Which Old Testament Laws Apply to Us Today? – Leviticus

Posted on July 21, 2025 by dkoop

It’s controversial and often confusing, but we’re getting in it:  the book of Leviticus.  It’s full of laws, (up to 613 according to Jewish Rabbis) regulations and religious language that seems outdated or is it?

The fact that Christians no longer follow many of the obscure laws God gave to Israel at the time of Moses is a regular point of confusion and contention for non-Christians.  Commands not to eat certain types of meat (Leviticus 11:7-12), tattoo your body (Lev 19:28), trim your hair or beard (Lev 19:27), or wear clothing made of mixed fabrics (Lev 19:19) are prime examples. Why do Christians not follow these laws?

Misinformed unbelievers often pull these little-known verses out of context in an attempt to smear Christianity.  They present these verses as “evidence” that Christians are hypocrites, picking and choosing what Scriptures they want to follow or ignore.

In reality, we know these faulty arguments are based entirely on Scripture that’s misinterpreted and/or pulled out of context.  The writings of any author can be misconstrued if a few sentences are plucked from their books without reading the rest, but many skeptics ignore this obvious detail.

Unfortunately, Christians are not always prepared to respond to questions about the Old Testament laws – it’s a deep and somewhat confusing subject.

If Christians say they’re not required to follow ALL the Old Testament laws, is this an inconsistency in Christianity or the Bible?

No!  The Bible is God’s inerrant Word to us.  However, Scripture is not simply a list of black-and-white commands.  The Bible records and recounts hundreds of years of history.  We don’t just open the Bible to a random page in the Old Testament, point to a verse, and conclude that it’s a directive for life as a Christian today.  Scripture must always be interpreted properly and put into its correct context — and the Bible clearly teaches that some of God’s laws for modern-day believers changed with the finished work of Christ.  Let’s unpack this.

3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 18:3-4 (NIV)

We see that one purpose of the Law is the help the people live and be different than the worldly cultures around them.  “As they do in Egypt…as they do in Canaan… Do NOT follow their practices”  As Christians, we too are “called out” of the world.  The word church or “ecclesia” means “called out ones.

“You must obey my laws”    It sounds like we need to obey the laws God gives right?

But what about when Jesus says that he fulfills the Law?

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17 (NIV)

When we observe Communion or the Lord’s Supper we acknowledge the Old Covenant and Law are fulfilled by Jesus in a New Covenant, in His blood.

  • The Law is Fulfilled in Christ

Are ALL the laws  fulfilled or  some of them?

Why do Christians pick and choose which laws to follow in Leviticus?  How can someone wholeheartedly affirm one passage that says declares one sin an abomination and then flat out ignore another that forbids eating shellfish?

One of the misconceptions in understanding how to read the Bible is that people often simply say, “I read the Bible literally.”  That’s not true, even by the people who claim it.   Most of the people who might say something like that actually don’t literally believe that the poetic language of Psalms should be taken literally.  Or when Jesus claims “I am the gate,” believes that Jesus is literally a fence that opens and closes.

A better description for the proper way to read the Bible is: read the Bible as it was literally intended to be read. This means that some books are intended to be read as history, others are intended to be read as poetry, others as apocalyptic and so on.  When we read the bible we have to consider, who wrote the book and what was the author’s intention behind what we read.

So how does this translate to the book of Leviticus?

The book of Leviticus is a book full of laws.  And as we read the book of Leviticus it is important to understand how we should understand the book we are reading.  Because the book is full of so many laws we have to consider, should we be following these laws?  And if not, why don’t we follow them?

When you read the book of Leviticus you cannot automatically assume that every law you read still applies today.

But at the same time you cannot automatically ignore every law that is found in the book of Leviticus.

You have to discern, is this a law that was for a particular time and place or was it timeless?

The 3 Types of Laws in Leviticus

1) CEREMONIAL

The ceremonial law was given to the nation of Israel for a particular purpose.  Ceremonial Laws dealt with the Sacrificial System at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. If you see words like, “blood, altar, lambs, goats, doves, grain offerings, burning, fat, priests and garments.”  Also, these laws were given to the nation of Israel for the purpose of separating them from their Gentile neighbors.

As you read about laws like dietary regulations (don’t eat catfish, shell fish, pork, etc.) and other regulations of cleanliness. These laws are not meant for all people or all times.

More importantly, Christ fulfilled Ceremonial and Sacrificial Laws.

