Lamentations 3:37-39
Who has spoken and it came to pass,
unless the Lord has commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that good and bad come?
Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?
Tag: Good and bad are from the Lord
For those who think the world should always be good and good things should always happen, the above verse must be a terror. The first plainly states that God is in complete control; even when disaster hits. Before we think more about that thought, note what the prophet Isaiah states:
Isaiah 45:7
I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
God is the God of sovereign rule. You can't dismiss that thought just because something bad happens. The point of the prophet(s) words is that this calamity and bad that the nation of Israel is experiencing (pronounced by both Isaiah and Jeremiah) was at the hand of God. In fact it was designed by God. To create calamity and "bad," all God has to do is remove His protection of us, supplied by His grace. It is ONLY God's grace that prevents the effects of sin from destroying us. Sin destroyed the nation of Israel (that is what Lamentation) is all about. The prophet wants the nation to know that. When we are touch by bad, it may not be OUR sin that caused it. But, we can know that God is directing the impact of sin in our lives to create a hunger for Him. He will have victory ... even over sin!
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