In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands she received no help. Her enemies looked upon her, laughing at her downfall. Sermons
I. THE PRESENT CALAMITY EXCITES BY CONTRAST THE RECOLLECTION OF PROSPEROUS TIMES. 1. Affliction, homelessness, and misery are the present lot of Jerusalem. The city is in the hands of the enemy. The people have no longer a home which they can cling to, but face the prospect of exile, destitution, and vacancy. 2. Helplessness. In times of prosperity neighbours were eager to offer aid which was not needed; in these times of adversity no friendly proffer of help is beard. 3. Mockery. The Jews are a people from the first separated from surrounding nations by their laws, their customs, their religious observances. As an intensely religious people, they have ever set their hearts upon their revelation, upon the God of their fathers and his ordinances. Consequently they are most easily and most deeply wounded in their religious susceptibilities. Strange that a nation condemned to defeat and capture for its unfaithfulness to Jehovah should yet observe the appointed sabbaths, and keenly feel the ridicule and the contempt incurred by such observance! Her adversaries mocked her sabbaths. II. THE RECOLLECTION OF PROSPEROUS TIMES ENHANCES THE ANGUISH OF PRESENT ADVERSITY. Time has been when Jerusalem, her monarch, citizens, and surrounding population have enjoyed peace, plenty, respect from other nations, liberty of worship, and joyful solemnities. The force of contrast makes the memory of such time bitter and distressing. Their "crown of sorrow is remembering happier things." APPLICATION. Let present privileges and prosperity be so used that the memory of them may never occasion bitter regret and misery. - T.
Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction, and of her miseries, all her pleasant things. Homilist. I. IT GENERALLY REFERS TO THE "PLEASANT THINGS" OF THE PAST. This it does by a necessary law of its nature — the law of contrast. All men must meet with trials sooner or later — physical, social, moral, etc. Now in the painful memory reverts to the pleasant. It is ever so. Men under the infirmities of age revert to the bright joys of youth hood; the rich man who has sunk into bankruptcy reverts to the days when he had more than heart could wish; souls in perdition recall the sunny day of grace.II. Its reference to the "pleasant things" of the past ALWAYS INTENSIFIES THE SUFFERINGS OF THE SUFFERER. There are two things that tend to this:(1) The consciousness that the "pleasant things" are irrevocably lost: Innocency of childhood, glowing hopes of youth, pleasures of mature manhood, sacred impressions made upon the young heart by books, sermons, and parental piety, — these can never be regained.(2) The consciousness that the "pleasant things" have been morally abused. This makes the action of memory m hell so overwhelmingly painful. "Son, remember," etc. Memory involves receptivity — retention — reproduction (Homilist.) 2. The time of adversity is fit, wherein we may best recount the prosperity that in former times we have enjoyed. 3. God often maketh an men adversaries to His children, that they may learn to rest on Him alone. 4. The enemies of religion do inquire into the decay of God's Church, and rejoice at it. 5. It is a certain note of an enemy to religion, to mock and deride the exercises of the same. (J. Udall.) (H. W. Beecher.) People Jacob, JeremiahPlaces Jerusalem, ZionTopics Adversaries, Adversary, Affliction, Anguish, Attackers, Bitterness, Cessation, Desirable, Desire, Desired, Desolations, Destruction, Downfall, Effected, Enemies, Enemy, Fall, Falling, Fell, Foe, Gloated, Hands, Hater, Helped, Helper, Hers, Homelessness, Jerusalem, Keeps, Laughed, Mind, Miseries, Mock, Mocked, Mocking, Mournings, None, Pleasant, Power, Precious, Remembered, Remembereth, Remembers, Ruin, Sabbaths, Sorrow, Sport, Treasures, Wandering, WanderingsOutline 1. The miseries of Jerusalem and of the Jews lamented12. The attention of beholders demanded to this unprecedented case 18. The justice of God acknowledged, and his mercy supplicated. Dictionary of Bible Themes Lamentations 1:7Library No Sorrow Like Messiah's SorrowIs it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold, and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow! A lthough the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophecies (Luke 24:44) , bear an harmonious testimony to MESSIAH ; it is not necessary to suppose that every single passage has an immediate and direct relation to Him. A method of exposition has frequently obtained [frequently been in vogue], of a fanciful and allegorical cast [contrivance], under the pretext … John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Epistle vi. To Narses, Patrician . "Come unto Me, all Ye that Labour, and are Wearied," &C. Meditations for one that is Like to Die. Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism Lamentations Links Lamentations 1:7 NIVLamentations 1:7 NLT Lamentations 1:7 ESV Lamentations 1:7 NASB Lamentations 1:7 KJV Lamentations 1:7 Bible Apps Lamentations 1:7 Parallel Lamentations 1:7 Biblia Paralela Lamentations 1:7 Chinese Bible Lamentations 1:7 French Bible Lamentations 1:7 German Bible Lamentations 1:7 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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