He Must Be Just

Lamentations 3:34-36

In our last article we looked at the mercies of God. In these verses, Jeremiah focuses on the justice of God. God is both a just and merciful God simultaneously; He is not just in one moment while being unmerciful, and then merciful in other moments without being just. He is both just and merciful one hundred percent of the time.

The key phrase in these verses is the last one which states, “The Lord does not approve.” This statement comes after Jeremiah lists a few things that the Lord does not approve of. It is helpful to keep that in mind when reading these verses to aid us in our understanding.

In Lamentations 3:34 it states, “To crush under one’s feet all the prisoners of the earth.” The Lord does not approve of crushing the prisoners of the earth under one’s feet. As we saw in the first article of this series, Babylon was doing exactly that at this time. That is why Jeremiah was suffering. Yet God does not approve, meaning, He is not looking on at this with fondness. We saw in Lamentations 3:33 that the Lord does not afflict willingly. He does not delight in our affliction.

However, we see all throughout Scripture how Israel sinned against God (Nehemiah 9 records a short summary of that sin). God does not delight in the pain of His people, yet He is just. Though He does not want to see us crushed under this world’s feet, He loves us enough to allow it.

We see this in Lamentations 3:35 as well which says, “To turn aside the justice due a man before the face of the Most High.” The Lord does not approve of injustice. God is not a weak God who lets us do what we want with little consequence. We need to remember that we will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-8). If we have sown sin and wickedness, God will afflict us. If we repent and turn back to God He will forgive; however, we cannot sin and expect no consequences, for then, how would He be a just God?

God is desperate for our obedience because it is what is best for us. He does not afflict willingly, and He does not look fondly at our hurt. Yet He cannot ignore our sin. It is not possible for a holy God to turn His head from sin so indifferently.

Finally we look at the beginning of verse 36 which says, “or subvert a man in his cause”. The Lord wants a fair trial. The issue with Israel is that they are guilty. Their fair trial condemns them for their sins, and the result is the Lord removes them from the land for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11).

Jeremiah knew this and understood why God was causing the affliction on him and his people. Though Jeremiah had been faithful, He was a part of the nation of Israel, and God chose to let Jeremiah suffer too. As we have seen throughout this series though, Jeremiah also felt supernatural hope, joy, mercy, and compassion from God. He understood that, though he had to suffer, God was still good. He also understood that he was not perfect, and any showing of mercy or compassion towards him was undeserved.

We ought to all rejoice that we serve a just God. He does not want to punish but chooses to because He cannot look indifferently at sin. It is also for our benefit (Hebrews 12:6), to help us to grow in our maturity and in knowing Him more deeply and personally. Fellow believer, do not complain what you have reaped when you sow foolishly, but thank Him for His love. The fact that He loves us (who are so small and insignificant compared to a huge, powerful, holy God) enough to run towards us, call us back to Him, and discipline us is an amazing, undeserved benefit of being His child.

Follow Us on Social Media!