El rol de la madre como discipuladora de sus hijos es muy muy valioso.
Helena nos explica consejos prácticos a las mamás para comenzar este proceso de discipulado.
Deuteronomio 6:5-7 “Y amarás a Jehová tu Dios de todo tu corazón, y de toda tu alma, y con todas tus fuerzas. Y estas palabras que yo te mando hoy, estarán sobre tu corazón; y las repetirás a tus hijos, y hablarás de ellas estando en tu casa, y andando por el camino, y al acostarte, y cuando te levantes.”
Lament is part of the expression of what we feel due to a situation that someone causes or that we have caused. We often express this lament in the presence of others especially when it’s something tragic. This is common in our culture.
As believers, we know that God is involved in our lament. The lament needs to be expressed to God as well. This is not common, but it is important. Lament should include admitting (if we are certain) that what has produced our pain is our disobedience to God. This is what we see in this passage in Lamentations 1. In the first verses (vv. 12-17), Jerusalem publicly expresses her pain that God has caused her. He prays that those who listen to her have compassion on her. Furthermore, Jerusalem expresses her sorrow to the Lord (vv. 18-22). She declares that He is just and that she is to blame for rebelling against Him. She prays that God will see her suffering.
The passage teaches us to mourn horizontally and vertically. Both are necessary to maintain the correct perspective. Otherwise, it will lead us to despair. It also helps us learn compassion for those who are going through pain and suffering. It also helps us learn to express our regret to God both when it is our fault or when it is not.
We notice first that she expresses her pain that God has caused her. She pleads for the compassion of others (vv. 12-13) by giving two reasons she wants this from others. First, she has experienced God’s anger.
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look around and see.
Is any suffering like my suffering
that was inflicted on me,
that the Lord brought on me
in the day of his fierce anger? ” v. 12
She appeals to those who pass by to have compassion on her. She expresses that her pain is not like that of others. Her pain is worse. Many of us tend to exaggerate what happens to us, but in this case it is not. Why is it worse? She expresses the reason: “the Lord brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?.”
God poured out His anger on Judah. The anger of God is not something out of control, it is expressed within his holiness. God is very patient and does not want to punish. He gave them opportunities to repent and warned them that if they did not, the city would be destroyed (See Jer. 17:27). This anger from God brought disastrous consequences for Judah but God did not destroy them which He had every right to do.
We also see here Jerusalem’s transparency. She clearly states that her pain she is experiencing has come from God. This teaches us to be transparent when we experience pain, anguish, and sadness. This can include recognizing if what is happening to us is because we are being disciplined by the Lord for being disobedient to Him. It does not mean that we do it with everyone, but as believers we must have a group of people (a small group ) where we have that freedom, find comfort and help. As believers, we cannot live the Christian life alone.
But not only the disobedient believer suffers. The godly believer can also wait and not be amazed when the “fire ordeal” comes into his or her life. The purpose is to help us be more like Christ.
1 Peter 4: 12-13 says:
“12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
Secondly, she expreses how it has affected her.
“From on high he sent fire,
sent it down into my bones.
He spread a net for my feet
and turned me back.
He made me desolate,
faint all the day long.” v. 13
Images of destruction are presented. Literally the city of Jerusalem was burned by her enemies (remember once again that she admits the “true” reason for her state was God.) This judgment was like a fever that consumes her bones (“sent it down into my bones”) .
The Lord spread a net for her as He did to her enemies many times. But this time it was the Lord himself who laid this net for her. The Lord became her enemy. She was trapped by Him without any escape. She has been left alone, desolate, sick and in pain all day.
When we look at someone who is suffering for their sin, it is easy to judge them. It is easy to point our finger. But when we are the ones experiencing a time of lament or God’s discipline (seen in the consequences), we want compassion. Some who are lamenting will continue to rebel against the Lord and blame him for what is happening. But others, in their pain, will seek the compassion of others. We must be ready to give them this compassion.
