Calvary Road Baptist Church

“A Survey Of Satanic & Demonic Warfare In Lamentations”

Lamentations 

Over the course of my years as the pastor of this Church, I have delivered about a hundred messages from God’s Word focused on spiritual warfare, our supernatural opponents and the strategy we must employ to thwart their efforts to harm us, and the urgency with which we must look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Despite my efforts, and your efforts, and our combined efforts, our congregation has shown itself to be vulnerable to spiritual assault. Time and time again I and you and we (because the Word of God clearly shows that our Lord deals with us corporately as much as He deals with us individually) have succumbed to distractions and distortions.

Our distortions have (and perhaps your memories are more exact than mine) resulted from normal human tendencies to talk about what we should be circumspect about, assuming that people who come to us with a bad report are telling us the truth rather than us embracing the principle of two or three witnesses to verify things said, and the variations of megaphone versus muffler that reflects our personalities. Some people tend to function as mufflers, and when they are aware of what others ought to hear or know about will say nothing or will mute to some extent what they are willing to pass on. They will receive a fifty count of information that is valid and reliable, but will only pass on a ten count to others. They muffle, understand, and tend to be informational minimalists.

Others tend to function as megaphones, and when they become aware of two people with an opinion about something, they will report it to others as “Everyone is saying ...!” It is not their intention to distort or magnify, but is a reflection of their personalities as megaphones as much as it is a reflection of a muffler personality to mute information. These are just tendencies we, as flawed and fallible and imperfect conveyers of information, each have to some extent. I am a megaphone and my wife is a muffler.

Distractions are also an issue. Distractions can be anything you might imagine that has the effect of disrupting and dividing. Distractions are not necessarily bad. Sometimes we can react to distractions improperly and our unity in Christ can be interrupted. At other times we can react properly to distractions and discover things about ourselves and others in the congregation that are a wonderful part of spiritual growth and improved unity.

The Corinthian congregation initially responded improperly to a variety of distortions and distractions God permitted them to be exposed to, and then they seem to have responded properly to the Apostle Paul’s pastoral oversight and correction that came to them in the form of the first Corinthian letter.[1] The Jerusalem congregation were surprised by the attempt by Saul of Tarsus to join their congregation, with his reputation as a dangerous and energetic opponent of the Gospel, but over time and input from Barnabas they came to see him as the most influential Christian they would ever know.[2]

Thus, there are distortions and distractions, and we are to some degree mufflers or megaphones. Each of us as individual Christians, and we as a Church of Jesus Christ, are somewhere on the spectrum of spiritual growth and development, needing to learn, needing to develop, and needing to grow. Let us not be deceived, however, about the effect that distortions and distractions of various kinds can have on us, whether we are mufflers or megaphones. Whatever you might imagine about the situation you are in, whether your feel it or not, whether you recognize it or not, you are in a spiritual conflict with the goal of your spiritual adversaries being to pull your gaze and attention away from the Savior.

Second Corinthians chapter two, and let me remind you of something before we read. The Corinthian congregation was pulled this direction and that in a variety of ways. There were contentions resulting from a number of different causes, including diverse ethnicities (Jewish and Gentile believers), divided loyalties to different spiritual leaders, different levels of spiritual maturity, tendencies toward judgementalism, flagrant sin in the body that was tolerated by some members, touchiness over perceived slights that resulted in lawsuits, disagreements over dietary issues, different opinions about past sexual experiences, misperceptions about members thinking they knew what they did not know, headship in the home confusion, communion confusion, spiritual gifts issues .... Well, you get the picture.

It was so bad in their Church that Paul had to devote the entire thirteenth chapter to reminding them how important it was for them to love one another. And what was a contributing factor to each of these distortion and distraction issues that plagued them for a while? Second Corinthians 2.9-11: 

9  For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 

Setting aside his comments in chapter one and the first eight verses of chapter two, here Paul acknowledges one of the important realities about Satanic involvement in these matters of distortion and distraction that affect and influence our congregational life. Paul and his team were not ignorant of Satan’s devices, though it is frequently the case that Church members are ignorant of Satan’s devices, opening us up to distortion and distraction.

