I almost feel as if I need to start this off with a WARNING. But what would I warn of?

• Warning: eyes are bound to be opened.
• Warning: feelings might be hurt.
• Warning: the Rock of Offense is near

I have been stuck for a week reading a book of the Bible that I will honestly say I have avoided in the past.

Don’t ask me why. I have no real answer except a) I thought it was boring because b) I didn’t understand what I was reading and c) I don’t like complaining and that is what I incorrectly assumed about this book, yet I all of a sudden can’t put down.

What I will say is that I start and stop throughout the day reading it in portions and pondering it and going back and reading what i read again because I’m seeing something so huge I can’t wrap my mind around it

(Exhaling)

Look! I’ve tried writing about what I am seeing so many times this week. And…

Let’s not beat around the bush any longer. I’m going to be in this book for a while.

How much I will share in this particular writing I do not know.

But what I do know is that I am going to sit with it as I do all of my other studies. I am not turning this loose until I get what I was sent here to gain.

The Lord sent me here and I intend to pay attention

We will start here: Lamentations 1:1 NKJV

How lonely sits the city That was full of people! How like a widow is she, Who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces Has become a slave! – Lamentations 1:1

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lamentations1:1&version=NKJV

How lonely sits the city That was full of people! Lamentations 1:1a

Think about it. Church is not like it use to be prior to 2020. Really think about it.

If you are reading this and you are one who attends church, how full is it today in comparison to 2019, and in comparison to before covid.

By now, many have returned to the building, and many have not. What I shared was a news article that was written because this is something that many are taking note of and speculating about. Yet, God’s Word spoke of it. Jeremiah lamented over it.

It happened to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, when God removed his presence and allowed the city to be captured. Yet, it is also happening today, and the problem is that what is happening today is not being noticed. How could this be overlooked?

I can’t help but to remind the reader that Jesus said that our day would be like it was in Noah’s day. People would pay no attention – they would take no note.

When so much is written in the Word of God about this, how is it being missed? I think a part of that is because when many read God’s Word they see it as yesterday – history. For some reason many do not understand that when they read in the prophets about Jerusalem, what they are reading about is the church today.

How like a widow is she, Who was great among the nations! Lamentations 1:1b

Death is what makes one a widow or widower. Did you know that divorce is also likened to a death?

It might seem weird that I mention divorce at a time when the scripture is likening Jerusalem to a widow. The only way that I can explain myself is to let the Bible itself speak

Unfaithful Israel

⁶ During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. ⁷ I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. ⁸ I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. ⁹ Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. ¹⁰ In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord.

¹¹ The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. ¹² Go, proclaim this message toward the north:

“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry forever.
¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods
    under every spreading tree,
    and have not obeyed me,’”
declares the Lord.

¹⁴ “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. ¹⁵ Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶ In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. ¹⁷ At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. ¹⁸ In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

¹⁹ “I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,
    the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’
    and not turn away from following me.
²⁰ But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
    so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord. – Jeremiah 3:6-20 NIV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%203&version=NIV

Israel is God’s people as a whole. It is the entire nation with this exception:

Because of King Solomon’s disobedience in following after the worship practices of his foreign wives, God split up the 12 tribes of Israel to correct them. The 10 tribes, because they were the larger of the tribes, maintained the name of Israel whereas the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin took on the name of Judah which is the larger of the two tribes. We are introduced to this split in the book of 1 Kings where Jeroboam became King over the tribes of Israel and Rehoboam, son of Solomon maintained his kingship over the tribes of Judah.

Jeroboam liked being king even though it was supposed to only be temporary as Rehoboam was being corrected. While Jeroboam was king, he made some moves so as to maintain his kingship which included changing the dates of the appointed festivals and setting up places for worship that was not authorized by God along with making priests of whomever wanted to be a priest. (See 1 Kings chapters 12 – 13) His sin caused the people to sin greatly against our Heavenly Father and thus God divorced Israel as we read in Jeremiah 3:8.

Reading what Jeremiah wrote, we also see that Judah followed suit in what Israel did. Its just a big mess that has filtered down to today. Have you ever found yourself wondering why there are so many denominations and churches today? Have you ever found yourself wondering how does God feel about it?

The princess among the provinces Has become a slave! Lamentations 1:1c

One thing that many have come to know about me is that I will look up definitions when I need help understanding what I am looking at – that is when I need clarity with understanding what I am seeing. I did that here and I cannot unsee what I saw which is what led me to write here so…

Princess has the following definition:

1. 1.the daughter of a monarch.
   • a close female relative of monarch, especially a son’s daughter.
   • the wife or widow of a prince.
   • the female ruler of a small state, actually, nominally, or originally subject to a king or emperor.
2. 2.DEROGATORY a spoiled or arrogant young woman. “stop being such a princess”

Province has the following definition: a principal administrative division of certain countries or empires. “Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province” Similar: territory, region, state, department, canton, area, district, sector, zone, division, colony, settlement, dominion, fief, protectorate, mandate, dependency, possession, holding

Let me help you understand what we just read.

The princess among the provinces Has become a slave! The princess is the pastoral and the provinces is the various churches that we see – all of the different buildings and their different denominations.

What I hear is make it make sense

The church is called the bride of Christ.

Marriage—Christ and the Church

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might ^[g]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body, ^[h]of His flesh and of His bones. ³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. – Ephesians 5:22-33 NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205&version=NKJV

The church is spoken of using a female past tense. So in Lamentations the reference to princesses would be with definition number 3 in mind –  ruler of a small state, actually, nominally, or originally subject to a king or emperor

This small state or province would be the church that the pastor is over. (Remember we are looking at the practical application today of what Jeremiah wrote.

