哀三22~25 ……祂的怜恤不至断绝；每早晨这些都是新的；你的信实，极其广大。我的魂说，耶和华是我的分；因此，我要仰望祂。等候耶和华，心里寻求祂的，耶和华必善待他。

　　我们也许以为，因着我们的失败，我们是无望的。因此，我们来看哀歌三章二十二至二十五节是有益的。……这些话是在巴比伦人毁灭了耶路撒冷，焚烧了圣殿，并将许多人掳去以后写的。……当然，以色列人必定觉得，神丢弃了他们，他们完了。耶利米一面哭泣，一面写作。在他的写作里他能说，他们不至消灭，是出于耶和华的慈爱。他能说，他们仍在那里，神没有丢弃他们。首领、申言者和祭司失败了，但神的怜恤不至断绝，反而，每早晨这些都是新的。耶利米甚至能宣告，耶和华是他的分，他要仰望祂，因那等候祂的，祂必善待他。为什么在神里面有盼望？因为神不失望（耶利米书生命读经，三六至三七页）。

　　Lam. 3:22-25 …His compassions do not fail; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; therefore I hope in Him. Jehovah is good to those who wait on Him, to the soul that seeks Him.

　　We may think that because of our failure, we are hopeless. Thus, it is profitable to consider Lamentations 3:22-25….These words were written after the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, and carried away many into captivity….Surely, the people of Israel must have felt that God had given them up and that they were finished. On the one hand, Jeremiah was weeping; on the other hand, he was writing. In his writing he could say that it was of Jehovah’s lovingkindness that they were not consumed. He could say that they were still there and that God had not given them up. The princes, the prophets, and the priests had failed, but God’s compassions do not fail; rather, they are new every morning. Jeremiah could even declare that Jehovah was his portion and that he hoped in Him, for He is good to those who wait on Him. Why is there hope in Him? There is hope in God because with God there is no disappointment. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 29-30)

　　此时我们要看见，以色列的失败为基督开了路，使祂进来作他们的义。今天我们的情况也是一样。我们的失败为基督开路，使祂进来。

　　耶利米二十三章五至六节说到基督的进来：“耶和华说，日子将到，我要给大卫兴起一个公义的苗；祂必作王掌权，行事精明，在地上施行公理和公义。……人要称呼祂的名为，耶和华我们的义。”这公义的苗是基督这大卫的后裔。日子将到，所有的以色列人都要接受基督作他们的义。他们曾离弃祂，但他们的离弃，却为祂开了门，使祂进来作他们的义。然后他们会说，“主，我们没有任何事物是神能承认为义的，但你来作我们的义。”照耶利米的预言，无论以色列多么邪恶、奸恶，无论他们离弃神多少次，去为自己凿出破裂的池子，他们仍要得复兴。在以色列复兴时，基督将是他们的公义、救赎和生命（三一33~34），基督也要被高举为他们的中心与普及。神要进来，将祂自己这神圣的生命分赐到祂的选民里面，作他们的生命，和生命之律连同其性能，使他们认识神并活神。至终，他们要和保罗以及今天在基督里的信徒一样，成为新造。

　　今天我们若失败亏欠神，我们不该失望；神有路来对付我们。祂有路使我们成熟，然后将我们带进新耶路撒冷。我们若是得胜者，就要在千年国里享受赏赐。我们若失败，就会在千年国里受刑罚，但至终我们还是要成熟，进入新耶路撒冷。今天有些基督徒爱世界，但迟早神要进来，将世界的“玩具”取去，他们就要悔改。然后祂也许说，“孩子，你不需要再悔改。只要将基督接受进来，并与我一同欢乐。”

　　我们不需要为自己的光景忧虑。神是忍耐、同情并怜恤的，祂会花时间使我们成熟。每位信徒，无论现在软弱或刚强，都要在新耶路撒冷里，在其中每个人都将是成熟的。无论我们是殷勤或只是稍微寻求神，神都有路使基督成为我们的公义、救赎、生命、生命之律、生命的性能，这样我们就能成熟。每位在基督里的真信徒，都要达到成熟，并且在新耶路撒冷里。因此，我们不该沮丧或灰心；反之，我们应当受鼓励（耶利米书生命读经，三七至三九页）。

　　参读：耶利米书生命读经，第四篇。

　　At this point we need to see that Israel’s failure opened the way for Christ to come in to be their righteousness. The situation is the same with us today. Our failure opens the way for Christ to come in.

　　Jeremiah 23:5-6 speaks of Christ’s coming in. “Indeed, days are coming, / Declares Jehovah, / When I will raise up to David a righteous Shoot; / And He will reign as King and act prudently / And will execute justice and righteousness in the land. / …And this is His name by which He will be called, / Jehovah our righteousness.” This righteous Shoot is Christ as the descendant of David. The day is coming when all Israel will receive Christ as their righteousness. They forsook Him, but their forsaking of Him has opened the door for Him to come in to be their righteousness. Then they may say, “Lord, we do not have anything that God can recognize as righteousness, but You have come to be our righteousness.”

　　According to the prophecy of Jeremiah, no matter how evil and wicked Israel may be and no matter how often they have forsaken God to hew out broken cisterns for themselves, Israel will be restored. In the restoration of Israel, Christ will be their righteousness, redemption, and life (31:33-34), and Christ will be exalted to be their centrality and universality. God will come in to dispense Himself into His elect as the divine life to be their life and life law with its capacity to know God and to live God. Eventually, they, like Paul and the believers in Christ today, will be a new creation.

　　If we fail God today, we should not be disappointed. God has a way to deal with us. He has a way to cause us to mature and then to bring us into the New Jerusalem. If we are overcomers, we will enjoy the reward in the millennium. If we are defeated, we will suffer punishment in the millennium, but eventually we will be matured and enter into the New Jerusalem. Some Christians may love the world today, but sooner or later God will come in to take away the “toy” of the world, and they will repent. Then He may say, “Child, you don’t need to repent anymore. Simply take Christ in and rejoice with Me.”

　　There is no need for us to worry about our situation. God is patient, sympathetic, and compassionate, and He will take the time to make us mature. Every believer, whether presently weak or strong, will be in the New Jerusalem, and everyone there will be mature. Whether we seek God diligently or only a little, God has a way to make Christ our righteousness, our redemption, our life, our life law, and our life capacity so that we can be matured. Every real believer in Christ will reach maturity and be in the New Jerusalem. Thus, we should not be dismayed or discouraged. Rather, we should be encouraged. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 30-31)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Jeremiah, msg. 4