breeding on such a scale that he was able to supply the king of Israel with 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. Thus Amos may have owned or managed large herds of sheep and goats. Amos used another Hebrew word in 7:14 to describe him as shepherd. The later word is only used once in OT. It means a “herdsman” or “cattleman”
    5. took care of sycamore-fig tree (7:14)
    6. His contemporaries are
      1. Jonah (2 King 14:25) (northern kingdom)
      2. Hosea (Hos 1:1) (northern kingdom)
      3. Isaiah (Is 1:1) (southern kingdom)
      4. Micah (southern kingdom)
    7. Date of writing: two years before the earthquake during the reigns of Uzziah (790-739BC), king of Judah and Jeroboam II (793BC-753BC), king of Israel (1:1). According to Josephus, the earthquake occurred at the time when Uzziah was struck by leprosy ( 2 Chro 26:16-21), thus place this writing in approximately 750 BC
    8. Amos was called by God to be a prophet (7:15). A prophet is not by inheritance. One cannot be a prophet just because his father is a prophet.

    Background of The Spiritual Condition of Northern Kingdom

    1. After King Solomon’s death, ten tribes of Israel make Jeroboam, an official for King Solomon the first King for the northern kingdom (1 King 12:1) at Shechem.
    2. Jeroboam I setup two golden calves, one at Bethe and one at Dan and told the Israelites that these are the gods who brought you up out of Egypt (1 King 12:28)
    3. Jeroboam I built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the 15th of the 8th month, a month of his own choosing (1 King 12:31-33)
    4. God had already sent the prophets Elijah, Elisha and Jonah. Israel did not repent. Some 200 years after the beginning of the northern kingdom, God sent Amos and Hosea in a final effort to stop the nation’s mad dash toward death.

    Spiritual Condition at the time of Amos

    1. Amos was a shepherd at the southern kingdom, God called him to prophesy to the northern kingdom (7:15)
    2. Politically, Israel was strong and prosperous under Jeroboam II, who restored the territory of Israel (2 King 14:25).
    3. Spiritually, a time of rampant corruption and moral decay
      1. women oppressed the poor and crushed the needed (4:1)
      2. brag and boast about their sacrifices, tithes, thank offering and freewill offering (4:4-5)
      3. turned justice into bitterness (5:7)
      4. casted righteousness to the ground (5:7)
      5. trample on the poor and force the poor to give them grain (5:11)
      6. oppressed the righteous and take bribes and deprived the poor of justice in the courts (5:12)
    4. Jeroboam II
      1. was a bad king, the did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam I (2 King 14:24)

    Amos and Hosea

    1. Amos was not alone as Yahweh’s prophet. Hosea was prophesying at the same time frame in northern kingdom as well.
    2. Hosea’s message overall tone was love of God, but complimented with God’s judgement if Israel did not repent.
    3. Amos’s message overall tone was judgement of God, but complimented with God’s delivery at the end (9:14-15)

    Historical and Theological Themes

    1. Amos addresses Israel’s two primary sins
      1. an absence of true worship
      2. a lack of justice
    2. Israel had ritualistic worship, mainly at Bethel and Gilgal (5:5), but they were not pursuing the Lord with their hearts (4:4, 5:4-6, 5:21-24)
    3. Because of Israel’s continuous willful rejection of the call of repentance from God through Amos and Hosea, God prophesied that they would receive punishment (3:14) from God. They would be exiled beyond Damascus (5:27)
    4. Because of God’s covenant, He will not abandon Israel altogether, but will bring future restoration to the righteous remnant (9:7-15)

    Interpretive Challenges

    1. 9:11 “In the day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be” was quoted by James in the Jerusalem Council at Acts 15:16. Because of this, some think this verse was fulfilled on Jesus’s first coming. However others think that this verse will be fulfilled by Jesus on His second coming. The Lord Jesus will sit upon the throne of David during the millennium kingdom.

