Lamentations 3:31,32
"For the Lord will not cast off forever: But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies."
In the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah grapples with profound grief and sorrow. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and Judah, the lineage of the LORD Jesus Christ, has suffered devastation. The book is filled with lamentations, cries of pain, and anguish. Yet, in the midst of such darkness, athe beautiful truth of grace and redemption shines forth, serving as the foundation of hope: God's love and compassion for sinners shine brightest against the backdrop of the darkness of sin and judgment.
Lamentations 3:31-32 holds a powerful reminder of God's character. First, we are told, “For the Lord will not cast off forever.” This is a declaration of hope. It speaks to the fact that God’s hand, though heavy, does not culminate in judgment and condemnation for His chosen remnant. There is a time of sorrow and correction, but it is not permanent. God's purpose, even in the suffering of His children, is always accompanied by His grace and not His wrath.
Hebrews 12:6-11: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
In our lives as God's children, we may feel as if He has abandoned us in our grief, affliction, and sorrow. Whether we are walking through personal loss, facing overwhelming challenges, or enduring feelings of isolation, it is easy to assume that God has forgotten us. But these verses remind us that God's love is steadfast, and His compassion never expires. His discipline may be painful, but His ultimate purpose is never destruction—it is always restoration. He will not cast us off forever. As the Great Shepherd of His sheep, He cares for His own more than they could ever care for themselves.
The next verse deepens this truth: "But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies." Here, we are confronted with the paradox of God's sovereign love and that He causes grief. It is not that God delights in causing pain and grief in the lives of His children, or desires to harm us in any way. Rather, even while causing the suffering, He is compassionate, and His love is abundant. Much like a physician who must inflict pain to bring healing to the patient, so the LORD brings grief and sorrow into the lives of His children to wean them from any confidence in the flesh and cause them to look to Him alone for their spiritual health and well-being. Those whom God loves, He loves with an everlasting love for Christ's sake. "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3).
There is no limit to His love, nor any variableness in how He deals with His children. Those He set His love upon, He did so from eternity and gave them to His Son to pay their sin debt. It is the Son Who has borne all the wrath due His elect, so that in dealing with them in life and causing them grief, it is for their correction, because He loves them. There is not an ounce of wrath in His dealings with them because the LORD Jesus has already borne the wrath (justice) of God on their behalf. Even in the darkest hours, His love is directing His actions and brings good to His children through it all (Romans 8:28).
Pause for a moment and consider—God’s mercies (literally: loving kindnesses) are infinitely abundant. His mercy is so vast, so limitless, that it will overflow to meet us as His children in our greatest need. When we feel overwhelmed by grief, God’s compassion or mercies never run dry. When the pain of either body or soul seemingly becomes unbearable, and the LORD causes us to cry out to Him, He always hears and responds with tenderness. His love is steadfast and never failing. It is a love that pursues us, even when we are at our lowest. He will not leave us in our sorrow but graciously restores us with His mercy.
This is not some general mercy that the LORD extends to everyone. Rather, His mercies flow to His children through the LORD Jesus Christ, God’s Mercy Seat. Just as in the Old Testament, the Mercy Seat was sprinkled with the blood of bulls and goats, Christ is the fulfillment in the New Testament, having shed His blood unto death to redeem and justify before God everyone for whom He paid the debt. Because He is the faithful High Priest who ever lives to intercede for every elected sinner, it is by Him and through Him that the Father continues to deal mercifully with them. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
The message of Lamentations 3:31-32 is not just one of hope in the future; it’s a present reality. In our day-to-day struggles, we can rest in the knowledge that God is compassionate, loving, kind, and forgiving for Christ's sake. Not because we deserve it, but rather because we have been given to the LORD Jesus from eternity, and the LORD Jesus, having come to earn and establish the righteousness necessary for God to be just and justify us, completed that work at the cross. Therefore, God the Father continues to be loving and kind to each one of His blood-bought and Spirit-sought children. He does not, therefore, inflict suffering forever, since His chastening is designed to draw us ever closer to the LORD Jesus in our hearts and experience. There is light after the darkness and calm after the storm. The very same God Who causes the sorrow is the One Who will use it to lead us continually into the everlasting arms of the LORD Jesus.
Therefore, in times of hardship, we remember this: God’s love is deeper, more steadfast, and more abundant than anything we could ever face. Even when it feels like we are drowning, because our salvation is Christ, we can never perish.
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