Every single time your gaze is shifted from the Savior to another person, from the Savior to another motive, from the Savior to another consideration, from the Savior to a personal offense, from the Savior to anything or anyone else, there is something you do not know and something you do know. You do not know if your gaze was averted from Christ because of supernatural, Satanic, or demonic influence. But you do know that, for whatever reason your gaze is distracted from the Savior, Satan gains an advantage. Hebrews 12.2 is the verse that reveals to us the pattern, the exemplar, for success in the Christian life that pleases God and exalts our Savior: 

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

Were supernatural considerations and concerns in the foreground of Paul’s concerns with the Corinthian congregation? Clearly, they were not. Paul and his team, but not the Corinthians, knew what Satan was up to. That said, supernatural opposition was an ever present issue with Paul and his ministry colleagues. With those comments set before you, turn to Lamentations, for “A Survey Of Satanic & Demonic Warfare In Lamentations.” On our way to survey the book of Lamentations, take note of Lamentations 1.15: 

“The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.” 

The only word I have detected in all of Lamentations that is ever construed in a supernatural context in the Bible is the word in this verse translated “mighty,” 'abbiyr'.[3] Referring to a mighty or valiant one, someone with virility and strength, the word likely referring to Jewish warriors here and angels in Psalm 78.25.[4] If that is the case, Lamentations is a book of the Bible devoted to God’s crushing judgment of His people without any reference whatsoever to them being influenced by supernatural beings. We know, of course, that supernatural beings were a constant plague to the Jewish people. But no mention is made of such influence in Lamentations.

Let me survey Lamentations for you under five headings: 

First, AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS[5] 

Although the author of Lamentations is not explicitly identified, it was almost certainly the prophet Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. He was borne along by the Spirit of God to express and guide others to lament terrible conditions brought on Jerusalem and God’s people by the Babylonians because of their own sinfulness that prompted God’s terrible judgment.

Written just under six centuries before the birth of Christ, three truths stand out in the book of Lamentations: First, the kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem deserved the judgment they had received. Second, the pain of destruction and exile was greater than the people could bear without the outlet of lament. Thus, grieving was both necessary and appropriate. Third, the only hope for deliverance from the suffering of exile was to call on God to be compassionate. 

Next, THE OCCASION OF WRITING THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS 

Lamentations 2.2 and 9 mourn the loss of Judah’s king, establishing with great certainty the time and place of its writing. Written after Jerusalem’s destruction and before the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, Lamentations serves as a sequel to the book of Jeremiah, with Jeremiah foretelling the fall of the city and Lamentations dealing with the excruciating pain associated with that prediction’s fulfillment. 

Third, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS 

Lamentations contains five chapters, with each chapter being a poem, a lament. There are other laments in the Old Testament, mostly in the Psalms. What are the features of laments? 

What are some features of the book of Lamentations? First, the book of Lamentations affirms that the destruction and exile were deserved consequences for sin. The people had been warned by the prophets of God on repeated occasions, yet they would not listen. Second, the book of Lamentations expresses strong emotional resistance to the judgment God visited upon Judah. The question of whether God’s punishment of His people was excessive is dealt with in Lamentations 2.20–22. I will let you read that later. Third, the book of Lamentations affirms that the LORD is still a God of mercy and faithfulness, 3.22–36. Again, I recommend that you read that passage. 

Fourth, AN OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS 

Each chapter in Lamentations is a distinct acrostic poem, in which lines or sets of lines are arranged according to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each line or group of lines beginning with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet:

Chapter One, Zion Lies Devastated With No Comfort

Chapter Two, The LORD’s Anger Against Judah

Chapter Three, The Grief Of The Community

Chapter Four, Zion’s Degradation

Chapter Five, Judah’s Appeal For God’s Help 

Finally, LAMENTATIONS 3.23 

“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” 

Most of you have previously sung the last of our congregational songs this evening, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Does it astonish you that one of Christianity’s most revered hymns is based on a Bible verse in the middle of a small book of poems lamenting the complete devastation of Judah and Jerusalem at the hand of the Babylonians as an instrument of God’s judgment? Best set with the previous verse, read the two with me: 

22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

I promise that you have never experienced suffering like Lamentations speaks of. You have lost no loved ones to starvation. You have never cannibalized your children to stay alive, as is reported in Lamentations 2.20 and 4.10. Yet, amid suffering far greater than you or I will likely ever experience, Jeremiah boldly proclaims the LORD’s mercies, His unfailing compassions, and His great faithfulness, with faithfulness understood to be the unqualified reliability of God.[6]

