Bring us back to yourself, O YHWH, so that we may return to you; renew our life as in days before, unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure (Lamentations 5:21-22).
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What space should be given in our lives for lament? How should we maintain confidence in God through our #lament?
The Book of #Lamentations ends with the expression of confidence in YHWH and hope for the future. The author hoped YHWH would bring His people back and renew them.
Yet he maintained some concern whether YHWH has indeed completely rejected His people.
The concern was understandable, but YHWH would maintain His covenant loyalty for His people, and accomplish the restoration He promised through Jesus the Christ.
Why was it important for Israel to persevere in faith despite all they endured?
The author maintains great faith in YHWH and confidence YHWH would again turn to show compassion toward His people according to His covenant loyalty.
This kind of confidence would provide the basis and strength for some Israelites to persevere in faith despite the devastation they endured.
We might be concerned that profound expressions of grief and pain might lead people toward nihilistic #despair.
While that still might be possible, such is not the case when it comes to the Book of #Lamentations.
For the Lord will not reject us forever. Though he causes us grief, he then has compassion on us according to the abundance of his loyal kindness (Lamentations 3:31-32).
How do Christians today faithfully embody the people of God?
Christians are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God to possess. They had now received mercy; they had not been a people, but were now God's people.
Peter thus incorporates Christians into a type of the Temple and its cult, and quoted Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, and Isaiah 8:14 to this end, explaining how many in Israel had stumbled and proved disobedient.
Peter then appropriated descriptions of what Israel was supposed to be and used them to describe Christians (Exodus 16:5-6, 23:22, Isaiah 43:20-21, Hosea 1:6, 9, 2:23, Malachi 3:17).