So in chapter 1 verse 1 of Lamentations we are told that

• the church is not as full as she once was
• she is “like a widow” meaning that she has suffered a death, but its not quite a death because she was not said to be a widow, she was said to be like a widow which means that she is separated or divorced. (Israel was given divorce papers and Judah was separated)
• we have identified the princess of the provinces as being the pastoral of the individual churches.

This is the part which sounds offensive. But if you are honest and you can see it, you will recognize that this is also truth.

So how is it that the princess is a slave as Jeremiah wrote? How is it that the pastors are slaves as we are practically applying what Jeremiah wrote to today?

I remembered something that I heard a long time ago. We moved from Tennessee to help a pastoral associate out in the church that he was pastor over. He is the one who made the comment that when you go to a new church you have to figure out who the pastor was.

By title, he was the pastor. But he was telling us that when we come into a new church we have to learn who the pastor was. What he was alluding to was that the church board of trustees controls the pastor.

Who makes up the church board of trustees? There is so much that is written on church boards and trustees. I would encourage you to google it if it is something that you are interested in knowing more about.

Now I want to add that it makes sense that some would be put in charge of overseeing the operations of the church. That happened in the book of Acts.

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. ² Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; ⁴ but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, ⁶ whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

⁷ Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Acts 6:1-7 NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%206&version=NKJV

The purpose of the trustees or the board was for them to focus on the business of the church so that the apostles could continue to focus on prayer and the ministry of the word.

Even in the Old Testament the brothers of Aaron were assigned different areas of ministry as it pertained to the business of the temple while Aaron and his children focused on prayer and the ministry of the Word.

But don’t get it twisted. God did not play about the priesthood. No one was allowed to approach them. They were considered holy because of their service to the Lord. As a matter of fact, when Aaron was challenged as to his being called to be priest, not only did God answer and settle the matter, but He also killed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram who challenged Aaron. (See Numbers chapter 16)

Tithes for Support of the Levites

²¹ “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ²² Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. ²³ But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ” Numbers 18:21-24 NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+18%3A20-32&version=NKJV

⁶ But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 23:6 NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%2023&version=NKJV

So when did things change?

Preach the Word

4 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204&version=NKJV

Is that what we are seeing happening today?

I asked Google: “Can the Church fire the Pastor?” This was new to me after hearing pastors talk about “their church”, although I knew that the church belongs to King Jesus. I just never questioned it. So to find out that if a church does not like the pastor they can have the pastor removed…

I asked Google and this is what I found…

I had absolutely no idea that there was so much written and discussed on the subject.

I decided to take a closer look at some of the answers

Eugene Mormon
BTh./PhD program in Theology, Cypress Bible Institute (Graduated 1997)5y

It depends on the church government. In church law, there are three types of church government, and in some cases you can have one in which the members vote the pastor out. They generally use basic parliamentary law, and they could have a petition, like in secular law, and once a majority signs the petition they present it to the board of elders or trustees of the church. In some churches there is a grievance process where the complaining member(s) go to an elder, and if that fails, petition the governing board (synod or council or whatever it is called in that denomination) to investigate and deal with it. It is lawful in the sense that the government allows churches to regulate themselves in this manner, and unless someone commits a crime or files a lawsuit, does not interfere.

Or, one can do what a church in Detroit did in the ‘80’s in an amusing case I read: actually hire people to intercept the pastor upon his arrival and throw him down the steps. That’s generally not acceptable, though.

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-lawful-for-church-members-to-have-a-Pastor-removed-from-his-position-in-the-church

What Mr. Mormon said above reminded me of what Pilate said to the Pharisees about Jesus when they brought Jesus to him to be killed

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” John 18:31 NKJV

This thing goes deep, and i never would have considered it before had I not stopped to pay attention to Lamentations 1:1

Quora had a lot of comments on the very subject of the firing of pastors. Here is another one that stood out to me.

Dennis Gardner
MA/MA in Biblical & Theological Studies & Counseling: Ball State, Baptist Bible Graduate School of Theology (Graduated 1988)5y

A pastor can be removed from his position if the majority of the church is in agreement, but there has to be a serious and a proven charge against him for this action.

If he’s in immorality and not willing to change, or if he is teaching false doctrine then he can be dismissed from his position.

If the action is based on personality conflicts or because some influential member or members just think he should go, then that’s no reason to dismiss him. People like that will answer to God for their rebellion against the man God put in that position. The church is in better standing with God if the influential members leave if they have no real serious reason for dismissing the pastor.

Some pastors have done things for which they should be voted out. Just tread carefully and make sure it’s for a godly reason and not a human based reason. 

But what caught my attention was the comment to the following question that was asked by someone on the platform:

Why are the pastors claiming supremacy in the church when the church is clearly committed into the hands of church elders?

Check out what Robert Dane had to say about it

This has turned out longer than what I intended for it to be. I cannot help but to see the application of what I am reading in Lamentations today.

Im not even going to keep going with Lamentations chapter 1:1 because it appears to be unending all of the comments and questions and articles written. Instead I am going to return to my close consideration of the verses of which I am now on verse 2, and if i am led back here again, I will pick up where I left off.

Before I leave, let me give you this one heads up.

If you are feeling led to go and read Lamentations also, then check this out. When you get to Lamentations 1:16, then pause and go and read Luke 19:41-44. You will find that when Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he was fulfilling this that was written by Jeremiah.

Until we come together over Lamentations again…