Various Greek texts entitle this elegy “A Prayer”. Other manuscripts add “of Jeremiah”.

Verse 1:

“Remember”: Compare 1:20; 2:20; 3:19. The Lord will remember the sufferings of the Jews. He will also remember the sufferings of the saints — as He did those of Christ (cp Psa 89:50, 51).

As James says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). The prayer of Hezekiah is a prime example (Isa 37:14-20). We are commanded to pray, in the same way, for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa 122:6).

“Behold our reproach”: Our shame, disgrace (RSV, NIV), and infamy. From a root word meaning “autumn” or “ripeness” — perhaps signifying here the fulness of iniquity, as the wicked finally reap what has been sown (v 7, notes; Gal 6:7). Jeremiah, true to his feeling for the “hope of Israel”, places himself among those who have sinned grievously. In a true spirit of brotherliness, he accepts partial responsibility for the sins of his countrymen.

Verse 2:

“Our inheritance is turned to strangers”: The inheritance is the promised land (Gen 13:15; Lev 26:5, 6), a land of milk and honey (Exo 3:8; Lev 20:24), given only temporarily and conditionally to the nation of Israel — if they followed God (Jer 3:19).

But the same inheritance is promised eternally to us: still, “our inheritance” may be also “turned to strangers” if we are rejected at the judgment seat (Mat 25:41).

Verse 3:

“We are orphans and fatherless”: God had been the Father to the Jews (Psa 68:5; 103:13; Jer 31:9, 10), but no longer.

Verse 4:

The Jews, as a result of the captivity, are now so degraded that they must buy from usurping strangers what was once their own property.

“We have drunken our water for money”: Judah is forced to buy her water, because she had rejected the true and living “water” (Isa 8:6; 55:1; John 4:10; 7:37); that is, she had rejected God, the fountain of living waters (Jer 2:13, 18; 17:3).

“For money”: Contrast Isa 55:1: “Without money”. This is the invitation of the gospel (Rev 21:6; 22:1, 17), which the Jews had spurned.

Verse 5:

“Our necks are under persecution”: The Jews, a stiff-necked people (2Ch 30:8; Isa 48:4), were down trodden (Psa 66:12; Isa 51:23). Compare 1:14; 3:34; 4:19.

Verse 6:

“We have given the hand”:

1. In submission, as in Jer 50:15.
2. Or in begging: “We have extended the hand.” What a come-down from the days when “Thou shah lend to others, but thou shalt not borrow” (Deut 15:6)!

3. Or in agreement: “We have made a pact with…” (Hillers). Compare Ezek 17:18 and thoughts in Jer 2:18, 36 and Hosea 7:11; 12:1. Perhaps all three ideas may find a place in a comprehensive view of this verse, and of Israel’s many-sided relationship with her neighbors.

“To the Egyptians”: After Josiah’s death (circa 608 BC), Egypt deposed his son Jehoahaz, and crowned Jehoiakin (2Ch 36:3, 4).

“To the Assyrians”: Or to Babylon, which occupied their former lands (cp Jer 2:18). Also, a type of the “Assyrian” from the north in the last days, who will have consolidated all the old empires: Russia!

Verse 7:

“Our fathers have sinned, and are not”: The nation has at last recognized the reason for God’s heavy hand upon them, the same hand which fell upon their fathers. Compare the words of Zechariah, spoken 70 years later:

“Your fathers, where are they?… and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of Hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us” (Zec 1:5, 6).

“We have borne their iniquities”: The Jews, similarly, had in Christ’s time filled up the measure of their fathers’ iniquity (Mat 23:32). Although it is a Scriptural principle that every man bears personal responsibility for his own deeds (Ezek 18:20), it is still true that national sins are often unpunished for a time, and judgment is stored up until a later date, when it all falls at one time (2Ki 24:21; Exo 20:5; Jer 32:18; Gen 15:13-16). Such was the case with the kingdom of Judah.

Verse 8:

“Servants (‘slaves’) have ruled over us”: This always happened when Israel forgot their one true Ruler — Yahweh. They did not heed Joshua’s command to drive out the Canaanites (Josh 16:10), who remained in the land throughout the period of the judges, and mightily oppressed them.

One of the four things which the earth cannot “bear” is “a servant (slave) when he reigneth” (Pro 30:21, 22) — a sad fact evidenced again in Israel’s history when those ruthless Roman “slaves”, the Edomite (Idumean) Herods, reigned!

This verse may also be a reference to the governors who evidently were soon to begin ruling in the land (Neh 5:15).

Verse 9:

“We gat our bread with the peril of our lives

because of the sword of the wilderness”: Contrast this with the fortunes of the Jews who spent 40 years in the wilderness, where they gathered bread each day; they found it as the dew upon the ground! They had “no lack”.

The famine of bread in Jeremiah’s time was only the type of the far worse famine — the famine of God’s word (Amos 8:11, 12). There were still prophets to speak to Israel, but most refused to hear — and thus brought the hardships of a “famine” upon themselves.

Verse 10:

“Our skin was black”: Affliction, persecution, wandering (Song 1:5, 6; Psa 119:83; Lam 4:8), famine (Rev 6:5, 6).

“Like an oven”: Egypt was symbolized by an iron furnace (Deut 4:20). A similar thought is intended here: the fiery persecution of the Jews. Likewise, the Psalmist, in 119:83, pictures himself as a bottle, or a wineskin, blackened by the smoke.

Verse 11:

“They ravished the women in Zion,

and the maids in the cities of Judah”: This was predicted in Deut 28:30, 32 and Jer 6:12. Israel’s latter-day enemies will also do this (cp Zec 14:2); but God sees and remembers (v 1), and such deeds will be punished (as in Isa 13:16; Psa 137:7-9).

Verse 12:

“Princes”: The nation of Israel (which signifies “a prince with El“).

“Princes are hanged up by their hand”: Probably impaling after death. Thus, falling under a curse (Deut 21:23; Gal 3:13).

“The faces of elders were not honoured”: See 4:16.

Verse 13:

“They took the young men to grind”: A low menial task, usually assigned to female slaves (Exo 11:5; Isa 47:2) or other women (Mat 24:41). The Philistines could think of no greater degradation with which to torment their blinded former nemesis-Samson (Judges 16:21).

Verse 14:

“The elders have ceased from the gate”: Counsel (as Ruth 4:1), as well as social and commercial activity (as Job 29:7; Pro 31:23), had ceased.

Verse 15:

“The city of confusion is broken down” (Isa 24:7-11). cp Jer 7:34 and Psa 30:11.

“Our dance is turned into mourning”: Now was the “time to weep” (Eccl 3:4), as Nehemiah was to mourn when he later saw the city lying waste (Neh 2:2, 3).

But “joy cometh in the morning” (Psa 30:5), and “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psa 126:5, 6).

Verse 16:

”The crown”: In two senses the “crown” had fallen:

The crown is a symbol of royalty, which had been overthrown (Jer 13:18; Ezek 21:26; Psa 89:39; Hos 3:4).

The crown also symbolizes obedience to the Truth (Rev 2:10; 3:11), and dedication and priesthood (Exo 28:36-38).

Verse 17:

See 1:22 and 2:11.

Verse 18:

“Because of the mountain of Zion”: The center of all true Jewish hopes (Isa 2:2-4; 24:23; Psa 133:3).

“The foxes walk upon it”: Compare Psa 63:10. “Jackals” (RSV, NIV), unclean scavengers, representing the unclean nations who “walk upon” the hope of Israel.

Verse 19:

“Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever;

Thy throne from generation to generation”: This is the one means by which the Jews’ sorrowful condition may be changed: God’s kingdom was once on earth (1Ch 28:5; 2Ch 13:8), and it will be re-established (2Sa 7:12-16; Acts 1:6; 14:16) as His throne (Jer 3:17).

Verse 20:

“For ever”: Literally, “for the age” (see, for example, Dr. Thomas’ exposition in Eureka, vol. 1, pp. 127-130). The age is evidently this age: the time of the Gentiles, the prophetic period now drawing to a close.

