October 30

OT -- Lamentations 2:20-3:66
Several images in this scripture passage that I have seen elsewhere:
vs. 15 "He has filled me with bitter herbs and sated me with gall." This was also part of the crucifixion scene. The Roman soldiers offered Jesus gall -- vinegar or soured wine mixed with an opiate.
vs 24 "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him" is also in Psalm 119,
"great is your faithfulness"
Okay, this one had me singing the hymn so I had to find a great rendition of that:



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But the phrase that really had me thinking and thinking about the vast sweep of scripture was vs 49-50 and vs 57
"My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees...You came near when I called you, and you said, 'Do not fear'."

Remember in Exodus at the beginning and it says that years have passed and a pharaoh is on the throne 'who knew Joseph not' and God heard the cries of his people as they groaned under oppression?
My question to that is, why did he wait for all those years? I admit, I probably should have thought about that in January when we read those passages but I didn't.
Does the evil generation have to pass away before God will step in and save? And in Exodus, it wasn't because they were evil, just a convenient tool for the pharaoh.

And then we have those 400 years between the prophets and the New Testament. Lots, lots happened in Israel during that time. Ugly, ugly things. But our Bible is silent on that. And when we read the Apocrypha (another year, another study), that doesn't exactly satisfy either.
The silences bother me especially when Jeremiah says 'I called you and you came near'. Where was He?
And isn't this the age old cry? Where were You when....?

And of course, Psalm 102 has answers:
vs/ 2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

We all want answers and we want them RIGHT NOW. Nothing has changed and I am one of billions asking God 'when, where and how come?'
Just another in a long parade of folks.