Compassion is not telling people that what they have done is right. Nor is it accusing God for what is happening in their lives. Compassion is recognizing the state of the person and feeling the pain they feel.
Our Lord did. Looking at the crowds, he had compassion on them “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36). He invited his disciples to pray that the Lord would send people to share the Good News of Salvation to them. That is also our call.
Are you suffering and lamenting for what is happening to you now? Do you have someone to share your pain? I encourage you to do this if you are in a difficult situation.
Maybe you are not experiencing a time of lament. But, maybe you know someone. Pause for a moment and ask God to bring comfort and restoration to his/her life. Think how you can be involved in showing compassion to him/her this week.
En el libro de Lamentaciones encontramos que el Señor tiene que castigar la infidelidad de Judá. Judá reconoce su error y su lamento es expresado en el capítulo 1;
Primero, reconoce que Dios es justo y que la culpa es suya.
“Jehová es justo; yo contra su palabra me rebelé.
Oíd ahora, pueblos todos, y ved mi dolor;
Mis vírgenes y mis jóvenes fueron llevados en cautiverio.” v. 18
Jerusalén confiesa que “Jehová es justo”. Ella sabe que lo que Dios ha mandado que suceda en su vida no es porque Dios es injusto, ni porque Dios quiere hacerle daño. A pesar de todo lo que le ha sucedido a Jerusalén, ella confiesa que Jehová es justo. La culpa no es de Dios.
Su confesión incluye el porqué le ha sucedido esta tragedia, “contra su palabra me rebelé.” La culpa es de Jerusalén que decidió decir “no” a lo que Dios le mandó hacer. Dios le llamó la atención a su desobediencia a través de sus profetas como el profeta Jeremías y le advirtió lo que vendría si no escuchaba su voz. Pero ella no escuchó.
Muchos hoy día culpan a Dios por sus pecados y sus resultados. ¿Porqué Dios permite esto si es justo? La verdad es clara: “Jehová tu eres justo”. El problema no está en Dios sino en nosotros. En lugar de acusar a Dios deberíamos confesar “yo contra su palabra me rebelé.”
Jerusalén invita a todos los pueblos que le ven a que le oigan y vean su dolor. Vean lo que le ha sucedido. Es una advertencia a todos de que Dios es el Juez. Las consecuencias que vinieron fueron severas para Jerusalén. Perdieron todo. Sus “vírgenes” y “jóvenes”, lo más preciado de su pueblo “fueron llevados en cautiverio”.
Nadie se escapa ni se escapará de su justo juicio. El libro de Jeremías (Jer. 46-51) habla del juicio que vendrá a todas las naciones.
La advertencia es igual para nosotros. Escuchemos hoy su voz. Si eres creyente te invita a ser desobediente y seguir en tu camino porque Dios te juzgará. Si no haz creído en Cristo, te invita a arrepentirte de tus pecados y creer en Él y no esperar el juicio de Dios.
Segundo, reconoce que ha sido engañada por sus amantes.
“Di voces a mis amantes, mas ellos me han engañado;
Mis sacerdotes y mis ancianos en la ciudad perecieron,
Buscando comida para sí con que entretener su vida.” v. 19
Los amantes de los que habló en los versículos 2 y 8-9, las naciones en las que Judá confió y le llevaron a ser infiel a Dios, le han engañado. No le dieron la ayuda cuando la pidió. Los líderes religiosos y los líderes de la ciudad perecieron “buscando comida para sí con que entretener su vida.” Perdió todos sus aliados. La infidelidad a Dios no trae buenas consecuencias. ¡Jamás!
Esta semana leía de la hija de un actor muy famoso que decía que ella era “poliamorosa” que significa que tiene relaciones amorosas con varias personas a la vez. Una de su justificaciones es que el problema con la monogamia es la infidelidad y bueno para evitar eso es preferible tener relaciones poli amorosas. Además dijo ella, que más que todo es acerca de la libertad. ¡Qué ridiculez!
