Rev. Mike Newman, president of the Texas District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Lamentations 2:11-22.
Jeremiah continues to give voice to the lament of the people over the destruction of Jerusalem. Their spiritual and emotional suffering is accompanied by physical pain; even mothers are not able to provide for their own children. As Jeremiah leads the people in asking the questions on their hearts, the one that rises to the fore is, “Who can heal?” Their false prophets cannot, for they have not spoken God’s Word to bring to repentance and faith. The passersby and enemies have only added insult to injury. The LORD is the only One who can bring healing. It is true that He has brought this just judgment upon them, but it is also true that only He can restore His people. They cry out to Him in that hope, that He will hear them, see them, and bring deliverance. As the prayer of Lamentations becomes our prayer of repentance, mourning, and grief, the LORD through His Word shows us His Son, Jesus Christ, who has suffered with us and for us.
“Mercy for Mourners” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Lamentations. As Jeremiah and the people of Judah mourn over the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, they acknowledge God’s just wrath against them, confess their iniquity, and plead for His deliverance. In this way, the book of Lamentations teaches us to pray in repentance and faith so that we would see Christ as the One who has taken the wrath of God on Himself in our place to deliver us by His death and resurrection.