    Chapter 1 and 2

    1. “For three transgressions and for four”, this verse was repeated many times throughput chapter 1 and 2. It means to things
      1. God is patience, He didn’t punish the nations immediately, instead He waited for them to repent
      2. The nations and Israel were living sinful lifestyle and did not want to repent
    2. “I will not revoke its punishment”, this verse always follow the previous verse. It mean God is righteous, He is sovereign over the nations. He will judge and punish the nations based on their sins
    3. The sins of the nations can be categories into two categories. First is their sinful lifestyle, second is their attack against God’s people, the Jews.
    4. It seems that in today’s world. The wicked is not always punished, and righteous is not always rewarded. But the scriptures remind us over and over again that God will just the wicked and reward the righteous. Of course in the eyes of God, no one is truly righteous, except His Son Jesus Christ. That is why God sent His Son to redeem us.
    5. In Matthew 25:31-46, the Lord Jesus talked about the judgment of the nations at end time. It is commonly known as the judgment of the sheep and goats. The sheep were symbol of those who protected and helped even the least of the brothers of Jesus (Matt 25:41). The goats were symbol of those who did NOT help to brothers of our Lord. The brothers of our Lord can be interpreted as as the Jews, or Christians. The sheep will inherit the kingdom was prepared for them since the foundation of the world. The goats will be go away into eternal punishment. This seems to mean salvation by works. How do we reconcile with the gospel, which is we are saved by grace through faith, not by works so that no one can boast (Eph 2:9-10). I believe that the sheep symbolized christians and the goats symbolized non-christians. True believers will not only profess their faith, but they will provide and help other Christians. True christians would not see the others of other Christians and not care for them.
  • Ezekiel 23 – Prostitute of the world or virgin of Christ?

    Ezekiel 23 – Prostitute of the world or virgin of Christ?

    This chapter talks about two women, Oholah who represents Samaria and Oholibah who represents Jerusalem (v4). Both prostitutes with Egypt and Assyrians. The Lord turned them over to the Babylonian for punishment (v24).

    This is how to Lord see His people when they choose to love the world. When we love the world, in the eyes of the Lord, we are prostitutes! The world has many things that entice our lust. These things are sex, power, fame, wealth, and anything that occupy our soul in place of Christ.

    We are called to be lovers of our Lord. The church is His bride. But how many Christians choose to be prostitutes of the world, instead of a virgin for the Lord? Which is the better choice? To the Christians who have their spiritual eyes blinded, being a prostitute of the world is what they choose! They love the world, they live like the world live, and they continue to claim that they are Christians, they are children of God. The Lord is deeply sadden by that, in fact, the Lord is anger by that. Just imagine your wife choosed to prostitute with other men, how would you feel? That is how the Lord feel, only thousand times greater, because He loves us many times more than we love our wife. He died for us. How many of us have died for our wife? The Lord loves us. He desires us to love Him back.

    God’s people, come back to the Lord. He will purify you and let you be a virgin again, reserved for Him only.

  • Ezekiel 13 – A Lie of Peace

    Ezekiel 13 – A Lie of Peace

    Everybody love peace. Even if he is an evil person like Hitler, who liked destruction for others, but he still like peace for himself. Therefore a message of peace is a very welcome message. You almost cannot go wrong to preach on the message of peace, if you want to please the listeners.

    However, God denounced the false prophets in Israel that they were preaching the message of peace, when there is no peace (v10). They were lying to God’s people, who unfortunately were very keen on listening to lies like this (v19), a lie of peace. They claimed that they saw vision of peace for Jerusalem when there was no peace (v16).

    These are false prophets. They prophesy out of their own imagination (v2) and followed their own spirit (v3). Their visions are false and their divinations a lie (v6).

    The lie continues till today. There are many false preachers who only preach on the message of peace, they never talked about sins, repentance, or the cross. They preach about prosperity, blessings, things that are pleasing to the ears. Many people like these messages, they are attracted to the false message of peace, while living a sinful lifestyle.