Verse 21:

A quotation from Jer 31:18.

“Turn Thou us unto Thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned”: True humility at last! A recognition that, as the punishments came from God, so forgiveness must come from Him as well, and repentance and renewal of purpose, by His grace and strength, will follow. It is vain to lament the past if our grief does not help us to make the future better, by seeking help from the one unfailing Source.

“Renew our days as of old”:

“And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years” (Mal 3:3, 4).

Verse 22:

In the Hebrew manuscripts, verse 21 is usually repeated after verse 22 — so as to close the book on a more hopeful note (the same type of repetition is found in printed editions of some Hebrew Bibles at the end of Isaiah, Ecclesiastes, and But a fuller understanding of verse 22 makes such an editorial addition superfluous.

“But Thou hast utterly rejected us;

Thou art very wroth against us”: This verse has been poorly translated. It implies an utter, complete rejection of the Jews for all eternity — which is perhaps what orthodox translators would like — but which is certainly not in harmony with the rest of Scripture (see, for one example, 3:31-33, notes).

Some translators simply render this verse as a question. Note the RSV, the margin of the AV, and Keil. Rotherham translates it:

“For though Thou hast not utterly rejected us,

Thou art wroth with us exceedingly.”

And Goodspeed renders it in this way:

“If Thou wert to reject us completely,

Thou wouldst be going too far in Thine anger against us.”

God would not be going too far for just deserts, but too far according to His previous utterances. Such a proposal would be out of harmony with all the promises of God. Moses said that God would raise unto Israel a leader like unto him, whom they would hear.

They rejected this leader when he came the first time, but their hearts will be turned from stone to flesh when he returns in power and glory; when their pride and self-confidence has been abased before the latter-day enemy, and when God fights for them as in the day of battle. Then shall they open the gates of their hearts unto him:

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;

and the King of glory shall come in…

The LORD of Hosts,

He is the King of Glory” (Psa 24:9-10).

Then, shall they say:

“BLESSED IS HE THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.”

****

O! Mourn ye for Zion, her beauty is faded,

Her joy is departed, her glory is fled:

The light and the hope or her prospects is shaded:

She wanders in darkness, her comforts are dead.

Oh! pray ye for Zion: though sad and forsaken,

Though scorned and derided, despised and forlorn;

The truth of Yahweh, our God, is unshaken,

Her night shall but usher a glorious morn.

Oh! Labor for Zion, though now, in her blindness,

She knows not her Saviour, Messiah, and Lord;

Yet, guided by mercy, the life-tones of kindness

Shall win her full ear to the voice of His word.

Oh watch ye for Zion; the day-spring is breaking,

Her night has been gloomy, but shortly will end:

Her long-promised Shepherd, His lost sheep is seeking,

The heart of the rebellious nation will bend.

Oh! hope ye for Zion; salvation is near,

And brighter than morn’s rosy glow shall be seen;

The great Sun of Righteousness soon shall appear;

The beam of His glory shall gladden the scene.

Rejoice ye for Zion! Yahweh has spoken;

Jerusalem ‘s outcasts shall yet be restored;

The bonds of the fetter-bound slave shall be broken,

And Judah set free at the word of the Lord.

Among numerous Bible commentaries and translations consulted, several provided some help, especially with alternative renderings, ie:

• Keil and Delitzsch on Lamentations, by C. F. Keil

• Anchor Bible (Lamentations), by Delbert Hillers

• “Speaker’s Commentary” (Lamentations), by R. Payne Smith

• Studies in the Book of Lamentations, by Norman K. Gottwald

• The Companion Bible, by E. W. Bullinger

• Revised Standard Version (RSV)

• New International Version (NIV)

• Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible (Roth.)

In addition, we have consulted Christadelphian writings — both books and magazines — wherever they referred to the Lamentations (which was, unfortunately, not very often). We mention specifically those studies which contribute something to the book as a whole:

• E. F. Higham, “The Lamentations of Jeremiah”, a series running in The Berean Christadelphian from September, 1953 (v ol. 41, no. 9, p. 270) through May, 1954 (v ol. 42, no. 5, p. 154).

• John Lockyer, “The Book of Lamentations”, 4 articles in The Christadelphian, Vol. 115 (July through October, 1978).

• Derek Brook, “The Lamentations of Jeremiah”, The Testimony, Vol. 32, no. 378 (June, 1962), p.202; no. 379 (July, 1962), p. 221.

The words of the hymns pertaining to the “Desolation of Israel” are taken from The Christadelphian Hymn Book of 1874.

In our previous section, we examined some of the verses that prophetically portray Christ in the Lamentations. We know that the sufferings of Christ are a pattern for us. We should never contemplate these sufferings dispassionately, but rather we should enter as intimately as possible into their spirit.

Paul spoke of himself as suffering on behalf of the brethren at Colosse — for which they rejoiced (Col 1:24). He spoke also of both himself and the Colossians “filling up that which is behind (‘completing that which is lacking’ –RSV) of the afflictions of Christ… for his body’s sake, which is the ecclesia.” It seems an extraordinary, even an impossible idea — that Christ’s “perfect” sacrifice is still lacking something! Yet it is true. We, who constitute the “body” of Christ, must fill up the measure of the crucifixion of the flesh with its lusts and desires. We, the “body”, must finish what Christ the “head” began!

“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (‘comfort’ — RSV) also aboundeth by Christ… (and if) we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer… and our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation” (2Co 1:5-7).

We the apostles, says Paul, suffer because Christ our Lord and Master suffered. And we suffer because we know it is the only pathway to the comforts, the consolations, of his kingdom. And so, Paul continues, ‘we set you, the believers, a pattern for your own lives. We desire that you will follow in our steps — not because we enjoy seeing your afflictions — but rather because, for you as for us, the cross must precede the crown, and it is only through tribulation that any of us shall become as our Lord and enter his kingdom’.

Why else must we endure trials as followers of Christ?

“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Why, we felt we had received the sentence of death…”

How could a merciful God, Who knows and even controls all our circumstances permit a man like Paul — or any other child of His — to fall into such distress?

“… But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead; He delivered us from so deadly a peril, and He will deliver us; on Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again” (2Co 1:8-10, RSV).

Such a paradox, and yet it is true! Our weaknesses help us draw closer to an All-powerful God; our failures bind us more tightly to One who is all-victorious!

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2Co 12:9, 10).

We can scarcely leave this example of Paul without considering one further passage:

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Phi 3:7-10).

Saul the Pharisee was an accomplished man, “righteous”, ambitious, proud. He had intelligence, wealth, and an exalted position — all at a young age. The world was his! But all those things that were “gain” to him, all the “pluses” on the balance sheet of his life, all these he gladly threw over — so that he might follow Christ. For Paul the Apostle, there came to be only one ambition in life: “to know Christ”.

But surely (one may ask) this Paul, with 30-odd years “in the Truth”, already knew Christ? So why does he express his desire in such a way — “that I may know Christ”? It is because “knowing Christ” is a lifetime’s goal; there is no plateau where the traveller may safely stop and pitch his tent! To “know” Christ is to know the power of his resurrection, which is, as one brother expressed it, “the moral and spiritual implications of Christ’s death and resurrection”. To “know” Christ is to be made “conformable to his death”, being buried with him in baptism, and then ever after being dedicated to reproducing the life of Christ in one’s own life, in putting to death the lusts of the flesh. To “know” Christ is to be a partaker of his sufferings — this is true and Biblical “fellowship”; it is not easy, but it is the only worthwhile goal of all human existence: “to know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings”.

Accepting this as our challenge in life, is there anything in the book of Lamentations that exhorts and encourages us along that way?

The Judah of Jeremiah’s day was a nation that appeared to worship God. They pointed to their services in pride — their deeds of “righteousness” were numerous. But their hearts were not in that worship! It was all a vain show and a pretence!

“Trust ye not in lying words, saying ye are the ‘temple’ of the LORD… Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before Me in this house, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?” (Jer 7:4, 8-11).

