Turn Back for Him

Lamentation 4:40-42

We looked at the seriousness of all sins and the subtle, deceptive ways of the devil last week. Today we look at how we ought to act when we have sin in our lives. Jeremiah was faithful, but he was not perfect. Hopefully we are also faithful. We certainly are never perfect. It is pivotal then, when we sin, to treat it seriously and to know how to confess it.

In Lamentations 3:40 it says, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” Whether we knowingly have sinned or not, it is good practice to ask God to search our hearts. David said something similar in Psalm 139:23-24 when he asked God to know his heart and anxieties and see if there is any wickedness in him. He was not confessing his sins, he was asking God to show him if he had any unconfessed sin. He wanted to be pure.

Jeremiah encouraged his readers to confess and turn from their sins if indeed they had any. The sins of his people got them to where they were. But Jeremiah knew that the best way to move forward was to confess and turn from their sins. They were not too far gone. Yes, God had determined to destroy Israel for their years of wickedness, but God still wanted His people to repent and get right with Him.

Jeremiah then encourages his people to join him in lifting his hands and hearts to God. Heart here is the Hebrew word lēḇāḇ. The definition of lēḇāḇ “inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.” The heart in the bible encapsulates your whole inner being. When Jeremiah then encourages us to lift our hearts to God he is essentially saying give Him all of you. He urges us to vulnerably give ourselves wholly and completely to Him. This takes a lot of trust, but the good thing is God is worthy of our trust.

Finally, in Lamentations 3:42, Jeremiah says, “We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.” Again, Jeremiah is grouping himself in with wicked Israel, showing his humility. He does not shift blame; he accepts that he is part of Israel. This shows us his leadership qualities. If an employer at work shifts blame to his/her employees then they are a poor leader. A good leader, like Jeremiah, takes blame, even if they aren’t necessarily at fault.

Jeremiah points out that God has not pardoned their sins. He does not pardon if we don’t confess. He also has dealt with the wicked nation of Israel for hundreds of years and had determined that it was time for Israel to be removed from the land for 70 years. If you recall, God had told Jeremiah not to pray for the people anymore because He would not hear them (Jeremiah 7:16). God had forgiven and restored Israel countless times (just read through Judges). Their time was now up.

We have seen in these verses that we are to confess and turn to God. This does not mean that our circumstances will automatically change. This would cause us to only confess so we could have our circumstances changed for the better. No, we must reap what we sow (which is quickly becoming a common theme). We don’t confess to have our circumstances changed; we confess and repent to restore our relationship with God. Let us ensure we confess our sins with the heart of restoring our fellowship with Him and getting back to pursuing Him!

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