Lamentations 3:21-23 (NLT) 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
Most of us are likely familiar with verses 22-23 in this group of scriptures.
What we may not know is the background behind them.
These words were penned by the prophet, Jeremiah. And he wrote them during a very pivotal time in the history of Israel and its people.
God had warned the Israelites for over 700 years that there would be consequences for their rebellion and their idolatry.
And this was carried out at the hand of Babylon’s mighty armies, led by King Nebuchadnezzar.
The king and his soldiers decimated the city of Jerusalem. Destroying everything in it, and then also destroying the Temple of God, plundering all its gold and silver items that were both, ornamental and utilitarian, used for carrying out their ritualistic sacrifices, and for worshiping God.
Additionally, a very large percentage of the Israelite population was slaughtered. And those who remained alive were exiled to Babylon, far away from their homeland.
All of this was punishment for their behavior over the centuries, just as God’s prophets had foretold.
But as Jeremiah observed all the destruction and carnage, he was given hope as he noted this; not everyone was destroyed. Some Israelites were spared and were kept alive to be exiled.
So, despite the obvious calamity that he saw, he also saw God’s mercy upon the nation of Israel in the fact that some were left alive.
And it was this that caused him to write the words that we so often hear quoted; The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
This same God and these same mercies also carry us through our own disasters and tribulations, lifting us up out of the pit and keeping us alive, both physically and spiritually, that we might learn from our mistakes and go on to thrive because of those mercies.
Thank you, God, for your mercies. Amen 🙏🏻
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443
401-439-3780
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