They were thieves, because they stole service from God. They spent time and money on that which catered to their own lusts, and justified it all by standing periodically in the Temple and “singing” their own righteousness. What hypocrisy! What vanity! What blindness! But are their shortcomings so much greater than ours, that we can afford to feel confident with the comparison?

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD” (Jer 9:23, 24).

Judah was materialistic, infatuated with “the world”, ever seeking more and more money, more and more pleasure, more and more power — “children” in their “playpens”, oblivious to the impending storm. The time of testing came for God’s ecclesia, in the days of Jeremiah, and they failed.

We will fail also, when our time of testing comes, if we have not used these peaceful, prosperous times to study, to pray, to work for God, and to prepare ourselves for what is surely coming on the earth.

Can we sec ourselves — the Ecclesia of God — in Lamentations?

1:2:         “She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: Among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They are become her enemies.”

Who are our “lovers” and “friends”? What do we trust in? Our bank accounts? Our homes? Our retirement plans? Our insurance policies?… Or God?

Israel trusted in Gentile alliances, and thought they would give her security. But they deserted her. And when it was too late, she discovered God had deserted her too!

“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth… Seek ye the kingdom of God… sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:15, 31, 33, 34).

Israel’s Gentile alliances had been her undoing. We must guard against similar alliances (2Co 6:14-18). Perhaps the most insidious of such “unequal yokings” are those that masquerade as prudence and diligence in business, and “commendable” ambitions to “get ahead” in education and material things and work promotions. All of these can dull our spiritual sensibilities as surely and quickly as alien courtship and marriage, or the grosser forms of “worldliness” — because they too force us to become more a part of this world than we need be.

2:10: “The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth”.

A sorrowful picture, of mourning and despondency. We are reminded of a recent circular letter, signed by a number of English brethren, lamenting the apathetic attitude of the brotherhood. This apathy is reflected, they say, in Bible reading decline, lack of campaign workers, lack of personal witnessing, ever-increasing materialism, declining contributions to the work of the Truth, and falling standards in dress and entertainment. What can be done? Is it already too late? When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth? A “storm” is coming, that will sweep away the “refuge of lies”, the “houses” built on the shifting sands of materialism, and the pseudo-disciples who cry, “Lord, Lord”.

3:19-21: “Remembering mine affliction and my misery… my soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.”

Perhaps our salvation–as a community–will only come through the afflictions of the last days, which are even now looming on the horizon. Trials and afflictions, financial set-backs, and even persecution might accomplish for us what peace and prosperity have not — that is, humble repentance and rededication and trust in God alone, before it is too late.

3:22: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”

The trials, when they come, will not be for our destruction, if we repent. The trials will serve to turn us back to God, as we in our weakness and ineptitude recognize the only Source of hope and trust.

His compassions then will be like the manna in the wilderness, “new every morning” (v 23). When our bank accounts and our careful plans for tomorrow have all failed, then we may really learn how to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, and how to say, “If the Lord will, we will do such-and-such.” When the very fabric of our society begins to crumble, and there is literally no place to hide, then–if not before — we may learn to say, with sincerity: “The LORD is my portion… therefore will I hope in Him” (v 24).

3:27: “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.”

All these lessons must not be lost on the young, especially. When we are young, we can lay the solid foundations that will sustain us in the years ahead, when trials and hard times and illness will come (Eccl 12:1). But if we squander the opportunities of our youth, we have no guarantees — there may be no second or third chances.

3:31-33: “For the LORD will not cast off for ever: But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”

We may be assured that God will cause us grief to chasten us — so that we might examine, and then amend, our ways. When that chastening comes, will we submit and learn thereby, or will we instead complain? “Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?” (v 39).

We are even now “alive in Christ” (Eph 2:13; Gal 2:20). We are even now God’s children, and our future will be wonderful beyond imagining (1Jo 3:1-3). How could we, of all people, ever complain, even in the midst of trials — which, as Paul says, are no more than light and momentary afflictions (2Co 4:17)?

5:1-4: Is it far-fetched to suppose that, in His mercy, God might bring such reproaches on His Ecclesia before it is too late? Loss of homes and wealth, break-up of families, destitution… But the flesh’s failure can become the Spirit’s successes. And if we as God’s children need the lesson reinforced that we are still “strangers and pilgrims” on the earth, with no permanent dwelling-place, and no “fine prospects” in this wicked generation — then, most assuredly, God will see that it is done.

Jeremiah’s assistant, Baruch, provides an interesting example. Baruch was a faithful servant of God, but (like us?) he was not above a bit of petty grumbling. His complaint (and remember, every complaint is really a complaint against God!) went like this:

“Woe is me now! For the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow;

I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest” (Jer 45:3).

Baruch was very much like most of us. He wanted to have his cake, and eat it too. He wanted to see God’s purpose fulfilled in the earth, but he wanted a good measure of personal comfort in the meanwhile. In short, he wanted God and “mammon”! God’s answer to Baruch was blunt:

“Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up” (v 4).

Do you think, God said, that everything in this age should minister to your comfort? I have greater purposes to accomplish, and you are just one small piece of a large operation. Do you expect that I’m going to shake the foundations of your world, and topple all worldly institutions, while you escape unscathed?

“And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest” (v 5).

So it will be for us, brothers and sisters. We live at the end of an age, on the brink of a volcano. A time of testing is coming, to prepare us for Christ’s return, and to teach us that we can place no trust in anything around us, but only in God. Do we seek “great things” for ourselves in this crumbling world? It is already too late. Let us pray God to spare only our lives.

Do we seek comfort now? It is a delusion. Do we somehow have the idea we can recline in our easy chairs and stare at our wide-screen color televisions, until the limousine comes to take us away to the kingdom? It is not to be, and the sooner we are rid of such fantasies the better!

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkedness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:34-36).

In an introductory section we briefly dealt with Jeremiah as a type of Christ. Insofar as the Lamentations portray Jeremiah as a suffering servant, “called” to his mission even from his mother’s womb (Jer 1:5, 9), a “lamb brought to the slaughter” (11:5, 9), who yet prays for his nation and weeps at their sorrows (9:1)… insofar as this, at least, Lamentations is also a prophecy of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Also (and especially in the long poem — Lam 3) the book does what the Psalms do: it presents a “biography” of Christ centered on his thoughts rather than his deeds.

In the panorama of Jeremiah’s poetic vision, certain verses stand out as “cameos”, or “vignettes”, of Christ. There is not so much a progressive development (indeed, Lamentations scarcely yields itself to this in any case) as there are delicate glimpses, here and there, of “the man who hath seen affliction” (Lam 3:1). Any one such, by itself, may not seem significant; but set them beside one another as so many strokes on a canvas, and finally a poignant picture emerges.

1:12: “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

Heedlessly the world passes by, on roads bound for nowhere. They pause only to jeer or to shrug. Almost never are any arrested and convicted by the spectacle of one whose sorrow exceeds the sorrow of all others. Has God indeed afflicted him? Is he suffering the wrath of God?

“And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors (citing Isa 53:12). And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross” (Mark 15:28-30).

Is it nothing to us, to see such a man? Does the thought of his sufferings arrest us in our headlong flights through this “vanity fair”? Do we examine ourselves? Do we repent? Do we rededicate ourselves? Or do we instead take the bread and the wine with a practical air, a ritual completed, a minor appointment kept and then forgotten until next week? Is it nothing to us?

1:16: “For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water.”

(Compare 2:11, 18; 3:48). Here was a man who was never far from tears, a man who went often to the “house of mourning”, and laid to heart what he learned there (Eccl 7:2). He wept at the tomb of a friend (John 11:35). And he wept over a city grown hard and calloused, a city soon to echo with the cries, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Mat 23:37). Can we “weep” with this man? Can we find the wisdom he found in sorrow? Can we, like him, submit our characters to the perfecting process of suffering (Heb 5:7-9)? Can we, as he asked, take up our “crosses” and follow him? Let us spurn forever the false gaiety, and the foolish laughter that masks an empty heart. And let us learn more of this man of sorrow. If we do, then out of our sorrow there will come at last a blessed and lasting joy:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, “That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy” (John 16:20).