Here’s some examples of Ceremonial Law

27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. Leviticus 19:27 (NKJV)

2  ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth…will be *ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. Leviticus 12:2 (NIV)

*The words, “ceremonial, sacrifice, altar, blood, clean and priest” are all clues that these are Ceremonial Laws.

Here’s some laws that we really care about, Food Laws:

7  And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.  8  You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.  (Back then, Pigs carried parasites and worms,  there was no FDA – there was only GOD)
9  “‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. …    12  Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you. Leviticus 11:7-12 (NIV)

Thankfully the New Testament addresses this for us:

19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”) Mark 7:19 (NIV)

3 (False Teachers) They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5  because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:3-5 (NIV)

 16  Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 (NIV)

2) CIVIL

The civil laws, like the ceremonial laws, were given to the nation of Israel in their particular culture.   The civil laws were the laws given to the nation of Israel for managing the civil affairs of the people. It gave laws that suggested how to run business, punishment for crimes, such as the death penalty and even the treatment of servants. These laws do not apply to us in our culture.

Christ fulfilled Ceremonial Laws, Governments carry out and legislate Civil laws, and Moral laws such as the Ten Commandments are reinforced in the New Testament.

3) MORAL

The moral law is unlike the other 2 types in that the moral law is not to a particular culture or for a particular time period.  The moral law can also be described as the natural law.  This isn’t because it is natural to obey the law, but because it is the way God created the natural world to function.

The moral law is timeless.  It exists before, during, and after the culture in which it was given.

For example, murder.  When did murder become a sin?  When Cain killed Abel, there was no commandment against murder.  But it was still wrong.

Why?  How can something be a law without having been given as a law?  Murder, I would suggest, is a part of the moral law.  It existed even before the giving of the ten commandments and is still important in our day and age.

This is why we often place such high importance on the Ten Commandments as Christians.  It’s not because the list of 10 is more important because it’s from the book of Exodus instead of Leviticus.  It’s simply because it is the best summary of the moral law.  These are laws that are timeless and that we should hold dearly.

Example:

Sexual Sin:

22  “‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Leviticus 18:22 (NIV)

Sexual Sins are discussed in the New Testament and all the New Testament writers hold that Christians must not participate in Sexual Sin.  These laws are upheld in the New Testament.

26  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.  28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  31  they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:26-32 (NIV)

9  Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10  nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)

Beautiful!  We were these things, but in Christ we are not and have been forgiven!

With laws in Leviticus, we must consider what kind of law is this? Is the law mentioned referred to or taught in the New Testament. The New Testament further teaches and upholds the Moral Laws

Also, what is the purpose of the law?

  • The Law Should Lead us to Christ

24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24 (NIV)

The purpose of the Law was to point us to Christ. Galatians 3:24 says, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (NKJV). No one can perfectly obey all the commandments, no matter how many or few there are (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). In fact, no one can even perfectly obey the Ten Commandments. The Law makes our sinfulness evident (Romans 7:7). God gave the Law to define sin and demonstrate our need for a Savior. Jesus is the only one who has perfectly obeyed the Law. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He fulfilled all of God’s righteous commands (Matthew 5:17–18).

  • The Law is Lived by the Power of Christ

2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. … 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:4 (NIV)

Christ helps us live morally as we have the Holy Spirit in our lives! We have Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness..

Just as the 10 Commandments summarize the Moral Law, Jesus summarizes all the Law into two parts!

 37‘Love the Lord… 39Love your neighbor…40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

The purpose of the Mosaic Law raises these questions: “Are you trusting in yourself to keep all the Ten Commandments or the Great Commandment of Jesus all the time (which you can’t do)?” OR “Have you made the choice to accept Jesus as your Savior, realizing that He has fulfilled all the commandments all the time for you, even paying your penalty for breaking them?” The choice is yours.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Posted in Leviticus - Lambs, Levites and Laws | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You’re Invited! Leviticus Introduction

Posted on July 19, 2025 by dkoop

You’re invited to our new series in Leviticus: Lambs, Levites and Laws.

