“²² It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed,because his compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning:great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Thebook of Lamentation is as its name suggests, a lamentation. The prophetJeremiah wrote it in the aftermath of the devastation of Jerusalem by theBabylonians in 586 BC. You can’t read this book without a sense of poignancy atthe desolation, pain and suffering of the people depicted in it. A good summaryof the book may be found in the Acrostic Bible produced by Barry Huddleston,who appropriately outlined the 5 chapters using the acronym DIRGE.

• Desolation of Jerusalem announced 
• Israel’s misery lamented 
• Reminder of God’s mercy 
• Grimness of Israel’s sin 
• Exiles pray for mercy

Does such a book contain anypromises? Well, certainly! In fact, it contains one of the most beautiful andcomforting promises found in the Bible:

²² It is of the LORD’S mercies that weare not consumed, because his compassions fail not. ²³ They are newevery morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Well, it is true that this isnot exactly worded as a promise. It is worded, rather, as a declaration offaith and hope. But who will deny that a promise is implied. In fact, in thesame chapter, the promise implied in our text is explicitly stated, verse31-32—

“³¹ For the Lordwill not cast off forever: ³² But though he cause grief, yet will hehave compassion according to the multitude of his mercies” (Lam 3:31-32).

In this installment of the Greatand Precious promises of God, we want to consider the promise by studying themore famous and well-beloved words of our text.

We may discern threeinter-related thoughts from our text: First, it is of the LORD’s mercies thatwe are not consumed; secondly, the LORD’s compassions fail not; and the LORD’sfaithfulness is great.

1. The LORD’s Mercies

The word translated ‘mercies’is a theologically loaded word that may be translated ‘covenant lovingkindness.’ It speaks not just of mercy in the sense of withholding punishment.Rather, it expresses the LORD’s fatherly love and favour for His covenantpeople.

Like a father’s love towardshis children, the LORD’s mercies towards His people is not dependent on theirworthiness or even obedience. No doubt, the Father was angry with His peoplefor their hardness of heart, ingratitude and rebellion against Him.

But His fatherly covenantloving kindness towards them does not change. For that reason, Judah was notcompletely obliterated despite her apostasy and idolatry.

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed,” saysJeremiah.

Judah,the southern kingdom of Israel was, in those days, the church under-age. Thoughnot all Israel is of Israel (Rom 9:6), it is clear that God had His elect inJudah, and that He was still looking at her as His wheat field and vineyard.

Theday would come when He would sow the seed of the covenant amongst the Gentiles(Hos 2:23); and Judahwould no longer be His people. But for now, Judah was His people andcovenantally beloved for the sake of His elect.

For that reason, she was notconsumed as she deserved.

But there is a related reason.“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we arenot consumed, because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning”says Jeremiah.

2.The LORD’s Compassion

The word translated‘compassion’ (racham), occurs 44times in the Old Testament, and is translated as ‘mercy’, 30 times.

But it is also translated as‘womb’ four times, and ‘bowels’ twice. So this word has to do with heartfeltpity and compassion.

Jeremiah is suggesting that Judah was notconsumed not only because of God’s covenant loving kindness; but because He hadcompassion and pity for His people.

Now compassion can fail. A man who works in awar zone hospital may initially be greatly moved by all the pain and injurieshe sees. He wants to help everyone and spend as much time with as many patientsas he can. But week after week of treating the wounded in the hospital willdull his senses. Soon, he would be so used to seeing the atrocities that hedoes not seem to be affected emotionally even when a little child is brought inwith life-threatening injuries.

Likewise,the compassion of an earthly father can fail. A father will pity his childrenand deal with them compassionately. But if his children continue to beungrateful to him, and to disobey and rebel against his fatherly authority,there may come a time when the father says, “enough is enough,” and he beginsto deal with his children according to strict discipline without any pity fortheir crying; and he may even walk out of the home.

Butthe compassion of the LORD, our heavenly Father never fails. The people hadincurred His wrath. The nation deserved to be obliterated from the map. But theLORD continued to show His pity and compassion for the sake of His elect; andfor the sake of Christ who would be born and nurtured in the nation.

The Jews who remained knew thatthey were spared because of the compassion of the LORD. Each day when they sawthe sun-rise, they knew that they were being sustained yet another day becausethe compassion of the Lord is new every morning.

Well,beloved brethren and children, we may not be experience war and destruction atthe moment. But let us remember that we too deserve God wrath for our sinagainst Him. But the compassion of the Lord fails not. And we are more assuredof this fact today than during Old Testament days for Christ Jesus our Lord hastaken on our flesh, and was tempted like as we are yet without sin that Hemight be a compassionate Great High Priest for us.

Therefore,beloved brethren and children, thank God for His mercies and compassion. Eachmorning when you get up from your bed and you see the sun rising, do not forgetto thank the Lord for His mercies and compassion. And then resolve to walkgratefully before His face.

Indeed, notice how Jeremiah,when speaking of the mercies and compassion of the LORD, broke into prayer toextol the LORD: “great is thyfaithfulness.”

3.The LORD’s Faithfulness

The faithfulness of the LORDrefers to His steadfastness and His sincere keeping of His promises to Hischildren.

Balaam was referring to theLORD’s faithfulness when he says:

“Godis not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he shouldrepent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall henot make it good?” (Num 23:19).

The LORD does not only blessHis children on the basis of His compassion and His covenant-mercies towardsthem. He blesses them also because of His promise to do so. And “all thepromises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us”(2 Cor 1:20).

Godwould faithfully keep all His promises to His people because He appointed themto His Son, and His Son suffered and died for them. “He that spared not his ownSon, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freelygive us all things?” (Rom 8:32).

Great, therefore, is thefaithfulness of the LORD. He would never leave His people nor forsake them.Such as know Him and love Him are enabled to know and love Him by His grace.These can have the confidence that the Lord will never abandon them or cease tohear their cries.

No matter how hard life may be;no matter what knocks and bruises you suffer, remember: The LORD is faithful.Jeremiah remembered this at a time when the situation in Judah appearedhopeless. May the Lord grant that we remember the same in such times ofprosperity that we enjoy.

Conclusion

²² It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are notconsumed, because his compassions fail not. ²³ They are new everymorning: great is thy faithfulness.

This is the LORD’s promise. May the LORD grant us that we shall never forget His mercies, compassion and faithfulness. May He give us the strength and perseverance to run on faithfully and hopefully through all the challenges of life until the day when we shall see Him face to face and enjoy Him in a bond of mutual love that is not coloured by suffering, failure and sin. Amen. Ω