1:17, 18: “His adversaries” are “round about him”… and yet “the LORD is righteous”.

Jesus was not being punished for his own sins, but in his sufferings God was demonstrating that the “flesh of sin” deserves only death. In the death of His sinless Son, God was declaring Himself righteous (Rom 3:25). And He was showing us what we, as sinners, deserve!

Consider the awesome character of this man. His adversaries gather round him, to laugh and mock. He is enclosed by darkness, almost as though forsaken by his Father. And yet this righteous man responds only with a profound and absolute faith. In the wide swirling ocean of dark temptation, the Saviour stands as a rock and a beacon. “Not my will but Thine be done.” “Thou art holy.” “The Lord is righteous.”

1:21: “All mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that Thou hast done it: Thou wilt bring the day that Thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.”

It was starkly and tragically true. Forty years later, the hills surrounding Jerusalem were covered with Roman crosses, and on each one hung a Jew who had rejected his crucified Messiah!

2:22: “Thou didst invite as to the day of an appointed feast my terrors on every side” (RSV).

The “appointed feast” was no doubt the Passover. The time of the Passover came, and the guests arrived at the feast. But, in an enormous irony, the “guests” were “terrors on every side” — bulls and lions and fierce dogs (Psa 22:12,13,16), snarling and tearing and devouring the Passover “lamb”! And Jesus was the “feast”, the “lamb”! “This bread is my body; this cup is my blood.” “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”

3:1: “I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.”

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isa 53:4).

3:5: “He hath… compassed me with gall and travail” Psa 69:21; Mat 27:34.

3:6: “He hath set me in dark places.”

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (Lk. 23:44).

3:7: “He hath hedged me about”… with thorns?

Jesus was the “ram” caught in the thicket, the sacrifice provided by Yahweh (Gen 22:13, 14), hedged about by a crown of thorns.

3:8: “Also when I cry and shout, He shutteth out my prayer.” “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Psa 22:1; Mat 27:46; Mark 15:34).

3:9: “He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone.”

“And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock; and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre” (Mark 15:46).

3:12, 13: “He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.” “They pierced my hands and my feet” (Psa 22:16).

3:14: “I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.”

3:27: “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.”

The yoke that Jesus bore from his youth was a lifetime of perfect obedience to the will of God. “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart” (Psa 40:7, 8; Heb 10:7-9). This is why Jesus could say that his yoke was easy, and his burden was light (Mat 11:28, 29)! This is why he could offer it to us to share with him! Because it was a pure delight to do the Father’s will! Is it so with us?

3:28: “He sitteth alone and keepeth silence.”

The perfect man, Jesus Christ, walking not in the way of sinners (Psa 1), who was separate from sinners, holy, harmless, and undefiled (Heb 7:26, 27).

3:29: “He putteth his mouth in the dust.”

Jesus was led away to Golgotha, bearing on his beaten and bloody shoulders the stake on which he as “serpent” would be lifted up (Num 21:9; John 3:14; 12:32). He bore also, in his sorrow, the burden of our sins. He was exhausted, more exhausted than words could tell, and he stumbled and fell. The rough, heavy wooden beam was too much for him. He lay there in the dust. And the words of the curse were emblazoned across the scene:

“Thou art cursed… upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat…” (Gen 3:14).

3:30: “He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled with reproach.”

Compare Isa 50:6; Mat 5:39.

3:31-33: Here, “buried” in an obscure corner of the Old Testament, is God’s reason for the atonement! He does not willingly afflict His children. Although He must cause grief — even to His beloved Son — there is a surpassing and eternal purpose. God causes grief so that He, the Righteous One, might then righteously have compassion on sinners! Who could ask for anything more? Praise be to God!

3:40-42: A righteous man is afflicted, chastened, smitten, and then crucified. Is it nothing to us? What is the result? What should be the result?

“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD… We have transgressed, and have rebelled.”

A righteous man is crucified, and sinners repent! A righteous man dies, and sinners are born again! “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

3:52-57: Here is death, and burial (v 53). But, as with Abel, the “blood” of the righteous calls out of the earth (vv 55, 56) — not this time for vengeance, but for redemption. Let us make that cry ours:

“Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon Thee:

Thou saidst, Fear not.”

One theme that runs through all of Scripture is the great foundation promise given by God in Genesis 3:15:

“I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (RSV).

As Christadelphians, we are rightly called “the people of the Book”. All the Bible should be our province of study — we should search all the Scriptures, knowing that in every part they testify of Christ. In him especially was the conflict joined, between the “serpent” of sin and the imperishable “seed” of righteousness. In him, finally and for all, was the battle for Truth won.

“In him the tribes of Adam boast

More blessings than their father lost!”

Isaiah 7:14

The traditional Jewish interpretation of Isaiah’s prophecy was along these lines: that a virgin would marry and then conceive (in the natural way) a son who would become the Messiah-but not literally the Son of God. But the visit of Gabriel to Mary, and the conception of Jesus in accordance with his words, leave no doubt as to how God intended to fulfill-and did fulfill — the prophecy of Isa 7:14:

“The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God… for with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:35,37).

Mary’s response — “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (v 38) — revealed her awareness of the rather obscure passages in Psalms (86:16; 116:16) that, like Gen 3:15, implied Messiah was to be the “seed of a woman” but not the “seed of a man”.

The special name — “Immanuel”, or “God with us” — stressed that God would be actively employed in the redemption of mankind; it would not be something that just “happened”. Though Adam and Eve brought death upon themselves by their own actions, their children would not be left to their own devices to find deliverance. Short of divine intervention, “no man can redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him” (Psa 49:7). Genesis 3:15 and Isaiah 7:14 emphasize, therefore, that God would be “in Christ, (actively) reconciling the world unto Himself” (2Co 5:19), and that God would be “manifest in the flesh” for the unfolding of the mystery of godliness and justification and salvation (1Ti 3:16).

Of the actual conception of Jesus the gospel accounts tell us nothing, and we must conclude that such precise knowledge is too sacred for mortals. How was this miracle accomplished? In the jargon of modern science, what was the “genetic code” begotten of such a union? Prudence cautions us to explore no further along these lines than Scripture expressly allows. But perhaps Psalm 139 gives us an insight or two into this greatest of all mysteries — “God with us”:

“For Thou didst form my inward parts,

Thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise Thee, for Thou art fearful and wonderful.

Wonderful are Thy works!

Thou knowest me right well;

My frame was not hidden from Thee,

When I was being made in secret,

Intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.

Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;

In Thy book were written, every one of then,

The days that were formed for me,

When as yet there was none of them.

How precious unto me are Thy thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!”

(vv 13-17, RSV).

Isaiah 11:6-8

Sometimes the continuity of theme in Scripture is lost to us if we rigidly adhere to the daily reading schedule of the “Bible Companion”. Such a system has great merit in encouraging a steady diet of the Word of God. But one not-so-desirable byproduct is that thoughts designed by God to be seen side-by-side are artificially separated by several days, and by the interposition of readings from other portions of the Bible. This seems to be the reason why the obvious connection between Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; and 11:6,8 is often lost sight of.

The words of Isaiah describe a scene of complete tranquility, when all the savagery of the beasts of the field has been removed:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:6-9).

It is certainly a picture — in broad, general terms — of man’s reclamation of dominion over the earth, and his subjugation of the animal kingdom (Gen 1:28). But it is more than that; it is a picture — in specific terms — of Christ’s victory over sin and death. And this is precisely what a failure to link together the Scriptures may cause us to miss. Since Christ is the son born of the virgin in 7:14, and since he is also the child born “unto us” in 9:6, then he is just as surely the “little child” in 11:6, and the “sucking child” and finally the “weaned child” in 11:8. So the beautiful vision of these verses is not impersonal, but rather it centers on Christ!

