Has God utterly rejected the Jews?

[tonychanyt]

Lamentations ended with 5:

21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old— 22 unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

What does it mean for the Lord to have utterly rejected us?

Strong's Hebrew: 3988. מָאַס (ma'ac) — 75 Occurrences

Strong's Lexicon:

The Hebrew verb "ma'ac" primarily conveys the act of rejecting or despising something or someone. It is often used in the context of God rejecting His people due to their disobedience or idolatry, as well as people rejecting God's commands or statutes. The term can also imply a strong emotional response, such as abhorrence or loathing.

It seemed to counter the fact that our Lord is most loving and forgiving.

Right.

The Book of Lamentations was a poetic expression of grief over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. It reflected the anguish of God’s people as they experienced the consequences of their sin—namely, exile and the loss of God’s visible presence in the temple. Throughout the book, there was a mix of despair, confession of sin, and pleas for restoration, all rooted in the covenant relationship between God and Israel.

At the end, the author expressed a tension between hope and despair: the hope of loving restoration (v 21) and the despair of hateful rejection (v 22). This tension arose from the need to balance divine justice and mercy. While God is indeed loving and forgiving, He is also holy and just.

To balance La 5:21, Jeremiah wrote in 31:

3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion. 4a Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt.

God had not utterly rejected the Jews. God loves them with an everlasting love. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah chronicled the restoration.

Has God totally rejected the Jews?

No, God has not totally rejected the Jews. While there are passages that express God's anger and disappointment with Israel, the overall theme is a persistent covenant relationship, despite periods of punishment. God's faithfulness, despite Israel's unfaithfulness, is a central theological concept in the Hebrew Bible, often described as God's חֶסֶד (hesed): His steadfast love and covenant loyalty persist even when His people fail to fulfill their part of the agreement.

 

[Clare73]

Lamentations ended with 5:
What does it mean for the Lord to have utterly rejected us?
Strong's Hebrew: 3988. מָאַס (ma'ac) — 75 Occurrences
Strong's Lexicon:
It seemed to counter the fact that our Lord is most loving and forgiving.
Right.
The Book of Lamentations was a poetic expression of grief over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. It reflected the anguish of God’s people as they experienced the consequences of their sin—namely, exile and the loss of God’s visible presence in the temple. Throughout the book, there was a mix of despair, confession of sin, and pleas for restoration, all rooted in the covenant relationship between God and Israel.
At the end, the author expressed a tension between hope and despair: the hope of loving restoration (v 21) and the despair of hateful rejection (v 22). This tension arose from the need to balance divine justice and mercy. While God is indeed loving and forgiving, He is also holy and just.
To balance La 5:21, Jeremiah wrote in 31:
God had not utterly rejected the Jews. God loves them with an everlasting love. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah chronicled the restoration.

Has God totally rejected the Jews?
No, God has not totally rejected the Jews. While there are passages that express God's anger and disappointment with Israel, the overall theme is a persistent covenant relationship, despite periods of punishment. God's faithfulness, despite Israel's unfaithfulness, is a central theological concept in the Hebrew Bible, often described as God's חֶסֶד (hesed): His steadfast love and covenant loyalty persist even when His people fail to fulfill their part of the agreement.

Actually, the Jews are on the same footing as all mankind; i.e., salvation is only by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

God's promises to the Jews have been fulfilled (Heb 11:13-16), and they are being saved in the same manner as is the rest of mankind (Ro 11:16-23), in a remnant (Ro 11:26).