Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Lamentations
Book: Lamentations
Chapter: 5
Overview:
The Jewish nation supplicating the Divine favour.
1-16 Is any afflicted? Let him pray; and let him in
Prayer pour
out his complaint to
God. The people of
God do
So here; they
complain not of evils feared, but of evils felt. If penitent and
patient under what we suffer for the sins of our fathers, we may
expect that He who punishes, will return in
Mercy to us. They
acknowledge, Woe unto us that we have sinned! All our woes are
owing to our own
Sin and folly. Though our sins and
God's just
displeasure cause our sufferings, we may
Hope in his pardoning
Mercy, his sanctifying
Grace, and his kind
Providence. But the
sins of a
Man's whole
Life will be punished with vengeance at
last, unless he obtains an interest in Him who bare our sins in
his own body
On the tree.
17-22 The people of
God express
Deep concern for the ruins of
the
Temple, more than for any other of their calamities. But
whatever changes there are
On Earth,
God is still the same, and
remains for ever
Wise and holy, just and good; with Him there is
No variableness nor
Shadow of turning. They earnestly pray to
God for
Mercy and
Grace; Turn us to thee, O
Lord.
God never
leaves any till they first leave him; if he turns them to him in
a way of duty,
No doubt he will quickly return to them in a way
of
Mercy. If
God By his
Grace renew our hearts, he will
By his
favour renew our days. Troubles may cause our hearts to be
faint, and our eyes to be dim, but the way to the
Mercy-seat of
our reconciled
God is open. Let us, in all our trials,
Put our
whole trust and confidence in his
Mercy; let us confess our
sins, and pour out our hearts before him. Let us watch against
repinings and despondency; for we surely know, that it shall be
Well in the
End with all that trust in, fear,
Love, and serve
the
Lord. Are not the
Lord's judgments in the
Earth the same as
in
Jeremiah's days? Let Zion then be remembered
By us in our
prayers, and her welfare be sought above every earthly joy.
Spare,
Lord, spare thy people, and give not thine heritage to
reproach, for the
Heathen to rule over them.