This book contains 5 separate poems, possibly by 5 distinct authors, though we don’t know for sure. What we do know is they are written in the time of Judah’s exile, so they lament loss, sin, and sin’s consequences.
” ‘…Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. From on high he sent fire… he spread a net for my feet… he has left me stunned, faint all the day long. My transgressions were bound into a yoke… they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand… The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity. Look, O Lord, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious…’ ” (v12-14, 18, 20)
This pattern of progression sounds pretty familiar: blaming God for our circumstances (shock & denial), self-pitying (pain & guilt), speaking harshly with God (anger & bargaining), withdrawing from others (depression & reflection), finally acknowledging our role in sin (the upward turn), asking God for forgiveness (reconstruction & working through), and finally accepting God’s mercy, grace and healing (acceptance). These are the ‘seven stages of grief’, and it seems this author is experiencing them.
I think it’s a good and healthy thing for us to grieve our sin (how we have hurt God and others). I think it’s also a good and healthy thing to pursue reconciliation with God and those we have wronged, and not get stuck in ‘the first four stages’. We have an active role to play in sinning, and an active role in resolution / healing. God forgives our sin and remembers it no more – we’d be doing ourselves a favor by doing the same thing. Of course we can learn from our sin so we hopefully do it less frequently, but our main focus should be on God and His love in the present, not the consequences of our past sin.
Let’s ask God to help us ‘remember our past sin no more’ so we focus more on being present with Him. There is a time and place for remembering our past mistakes, but living there every day for the rest of our lives is not helping us obey God in the present, and is robbing us (and those around us) of joy and blessing.
Father God, our Lord of Mercy and Grace, we praise You for forgiving and forgetting our sin. Please teach guide us through grieving our past mistakes, so we may experience joy, blessing, and healing on the other side. May we use these experiences them as a testimony to tell others of Your amazing blessings of grace and healing. In the name of Jesus our Redeemer may we honor, glorify and obey You, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training