Let us carefully examine the two phrases that comprise the verse: 

“They are new every morning” 

Since the words “They are” are italicized, we understand the words do not appear in the Hebrew text, but were supplied by the translators to enhance our understanding. The Geneva Bible features these words as italicized, but the NIV and ESV do not. “New every morning” refers to the LORD’s mercies and compassions. A bold statement, is it not, to assert in the midst of such horrendous suffering that God’s mercies and compassions are continually supplied? Does that not suggest that our perceptions of our experiences, the pain and agony that we endure, is no reflection whatsoever on God’s mercies and compassions? Thus, we must live by faith or we will erroneously conclude that God is not Who and What He says He is, merciful and compassionate. 

“great is thy faithfulness.” 

What an incredible conclusion the inspired Jeremiah announces between two verses that report mothers cannibalizing their babies. How are we to explain this? That God is what He announces Himself to be despite contrary conclusions we may draw based on our immediate pain, agony, heartache, and suffering. Must we not conclude that we are not fit judges of the goodness and reliability of God, Who is merciful, compassionate, and utterly reliable to keep His Word no matter what our immediate perceptions are? How can it be otherwise? God is not only faithful, He is extraordinarily faithful. His faithfulness is great! Even when we are suffering. Even when we have lost a cherished loved one. Even when our physical health fails. Even when we face financial, professional, and career reversals. 

What are we to conclude from our consideration of “A Survey Of Satanic & Demonic Warfare In Lamentations”? From what we have seen so far in our surveys of books of the Bible from Genesis to Jeremiah, supernatural conflict is a thing, the foul spirits are real, and they oppose the plan and purpose of God and His people.

From several verses in Second Corinthians, we see that distortion and distraction from a focus on the person and work of our Savior may be caused by subtle influences from foul spirits, and certainly opens us to their destructive influence and work in our lives.

The absence of any reference to spirit beings in Lamentations suggests to me, by way of application, that no matter what our spirit enemies do in our lives, we are ultimately responsible before God for our relationship with God.

Throughout their history from the time of the Exodus, the children of Israel were subjected to a constant onslaught of spiritual assaults, temptations, diversions, and distractions. However, when they sinned and refused to respond to the warnings and pleadings of God’s prophets, they and only they were accountable to God for their misconduct and disobedience. And when God judged them, the Devil and the Demons were not mentioned.

We like to finger point and shift blame for ourselves and the decisions our loved ones make. But there was no finger pointing blame shifting present in God’s dealings with His covenant people. The Egyptians? The Assyrians? The Babylonians? The Philistines? The Moabites? The Ammonites? The Canaanites? How about the Devil making them do it? Or the demons? Or some nasty person attending Church? Or perhaps a Church member?

Sorry. God listens to none of that. He listens to none of that from me as an individual, and He listened to none of that from Judah as a nation or Jerusalem as a city, or any Church as a congregation. I must answer for me. We as a congregation must answer for we as a congregation, just as we see in the book of Lamentations.

And in the midst of it all, God is still merciful, compassionate, and great is His faithfulness. Full stop. Period. And I will go to the mats with anyone who says otherwise. “Who is on the LORD’s side?”[7] God makes promises that He keeps. He made unconditional promises to the Jewish people in the form of the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New covenants. He will keep those promises.

As well, to you and me who are believers in Christ, God has made promises. Included in His promises are the promise to get us all the way home and conform us to the image of His dear Son. Is it hard? Yes. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will I cry? Yes. Will my heart feel broken? Yes. But He will keep His promise to get me all the way home. For no other reason than that, rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

__________

[1] First Corinthians 1.11; 5.1; 7.1; Second Corinthians 2.-11

[2] Acts 9.26-31; 15.1-5

[3] Francis Brown, S. R. Driver & Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew And English Lexicon, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1979), page 7.

[4] Michael S. Heiser, Angels: What The Bible Really Says About God’s Heavenly Host, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), page 23.

[5] The Reformation Study Bible, (Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005), pages 1289-1290 and The Spirit Of The Reformation Study Bible, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), pages 1131-1132.

[6]See footnote for Lamentations 3.23 The Spirit Of The Reformation Study Bible, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), page 1298.

[7] Exodus 32.26

 

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