Theme: The LORD rules over all generations; trust him even when suffering is prolonged

But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you….They shall besiege you in all your towns…And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you… – Deuteronomy 28:15, 52-53

…we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:9-11

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1:2-4

How is the punishment of Jerusalem greater than the punishment of Sodom? (4:6)
A comparison is made in terms of the length of the curse. The judgement on Sodom was instant whereas the judgement on Jerusalem is drawn out so that it included starvation (see 4:9).