Lamentations chapter 3

vs 34

We start here with a few questions about justice and fairness. Crushing prisoners, underfoot, for example - does this seem fair? Like something God wants to happen?

vs 35

Rights - what an interesting concept. I wonder how old the concept of rights is? The NASB gives 'justice', but even the KJV says, 'right'. Even the idea that there is a right to justice is interesting. Must one have a fundamental understanding of an authoritative just God for this belief?

vs 36

Uselessly, the three translating traditions I use all have something quite different here. The NASB I fear is too literal, though I haven't looked into it, merely compared it to the other two. You get the feeling they used the word 'justice' the verse before, and so now they're stumped. "Defraud a man of his lawsuit" just seems to not fit well. "Subvert a man in his cause" (KJV) again stumbles off the mind, as it were. The idea of rights might not be totally historically correct (it might!), but if it makes it understandable, then at least we get a sense of the meaning here.

And the point, we get to here as well. God sees these things! They are not going on behind his back.

vs 37

Not only do things happen with God's knowledge, but they also occur with his decree. We start getting into sticky territory here, active and permissive wills and such. I think we tend to make it too sticky. For Israel right at this second, God's will, decree, demand and direct power took the form of an army that smashed their city, killed their people, and took them into exile. Behind those murderers is God. He told them so. They have to accept that.

vs 38

The answer of course is yes. Calamity comes from God. Why are we so afraid of this? It is a hard truth, but once you accept it, at least you're not worried about what the 'other' power is that keeps doing bad to you.

vs 39

They shouldn't, obviously. Because it is, by its nature, a fair cop.

vs 40

Because that was the big problem - turning away from God. And if you make it so that it takes an army to drag you back, then God will use it. Painful thought.

vs 41

A useless verse on its own, really. But the fact is that God must be approached in their situation. It does them no good to just sit and speculate, as in the last verse. They must then come before God.

vs 42

Right on all three counts, although 'not forgiven yet' might be more correct.

vs 43

What a picture - covering oneself with anger. God harnesses the rage, as it were, and lets his anger do the talking with Israel for a while. Not even long, really - but long enough that they feel it pretty bad.

vs 44

I can't imagine anything scarier than God taking his phone off the hook. Damn, you did something bad.