Dios no le dijo a Israel que le incluyera en su circulo de amor con sus amantes paganos. Dios no le llamó para vivir para tener su libertad y hacer su voluntad. Dios le llamó para que fuera fiel al Señor. Dios pidió y pide fidelidad. Eso es la base del pacto entre Dios e Israel (y nosotros). Y cuando no le somos fiel a Él traerá malas consecuencias. Y a propósito, la base de la ética matrimonial está en nuestra relación con el Señor. El Señor es fiel conmigo y yo respondo siendo fiel a Él. Y porque soy fiel a Él soy fiel a mi esposa porque lo que él quiere es que yo modele su fidelidad.
Tercero, ella admite que está sufriendo mucho por su rebelión.
“Mira, oh Jehová, estoy atribulada, mis entrañas hierven.
Mi corazón se trastorna dentro de mí, porque me rebelé en gran manera.
Por fuera hizo estragos la espada; por dentro señoreó la muerte.” v. 20
Jerusalén esta sufriendo, siendo atormentada de gran manera que afecta su estado mental, tanto que siente calor dentro de sus entrañas. Es algo muy intenso. Su corazón, su interior está volteado o tan conmovido. El estado emocional es intenso.
La razón de este sufrimiento es “porque me rebelé en gran manera”. Una vez más, ella confiesa que ser rebeló (v. 18) pero añade “en gran manera”.
Pero no solo afectó su mente, su corazón y todo su estado físico sino que experimentó muerte dentro y fuera de la ciudad. No hay ninguna seguridad para ella en ningún lugar.
Este pasaje tiene aplicaciones para nosotros hoy día:
El Señor no está lejos de sus hijos pero el pecado afecta nuestra relación con Él. Y esto puede llevarnos a la rebeldía. Esto traerá consecuencias inmediatas como la falta de comunión con Él y otras consecuencias visibles. Contesta las siguientes dos preguntas de aplicación:
Recuerda que la infidelidad a Dios nunca traerá buenos resultados.
In the following verses of Lamentations the author expresses what Jerusalem has lost because of her rebellion and asks God to look at her suffering and hear her.
First, he remembers what she had before and lost.
“Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
that were hers in days of old.
When her people fell into enemy hands,
there was no one to help her.
Her enemies looked at her
and laughed at her destruction.” v. 7 (NIV and all subsequent verses unless otherwise stated.)
If we look at the fall of Jerusalem historically, we think that this was the result of the politics of that time. But the cause of her banishment by the nation of Babylon was not political but theological. Jerusalem fell into the hands of the enemy because of her rebellion against God. And since it was God who brought this on her, “there was no one to help her.”
There is a very important principle in all of this. And it is that what happens in our lives, as children of God, is sovereignly directed by God. We may think that what happens to us is something due to culture or politics or circumstances or even chance. But we know that the Lord is always working sovereignly in our lives. Jerusalem remembers what happened to her. She remembers what she had before it happened. But the reality is that she has fallen as a city and no longer has anything or anyone to help her. Her enemies laugh at her downfall.
How sad to think that we had before and lost because of our sins! How sad it is that others mock our fall! If this hasn’t happened to you individually, thank God!
We also see that her sin was the cause of her loss and banishment.
“Jerusalem has sinned greatly
and so has become unclean.
All who honored her despise her,
for they have all seen her naked;
she herself groans
and turns away. ” v. 8
Without hesitation, Jeremiah says the cause of her loss and her exile: “Jerusalem has sinned greatly.” The author’s emphasis is that the sin of Jerusalem was great. This was no small thing, and it is not that she did not deserve to be removed. The author uses the comparison of a woman who has been unfaithful to her husband and now “All who honored her despise her, for they have all seen her naked.” She lost her honor among the nations. Her shame is compared to a person showing her nakedness, something that in this context was very shameful. It is a great shame! Her nakedness is her sin that others can now see and reject. It is a deplorable thing!
So is our sin before God. It is embarrassing. It is something that robs us of our dignity.
Her spiritual immorality brought her shame and her downfall.
“Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
she did not consider her future.
Her fall was astounding;
there was none to comfort her. v. 9
The author continues with the comparison of the unfaithful woman saying that she is an unclean or impure woman (she is in her period). The impurity of it is evident to all. But she has not listened. She has not noticed her sin. And the results is that she has fallen as a nation and there is no one “to comfort her.” No one was there to help her, she was left alone.
Her unfaithfulness to God has astoundingly brought her this shame. This affliction, this punishment, this exile.
These verses remind us of the warning in Hebrews 10: 29-31 for those of us who are Christians, have been purified by the blood of Christ and continue to sin deliberately:
“How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. “
So our duty is to listen and obey the voice of God:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)
Now the author turns to her cry to God. She calls on to God to see her affliction.
“O Lord, behold my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed!”
10 The enemy has stretched out his hands
over all her precious things;
for she has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary,
those whom you forbade
to enter your congregation.” v. 9b-10 (ESV)
The nation of Judah did not listen to God’s voice nor seek Him when all was well. When she had prosperity, allies, and she had everything, she did not seek God. When she was unfaithful to the Lord by going after other lovers and following her gods, she did not repent nor listen to the voice of God.
Now that her city is destroyed, she experiences the consequences of her unfaithfulness and has lost left alone and heartbroken, she cries out to the Lord. She cries out to the Lord to look and see what the enemy has done to her. All her “precious things” from the temple have been taken and the place where God dwelt has been desecrated.
Jerusalem’s response to what had happened to her is very similar to ours when the consequences of our sins come to us. We cry out to God asking him to look at our situation and help us.
All her people groan
as they search for bread;
they trade their treasures for food
to revive their strength.
“Look, O Lord, and see,
for I am despised.“v. 11 (ESV)
Jerusalem expresses to God the sufferings she is going through. They sold the most valuable for food. They have suffered from hunger during the siege, so much so that they were forced to eat the flesh of their dead children to stay alive (ch. 4:10). Their clamor was evident. The city calls on the Lord to look at her situation, to look at her dejected state.
Application questions
On August 6, 1945, the American B-29 aircraft dropped at 2,000 feet high the first nuclear bomb in the Japanese city of Hiroshima instantly killing 80,000 people an area of about five square miles. Japan remained reluctant to surrender, and the next day, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing 40,000 people. This led to Japan’s unconditional performance during World War II. The end of World War II came to an end but not without leaving these two cities decimated (and many more damage of course). Many more people later died from radiation.
The images of destruction and desolation are a solemn reminder of the cruelty that exists in this world. We haven’t been through something like this, and we hope it doesn’t happen to any nation.
The people of Israel experienced the destruction, violence, cruelty and pain of their city in 568 a.C This was documented in the book of Lamentations. In this chapter we see the loneliness of the city (vv. 1-3), its destruction, affliction and desolation (vv. 4-6), its rebellion that led to its downfall (vv. 7-9a) and its cry to God (vv. 9b-11).
“How deserted lies the city,
once so full of people!
How like a widow is she,
who once was great among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
has now become a slave. ” (NIV)
The great nation whose husband was Jehovah God (Isa. 54: 5; Eze. 16) has now become a widow. She has no one. The author remembers how it was before this happened. She was a populous city but now been left desolate. The author watches Jerusalem sitting like a widow in her desolate state. The word “How!” is a funeral word that expresses the feeling of “I can’t believe it!” “What a pity!” She was great among the nations bu now she “she has become a widow.” He has no one with her to take care of her, protect her or support her. Not only this but she lost her prominence. She was the “queen” of the nations before this. She has lost her rank among the nations. Let’s remember the glory she had when Solomon took the throne. The whole world knew that Israel was great among the nations because God was with her. But now, the great nation of God has been defeated. She has to submit to the nation of Babylon and pay tribute to her. She is her slave.
The great city of Jerusalem has been left alone without consolation.
“Bitterly she weeps at night,
tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers
there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies. ” v. 2
The widow cries bitterly at night. Her tears spill down her cheeks but she has no one to comfort her. She left her husband God and preferred her lovers. Her infidelity led to nothing. Her lovers, the nations she trusted betrayed her. Judah thought that if she allied herself with other nations she would avoid captivity but she did not. It seems that Judah sought help from Egypt but it betrayed her and became her enemy. The widow cries without anyone comforting her. How sad!
But she not only has been left as a widow, alone, without position and without consolation but,
She has been caught at a dead-end and has been taken captive.
“After affliction and harsh labor,
Judah has gone into exile.
She dwells among the nations;
she finds no resting place.
All who pursue her have overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.” v. 3
This exile has brought her “affliction” and “harsh labor.” This brings back memories of the suffering they had experienced in Egypt. She now dwells among the nations but she has no rest. She has no rest because her pursuers caught up with her and she had no place to go. She was caught.
The account of this event is found in 2 Kings 25: 1-7 and Jer 52: 1-11. 2 Kgs 25: 1-7 The city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar for two years. This was disastrous. The people suffered from hunger and there was even cannibalism. Finally, a breach was made in the wall and Zedekiah the king of Judah was captured, his children killed and he was taken captive to Babylon like many of the inhabitants of Judah.
Her destruction, affliction and desolation has left so much destruction.
“The roads to Zion mourn,
for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she is in bitter anguish. ” v. 4
The temple, the most special place in Jerusalem, was destroyed. Her treasures were taken to Babylon. The streets of Zion (Jerusalem) that lead to the temple are lonely. There are no special celebrations, there are no sacrifices and worship of God. The doors through which the people leading to the temple entered are alone. The priests who served in the temple groan or wail in pain. The virgins who possibly had a role in the temple dancing or in processions are not happy but rather sad. Zion “has bitter anguish.” Where did such destruction and bitterness come from?
She is clear about this.
Her foes have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief
because of her many sins.
Her children have gone into exile,
captive before the foe. v. 4
Judah has lost everything. Her enemies now rule over her and those who hated her have now prospered. Who was responsible for all this, this suffering, this pain, this mourning? It was the Lord.
But God is not an unjust God. God does not delight in the suffering they experience. This that has come upon them is because of “the multitude of her man sins.” The word “sins” means “to break” or “infraction.” Israel time after time broke God’s laws. She was warned by her prophets to repent and return to the Lord but she refused. She continued to make altars and worship other people’s gods (Hosea 10: 1).
God “Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins” and “Her children have gone into exile,
captive before the foe.” This is the sad thing. The punishment was for the entire nation, for all her children including the children. These children would grow up in a pagan nation.
Zion (Jerusalem) was vanished.
“All the splendor has departed
from Daughter Zion.
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled
before the pursuer.” v. 6
She no longer radiates the glory of God. She lost her influence in the world. She lost everything. Her light was turned off. Israel lost everything. The Babylonian soldiers trampled on her and she carried off her princes, their leaders who were left weak after the siege. They could not against Babylon, they were left without strength. Jerusalem has been left a desolate city, destroyed, and afflicted due to her rebellion.
What kinds of emotions arise in you as you read the description of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem? Take a few minutes and express to God how you feel. Take a few minutes to pray for the nations of the world that are experiencing pain, anguish and suffering due to injustice.
Como creyentes, sabemos que Dios está envuelto en nuestro lamento. El lamento se expresa no solo a otros sino también a Dios. Esto no es tan común, pero es importante. A menudo este lamento incluye, admitir que lo que ha producido nuestro dolor es nuestra desobediencia a Dios. Esto es lo que vemos en este pasaje. En los primeros versículos (vv. 12-17), Jerusalén expresa públicamente su dolor que Dios le ha causado. Ruega que los que le escuchan tengan compasión de ella. Además, Jerusalén expresa su dolor al Señor (vv. 18-22). Ella declara que Él es justo y que la culpable es ella por rebelarse en contra de Él. Ruega que Dios vea su sufrimiento.
El pasaje nos enseña a lamentarnos horizontalmente y verticalmente. Ambos son necesarios para mantener la perspectiva correcta. De otra manera, nos llevará a la desesperanza.Además nos ayuda a aprender compasión de los que están pasando por dolor y sufrimiento. Nos ayuda también a aprender a expresar nuestro lamento a Dios tanto cuando es nuestra culpa o cuando no lo es.
In the following posts, I will offer some thoughts on the book of Lamentations. It is a book that documents in poetic form the destruction, violence, cruelty and pain of the city of Jerusalem in 568 a.C by the Babylonians. It is a not popular nor a well-known book among Christians. In this post I want to highlight some of the distinctives that make this book unique and useful for our lives as Christians.
1. It is a poetic book that appeals to our emotions.
First, it’s poetic in its structure. Among the books of the Bible, there is the poetic genre. Some of the Psalms fall into this genre. Lamentations also has a unique poetic structure.
The first four chapters are written in an acrostic form where each sentence begins with one of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 has three sentences for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The last chapter is not in an acrostic form; it has twenty-two sentences like the Hebrew alphabet.
It is also poetic also in its content. Lamentations was used in temple worship and it was read during the commemoration of the destruction of the temple (the first and second temples). It has also been used by Christians during Holy Week. This book was written not for the intellect but for our emotions. The purpose is not for us to respond with an intellectual response but to be able to respond with our emotions. But this emotional response is not out of control but is guided by God’s truth by showing us how things happen and in some cases why they happen. Even though it may not give us a rational, logical explanation, it will show us God’s perspective.
2. It is a book about lament for divine punishment.
Wrapped in the historical background of Judah’s siege and captivity, Lamentations presents us with a visible disastrous picture of divine punishment on his people. The theology (which teaches us about God’s character and nature; the consequences of sin in a theocratic nation) found in this book is not very popular today. An author says:
“In Lamentations, God cares about sin, suffering, and depravity and does something about them. In Lamentations, there is no ease regardless of what the people of God do. In Lamentations, God is fair, tough, caring, and ultimately faithful.” – Paul House, “Lamentaciones” Word Commentary
Lamentations invites us to join in lament. This is something that is not easy for us to understand because there is no nation that has experienced this kind of punishment directly from God. However, we can learn to mourn how horrendous disobedience to God is and the disastrous results it causes. Sin is in force in our times and the results are obvious. So it’s applicable to our times.
3. It is a book that teaches us how to use lament in worship of God.
In the church, this book, like the Lamentation Psalms, helps us understand that worship of God not only involves joy but also pain, suffering, and lament. The book Psalms has a significant number of lament psalms. These kinds of Psalms include, lament, confession, and trust in God’s sovereignty. Similarly, Lamentations possesses these characteristics.
One author says that, “Praise is the language of celebration. Lament is the language of suffering.” He also states:
“Laments are prayers of petition arising out of need. But lament is not simply the presentation of a list of complaints, nor merely the expression of sadness over difficult circumstances. Lament in the Bible is a liturgical response to the reality of suffering and engages God in the context of pain and trouble.
The hope of lament is that God would respond to human suffering that is wholeheartedly communicated through lament.” – Rah, S.-C., & McNeil, B. S. (2015). Prophetic lament: a call for justice in troubled times. Westmont, IL: IVP Books.
4. It is a book that shows us that we need deliverance from our sins through Christ.
We know we’re sinners due to our innate sinful nature. The evidence lives within our hearts . Our actions many times affirm that we are people who have severely offended God with our sins. Sin is horrendous before our Holy God. We cannot grasp the magnitude of how serious it is before God because we have lived accustomed to sinning. When we see evil, suffering, and pain, we try to find human answers to help us make sense of it. But the truth is that we cannot. It leaves us yearning for divine justice.
Divine justice has already been executed on our sin on the cross. It was our Lord who came to become human like us, who felt our pain and our suffering not only during his life and ministry, but experienced the most severe punishment anyone has ever experienced when he died on the cross for us. It was there, as he called in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) that he experienced the divine punishment for our sins.