Verse 6 shows Christ as the “little child” because of his perfect trust in God (Mat 19:13,14); he is the “babe” ordained in strength (like David) to still the enemy and to have dominion over all creation (Psa 8:2,6-8).

Verse 8 shows Christ as the “sucking child” and then the “weaned child” — feeding first on the “milk” and then on the “meat” of the word, growing in spirit and wisdom and grace (Luke 2:40). Both “asp” and “cockatrice” belong to the “seed of the serpent” (Gen 3:15; Mat 3:7; 23:33). Jesus, under the nurture and admonition of his Heavenly Father, steadily grew in spiritual strength, and steadily faced one by one the trials of the “adversary” in his flesh. He had nothing to fear from the power of the serpent, for he faced it and overcame it with a greater power — faith in God’s word and promises. And, finally, in the kingdom age, the “den” of the serpent will hold no fear whatsoever for Christ, or for those who like him have become “little children” in faith!

Isaiah 27:1

“In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”

Leviathan, serpent, and dragon are figurative terms representative of the sin-powers of the world in their latter-day political and military aspects. The figure of speech is based upon Gen 3:15 and Lev 11:42, which broadens the “serpent” class of cursed beasts to include all reptiles, or creeping things. (The dragon’s identify with the serpent is also proven by Rev 12:9 and 20:2.) Both leviathan and dragon appear to designate the crocodile, which was a symbol of Egypt (Eze 29:3; 32:2, mg) and Babylon (Jer 51:34).

It hardly needs stressing, then, that the “Sword of the Lord” will be Christ, “the seed of the woman” designated to crush the many-headed “serpent” of sin in all its manifestations upon his return in glory.

Isaiah 53:5,10

Though the Hebrew words are different, the connection between these verses and Gen 3:15 is perfectly obvious;

“He was bruised for our iniquities… it pleased the Lord to bruise him.”

The bruising, or crushing to death, of Jesus was the means of fulfilling the promise of Eden. It was, we well know, the final act of obedience in a perfectly obedient life. It was the ritual condemnation of sin in the flesh (Rom 8:3) by a righteous God (3:25). And it was, as it were, the final “nail in the coffin” of that “old serpent” Sin! And God, Who set in motion the plan of redemption, Who foresaw even from the fall the “lamb of God” (1Pe 1:19,20), was “pleased” to “bruise” His Son, the “seed of the woman”! He was “pleased” to do so, not because He took delight in the sufferings of any man, much less His beloved Son — but because He so loved us that He was willing even that His own Son might die on our account (Isa 53:5; John 3:16: Rom 8:32).

Isaiah 59:2,5-7,16

The word “viper” in v 5 (Hebrew “epheh”) is from a root meaning “to hiss”) it emphasized the tongue’s evil power, since it was by verbal communication that the Edenic serpent Implanted “the lie” in the mind of Eve, If it had been otherwise (or if the serpent in Genesis 3 were a symbol only!) there would be no real force to Paul’s allusion in 2Co 11:3,4: “… As the serpent beguiled Eve… (so) he that cometh preacheth another Christ.” It was the power of speech in both cases, says Paul, that brought temptation and sin!

The word “epheh” appears only two other times in Scripture:

1. Job 20:16: “The viper’s tongue shall slay him.” From this we learn the viper was deadly, as is the tongue of the wicked speaking lies. It was recognized as a miracle that Paul escaped death after being bitten by one (Acts 28:3,5,6).

2. Isa 30:6: The viper inhabits “the land of trouble and anguish” — ie, the wilderness of Sinai. So we see that those who are “bitten” by it are led at last to the “wilderness of death”.

“He that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.”

Isaiah 59:5 lays stress on the “eggs”, or the “seed” of the viper — directing us, of course, to Gen 3:15. We are all by nature a part of the serpent brood. The “lusts of the flesh” are an integral part of the mental make-up of Adam’s descendants. If we have any desire toward God’s service, then we will attempt to destroy these lusts within us. Figuratively, we will try to “crush the eggs of the viper” (v 5)!

But we fail, dismally, inevitably. We may crush the eggs beneath our feet, but always the vipers — a hardy breed! — break out with renewed strength. There is no escape; our iniquities have separated us from God (Isa 59:2).

Is God’s arm “shortened” that He cannot save? (v 1). “He saw that there was no man (cp Psa 49:7), and wondered that there was no intercessor” (Isa 59:16). Not a single man could crush the viper’s eggs, and destroy the serpent’s power, without himself “perishing” from the serpent’s “bite” — sin.

So God ordained a special man: “His arm” to “bring salvation” (v 16), a “man made strong for Himself” (Psa 80:15,17); in short, the special “seed of the woman” divinely empowered, though himself a man, to bruise the head of the “viper”! Thanks be to God!

Isaiah 65:17-25

A glorious picture of the garden of Eden restored: “a new heavens and a new earth” (v 17), no more sorrow (v 19; cp Gen 3:16,17), no more the “child” (like Abel?) that dies an untimely death because of another’s sin.

“For as the days of a tree are the days of my people” (v 22) — the “tree of life” in the midst of the garden, its fruit free for the taking (Rev 2:7; 22:2)!

“They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble” (v 23) — the removal of the “labor” curse of Genesis 3.

“And dust shall be the serpent’s meat” (v 25). One thing will not change in the Kingdom Age. The serpent will still be cursed to eat the dust — a graphic figure of sin cast down forever, without remedy!

Micah 7:17,19

When God delivers His people, the nations “shall lick the dust like a serpent.” And God, through Christ, will “subdue (literally, trample underfoot) our iniquities”.

Psalm 8

The subscription of Psalm 8 (mistakenly given in most Bibles as the superscription of Psalm 9) links this psalm with 1Sa 17. “Muth-labben” signifies “the death of the champion”, or “the death of the man who stands between (the camps)”, with an obvious link to 8:2:

“…that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”

Goliath was the champion of the Philistines and the enemy of Israel. Standing between the two camps, he defied the living God. David, who slew him with a Spirit-directed stone, was by contrast no more than a “babe” or “suckling” (v 2):

“When (Goliath) saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth” (1Sa 17:42).

Psalm 8 appears to be the rejoicing of David after a long and arduous day, as he gazes upon the moon and stars of heaven and realizes that the God who created such wonders has also ordained the strength of his arm and crowned him with glory and honor. What day (or more especially, what night) might this have been? The account in 1Sa 17 provides some clues.

After David’s victory over Goliath, the revitalized army of Israel proceeds to rout the Philistine host, pursuing them as far as the gates of their own cities. No doubt David participated in this chase. It is logical that they did not return until the evening, when David was ushered into Saul’s presence (v 57). (It looks as though Saul, sad and melancholy, had not even led his army in the evening campaign!) Saul would reaffirm the promise that the man who slew Goliath would receive great riches and his own daughter to wife.

So in one momentous day, from sunrise to sunset, the lowly shepherd boy David vaulted from obscurity to glory and honor and dominion (Psa 8:5,6). His faith in upholding the most excellent name of Yahweh against the blasphemies of the Philistine (Psa 8:1,9; 1Sa 17:45,46) was now rewarded. He stood once more over the body of the vanquished “champion” — whom God had put in subjection under his feet (Psa 8:6)! Goliath had threatened to give David’s flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field, (1Sa 17:44), but that which he thought to do to David had been done to him (cp. Psa 8:7,8)!

The echoes of Genesis are plain in this psalm. God is seen as the Creator of the heavens (v 3) and of man (v 4). God has created man a little (or for a little time?) lower than the angels, so that he might undergo a period of probation (v 5). Yet man was the crowning glory of God’s creation; so God had given him dominion over all His other works (v 6; Gen 1:28). Implicit in David’s thoughts is Adam’s tragic loss of that dominion because of sin. Instead of benevolent rule over the animals there would be perpetual fear, uncertainty, and — in the case of the serpent especially — enmity (Gen 3:14,15).