Description:  Leviticus is one of the most controversial and misunderstood books of the bible. Leviticus is a book about how God’s people can be holy or set apart.  Because the book is full of so many laws we have to consider, should we follow all these laws today?  And if not, why don’t we follow them?  What does it mean to live a life that is “set apart” for God?  We will examine these issues in our series “Lambs, Laws and Levites”

Dates Titles            Scriptures                                                                

July 20 – Which O.T. Laws Apply Today? (intro & overview)

July 27 – Holy, Holy, Holy (Lev. 11, 19 and various)                     

Aug. 3 – Understanding the Feasts and Festivals (Lev. 23)

Aug. 10– Love Your Neighbor as Yourself (Lev. 19)

Introduction: 

“God seems so far away … if only I could see or hear him.” Have you ever felt this way—struggling with loneliness, burdened by despair, riddled with sin, overwhelmed by problems? Made in God’s image, we were created to have a close relationship with him; thus, when fellowship is broken, we are incomplete and need restoration. Communion with the living God is the essence of worship. It is vital, touching the very core of our lives. Perhaps this is why a whole book of the Bible is dedicated to worship. After Israel’s dramatic exit from Egypt, the nation was camped at the foot of Mount Sinai for two years to listen to God (Exodus 19 to Numbers 10). It was a time of resting, teaching, building, and meeting with him face to face. Redemption in Exodus is the foundation for cleansing, worship, and service in Leviticus.
The overwhelming message of Leviticus is the holiness of God—“You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (19:2). But how can unholy people approach a holy God? The answer—first sin must be dealt with. Thus the opening chapters of Leviticus give detailed instructions for offering sacrifices, which were the active symbols of repentance and obedience. Whether bulls, grain, goats, or sheep, the sacrificial offerings had to be perfect, with no defects or bruises—pictures of the ultimate sacrifice to come, Jesus, the Lamb of God. Jesus has come and opened the way to God by giving up his life as the final sacrifice in our place. True worship and oneness with God begin as we confess our sin and accept Christ as the only one who can redeem us from sin and help us approach God.
In Leviticus, sacrifices, priests, and the sacred Day of Atonement opened the way for the Israelites to come to God. God’s people were also to worship him with their lives. Thus we read of purity laws (chapters 11–15) and rules for daily living, concerning family responsibilities, sexual conduct, relationships, worldliness (chapters 18–20), and vows (chapter 27). These instructions involve one’s holy walk with God, and the patterns of spiritual living still apply today. Worship, therefore, has a horizontal aspect—that is, God is honored by our lives as we relate to others.
The final emphasis in Leviticus is celebration. The book gives instructions for the festivals. These were special, regular, and corporate occasions for remembering what God had done, giving thanks to him, and rededicating lives to his service (chapter 23). Our Christian traditions and holidays are different, but they are necessary ingredients of worship. We, too, need special days of worship and celebration with our spiritual brothers and sisters to remember God’s goodness in our lives.
As you read Leviticus, rededicate yourself to holiness, worshiping God in private confession, public service, and group celebration.

Vital Statistics

Purpose: A handbook for the priests and Levites outlining their duties in worship, and a guidebook of holy living for the Hebrews

Author: Moses

Original Audience: The people of Israel

Date Written:  1450–1410 B.C.

Where Written: In the wilderness during Israel’s wanderings, somewhere in the Sinai peninsula

Setting: At the foot of Mount Sinai. God is teaching the Israelites how to live as holy people.

Key Verse: “You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (19:2).

Key People: Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar

Key Place: Mount Sinai

Special Feature:
Holiness is mentioned more times (152) than in any other book of the Bible.

Outline: 

A. WORSHIPING A HOLY GOD (1:1–17:16)
1. Instructions for the offerings
2. Instructions for the priests
3. Instructions for the people
4. Instructions for the altar
God provided specific directions for the kind of worship that would be pleasing to him. These instructions teach us about the nature of God and can help us develop a right attitude toward worship. Through the offerings we learn of the seriousness of sin and the importance of bringing our sins to God for forgiveness.

B. LIVING A HOLY LIFE (18:1–27:34)
1. Standards for the people
2. Rules for priests
3. Seasons and festivals
4. Receiving God’s blessing
God gave clear standards to the Israelites for living a holy life. They were to be separate and distinct from the pagan nations around them. In the same way, all believers should be separated from sin and dedicated to God. God still wants to remove sin from the lives of his people.

Main Ideas:

Sacrifice/Offering
There are five kinds of offerings that fulfill two main purposes: one to show praise, thankfulness, and devotion; the other for atonement, the covering and removal of guilt and sin. Animal offerings demonstrated that the person was giving his or her life to God by means of the life of the animal.
The sacrifices (offerings) were for worship and forgiveness of sin. Through them we learn about the cost of sin, for we see that we cannot forgive ourselves. God’s system says that a life must be given for a life. In the Old Testament, an animal’s life was given to save the life of a person. But this was only a temporary measure until Jesus’ death paid the penalty of sin for all people forever.

