Lamentations 3:20-24

‘Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”’ (Lamentations 3:22-24)

This sounds like a lovely inspirational verse, and it is. But when the context is realised, it takes on so much more meaning than a simple ‘God is good!’

The chapter thus far (up to verse 18) describes the personal affliction and tribulation of Jeremiah which he attributes directly to the LORD, referred to as ‘He’. It is a list of trials and sufferings that the LORD has brought about on Jeremiah – and finally in verse 20 he says:

‘My soul still remembers
And sinks within me.
This I recall to my mind
Therefore I have no hope.’ (Lamentations 3:20-21)

It is all too much for him as he brings the pain into memory, and it leaves him without a sense of hope. This is a fairly important concept I think, in that sometimes it is memory of suffering that leaves us feeling without hope. It is the mind-games after the event. And this can be more distressing than the actual initial suffering. A feeling of hopelessness is the pathway to depression. We do well to put past things behind us. To focus on the future. And that is what Jeremiah does now: for the next verse is the verse at the top, the lovely words about God’s goodness!

The first line is a statement both of our position and God’s character. Jeremiah is saying that by rights, God’s wrath should consume us (or more specifically, the Jews – but of course, the specifics do not matter in this case, Romans makes it quite clear that we are implicated as well), because we are evil. But it is also saying that because of the fact that we are not consumed, that this must be some act of great grace on God’s part. Thus he turns the tables on those who would say that God is being too harsh in His judgment by saying that this judgment they are facing is actually mercy.

‘Great is Your faithfulness’ – the Israelites weren’t the most faithful people. The number of times that they departed from the LORD then realised their error and returned, repeating the process, is staggering. And yet, against this bleak scene of disloyalty is contrasted the faithfulness of God, who, even in the time of His wrath against the ugly sin of Judah, had mercy and compassion upon them, remembering His covenant with them. What an encouragement to us! For what is His covenant with us? It is sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ, and shows us to be righteous in His sight. And this covenant cannot be broken! We can anger God enough for Him to send us as ‘captives’ to a foreign land, and yet His mercy and grace will not be broken. What a God!

The last two lines sum up Jeremiah’s apparent sudden change of heart. In verse 21 he says he has no hope. But in verse 24 he says that he hopes in the LORD! Why the sudden change of heart? Remember that in verse 21 he was bombarded with these images and memories of his pain and suffering, his humiliation at the hands of the people. This blocks out any hope, if your hope is in this life. For if your hope is in this life, then your hope rests in personal happiness, dignity and honour, power, health and self-esteem. But Jeremiah had been stripped of all these things by God. In verse 24 he realises that it is God that is his portion – it is not things in this life that he needs, but only God! Take everything else away and leave God, and he would still have his hope! Only when we can truly say this from the heart will we know pure joy in suffering and dismay. And if we do not hope in the LORD, if our portion is not Him but this world, then inevitably our hope will fail us eventually, for all earthly things come to an end, and all human emotion is fickle. Thus I think it is imperative (if almost impossible), that we continue to realise that God is our portion. He is all we need.