The only remedy for the fall would be a special “seed”, who would be ordained by God to “still the enemy”, to gain ascendancy over the “serpent” of sin, and thus recapture that dominion and preeminence over all creation that Adam had lost. David’s victory over Goliath takes on a timeless aura in Psalm 8; it provides the pattern for Christ’s conquest over sin. It links David’s typical conquest with both Genesis (Eden lost) and Revelation (Eden recovered) through the eternally effective redemptive work of the seed of the woman.

The New Testament links with Psalm 8 (and thus indirectly with Gen 1:28 and 3:15) are many: Mat 21:16; 28:18; John 16:33; 17:1,2; 1Co 15:24-28; Eph 1:20-23; Phi 2:5-11; 3:20,21; Col 1:15-23; Heb 2:8-16; 1Pe 3:22; Rev 5:5,12-14. Some of the more obvious ones will be considered in later chapters.

Psalm 144 bears a strong resemblance to Psalm 8, especially in vv 3,4. It extols God, Who “teaches my hands to war” (v 1); and it asks deliverance from the “sons of the alien” (vv 7,11). It appears to be the song and prayer of David, which he composed (what a time to be composing a new song!) as he prepared to face Goliath. Its counterpart, Psalm 8, is the song celebrating that victory.

Psalm 22

These well-known words of David are indisputably prophetic of Jesus. Our Saviour, as he hung on the cross, quoted the opening words of the psalm:

“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Mat 27:46; Mark 15:34).

Among the extreme trials of crucifixion, Jesus experienced the shame and humiliation of nakedness. This is implied in the counting of his bones (Psa 22:17) and the parting of his garments (v 18). The women who witnessed his crucifixion stood “afar off” (Mat 27:55; Luke 23:49), possibly due to a natural modesty at the sight.

As he hung there, all the signs of corruption became a part of him — many being echoes of the curse of Genesis 3: the sweat (Gen 3:19), the dust (Gen 3:19 again), and the nakedness (Gen 3:7).

“Thou art He that took me out of the womb” (Psa 22:9) is a faint echo of the promise in Gen 3:15 — the special “seed of the woman” conceived by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. True to the Edenic curse, the woman was to have sorrow in conception (Gen 3:16); Mary knew such sorrow — a sword piercing her own soul also (Luke 2:35). But her sorrow would finally dissolve into joy, when her son was “born” from the tomb to new and glorious life (John 16:20-22).

The crucified Saviour finds his enemies encircling him like bulls (Psa 22:12), dogs (vv 16,20), and lions (vv 13,21). All God’s “creatures” were his enemies, but by his obedience (where the “first Adam” had failed) he would re-establish man’s promised dominion over them (Gen 1:28).

“Thou hast brought me Into the dust of death” (v 15) is a conscious remembrance of the curse of Eden; “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen 3:19).

Psalm 41:9

The circumstances that gave rise to Psalm 41 were, almost certainly, Absalom’s rebellion and the traitorous behavior of Ahithophel, David’s counselor. But v 9 is cited in John 13:18 as applicable to Judas Iscariot in his betrayal of Christ:

“He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.”

This is, of course, an allusion to Gen 3:15, but with a peculiar twist! Judas is put in the place of the woman’s seed, lifting up his heel to crush a dangerous “serpent” underfoot — and that “serpent” is Jesus! Surely this tells us, by implication, something about the motives of Judas: that he had at least begun to accept the reasoning of Israel’s leaders, that the troublesome Jesus was an evil that must be gotten rid of!

The climax was that the “serpent” was indeed crushed in the death of Jesus, but certainly not in the way the leaders of Israel (and Judas!) expected. God used these wicked men to accomplish His righteous purpose — the condemnation of sinful flesh. Peter explained this to these men on the day of Pentecost:

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:22-24).

The “heel”

The allusion to “heel” in Psa 41:9, coupled with Gen 3:15, suggests an interesting word study:

“AQEB”, or “heel”, appears for the first time in Gen 3:15. “Aqeb” is the root word in the name Jacob, since Jacob took his brother by the heel when they were “born (Gen 25:26; Hos 12:3). Figuratively, then, to take by the heel signifies to trip up and to supplant — which, of course, Jacob did to his older brother Esau (Gen 27:36) in appropriating the blessing and birthright.

The antitype is Jesus, the “last Adam”, who has supplanted the first Adam in receiving the blessing and dominion which he lost. (Notice that Esau’s other name is Edom — virtually equivalent to “Adam”!)

The other Scripture occurrences of “aqeb” are not numerous, but some are quite suggestive:

1. Gen 49:17: In Jacob’s prophecy, Dan (“Judgment”) is called a serpent that bites the horse heels, causing its rider to fall backward. Perhaps Dan is given the serpent role because this tribe sponsored the introduction of idolatry among the twelve tribes (Judges 18; 30) — the reason, perhaps, also for Dan’s omission from Rev 7. The “idolatrous” influences (of a different sort!) in Israel at the time of Christ caused his bruising in the heel.

2. Gen 49:19: “Gad, a troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at the last “(literally, ‘at the heel’).” This is certainly typical of Jesus, overcome by a mighty “troop” in his death, yet finally himself overcoming his enemies “at the heel” — an obvious allusion to Gen 3:15!

3. Jos 8:13: In order to conquer the Canaanite city of Ai, Joshua set “liers in wait” nearby (literally, “at the heels” of the city!). By serpent-like subtlety, he drew the men out of the city, which was then captured by those who waited “at the heels”, and the power of Ai was broken!

4. Job 18:9: Bildad pictures, among the calamities that would befall the “wicked” Job, that “the gin (trap) shall take him by the heel (‘aqeb’)”. But the “gin” of God’s judgment that took Job by the heel finally proved out to his vindication, and to Bildad’s condemnation! The enemies of Christ set a snare for his heels also; but in the climax they found they had tripped up themselves (Pro 1:16-18)!

5. Psa 49:5: “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” But consider this alternate translation as suggestive of Christ: “Why should I fear in the days of evil, when my wicked supplanters (or those wicked ones who would trip up my heels) shall compass me about?” Jesus had nothing to fear from such men, for he knew that even when they “tripped him up” in death, God would “lift him up” out of the grave to vindication and glory.

6. Psa 56:5,6: “Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps (‘aqeb’), when they wait for my soul.” But…”In God have I put my trust; I will not “be afraid what man can do unto me… Wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling?” (vv 11,13).

7. Psa 89:50,51: “Remember, Lord, the reproach of Thy servants; how I do bear in ray bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; wherewith thine enemies have… reproached the footsteps (‘aqeb’) of Thy Messiah.”

8. Song 1:8: When the Shullamite inquires where her beloved is to be found, she is counseled to follow the footsteps (or heels) of his flock. If we would follow in Christ’s “heels”, we will of course do as best we can what he did: use our “heels” to crush the head of the “serpent” Sin!

Psalm 72:9

A beautiful picture of the Kingdom age, modeled after the imperfect type of Solomon’s reign. When Christ shall have dominion (Gen 1:28) from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth (Psa 72:8), then they that dwell in the wilderness will bow down before him, and his enemies (the “seed of the serpent”) will lick the dust (Gen 3:14)!

Psalm 91:13

This was a passage recognized even by Christ’s tempter as prophetic of the Messiah, since vv 11,12 are quoted as justification for his casting himself down in the sight of all men (Mat 4:6; Luke 4:10). But Jesus understood that, while the prophecy applied to him, it could not be perfectly fulfilled until he had proven himself obedient unto the death of the cross. By a life of perfect obedience, and by a perfect sacrificial death, Jesus would “tread upon the adder” of sin (v 13). Thereafter, God would give His angels charge of Jesus (v 11), to bear him up from the grave (v 12); God would deliver him and exalt him to heaven (v 14) and show him His salvation (v 16).

In addition to obtaining salvation, Jesus would also receive dominion over all the wild beasts (v 13) — indeed, over all creation (Col 1:15-23).

Like the Old Testament, the New is also filled with allusions to the great foundation promise of Gen 3:15.

Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13

The wilderness temptation of Jesus, which followed immediately upon his baptism, is recorded in detail by both Matthew and Luke. Mark has only a short allusion to the temptation (Mar 1:12,13), adding, however, something which Matthew and Luke both omit, that he “was with the wild beasts”. This minor point serves to stress that Jesus was reliving the temptation experience of his first parents, but with a big difference. Whereas they had been placed in a lovely garden of delights, where the animals were peaceably subject to their human masters (Gen 1:28), Jesus was placed in a fierce wilderness, among wild beasts (cp Psa 91:13) — their attitudes toward man reshaped by the fall itself.

Matthew and Luke each record different sequences of the three temptations. It is suggested that Matthew’s is the chronologically correct one because of the precise “then’s” (Mat 4:5,10) and “again” (v 8). But in view of Luke 4:2, it is not unreasonable to suppose that each of the temptations were considered and suppressed by Jesus more than once during his 40-day wilderness sojourn. So Luke’s different sequence should not necessarily be thought of as incorrect.

Luke, however, seems to have arranged the three temptations for reasons other than mere chronology. There is in his chosen sequence a clear echo of both Eve’s temptation and the Apostle John’s commentary on temptation:

Luke 4	Genesis 3:6	1 John 2:16
Jesus is tempted to…	“When the woman saw that the tree was…”	“All that is in the world…”
1. Turn stones into bread (vv 2-4)	1. “Good for food…”	1. “The lust of the flesh…”
2. Obtain the kingdoms of the world by worshiping the “devil” (vv 5-8)	2. “Pleasant to the eyes…”	2. “The lust of the eyes…”
3. Cast himself down from the Temple pinnacle (vv 9-12)	3. “To be desired to make one wise…”	3. “The pride of life…”

The three scenes express all the possible sources of temptation; as John wrote, these three are “all that is in the world”. There may be many subtle variations of worldly temptation, but they differ little from these main categories.

The first temptation played upon the lusts — the natural hungers — of human nature; the second temptation, upon the natural desire for power; and the third, the just-as-natural desire to be thought well of, to be worshipped and honored.

These three temptations epitomize the three shortcomings of natural man, those three things in which human nature desires to glory — wealth, might, and wisdom (Jer 9:23)! The three classes of leadership in Israel easily fitted into these categories (their twentieth-century “brethren” fit just as well into the same categories!):

1. The chief priests, Sadducees, and Herodians were the wealthy of the nation. They were content to subordinate every principle to the acquisition and maintenance of wealth. They wanted “bread” and lots of it!

2. The Zealots wanted the kingdom, or at any rate a kingdom — to throw off the grievous yoke of the Romans, and have power for themselves.

3. And the proud Pharisees, outwardly “righteous”, had succumbed to the most subtle of the temptations — they loved to be seen and admired of men as “wise” and “righteous”.

All these temptations Jesus faced in turn. Whereas each had played its part in luring Eve into sin (Gen 3:6), each was expressly considered and repudiated by the Lord. In that wherein she had failed, her “seed” (Gen 3:15) succeeded. She brought sin into the world; it coils, serpent-like, in the bosom of each of us, and its sting brings death. But her descendant Jesus, unlike Eve, did not grasp at equality with God (cp Gen 3:5 with Phi 2:6). Instead, he humbled himself and became obedient even unto death, knowing that — if he overcame where she had fallen — God would highly exalt him, at the proper time (Phi 2:9).

Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:33

The carnal mind, or thinking of the flesh, was generated in our first parents by the serpent’s untruthful reasoning. Therefore, those who are unenlightened by God’s truth are the “serpent” in the flesh — a generation, or offspring, of vipers. Such language is used once in Scripture by John the Baptist (Mat 3:7), and twice more by Jesus, against the established leaders of Israel.

Their minds were contrary to the will of God. Like the first serpent, who was their “father”, they attempted to entrap their victim (in this case Jesus) by subtlety (Mat 26:4). Their sophistry, however, availed them nothing. He saw through their subterfuges and condemned them for what they were:

“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Gehenna?” (Mat 23:33).

Luke 10:19

Sending forth the seventy to preach, Jesus told them:

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions.”

This promise can be understood either literally (cp Mark 16:18) or figuratively — the serpent being symbolic, and “Satan” (Luke 10:18) being indicative, of Capernaum (v 15) and other proud cities that rejected the gospel. Perhaps both ideas have their place. No matter which, of course, the words of Jesus are obviously based upon Gen 3:15. The “seed of the woman” has power to crush underfoot the serpent, and he has committed that power also to his servants. Symbolically, in their own lives now, his followers must “tread upon” the “serpent” in their own natures. And in the future, they will be empowered from on high to tread underfoot, without harm to themselves, both literal serpents and the political and religious institutions of which the serpent was the symbol. The promise to the seventy in Luke 10:19 was the earnest, or pledge, of all this.

John 8:44

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Jesus employed personification here in defining the spiritual pedigree of the “Jews” (v 22). In the beginning, the serpent spoke the first lie, “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen 3:4). This lie, believed and acted upon by Eve, brought sin and consequently death into the world. Thus the serpent became the father of liars in the same sense that Jubal became “the father of all such as handle the harp and organ” (Gen 4:21).

According to Jesus, men can have only one of two fathers: They can be the seed of Abraham (John 8:33) — but only if they do the works of Abraham (v 39) — fleshly descent is not enough. Or they can be the seed of the serpent (vv 41,44), if they do his works — that is, lying, subtlety, murder. In seeking to kill the true “seed of Abraham” (v 40), these Jews were admitting that they belonged in the other family.

So it is with us. Merely having a “name to live”, and coming into the Abrahamic covenant nominally, is not enough. We must do the works of Abraham before we can claim to be his spiritual seed, and thus sons of God and heirs of God’s precious promise given through Abraham. If we profess to follow Christ, while betraying him and denying him with our actions, then we have demonstrated that the Diabolism, the “serpent”, is our true father, and we will never be “free”.

Acts 13:6-12

The missionary efforts of Paul and Barnabas on the island of Cyprus brought the gospel to the attention of the Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul was a “prudent” man (v 7) who sought truth, but he was unfavorably influenced by Elymas, an apostate Jewish sorcerer (vv 6,8).

As he listened to Barnabas and Saul, meanwhile observing the interest shown by his benefactor, Elymas (or Bar-Jesus) began to fear the loss of his position and influence. So, interrupting the two preachers, he began to engage them in debate. This assault was so rude and blasphemous (and coming from a “wise” Jew, who should have known better!) that Paul severely rebuked him;

“O full of all subtilty, and all mischief, thou child of the devil (diabolism), thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season” (vv 10,11).

Immediately the Apostle’s words took effect, and the blinded Elymas began to stumble about, groping with outstretched hands for someone to lead him. Sergius Paulus was impressed by the spectacle, and believed the gospel preached to him.

“Bar-Jesus” signifies “son of salvation”. Casting off the wonderful heritage implicit in such a name, the false Jew had become a devotee of the “moles and bats” of human “wisdom”. His acquired name — Elymas, or “wise one — reflected his new philosophy. It is easy to see this man as a typical representative of the Jewish race in their apostasy (of which Saul of Tarsus had been a prime example!). Elymas was a “child of the devil”, a description recalling Christ’s words about the Jews:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (John 8:44) —

all, of course, directly traceable to the serpent’s “seed” of Gen 3:15! Compare also the serpent’s “subtilty” (Gen 3:1) with that of Elymas (Acts 13:10).

Like the Jews described by Christ, Elymas had lost sight of the characteristics of a true son of Abraham. Like the Jews, he had become an “enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10) and an enemy of the gospel (Rom 11:28).

Elymas’ main concern was the preservation of his source of wealth (the munificence of Sergius Paulus), his power over the proconsul (who was himself an important man — so much the better!), and his pride at his own presumed “wisdom”. In short, Elymas was motivated by the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1Jo 2:16)!

The sentence of blindness passed upon Bar-Jesus suggests, in this typical parable, the spiritual “blindness” decreed upon Israel because of their rejection of God (Deu 28:28; Isa 6:10). However, just as the sorcerer’s blindness was temporary (“for a season” — Acts 13:11), so Israel’s blindness will be temporary:

“Blindness in part is happened to all Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom 11:25).

