All her people groan as they search for bread. They have traded their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. Look, O LORD, and consider, for I have become despised. Sermons
I. REAL NEED CAN ONLY BE MADE MANIFEST BY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE. The greatest need of the natural life is bread, taking the word "bread" as representative of all food. Clothing and Shelter, while they may indeed be reckoned as needs, are not needs after the same imperative fashion as food; and every one, however easily his dally bread comes to him, will assent to this same general truth that food is the great need of natural life. But he will only really feel this in such circumstances as are indicated in this verse. For a long while throe people of Jerusalem had found bread lying to their hands when they were hungry. They could buy it and have abundance of pleasant things beside. The feeling of their hearts was that they could not do without these pleasant things, and when at last they gave them up to keep body and soul together, it must have been with terrible pain they made the surrender. And what is true of bread for the natural life's also true of the Bread coming down from heaven for the spiritual life. Christians, living in the midst of all manner of pleasant things of this world, with no lack of money to buy them and faculty to enjoy them, try to feel at the same time that more than all pleasant things are the grace, the life, the wisdom, the everflowing fulness of the Spirit, which come from Christ. But all the testimony of believers proves that the pleasant things need to be withdrawn before it can be apprehended that Christ is emphatically the Bread. It is when we lose relish of nature's best contributions to our happiness that Christ comes forward, confident as ever in his power to satisfy us. II. THE VALUE OF TREASURES CAN ONLY BE KNOWN BY WHAT THE OWNER IS WILLING TO DO TO RETAIN THEM. All the pleasant things belonging to the community were already gone. The Sanctuary had been desecrated and pillaged. Much private property had doubtless gone. But some the owners would be able to hide - jewels and such like wealth as went into small compass. Among these pleasant things would be family heirlooms, loving gifts, possessions with respect to which the receiver had said to the giver, "I will keep this thing till I die." But now the great pressure comes, and one pleasant thing after another goes for a few handfuls of corn. The soul is threatening to depart from the body and it must be turned back; "for what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" And now notice that there are treasures of the heart, such treasures as come from faith in Christ and fidelity to him, which are not given up even to preserve natural life. Multitudes have gone willingly to death that thereby they might testify to the truth as it is in Jesus. They have laid firm hold of his own word, Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25). - Y.
All her people sigh, they seek bread. I. It is awful for the godly to be grieved with and take to heart their worldly losses —(1) (2) 2. For the preservation of the life, we must be willing to forego the dearest of these outward blessings. (1) (2) 3. In all our miseries we must seek relief only at God's hands. (1) (2) 4. No extremity can drive the godly from trusting in God, and praying to Him (Job 13:15; Psalm 44:17). (J. Udall) They have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul. Our forefathers gave five marks or more for a good book; a load of hay for a few chapters of St. James or of St. Paul, in English, saith Mr. Foxe. The Queen of Castile sold her jewels to furnish Columbus for his discovering voyage to the West Indies, when he had showed his maps, though our Henry VII, loath to part with money, slighted his offers, and thereby the gold mines were found and gained to the Spanish crown. Let no man think much to part with his pleasant things for his precious soul, or to sacrifice all that he hath to the service of his life, which, next to his soul, should be most dear to him. Our ancestors in Queen Mary's days were glad to eat the bread of their souls in peril of their lives.(J. Trapp.) People Jacob, JeremiahPlaces Jerusalem, ZionTopics Abject, Alive, Attentively, Barter, Behold, Body, Bread, Breathing, Consider, Desirable, Desired, Despised, Esteemed, Grief, Groan, Lightly, Meat, Note, O, Pleasant, Precious, Refresh, Relieve, Restore, Revive, Search, Seek, Seeking, Shame, Sigh, Sighing, Soul, Strength, Themselves, Trade, Treasures, VileOutline 1. The miseries of Jerusalem and of the Jews lamented12. The attention of beholders demanded to this unprecedented case 18. The justice of God acknowledged, and his mercy supplicated. Dictionary of Bible Themes Lamentations 1:11 4418 bread Library No Sorrow Like Messiah's SorrowIs it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold, and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow! A lthough the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophecies (Luke 24:44) , bear an harmonious testimony to MESSIAH ; it is not necessary to suppose that every single passage has an immediate and direct relation to Him. A method of exposition has frequently obtained [frequently been in vogue], of a fanciful and allegorical cast [contrivance], under the pretext … John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Epistle vi. To Narses, Patrician . "Come unto Me, all Ye that Labour, and are Wearied," &C. Meditations for one that is Like to Die. Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism Lamentations Links Lamentations 1:11 NIVLamentations 1:11 NLT Lamentations 1:11 ESV Lamentations 1:11 NASB Lamentations 1:11 KJV Lamentations 1:11 Bible Apps Lamentations 1:11 Parallel Lamentations 1:11 Biblia Paralela Lamentations 1:11 Chinese Bible Lamentations 1:11 French Bible Lamentations 1:11 German Bible Lamentations 1:11 Commentaries Bible Hub |