    Don’t get me wrong. I believe in peace. The Lord told us He has given peace to those who put their faith on Him. However the peace is not the same as the peace given by the world (John 14:27). We are warned not to be like the false prophets of Israel, who preached peace when there was no peace. We are not to preach peace only but omit messages about sanctify life, holy living, the cross, repentance, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and judgement.

     

  • Ezekiel 6 – They will know that I am Yahweh

    Ezekiel 6 – They will know that I am Yahweh

    Their eyes have lusted after their idols

    God would punish Israel with sword, famine and plague (v11) because their eyes have lusted after their idols (v10). God love them, and desire them to love Him back. He wanted them to know He is Yahweh, the God who rescue them out of Egypt.  Any other gods are idols.

    Now examine ourselves, in which area in our life where our eyes are lusting after our idols? Are we trying to satisfy our soul by lusting after of the world?

    “When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus” (Matt 17:8). Let’s turn our eyes away from our idols, and look up to Jesus and Jesus only. There is no way to know Jesus if we spend our time and our thought lusting after the world. Come to Him today, He alone will truly satisfy all our deepest, inner needs.

    Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
    Look full in His wonderful face,
    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
    In the light of His glory and grace.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Ezekiel 5 – Shave your head and your beard!
    
			
    Ezekiel 5 – Shave your head and your beard!
    
			
    God is at wrath
    

    God is in anger and in wrath (v15) with His chosen people, the nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem. Why? Because they rebelled against God’s laws and decrees more than the nations around her (v6).
    

    That is a very scary scene, God’s people rebells against God more then the nations! I think about some of God’s churches today, if we watch like a watchman (3:17), we would see some behaviors that is worse than the world. Oh, God is in anger and in wrath with His people!
    

    God had to act, else Israel would never repent. Therefore God said He would do to His people what He have never done before and will never do again (v10)! Unimaginable things would happen to His people (v11).
    

    Shaving of Ezekiel Head and Beard
    

    God asked Ezekiel to shave his head and beard, and divide them into three portions. None of the hair had good ending. That was God’s plan for Israel, God would punish them (v8).
    

    Where is Jesus?
    

    God is in anger, He is in wrath, He had to punish His chosen people. Today’s men and women in the world live in wickedness. They live as if God does not exist, and as if God would not punish them. When they find out about the fact, it would be too late!
    

    What is the solution? Is there a way out?
    

    Yes it is, that is why God sent His son to us.
    

    “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:10)
    

    Jesus is our hope. What we deserve is punishment and judgement from God. Praise God that He had show us that He does not delight in punishment. When we are in Christ, we have confidence on the day of judgment (1 John 4:17).
    

    “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1 John 4:18)
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Ezekiel 4
    
			
    Ezekiel 4
    
			
    Where is Christ in Ezekiel 4?
    

    I was searching for my Lord Jesus in Ezekiel 4. I couldn’t find Him. It were some weird stuffs that God asked Ezekiel to do. To lay down, bare arm, on his left side, tied up with robes, for 390 days! Ezekiel was given food and drink, however not a a whole lot, just 20 shekels of grains, which is about 8 ounces and a hin of water, which is about 0.6 liter everyday. The food is not bad really, multi-grain bread. However, he needs to bake the multi-grain bread with human excrement! What was God thinking? I didn’t get it. Ezekiel might be thinking whose dung should I use? My own or someone else?
    

    And then Ezekiel bargained with God, and God had mercy, and allowed him to use cow manure! Is it better or worse then human excrement? You be the judged. I am not sure.
    

    I am still searching for Christ, and I couldn’t find Him.
    

    Why did God ask Ezekiel to do go through this? It was because of the sins of His people, one day for each year, for a total of 390 days for Israel and 40 days for Judah. Ezekiel had to go through this for other people sins? It is not fair! He had never had defiled food in his life, and now he had to eat cow manure baked multi-grain bread for 430 days!
    

    And then, suddenly I get it. I found Jesus! Ezekiel is a type of Christ! Ezekiel bore the sin of the house of Israel (4:5), it is a symbol of our Lord Jesus who bore the sins of this world! Jesus was innocent, He had never sins, just like Ezekiel never had defiled food. And God told Jesus, go to the Cross I have prepared for You, to bear the sins of mankind. To redeem mankind from sins, and give them new hope, give them your life. It is not fair to the Lord Jesus, to bear the sins of mankind!
    

