“For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his
mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”
God does not enjoy causing pain to His people any more than a good father would enjoy
disciplining his son. This part of Lamentations is about a man recognizing his sin but not
grasping the judgment he has brought upon himself. The man knows that God is merciful and
ready to forgive, but why is the judgment so harsh? In Jeremiah, God gives Judah warning after
warning to turn from their ways, but it falls on deaf ears. Now God, in return, is allowing this
man's prayers to not be heard. “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in
mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.”(Psalm 86:5-6)
When Judah finally recognized their sin, it was too late, and everything God said would happen
to them came to pass. The people were broken over their sins as they waited in captivity. They
prayed, but the judgment was set for seventy years.“Wherefore doth a living man complain, a
man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the
LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed
and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.” (Lam.3:39-42)
The man in this chapter took inventory of his heart and realized that he is at fault. He couldn't
“complain” about his circumstances in God's judgment because God had already warned him
that this would happen. This same Hebrew word for “complain” or “אנן”“aw-nan'” is found in
Numbers 11:1 when God heard the people complaining in the wilderness, and He sent fire
among them. Ironically, Jesus’ disciples also complained in the wilderness, and He had to
rebuke them and redirect their focus. “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their
heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:52)
We, like these men in the Bible, lose our focus on God's purpose for our lives, and He
graciously fathers us back so we can say like His disciples “...Of a truth thou art the Son of
God.” Math.14:33