Lamentations 5:15, 16 “The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!”

Lamentations is a sad book as it reveals the heartfelt sadness of a prophet who is powerless to change the disaster being brought upon his people. Where there is constant, willful sin, there is no joy, and there is no dancing. This is true for all generations and all peoples. “…but sin is a reproach to any people”  (Prov. 14:34).

Jeremiah’s people were the crown jewel in God’s eyes. They were the kingly nation. Their history was replete with fallen crowns, but they refused to learn from their past. God warned them over and over, but they refused to change their sinful ways, and eventually, they were made to pay for their sins. Make no mistake; nothing has changed. Do not be fooled by God’s patience. He waited generation after generation for change, waiting for repentance, but it never came, and the joy and dancing came to an end.

Things are no different today. The end is coming, and judgment will come with it. This time the judgment will be complete. There will be no second chance and no remnant. The righteous will go to live with God, and the sinners will go into everlasting punishment.

Task for Today: Want the joy and dancing to last? Get rid of the sin. Sin brings woe and a loss of the crown. Do you want the crown of life? Give your life to Jesus, and He will take away the sin. So easy, just repent and experience the new life found in baptism. Be born again and leave the life of sin behind.