Why Should Any Man Complain in View of His Sin? (8/26)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Lamentations 3:37-5:22.

The people of God were suffering rightly for their sins. God gave them His law, showing them what they should do; yet they rebelled against Him. God then sent His prophets to warn them to return or face punishment, yet they refused to listen. They were to blame for their sins and the suffering they were enduring as a result.

Yet man often has a tendency to complain that circumstances that exist in life are not fair. Even when he is suffering for his own actions, he will often complain that his actions did not warrant the consequences he is now facing. Jeremiah warned the people not to have this attitude as they faced God’s punishment for their sins.

Why should any living mortal, or any man, offer complaint in view of his sins? Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:39-40).

When we sin, we are in no position to complain about the consequences and punishments that come as a result of our sin.

  • We have been told that “the way of the treacherous is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). Why should we complain when we face negative consequences in life for our sinful actions?
  • We have been told that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Why should we protest when we sin and it results in a breaking of fellowship with God?
  • We have been told that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). If we do not receive forgiveness from God for our sins, we will have no right to complain in the end if He tells us: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).

Rather than complaining about the consequences and punishment for sin, we should instead “examine and probe our ways, and…return to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:40).

Tomorrow’s reading: Ezekiel 1-4

[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]


Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.


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