    I praise You Lord Jesus, for You and You alone are worthy of all praises! You bore my sins on the Cross, Your blood has purified me from all sins (1 John 1:7). You had never been defiled, You are Holy, You are righteous, and You are completely obedience to God the Father. Thank you for Your love, I praise You.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Outline of the book of Ezekiel
    
			
    Outline of the book of Ezekiel
    
			
    Key Theme
    

    Showing reverence for the name and glory of God
    

    Key verse: 6:7
    

    “… you will know that I am the LORD”.
    

    This verse appears 70 times in Ezekiel
    

    Outline of the book
    

      

    1. The prophets call (ch 1-3)

        

      1. Seeing God’s glory (1)
        2. 

      2. Hearing God’s word (2)
        3. 

      3. Becoming God’s watchman (3)
        4. 

      

      2. 

    2. The fall of Jerusalem (ch 4-24)

        

      1. The judgment predicted (4-7)
        2. 

      2. God’s glory departs (8-11)
        3. 

      3. Godless leaders exposes (12-17)
        4. 

      4. God’s justice defended (18-21)
        5. 

      5. The end of the city (22-24)
        6. 

      

      3. 

    3. The nations judged (ch 25-32)

        

      1. Ammon
        2. 

      2. Moab
        3. 

      3. Edom
        4. 

      4. Philistia
        5. 

      5. Tyre
        6. 

      6. Sidon
        7. 

      7. Egypt
        8. 

      

      4. 

    4. The glorious Future of Israel (33-48)

        

      1. The city of Jerusalem restored (33-34)
        2. 

      2. The land of Israel renewed (35-36)
        3. 

      3. The nation of Israel resurrected and reunited (37-39)
        4. 

      4. The temple and the priesthood reestablished (40-48)
        5. 

      

      5. 

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Jeremiah 46 – 52
    
			
    Jeremiah 46 – 52
    
			
    The Nations 46-51
    

    

      

    • Jeremiah was called to be a prophets unto the nations (1:5)
      • 

    • God previously had already proclaimed to the nations that they would drink the cup of the wrath of God (25:15)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 46 – Egypt
    

    

      

    • Pharaoh Neco killed King Josiah (2 Chro 32:23)
      • 

    • Pharaoh Neco was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in the battle of Carchemish on the Euphrates River (46:2)
      • 

    • God proclaimed Egypt would be defeated by Babylon – action sermon of the large stone (43:8-13)
      • 

    • God again prophesized Babylon would attack and defeat Egypt (46:13-26) (568BC)
      • 

    • The LORD Almighty has defeated the gods of Egypt (46:25)
      • 

    • God would later restore Egypt (46:26)
      • 

    • God promised He would not completed destroy the Jews (46:28)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 47 – Philistines
    

    

      

    • Came from Crete (v4)
      • 

    • Babylon is described as water that would flood Philistines (v2)
      • 

    • Fathers would flee for lives and leave their children behind (v3)
      • 

    • They cried to Yahweh to stop (v6), but God would only stop when His judgment is fully completed (v7)
      • 

    

    

    Ch48 – Moab
    

    

      

    • Along with Ammonites, are descendants of Lot (Gen 19:20-38)
      • 

    • Were punished for trusting in her deeds and riches (v7), pride and arrogance (v29), she has defiled Yahweh (v26)
      • 

    • Yahweh has defeated the Chemosh the god of Moab (v7, 13 ,35, 46)
      • 

    • Jeremiah wept over the fall of Moab (v31). His grief is evidence of the compassion God has for people who are destroyed because of their sins against God.
      • 

    • God has “no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezek 18:32)
      • 

    • God will restore Moab in the last days (v47)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 49 – Ammon
    

    

      

