WEEPING
“They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’ They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’” Jeremiah 22:18
Jeremiah wept and lamented over the wickedness of Judah much and often. Moreover, he is given a specific message for Jehoiakim, king of Judah: “Do justice and righteousness” and “obey this word” from the LORD (Jer 22:3-4). For the king not to heed God’s Word meant desolation upon the king and his kingdom, as the rest of the chapter conveys. Jeremiah is well-known as the “weeping” prophet, so the verse today is somewhat striking since, in the end for the unrepentant king, there will be no weeping for him or the desolations he suffers. This word from the LORD through Jeremiah is also an eternal reflection meant for all the wicked in the final judgment, since we must note that the prophetic word to the king contained, ‘Ah, sister!’ Like Jeremiah, you and I lament over family, friends, and neighbors who do not have salvation from having personally encountered the Lord Jesus Christ, “that through this Man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed” (Acts 13:38). Like Jeremiah, we have wept tears during our prayers for them. Like Jeremiah, we have pleaded with them from the truth of God’s Word, conveying to them urgently to flee to Jesus, the only Refuge from the wrath to come. For when we all stand before the Judgment Bar of Christ, those wicked who have shunned the only Savior, will not be wept for when justly sentenced for their rebellion and dispatched speedily to the eternal torment that awaits. Right now, because of God’s amazing grace and enduring love lavished upon us for this salvation we have received, it seems a difficult truth to understand; but it will happen, and we will be blessed by Christ’s every word and judgment, for “what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn 3:2). Moreover, in that Day, there will be no more weeping, for the Owner of heaven and earth will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev 7:17). While we, as children of Christ who possess our frail and finite frames now, knowing this truth adds urgency and compassion to both our pleas and prayers. Through this, Jesus is giving us His own blessed heart for lost souls, for that’s why He came (Luke 19:10; Rom 8:28-29). Hallelujah! What a Savior!