Worship
Seven festivals were designated as religious and national holidays. They were often celebrated in family settings. These events teach us much about worshiping God in both celebration and quiet dedication.
God’s rules about worship set up an orderly, regular pattern of fellowship with him. They allowed times for celebration and thanksgiving as well as for reverence and rededication. Our worship should demonstrate our deep devotion.

Health
Civil rules for handling food, disease, and sex were taught. In these physical principles, many spiritual principles were suggested. Israel was to be different from the surrounding nations. God was preserving Israel from disease and community health problems.
We are to be different morally and spiritually from the unbelievers around us. Principles for healthy living are as important today as in Moses’ time. A healthy environment and a healthy body make our service to God more effective.

Holiness
Holy means “separated” or “devoted.” God removed his people from Egypt; now he was removing Egypt from the people. He was showing them how to exchange Egyptian ways of living and thinking for his ways.
We must devote every area of life to God. God desires absolute obedience in motives as well as practices. Though we do not observe all the worship practices of Israel, we are to have the same spirit of preparation and devotion.

Levites
The Levites and priests instructed the people in their worship. They were the ministers of their day. They also regulated the moral, civil, and ceremonial laws and supervised the health, justice, and welfare of the nation.
The Levites were servants who showed Israel the way to God. They provide the historical backdrop for Christ, who is our High Priest and yet our Servant. God’s true servants care for all the needs of their people.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Source: Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 158–159.

Posted in Leviticus - Lambs, Levites and Laws | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God is Sovereign – Lamentations 4-5

Posted on July 16, 2025 by dkoop

A high calling flouted by low living results in deep suffering. Lamentations gives us a portrait of the bitter suffering the people of Jerusalem experienced when sin caught up with them and God brought judgment on them. Every material goal they had lived for collapsed. But although God disciplined them because of their sin, he did not abandon them—that was their great hope. Despite their sinful past, God would restore them if they returned to him. Hope is found only in the Lord. Our grief should turn us toward him, not away from him.

  1. Our Grief should turn us To Him, not away from Him.

Lamentations 4 is a powerful chapter that depicts the devastating consequences of sin and God’s judgment on Jerusalem.  We see the types of suffering they endured, roles that are reversed, the rich are now poor, respected are disrespected, etc. and and the need for repentance.

11The Lord has fulfilled His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion, And it has devoured its foundations. Lamentations 4:11 (NKJV)

What is your foundations? Money, job, family, hobbies, health?  Jesus reminded us that He is our foundation or “rock” from life’s storms.  God may shake our foundation to let us see that we’ve been trusting in the wrong things for security.

22The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity. Lamentations 4:22 (NKJV)

Despite the grim picture, Lamentations 4 hints at a glimmer of hope. The very act of lamenting and acknowledging sin can be a step towards restoration. Ultimately, the hope for restoration lies in God’s mercy and faithfulness. Lamentations 4  challenges us to examine  own lives, recognize the destructive power of sin, and turn to God for forgiveness and restoration. It can also serve as a reminder that true hope is found in God, not in worldly things

2.  Hope is found only in the LORD.

“Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us.” (Lamentations 5:1)

The words ‘us’ and ‘our’ and ‘we’ are all over this chapter. Here, for the first time in the book of Lamentations, the grieving people begin to speak.

Scholars debate how many ‘voices’ there are in the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is like a great drama with different voices – the voice of the city, the voice of the prophet, and now the voice of the people. But there is only one voice that ultimately matters.

For the first three chapters, the people have been sitting in silence. Someone has been speaking for them. Someone has been speaking to them.  Some call this person the Counselor, we are introduced to Him in Chapter 3, “I am the Man,” Jesus.

What happens in this remarkable book is that a counselor comes alongside these grieving people and ministers to them in their sorrow and loss.

Here is the fruit of the Counselor’s ministry: He brings them from a place where they are unable to speak (2:10), to a place where for the very first time since the trauma they have suffered that they are able to speak to God for themselves. The Counselor brings them to a place where they can pray.

As you would expect, the prayer comes out of tremendous agony and pain. That reminds us of something important – you don’t have to be in a composed frame of mind, filled with a wonderful sense of peace before you can pray. If you have to have it all sorted out before you can pray, most of us are never going to get there.

