THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS
 

Lamentations, called ‘ekhah (“alas”) in Hebrew, after its initial word, commemorates the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC. It is the Bible’s primary literature of destruction and became the paradigm for later Jewish literature of destruction. Lamentations is a form of mourning for a destruction that was to become a linchpin in Jewish history and religious thought. Lamentations eternalizes the destruction, thereby helping to make it a central event in the Jewish memory.

The five chapters are five separate poems, each with a distinctive tone and theme. All of the poems accept the biblical theology that the disaster is God’s punishment for Israel’s sins. The Babylonians are never mentioned by name. It is God who is responsible for the destruction. There is never any doubt about God’s power, and it is this power, and also His mercy, that the poet calls on for help in their present plight.

The recitation of Lamentations takes place on Tish’ah be’av, the 9^th of Av (July or August), which commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, 586 BC and 70 AD, and around which the commemoration of other Jewish destructions and catastrophes have happened. When reading the prophets we should always try to understand them in their historical (that time), personal (our lives), and prophetic (future) context.

CHAPTER ONE: JERUSALEM IN MOURNING, WITH NO ONE TO COMFORT HER

1.1-11 The city is described as a woman widowed, abandoned, and shamed.
1.1-3 Alas! The city sits alone. Once a princess among the nations, now weeping in great sorrow. All her allies have betrayed her, Judah has now gone into exile and harsh oppression. These verses point out that her idolatry and pursuit of allies, rather than her husband, the Lord, have left her desolate. Her oppression recalls her harsh treatment by the Egyptians long ago.

1.4-6 Once busy streets are now empty of pilgrims to the Temple, for the Temple is destroyed and the people are gone. The Lord has afflicted her for her sins. Gone from Zion is all joy.

1.7-11 Now only sorrow and woe with none to help her. Again the sin of the people is acknowledged. Her uncleanness indicates her ritual impurity. The Temple has been violated as a woman is sexually violated. The people sigh as they look for something to eat. They have sold all their treasures, just to find something to eat.

1.12-22 Jerusalem calls out for sympathy. The imagery of war--fire and nets--explains God’s actions against Judah. The yoke of submission is used to show the sins of the people. Like wine in a winepress the blood has been squeezed out of them. With no comforter, their mourning cannot be completed. The Lord is in the right, because they have disobeyed Him. The people admit they were wrong. The enemy is no more righteous than they are and also deserves punishment.

Imagine America defeated by her enemies. We have to forage for food, we have no electric service, no TV. There are no sports to watch. We go to our ruined homes and weep, there is martial law and curfew. Our life of ease is now over it is very painful. During the day we bargain for food and at night just lay around depressed. Life as we know it is over. Our enemies from Iran, Russian, and China mock us. We are prisoners in our own country as our enemies now have occupied our country. Hard to image isn’t it? That is what it would be like.

We have a tendency to overlook the Old Testament prophets and water down their content. Why would God give us so many books relating to destruction and suffering? He is a God of Love is He not? We like to emphasize the love side of God and ignore His angry side. Surely this word is not for us today. God would never do this to us, we have Jesus.

Jesus Himself spoke of difficult days in Matthew 24. What God is telling us in these books is that He hates sin and cannot tolerate it in His church. He is telling us that we need to take our walk with Him seriously and to obey His commandments. We all have a tendency today to live our faith in a casual fun loving way. There is a time for fun and God does not deny us that, but we have spent so much time trying to make Christianity appeal to everyone that we have watered down the message and allowed all sorts of “idolatry” into the church.

Many churches incorporate new age philosophy and pagan customs into the church as they try to make it appeal to the masses. You can’t take new age and pagan rituals, put the name of Jesus on it, and expect the Holy Spirit to be part of that. God wants us to come out of that. We are to be a peculiar people, a people unto the Lord. Our worship should reflect the instruction we find in the Bible, not the customs of the world. There is way too much entertainment, rock and roll, and new age philosophy in our assemblies. So, much that it is near impossible to hear the true voice of the Lord. He who has ears to hear and eyes to see will understand.

Even though this is harsh, God does love us and deals with each of us in a very personal way. The Lord allows us to experience difficulties in our personal lives so that He can transform us into His image. We spend much of our time trying to escape His dealings with us. If we can learn to yield to His wisdom we will develop a deep relationship with Him. Only then do we really begin to understand His great love towards us. Then we can minister to others in love.

