But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
But Zion speaks from a fearful feeling that the Lord has abandoned her and forgotten her. That sense of abandonment does not mean she is forgotten, for the complaint is answered with assurance of lasting care and with promise to comfort His afflicted people and have mercy and compassion on them. His care is more dependable than a mother's compassion, so that even if a mother could forget her nursing child, the Lord will not forget Zion and His people. She remains continually before Him, marked on the palms of His hands, with her walls ever in His sight. In times of severe persecution and imprisonment, when believers may feel forsaken, God remains mindful of them and protects and sustains them and their connection with Christ.
Zion's Fear and Assurance
But Zion said the Lord has forsaken and forgotten her, speaking out of fear and discouragement as if abandoned by Him. The complaint voices how the church feels when it seems abandoned, including those who claim to respect the law of Jehovah. That feeling does not mean He has forgotten His people, for the complaint is answered at once by His assurance of lasting care. The surrounding passage promises that the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy and compassion on His afflicted.
His answer is that His care is more dependable and enduring than a mother's compassion for her child. Even if a woman could forget her nursing child, the Lord will not forget Zion and His people. She is engraved on the palms of His hands, marked there so she remains continually before Him. Her walls are ever in His sight, held continually before Him as the pledge that He has not abandoned her.
Comfort in Trial and Warning
In a time of severe persecution and imprisonment believers may feel forsaken, yet God remains mindful of them and protects and sustains them and their connection with Christ. The fear that the Lord has abandoned and forgotten His people is answered by the assurance that He will not forget them, for even if a mother could forget her nursing child the Lord will not forget Zion, who is engraved on the palms of His hands and remains continually before Him. The same lament is the cry of people in dark and distressing times who feel that God has forsaken and forgotten them, and it is met by the assurance of His unfailing compassion.
The lament is not a reason to despair, because Jesus never forsakes a soul that desires Him. It is sin and transgression that separate people from Him, while He draws them to behold Him and to look to Him and love Him. He is unchanging and does not require people to bear more than they can carry, so they should place their heavy burdens on Him.
As part of the promise that the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy on His afflicted, the verse speaks in discouragement to those who claim to respect the law of Jehovah yet feel the church is abandoned. God answers that He has not abandoned her, for though a woman may forget her child He will not forget Zion, having graven her upon the palms of His hands with her walls continually before Him. The passage including verses 13-16 calls professed believers to examine why they fail to recognize His appointed guidance, since self has interposed and Satan has worked upon human agents. This includes those holding the third angel's message that has lost its power, because self has intervened and Satan has worked through human agents to lead them to reject His word through His appointed channels.
But Zion speaks from a fearful feeling that the Lord has abandoned her and forgotten her. That sense of abandonment does not mean she is forgotten, for the complaint is answered with assurance of lasting care and with promise to comfort His afflicted people and have mercy and compassion on them. His care is more dependable than a mother's compassion, so that even if a mother could forget her nursing child, the Lord will not forget Zion and His people. She remains continually before Him, marked on the palms of His hands, with her walls ever in His sight. In times of severe persecution and imprisonment, when believers may feel forsaken, God remains mindful of them and protects and sustains them and their connection with Christ.
Zion's Fear and Assurance
But Zion said the Lord has forsaken and forgotten her, speaking out of fear and discouragement as if abandoned by Him. The complaint voices how the church feels when it seems abandoned, including those who claim to respect the law of Jehovah. That feeling does not mean He has forgotten His people, for the complaint is answered at once by His assurance of lasting care. The surrounding passage promises that the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy and compassion on His afflicted.
His answer is that His care is more dependable and enduring than a mother's compassion for her child. Even if a woman could forget her nursing child, the Lord will not forget Zion and His people. She is engraved on the palms of His hands, marked there so she remains continually before Him. Her walls are ever in His sight, held continually before Him as the pledge that He has not abandoned her.
Comfort in Trial and Warning
In a time of severe persecution and imprisonment believers may feel forsaken, yet God remains mindful of them and protects and sustains them and their connection with Christ. The fear that the Lord has abandoned and forgotten His people is answered by the assurance that He will not forget them, for even if a mother could forget her nursing child the Lord will not forget Zion, who is engraved on the palms of His hands and remains continually before Him. The same lament is the cry of people in dark and distressing times who feel that God has forsaken and forgotten them, and it is met by the assurance of His unfailing compassion.
The lament is not a reason to despair, because Jesus never forsakes a soul that desires Him. It is sin and transgression that separate people from Him, while He draws them to behold Him and to look to Him and love Him. He is unchanging and does not require people to bear more than they can carry, so they should place their heavy burdens on Him.
As part of the promise that the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy on His afflicted, the verse speaks in discouragement to those who claim to respect the law of Jehovah yet feel the church is abandoned. God answers that He has not abandoned her, for though a woman may forget her child He will not forget Zion, having graven her upon the palms of His hands with her walls continually before Him. The passage including verses 13-16 calls professed believers to examine why they fail to recognize His appointed guidance, since self has interposed and Satan has worked upon human agents. This includes those holding the third angel's message that has lost its power, because self has intervened and Satan has worked through human agents to lead them to reject His word through His appointed channels.