What can we learn about God's compassion from "tears day and night"? Verse under study “Let my eyes overflow with tears day and night; let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of My people has been destroyed with a great crushing blow, with a very severe wound.” (Jeremiah 14:17) The God who weeps • These are not Jeremiah’s tears alone; the context shows the LORD identifying with the prophet’s sorrow (Jeremiah 14:10–12, 17). • God does not watch human misery from a distance—He enters into it, grieving over sin’s devastation (Isaiah 63:9). • Continuous tears underscore that His compassion is constant, not momentary (Lamentations 3:22–23). Depth of compassion revealed in day-and-night tears 1. Unbroken concern – “Day and night” signals round-the-clock attention; His heart never clocks out (Psalm 121:4). 2. Intensity of feeling – “Overflow” paints a picture of abundance; His mercy is not rationed (Psalm 103:11). 3. Personal identification – He calls Israel “virgin daughter,” a tender family term; compassion is relational, not clinical (Hosea 11:8). 4. Grief over sin’s consequences – The tears fall because judgment is necessary; love does not cancel holiness, it mourns that judgment is required (Ezekiel 18:32). 5. Resolve to heal – The severity of the wound points forward to a greater healing (Jeremiah 30:17); compassion moves Him to restoration, not mere sympathy. How His compassion meets us today • He records every tear we shed (Psalm 56:8). • In Christ, He literally shared our flesh, sorrows, and tears (Hebrews 4:15; John 11:35). • The cross shows the cost He was willing to bear to dry our tears forever (Revelation 21:4). • His Spirit comforts us now, turning mourning into praise (Isaiah 61:1–3; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4). Responding to His compassionate heart • Bring your pain honestly; He welcomes raw lament. • Let His grief over sin convict you to repent quickly. • Rest in the assurance that He is present in every sleepless night. • Join Him in compassionate ministry, weeping with those who weep (Romans 12:15). |
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