When Hanna prayed, she was deeply distressed and wept bitterly (1 Sam. 1:10). When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow. You don’t have to be calm, confident, and clear-minded before you can pray. You come as you are to God. You come, not because you have, but in order to receive. There’s more.

But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. (Lamentations 5:18-19)

Through the ministry of the Counselor, the people finally get to the place where they are able to pray.  They lay their sorrow before the Lord. The sum of it is found in verses 17 and 18: “For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim, for Mount Zion which lies desolate. But…” What is the ‘but’ for? “But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations” (3:19).

This is like Ephesians 2 where Paul lays out the full extent of the human problem: “You were dead in… trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). “But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4, 5).

They are looking at the ruined city, but the Wonderful Counselor has brought them to the place where they can see that God doesn’t depend on a city. He has brought them to a place of faith: “You, O Lord, reign forever: your throne endures to all generations.”

 3. The LORD Restores us, when we Return to Him.

 Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old, Lamentations 5:21 (NKJV)

God is honored here in this expression of hope: “Lord, restore us to yourself! Lord, if we have you, we know we can face anything. Whatever happens, there is hope for us, so long as we have you!” .

There is a Wonderful Counselor who can bring you to a place where you can pray.  He can establish you in faith. He can restore your hope.

Lamentations ends with God’s people waiting in hope, sustained by the ministry of the Counselor who was yet to come.

The good news of the gospel is that this Wonderful Counselor has come. God became “the Man,” and when he did, he went to the lowest point and the darkest place. But that was not the end for him. He passed through the lowest place, and he came out of it in the triumph of his resurrection.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Sources:

Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 1305.

Open the Bible, Prayer and Praise, Lamentations 5

Posted in Grace in Grief - Lamentations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God is Merciful – Lamentations 3

Posted on July 8, 2025 by dkoop

I don’t know about you, but I love to find references to Jesus in the Old Testament.  Like a kid in candy store or a miner panning for gold, when I uncover and discover passages that reveal our Savior; it is a real treasure to me.  I don’t know how I missed this passage in Lamentations 3, all these years.  Maybe I was rushing to get to verses 22-23, one of favorite passages.  But there,  jumping off the page in in verse 1, Jesus appears.

Let’s take a look.

  • “I am the man (3:1a)  “I am?”  Remember all the I am statements in John’s gospel?
  • “the man” (3:1a) Not only was the title, “Son of Man” most used by Jesus to refer to himself, but at the crucifixion, notice what Pilate calls Jesus, 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
  • “who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath” (3:1b).  Surely He has turned His hand against me… 5 He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and [a]woe. (3:2-5)  That’s what happened to Jesus on the cross – he bore the divine wrath for us.  Much like Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53, Can you hear these words in the mouth of Jesus?
  • “He has set me in dark places”  (3:6)  On the cross, what happened?  It got very dark,45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. Matthew 27:45
  • Though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer (3:8). That was the experience of Jesus when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” At the cross, God brings grief and loss to Jesus, and he brings compassion through Jesus.
  • “Like a lion in [b]ambush. He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate. 12 He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow.”  (3: 10-12)   The lion comment and being torn to pieces are more references to Psalm 22:13-17
  • He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood (or gall) 16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And [e]covered me with ashes. (3:15-16)  A sponge of  bitter drink was what Jesus was given on the cross.  The reference to “covered me with ashes” refers to being buried. 
  • I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long (3:14). You hear the mocking crowd as Jesus hangs on the cross. This is what happened to him.
  • Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes (3:30). That’s what Jesus did.

When we look at all that Jesus did for us, we cannot help but see God’s great mercy to us!

Christ suffered humiliation and darkness so that God’s mercy should reach us and God’s love should hold us, even in our greatest loss. In Christ we have the hope of God’s ultimate purpose, and the hope of God’s immediate presence.

In the previous posts, we saw that tears are a gift from God; God gave you tear ducts for a reason. The entire book of Lamentations puts sorrow into words. We have a Savior, the Man of Sorrows, to whom we can come in our sorrow.

The third poem in Lamentations is the pinnacle of the mountain of this book. You will notice that there are 66 verses instead of the 22 verses that the other poems in this book have. This third poem is still an acrostic, but there are three lines that begin with each successive letter of the alphabet, rather than one line like the previous two poems.