    • Together with Moab were descendants of Lot (Gen 19-20-38)
      • 

    • Were punished because they took possession of Gad (v1), her pride and trusted in her wealth (v4)
      • 

    • Yahweh is superior over Molech, the god of Ammonites (v1,3)
      • 

    • God will restore Ammonites in the last days (v6)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 49 – Edom
    

    

      

    • Descendants of Esau
      • 

    • Would be punished because of her pride (v16)
      • 

    • Would be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah (v18)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 49 – Damascus
    

    

      

    • Amos accused the Syrians of treating the people of Gilead like grain on a threshing floor (Amos 1:3-5)
      • 

    • Pain like that of a woman in labor (v24)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 49 – Kedar and Hazor
    

    

      

    • Kedar was related to Ishmael (Gen 25:13)
      • 

    • Were nomadic Arab nations
      • 

    • Were punished because they were confidence in themselves (v31)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 49 – Elam
    

    

      

    • Were known for their archery, God promised to break their bow (v35)
      • 

    • God will restore them in last days (v39)
      • 

    

    

    Ch 50 – 51 Babylon
    

    

      

    • The bible often compares Babylon (the proud city of man) with Jerusalem (the Holy City of God).
      • 

    • Founded by Nimrod (Gen 10:8-10)
      • 

    • The Hebrew word of Babylon is babel, often associated by the tower of Babel, both a symbol of rebellion against God.
      • 

    • Culminates in the Babylon of Revelation (Rev 17:1-19:10)
      • 

    • Many parallels between Jer 50-51 and Rev 17-18
      • 

    

    

    Ch 50 – 51 Babylon
    

    

      

    • Jeremiah written these chapters in the 4th year of Zedekiah’s reign on a scroll and gave to Seraiah to be read aloud in Babylon (51:61)
      • 

    • God speaks to and about Babylon; to the invading army; and to the exiles of Judah
      • 

    • Fulfillments of God’s prophesy:

        

      • Persians captured Babylon in 539BC (Dan 5)
        • 

      • Alexander the Great of Greek destroyed Babylon in 330BC
        • 

      • Ultimate fulfillment in Rev 17-18
        • 

      

      • 

    

    

    Why God punished Babylon?
    

    

      

    • God wanted to show He is victorious over the gods of Babylon (Bel and Marduk 50:2)
      • 

    • she rejoiced and were glad in conquering the Jews (50:11)
      • 

    • She destroyed God’s temple (50:28;51:11)
      • 

    • She is arrogance (50:31)
      • 

    • Her sins (51:6)
      • 

    • For all the wrong she did to Zion (51:24)
      • 

    • punish the idols of Babylon (51:47)
      • 

    

    

    Spiritual Lessons We Learned in Jeremiah
    

    

      

    • In difficult days, we need to hear and heed the Word of God
      • 

    • True prophets of God are usually persecuted
      • 

    • True patriotism is not blind to sin
      • 

    • God is faithful to His servant
      • 

    • God is patience towards His people
      • 

    • Faithful is more important and success
      • 

    • The greatest reward of ministry is to become like Jesus Christ
      • 

    • God is King of Kings, Lord of Lords. The nations are under His sovereign control
      • 

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Lamentation Overview
    
			
    Lamentation Overview
    
			
    Who Wrote The Book?
    

    

      

    • Author was not mentioned
      • 

    • Strong evidence inside and outside the text points to Jeremiah as the author
      • 

    • Septuagint has a note stating Jeremiah as the author
      • 

    

    

    

    The Name of the Book
    

    

    

      

    • In Hebrew is “ekah”, it is the first word of the of this book in Hebrew bible (1:1;2:1;4:1). Can be translated “Alas!” or “How”
      • 

    • Translators substituted in the title “Lamentations” to give it a clearer meaning
      • 

    • The author witnessed the invasion and the result of the destruction of Jerusalem
      • 

    

    

    

    Location and Time
    

    

      

    • Jeremiah walked through the streets and alleys of Jerusalem and saw nothing but pain, suffering, and destruction in the wake of the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC
      • 

    • It makes sense to date the book as close to the invasion as possible
      • 

    

    

    

    Other Lamentations Songs in the Bible
    

    

      

    • David wrote one for Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1:17-27)
      • 

    • David wrote one for Abner (2 Sam 3:33-34)
      • 

    • Jeremiah wrote one for King Josiah (2 Cro 35:25)
      • 

    • Amos wrote one for Israel (Amos 5:1)
      • 

    • Ezekiel wrote one for Tyre (Eze 27:1-36)
      • 

    

    

    Hebrew Poetry
    

    

      

    • Ch 1,2, 4 have 22 verses, each starts with a different Hebrew alphabet, in sequential order
      • 

    • Ch 3 has 66 verses, each Hebrew letter for three consecutive verses in sequential order
      • 

    • Ch 5 is in parallel style
      • 

    • Ps 119 has similar style. (8 verses in a group, 22 groups for 22 alphabet) It is interesting to contrast Ps and Lamentation, one is to lift up praises and the other one is to lament
      • 

    

    

    

    Destruction of Jerusalem
    

    

      

    • Recording 4 times in OT:

        

      • 2 King 25
        • 

      • 2 Chron 36:11-21
        • 

      • Jeremiah 39
        • 

      • Jeremiah 52
        • 

      

      • 

    • The second temple was destroyed on the same month in 70AD
      • 

    • The Jews read Lamentation on 9th of Av (May in Jews Calendar, usually in July/August) in  in synagogues every year to remember the event
      • 

    

    

    

    Mourning for Jerusalem
    

    

      

    • Even tough Jeremiah was prophesying the destruction, but when he had 1st hand experience, he mourned for it
      • 

    • The Jews exiled in Babylon mourned for Jerusalem (Ps 137)

        

      • “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill”
        • 

      

      • 

    

    

    

    God’s Covenant with King David
    

    

      

    • Did the end of David’s throne mean God didn’t keep His covenant?

        

      • 2 Sam 7: 13 “… I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever”
        • 

      • 2 Sam 7:16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
        • 

      

      • 

    • Fulfilled in King Jesus:

        

      • Acts 2:31 “he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ”
        • 

      

      • 

    

    

    

    God’s Covenant with the Jews
    

    

      

    • God had a covenant with the Jews after they left Egypt and before they entered Canaan (Lev 26, Deut 28-29)
      • 

    • God is always faithful to His covenant, either to bless the obedient or chasten the disobedient. His Word will never fail
      • 

    • God’s chastening is an expression of His love, a tool He uses to mature His children

        

      • Heb 12:10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness
        • 

      

      • 

    

    

    

    The Flow of the Book
    

    

      

    • The whole book is filled with the pictures of the destructions and the suffering of Jerusalem
      • 

    • However in the middle of the book (3:22-26), we are reminded of the faithfulness of God and we can put our hope in Him
      • 

    • Ends with consolation (5:19-22)
      • 

    

    

    

    Why is Lamentations So Important?
    

    

      

    • Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world.
      • 

    • Job dealt with unexplained evil, and unexpected suffering.
      • 

    • Jeremiah dealt with the suffering that has been prophesied by God from Joshua (23:15-16) to Jeremiah, and he knew the reason why it happened: because of their sins
      • 

    • There is hope in the midst of suffering: 3:22-26

        

      • Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail
        • 

      • They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness
        • 

      • I say to myself, “ The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”
        • 

      • The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him , to the one who seeks Him;
        • 

      • It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD
        • 

      

      • 

    

    

    Applications in Christians Life
    

    

      

    • Reminds us of the importance of asking the Lord for His forgiveness when we fail Him
      • 

    • Are you mourning over the sin of God’s people?
      • 

    • We should submit and trust God that His discipline is for our good, so that we can be holy like Him (Heb 12:10)
      • 

    • Discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace (Heb 12:11)
      • 

    • In the midst of suffering, the Lord is our portion (3:24)
      • 

    • Our hope is in Christ in the midst of suffering (3:25)
      •