The Suffering Servant

Lamentations 3

Background

“Why do I suffer?” “Why has God turned His back on me?” “Why do I feel so lonely?” “Why am I so depressed?”

Have you ever asked these questions, or perhaps thought these questions? If we are living obediently, why do we have to deal with pain? Why do we have to feel like the world is against us and God isn’t stepping in? Why do we feel like we are all alone, even when we are around those who love us? Perhaps we don’t want to die, but we don’t want to live either.

In the book of Jeremiah, God calls Jeremiah to be His prophet (Jeremiah 1:4-5). His job: Tell the Jews they are going to be taken from their land and overrun by the Babylonians. This job was not one highly sought after but rather a job that was avoided by all others. The other prophets in the land told the king and fellow Jews that God would deliver them, and yet this was not true (Jeremiah 29:9). The Jews had sinned continuously for long enough, and it was now time for their judgment. God refused to deliver them again (Jeremiah 7:16).

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. By that alone we know he did not have it easy. He begged and pleaded and wept for his fellow countrymen to obey God and turn from their wicked ways. Instead, the Jews believed the false prophets and refused to accept their defeat, calling Jeremiah a traitor to his country and even fleeing to Egypt which God also commanded against (Jeremiah 42:19).

Despite Jeremiah being obedient to God, he suffered. Having his countrymen believe that he was a traitor and a fake when he was the only genuine, honest prophet had to have hurt. Imagine if you were believed to be a traitor to your own country? Everyone would recognize you. Some would shout abuse, some may shake their heads at you with disappointment in their eyes, and others may even attempt to physically harm you. This is essentially what Jeremiah dealt with, and it wasn’t his fault.

But Jeremiah also had to see firsthand how the sinfulness of his people cost them. He had to see God’s justice being done. He had to witness children fainting in the streets and begging their mother for food (Lamentations 2:11-12). He had to see mothers eat their own children (Lamentations 2:20). It is a vastly disturbing image to even think about, and Jeremiah had to witness it. But it wasn’t his fault.

Jeremiah was born into a difficult time and tasked with a difficult job (to put it mildly). He acted obediently despite the sinfulness and the suffering around him and despite the mocking and abuse he dealt with personally. Jeremiah felt this; he was human just like you and me. He wept because he felt every bit of pain and suffering inflicted on him and around him.

I know the heading of this article references Lamentations 3 and we haven’t even looked at it yet, but I wanted to paint a picture of what is going on before diving into this book. Jeremiah suffered, and he felt the pain. Lamentations is a book written by a man expressing his grief and sorrow, his pain and suffering. In chapter three we will see the climax of this expression, an expression of pain, hope, and inner turmoil. I encourage you to read on as we dive into God’s Word!

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