Life Application from Lamentations 3

 19 Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul still remembers And sinks within me.21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.   Lamentations 3:19-21(NKJV)

Look at verse 21 because what Jeremiah does here is very important for handling our times of deep despair and grief. “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” Notice Jeremiah commits to an act of the will, rather than acting on his emotions and feelings. He does not say that all is hopeless and therefore he will give up in his hopeless despair. Not at all! He says that he will put something in his mind while he is in this state of pain and grief. He is going to put hope in his heart because he is going to put his mind on something in particular.

Verses 22-24 record what he is going to think about. Essentially, the author is going to preach to himself in his time of despair. Here is what he preaches to himself:

 1. The LORD is Faithful and Offers Mercy

 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)

 The first thing he preaches to himself is that the steadfast love of the Lord never ends. God’s faithful, covenant love never stops. His compassion and his mercies never come to an end. They never fail. The author recalls the multiple proofs of God’s faithful love. He calls to mind how God’s love never ends. Think about how God has been faithful to you. Think about how God has done good for you repeatedly in the past. His love never fails toward you. This is the knowledge we have to help us in our time of grief and despair.

Second, Jeremiah preaches to himself that the steadfast love and mercies of the Lord are renewed every morning. Every day presents a new opportunity to experience a fresh outpouring of God’s great love and compassion! Each day offers new hope for the compassion of God to be on display in your life. While the future looks dark and all seems hopeless, each day is another day to see the steadfast love of the Lord.  Jeremiah is calling upon himself to live one day at a time. Just see the mercy of God for today. Do not worry about tomorrow’s difficulties and issues. Live in the compassion and mercy of God today. Great is the faithfulness of God! He will get you through today. God is faithful toward us each and every day.

  1. The LORD Good to those who Hope in Him

 24   “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25   The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.  Lamentations 3:24–25 (NKJV)

Next, you will notice that Jeremiah speaks to himself again in verse 24. His soul says, “The Lord is my portion.” A portion relates to the land allotted by God to each Israelite. Notice that Jeremiah says the Lord is his portion. He declares his dependence on the Lord for his provisions and his survival. God will take care of me is what he is preaching to himself; his conclusion is: “Therefore I will hope in him.” We have a saying in our culture: “Hope springs eternal.” If you have been in sorrow and grief then you will know that this is not the case. What is true is this, if we can modify the saying: Hope springs eternal only when hope is focused on the Lord. This is how we give ourselves the hope and courage we need in times of pain and grief.

Parents discipline children to produce right behavior. God disciplined Judah to produce right living and genuine worship. We must not complain about corrective or instructive discipline in our lives but learn from it, trusting God and being willing to change. We must allow God’s correction to bring about the kind of behavior in our life that pleases him

  1. The LORD is worthy of our Worship

39Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins? 40Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; 41Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven. Lamentations 3:39-41 (NKJV)

Who are we to complain against God? We are the ones who are full of sins! God is in the right. God is always just. God is pure and holy. We are only getting what we rightfully deserve. In fact, we are not receiving what we should for our sins because of the steadfast love of the Lord toward us. This keeps our minds in the right frame of mind. This keeps us in humility when we see that we deserve nothing and everything we have in life is a grace poured out from God.

Lastly, Jeremiah reminds us that we need examine our ways, pray and worship the Lord. Any time we examine ourselves and look at our lives honestly, it should cause us to pray because we know that we have woefully fallen short of God’s glory. So we turn to the Lord, tearing our hearts before our God (Joel 2:13). 

 As God’s people, we recognize that our lives are not determined by some cold, impersonal fate or destiny. Our lives are in the hands of the living God, who is good, who hears our cries, and will act for his people. Our praise and hope are motivated by the knowledge of this truth: the Lord is good and the Lord is faithful. God’s goodness is intrinsic to his glory (cf. Exodus 34:6-7; Mark 10:18).  This is Jeremiah’s hope, and ours Even though he feels that all hope is lost, he is able to tell himself and others that God’s faithfulness is great and his mercies are new every day.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Sources:

Albert N. Martin, Grieving, Hope and Solace: When a Loved One Died in Christ, Cruciform Press, 2011.

Brent Kercheville, Great is Your Faithfulness, Lamentations 3

Christopher Wright, The Message of Lamentations,  IVP Academic, 2015.

Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 1301.

Openthebible.org Hope and Healing

 

Posted in Grace in Grief - Lamentations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment