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LAMENTATION

Psalms 3:1&2
"1 LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah."

The penultimate question that Jesus asked was "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" When Jesus hung on the cross He was in agony and literally dying. The pain He was experiencing was in the EXTREME.

It's on the cross where people and GOD are reunited! Jesus had the experience of being GOD rejected and abandoned by people. Then, on the cross Jesus felt abandoned by God. He experienced the full weight of humanity’s sin and God’s wrath.

This question and this feeling is known to all of us. It should not surprise us to find a record of this feeling in the Old Testament. Turn to the Psalms, chapter 22, verse 1. This verse has various interpretations over time. We can say for sure that it is a LAMENTATION of the righteous suffering of the psalmist. It's on the cross where He saves us. And, it's where we meet Him properly, sharing a small taste of His pain and suffering.

LAMENTATION is an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret. And, there's a whole category of prayers and Psalms. Characterized by their powerful expression of human emotion, transcending their time and place. The literary and poetic expressions of LAMENTATIONS serve as a testament to the human experience of suffering and the longing for divine comfort and redemption.

This week we will study a striking example in chapter three of the book of Psalms. Written by King David during his flight from his son Absalom, who had rebelled against him (2 Samuel 15:13-17). The psalm expresses David’s distress and despair in the face of his numerous enemies and those who doubt God’s deliverance.

"LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah." The phrase “Selah” is a musical notation or pause, indicating a moment of reflection or contemplation. Think about these verses...

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