John Calvin Commentary Lamentations 3:42

"We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned." — Lamentations 3:42 (ASV)

The faithful do not here reason earnestly with God, but on the contrary, acknowledge that God’s severity was just. They attribute the fact that God had dealt with them severely to their own sins. This is the essence of what is said.

From this we learn that a sincere confession always accompanies repentance, as Paul also teaches us (2 Corinthians 7:11). For when a sinner is either complacent or tries to cover his wickedness, and flatters himself—as we see that only a few willingly humble themselves before God—he develops a hardened obstinacy. For this reason, the Prophet requires confession; indeed, he here suggests the words suitable to be used when we desire to obtain pardon from God. We have done wickedly, he says, and have been rebellious. The pronoun “we” is here emphatic, as though the faithful took upon themselves the blame for all the evils, which most people always sought to disown.

Here then the Prophet shows that there is no other way of being reconciled to God than by confessing ourselves to be the authors of all our evils. He also teaches us that it is an evidence of true repentance when we do not make vain excuses, as is commonly done, nor flatter ourselves, but confess that we are guilty.

He now shows that guilt should by no means be diminished, so that our confession may be real and complete. But in this respect, the world trifles with God.

The most wicked are, indeed, ashamed to deny that they are sinners. But since they are forced to make some kind of confession, they do so lightly; and it seems an extorted confession and is therefore superficial, or at least not complete.

But the Prophet here shows that those who seek to be reconciled to God ought not only to acknowledge and confess their guilt in words, but also to open their hearts sincerely. Hence he connects perverseness with sin: as though he had said, “We have not sinned simply or in one way, but we have exasperated God himself; and by sinning in many ways and constantly, we have provoked him against us.”

He says, in short, that access to obtain favor is open to us when we do not murmur against God nor contend with him as though he had dealt severely with us, but when we confess that he has been hard and strict with us, because he had a reason to be so on account of our sins and wickedness. He adds, —