The final act in this miniature “play” is the conversion of Sergius Paulus — which surely signifies the initiation of the Gentiles into the hope largely abandoned by Israel. The opposition of the apostate Jew provided the very opportunity for the Gentile to believe!

This one incident, then, is seen to set the pattern of Paul’s work as a missionary to the Roman world: the unbelief of the Jews and the faith of the Gentiles. Thus is summarized, for that matter, the broad outline of two thousand years of ecclesial history. It appears that, in recognition of God’s expanding purpose with the Gentiles and the instrumental part he was to play in it, Saul of Tarsus then and there adopted the new name “Paul” from his Gentile convert.

Acts 9:5; 26:14

Luke recounts three times the miraculous conversion of Saul; two of these passages give the words of the glorified Jesus to Saul:

“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick (‘laktizo’) against the pricks (‘kentron’).”

“Laktizo” (which only occurs in these two passages) signifies literally to “lift up the heel”. The “kentron” was a goad used on cattle, but the word also signifies a “sting”, as of a serpent! Other than the two verses in Acts, “kentron” appears twice in Paul’s joyful exclamation:

“O death, where is thy sting?… The sting of death is sin” (1Co 15:55,56).

The only other instance is Rev 9:10, a description of the Apocalyptic “locusts” with their tails like scorpions, and “stings in their tails”.

The most obvious meaning of Christ’s words to Paul was that it was as useless for him to resist the power of the gospel as for an ox at the plough to kick against the master’s goad.

But there is a deeper meaning: The Pharisee Saul, steeped in the law, proud of his own “righteousness”, had undertaken to crush underfoot the “serpent” of sin. His endeavor to destroy the infant ecclesia of Christ was the next logical step for a man who put all his trust in the law. To such a man, the religion of Jesus of Nazareth was an evil “serpent” to be trodden under foot.

However, Saul discovered on the road to Damascus that Jesus was no “serpent” who could be crushed by him. Jesus had once been the “serpent” lifted up on a stake (Num 21:9; John 3:14,15), but no more was that so. He was now alive for evermore, his victory over sin and the grave complete. In his intense pursuit of the Nazarene’s followers, Saul had placed himself squarely in opposition to this marvelous fact; he was attempting to “tread underfoot the Son of God” (Heb 10:29).

And in trying throughout his early life to conquer the sin-power by his own strength — lifting up his own heel against its “sting” — Saul was foredoomed to failure. He was failing to recognize that the despised prophet of Nazareth had already accomplished what the Pharisee could never do — bruise the serpent’s head! The only thing left for the proud young Jew was to humble himself, and accept in faith the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ:

“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).

Romans 3:9-19

In proving that both Jews and Gentiles are “under sin” (v 9), Paul brings to bear the witness of Scripture. He gathers together a number of passages from the Psalms and Isaiah. None are righteous; all are departed from the way. Vv 10-12 are from Psa 14:1-3 / Psa 53:1-3; v 13 from Psa 5:9; 140:3; v 14 from Psa 10:7; vv 15-17 from Isa 59:7,8; and v 18 from Psa 36:1. The verses are clearly selected from those that apply to Jews, under the covenant, so that their import cannot be sloughed off on the really “wicked” Gentiles only!

Throat (v 13), tongue (v 13), lips (v 13), and mouth (v 14) trace the stages of speech. Finally the feet (v 15) and the eyes (v 18) get into the act also. But serpent-like speech (Gen 3:1) is clearly the foundation and source of all wickedness. From the speech of that subtle denizen of Eden has sprung, indirectly, all sin. His throat was an “open sepulchre” (Rom 3:13). His tongue, the “little member” full of boasting, brought on the defilement of the whole bodies of both Adam and Eve (Jam 3:5,6). The great fire of corruption was kindled by his words, and human nature was changed for the worse. Now it can rightly be said of all mankind that “the poison of asps is under their lips” (Rom 3:13)!

Romans 16:17-20

Paul concludes his letter to the Roman ecclesia by warning the brethren against the danger of false teachers. Almost every phrase in this section is an obvious allusion to the Genesis record of the serpent and the woman’s seed:

The serpent subtly cast doubt on God’s Word and taught contrary to it. The false teachers of Paul’s day (probably Judaizing Christians) were the serpent’s “seed” (cp Mat 3:7; 12:34; 23:33). After the example of their “father” they professed a superior knowledge and thus were able to lead away the simple (2Co 11:13-15).

The influence of this particular “Satan” was drastically reduced by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD. But the final bruising of “Satan” in all his aspects must of course be the work of the glorified Christ at his second coming.

1 Corinthians 15:24-28,55,56

In vv 24-28 Paul describes the purpose of God’s Kingdom under Christ: the subjugation of all enemies:

“For he must reign, till he hath put all things under his feet.” This will be in fulfillment of the commandment God gave to Adam in Gen 1:28:

“Subdue it (the earth)… and have dominion over every thing.”

The first Adam, because of sin, was unable to fulfill this directive. The “last Adam”, because of his perfect sinlessness, will be able to subdue all creation to its intended purpose — the glory of God (Num 14:21; Isa 11:9).

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

This is the goal to which all of Christ’s work is pointed. The last enemy to be conclusively destroyed under the heel of the conquering King will be death, the serpent’s “offspring” (see Jam 1:13-15).

Death, at the end of a slow process of decay, has been an inextricable part of man’s nature since Eden. Now, through Christ, it will finally be destroyed — not merely offset or neutralized, but vanquished, routed, literally “swallowed up”!:

“Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”

The strength of sin, as a destroyer of men, lay in the law — the law which, while holy and just and good, nevertheless condemned all men (even the most conscientious) to death as sinners. But in Christ, their righteousness was by faith in him (Rom 3:21,22) — not their own righteousness, which was by the law, but the righteousness which was of God by faith (Phi 3:9). Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory through His Son (1Co 15:57)!

2 Corinthians 4:2-4

In an allusion similar to Rom 16:17-20, Paul refers to those “believers” who trusted in the law of Moses. They had not “renounced the hidden things of dishonesty”. They were still “walking in craftiness” and “handling the word of God deceitfully ” — thus living up (or down!) to the example of their spiritual “ancestor” — the old serpent!

Continuing his analogy, Paul evidently has in mind again the tragic history of Eden lost. In seeking to be like the Elohim, Eve departed from her “first estate”. She was reaching for “greater light”. She found instead darkness — deceived by the serpent, or the “god of this world”. Her mind was blinded by “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1Jo 2:15,16), and consequently she “believed not” God. Thus was the creation plunged down to ruin.

But God’s ultimate purpose with the earth would not be thwarted by a pair of sinners. The God who commanded light to shine out of darkness at the first creation (2Co 4:6; Gen 1:3), set about immediately with a plan to reclaim His fallen creation. This plan called for another “light” to shine into the world, that is, a new “Adam” made in the express image of his Father (Heb 1:3). In all the things wherein the first “Adam” and his wife failed, the last “Adam” would succeed. He would renounce the hidden works of darkness; he would handle God’s word aright; he would reject the evil and choose the good. He would show forth the full knowledge of the glory of God, which had since Eden been clouded and dim. And through his work, he would redeem his “bride”, from the serpent’s folly.

2 Corinthians 11:2,3

Paul continues the same analogy:

“I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

“Simplicity”, as used by Paul, should not be equated with “simple-mindedness”. Rather, in keeping with the metaphor of Eve and the serpent, “simplicity” is a single-mindedness which will not be beguiled by subtle serpent-arguments. Such “simplicity” presupposes uncomplicated vision and motives. We must remember the extreme “deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 13:3) and the inherent weakness of the flesh. We must keep these things in mind, recognizing also that strength comes from God, His word, and prayer — and that we must cling close to these. If we do this, then in a simple single-minded devotion, we will be waiting and ready when our Saviour the Bridegroom cometh.