Israel (Judah) experienced divine punishment without the reality of the cross. Today everyone who believes in Christ as their Lord and Savior can face suffering, pain, injustice, and even the Lord’s discipline knowing that He paid the highest price. We can look to our Savior and live confidently that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord..” (Rom. 8:38-39, NIV)
The lament of the fall of the city of Jerusalem, the city of God represents the fall of the nation of Israel because of her sin. As we will look in this book, God has not forgotten her and she will be restored when the 70 years of exile are fulfilled (Isa. 14:1; Jer. 32:1-15; Psalm 126).
Take a few minutes to read the first chapter and join in the author’s mourning. I recommend reading Robert Alter’s Translation. Here is a sample of reading of chapter 1.
El pueblo de Israel experimento la destrucción, violencia, crueldad y dolor de su ciudad en el año 568 a.C Esto fue documentado en el libro de Lamentaciones. El lamento de la caída de la ciudad de Jerusalén, ciudad de Dios representa la caída de la nación de Israel debido a su pecado. Y sin embargo, miraremos en este libro, que Dios no se ha olvidado de ella y que será restaurada cuando se cumplan los 70 años del destierro (Isa. 14:1; Jer. 32:1-15; Salmos 126). Hay tres aspectos que miramos en los primeros once versículos de Lamentaciones. Miramos la soledad de la ciudad (vv. 1-3), su destrucción y aflicción y desolación (vv. 4-6), su rebelión que le llevó a su caída (vv. 7-10) y su clamor a Dios (vv. 9b-11). Esto no solo nos ayuda a entender las consecuencias de la desobediencia a Dios con sus efectos desastrosos, sino también nos enseña sobre como lamentarnos con otros en todo tipo de sufrimiento, y cómo lamentarnos delante de Dios buscando su restauración tanto a favor nuestro como el de otros.
Dios siempre desea lo mejor para nosotros, quiere darnos paz, bien y no mal. Pero muchas veces esto no es posible cuando vivimos en desobediencia a Él. Él tendrá que santificarnos. Este proceso no será fácil ni necesariamente corto. Puede que sea doloroso. La primera parte de este sermón fue predicado en la iglesia. Se encuentra aquí
“Porque yo sé los pensamientos que tengo acerca de vosotros, dice Jehová, pensamientos de paz, y no de mal, para daros el fin que esperáis.” Jeremías 29:11
La Iglesia del Señor es su Cuerpo en la Tierra con el propósito de llevar a cabo su misión: comunicar la buenas noticias de salvación en Cristo. La Iglesia es el portavoz y nadie más ha sido designado con este trabajo. Este pasaje nos enseña cómo debe el pueblo de Dios vivir durante el exilio. Nosotros, la Iglesia del Señor no estamos en exilio o desterrados como lo fue Israel, pero las condiciones en las que vivimos tienen similitudes con las del pueblo de Dios. La cultura en que vivimos cada vez se vuelve más antagonista al cristianismo. Y la Iglesia no parece que está tomando en serio su llamado. Sin lugar a duda creo que Iglesia, especialmente en los Estados Unidos experimentará persecución y tendrá que aprender a vivir el llamado de Dios en el exilio. Tendrá que aprender a escuchar lo que Dios dice sobre como vivir en el exilio. La Iglesia militante que pelea con las armas (figurado y literal) de este mundo no es bíblica.
El profeta Jeremías profetizó en Israel más de cuarenta años comenzando desde la edad aproximada de dieciocho (627 A.C – 586 A.C.). Presenció la conquista y el exilio. Jeremías les da el mandato del Señor en Jeremías 29 (vv. 1-7), la advertencia sobre los falsos profetas que decían hablar por Dios (vv. 8-9) y la promesa de restauración de Dios para su pueblo (vv. 10-14). Estos tres aplican a nosotros como creyentes viviendo en “exilio”.
La parte final de este sermón se encuentra aquí.
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