Lamentations 4:17-22: a reflection

17Our eyes still fail, looking in vain for our help. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save. 18They hunt our steps, so that we can’t go in our streets. Our end is near. Our days are fulfilled, for our end has come. 19Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky. They chased us on the mountains. They set an ambush for us in the wilderness. 20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits; of whom we said, under his shadow we will live among the nations. 21Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz. The cup will pass through to you also. You will be drunken, and will make yourself naked. 22The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion. He will no more carry you away into captivity. He will visit your iniquity, daughter of Edom. He will uncover your sins.

Amid the sorrow of a people who had suffered God's discipline, a word of hope breaks through: the punishment of your iniquity is accomplished; he will not carry you into captivity again. The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion, the lament says; he will no more carry you away into captivity. After the deep sorrow of the people's suffering, this word declares that their discipline had an appointed end, and that end had now come. The punishment was accomplished, completed; God would not carry them away again. God's discipline of his people was not endless; it had a limit and a completion, after which came the promise that it would not be repeated. This shows that God's discipline of his people has an appointed end, not endless. God's discipline of his people is not endless, but has an appointed end. Take hope that the discipline you bear has a completion. God's correction, though real, is not without limit. Beyond the appointed end of discipline lies hope.

Notice the word of hope amid the sorrow. Much of this lament is heavy with the suffering of a people who had endured God's discipline for their sin: their eyes failing, their pursuers swift, their hope in earthly help disappointed. It is a picture of deep and prolonged suffering. But into this comes a word of hope: the punishment of your iniquity is accomplished; he will no more carry you away into captivity. The discipline, real and painful as it had been, was not endless; it had an appointed limit, a completion, and now that completion had come. God would not carry them away again. This holds a comfort about God's discipline of his people. God does discipline his people; when they persist in wrong, there are real and sometimes prolonged consequences, a real correction that is painful to bear. But God's discipline is not endless, not without limit; it has an appointed end. He does not punish forever, or beyond what is fitting; his correction has a completion, after which comes hope and restoration. When we are under God's discipline, bearing the consequences of our wrong or enduring a hard correction, we can take hope that it is not endless: God's discipline has a limit and an end, beyond which lies his mercy and restoration. This does not make the discipline light, but it assures us it is not without end. We do well, when under God's discipline, to take hope that it has an appointed end, beyond which lies restoration. Take hope that God's discipline of you is not endless, but has an appointed end. God does not punish forever or beyond what is fitting. Beyond the completion of discipline lies God's mercy and restoration. The correction you bear has a limit; hope lies beyond it.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's discipline of his people is not endless but has an appointed end, and we can take hope in this, as the lament declared the punishment accomplished. We can feel God's discipline is endless; but the word came that the punishment was accomplished and would not be repeated. It has an end. When you are under God's discipline and it feels endless, take hope that it has an appointed limit and completion, beyond which lies God's mercy and restoration. Take hope, when under God's discipline, that it is not endless but has an appointed end, beyond which lies his mercy and restoration, as amid the sorrow of a people who had suffered God's discipline a word of hope broke through, that the punishment of their iniquity was accomplished and he would not carry them into captivity again; for after the deep sorrow of the people's suffering this word declared that their discipline had an appointed end which had now come, the punishment accomplished and completed and God not carrying them away again, so that God's discipline of his people was not endless but had a limit and completion after which came the promise it would not be repeated, which holds a comfort about God's discipline, since God does discipline his people and there are real and sometimes prolonged consequences and a painful correction when they persist in wrong, but his discipline is not endless or without limit but has an appointed end, since he does not punish forever or beyond what is fitting but his correction has a completion after which comes hope and restoration, so that when we are under God's discipline and bearing the consequences of our wrong we can take hope that it is not endless but has a limit and end beyond which lies his mercy, which does not make the discipline light but assures us it is not without end, so that we do well to take hope.

Lord, amid the sorrow of a people who had suffered your discipline, a word of hope breaks through: the punishment of your iniquity is accomplished; he will not carry you into captivity again. The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion, the lament says; he will no more carry you away into captivity. After the deep sorrow of the people's suffering, this word declares that their discipline had an appointed end, and that end had now come. The punishment was accomplished, completed; you would not carry them away again. Your discipline of your people was not endless; it had a limit and a completion, after which came the promise that it would not be repeated. Show me the word of hope amid the sorrow. Much of this lament is heavy with the suffering of a people who had endured your discipline for their sin. It is a picture of deep and prolonged suffering. But into this comes a word of hope: the punishment of your iniquity is accomplished; he will no more carry you away into captivity. The discipline, real and painful as it had been, was not endless; it had an appointed limit, a completion, and now that completion had come. This holds a comfort about your discipline of your people. You do discipline your people; when they persist in wrong, there are real and sometimes prolonged consequences, a real correction that is painful to bear. But your discipline is not endless, not without limit; it has an appointed end. You do not punish forever, or beyond what is fitting; your correction has a completion, after which comes hope and restoration. When I am under your discipline, bearing the consequences of my wrong or enduring a hard correction, I can take hope that it is not endless: your discipline has a limit and an end, beyond which lies your mercy and restoration. This does not make the discipline light, but it assures me it is not without end. Take that to my heart. When I am under your discipline and it feels endless, help me take hope, Lord, that it is not endless but has an appointed limit and completion, that you do not punish forever or beyond what is fitting, and that beyond the end of discipline lies your mercy and restoration.