The other thing to remember is that all of the terrible things that happened to Israel and Judah were because of disobedience to God. They refused to walk in His ways. They sinned out rightly and arrogantly. They were, therefore, judged harshly. We do not have to experience such harsh judgment if we love Him and walk according to His commands. We are not destined for wrath, but to obtain salvation. (1 Thess 5.9) Wrath comes upon the children of disobedience. (Colossians 3.6) The Book of Revelation reveals what is coming to those who refuse to repent and turn towards the Lord. We are not exempt from the persecution of man, only the wrath of God, if we walk in His ways.

When sinful men and women repent God immediately shows mercy and compassion on them. If we are walking with the Lord then we will be prepared to instruct repentant people in the way in which God desires them to walk. The question is: Are we prepared? That is what these books of the prophets are saying to us today. They are harsh and use colorful language, but the Lord is telling us that we have a great inheritance and a serious work to perform. Let’s get to it!

CHAPTER TWO: THE DETAILS OF HOW GOD DESTROYED JUDAH

2.1-22 In chapter one the tone was one of despair and mourning, now the tone is angry. God is depicted as an angry enemy who destroyed Jerusalem with violent force.
2.1-9 God has made the Temple like an abomination. This is because idolatry was an abomination and they were worshipping the sun, sacrificing their children, and practicing fornication in their religious rites. The “horn of Israel” all it’s might and power has been consumed. There are no more feasts and festivals, rather the enemy has raised a shout of exultation over them! God is measuring the wall of the city, not to build, but to destroy it. The king is in captivity and the prophets have nothing to say.

2.10-19 The survivors bewail their suffering. The elders are devastated and wail. Children cry and ask their mothers for food. The prophet weeps at what he sees. The people are denounced for listening to the false prophets who told them they were living righteously, rather than expose their sins to them. They could have been restored if they would have repented, but they preferred to listen to the deception. All their enemies hiss and sneer at them now. They have waited for a long time to see this day!

2.20-22 The prophet calls out for divine compassion. Mothers are eating their children things are so terrible! Days are spent burying the dead. There is no sanctuary.

Imagine America’s large cities in ruins like the pictures of Germany after World War Two. Imagine trying to get your life back to normal. There is the smell of death all around. You weep all day because you know that this was brought on by the nation’s sin. You wish you could go back and right all the wrongs you did--but it is too late. The enemy who is occupying the land is harsh and shows little pity. Clean up will take years and then what? The future seems bleak with no hope. You just want to get through the day and fall on your bed or wherever it is you sleep. As you fall asleep you stomach growls with hunger.

CHAPTER THREE: INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE LAMENTS

3.1-66 Reflection is mixed with lament; hope alternates with despair. A Job-like individual crying out to God in his suffering, trying to provoke a response from God. The male voice represents a survivor, perhaps going into exile. He may also be thought of as the collective voice of the people.
3.1-9 The man laments on God’s personal dealings with him. The rod of the Lord has tried him. He feels walled in and weighed down with chains, his prayers go unanswered. Have you ever felt this way? What was the end result? It should be a better relationship with the Lord and a deeper understanding of His ways.

3.10-20 He continues to share how God is dealing with him. He has been shot with arrows, people laugh at him and mock him (for his faith), he has forgotten what happiness is. This is a man under the dealings of God. This is us going to work and dealing with a miserable co-worker, a lousy boss. God puts you in that position to work something out of you, and then, back into you. It is miserable to experience, but if we persevere and understand what is happening to us, God will impart Himself into us!

3.21-24 This man understands what is happening to him. He has hope because he understands God is transforming him into a new creature, he is putting on the new man. (Col 3.10) This man is walking in the spirit as an overcomer. God’s grace is sufficient.

3.25-39 The Lord is good to those who trust Him. Wait (bear with it) patiently for the Lord to work out in your life what He desires. Understand that each of us must go through certain things alone. Sitting alone in the Lord’s chastisement of love. (Hebrews 12.6) Putting your mouth to the dust is accepting discipline. Accept suffering, for a time, with patient trust. God afflicts only in response to human misconduct. In other words, the Lord is molding us into His image through our trials.

3.40-48 We are exhorted to let the Lord search and examine us. Lift up your heart, confess your rebellion so that you can be healed. At times we feel abandoned and just want to turn away and do what we want to do. The Lord is reaching out His hands in love and beseeching us to trust in Him. He will cleanse us from our sin. We know this in our mind, but we need to understand it in our hearts. Weeping takes place at night, but joy comes in the morning! Psalm 30.5

3.49-66 His eyes flow with tears, he feels overwhelmed by the situation. He cries out to God, and is told not to fear! He is hanging on--soon he will be made new. He cries out for God to deal with his adversaries. By asking God to pursue his enemies he is calling for God to reestablish justice in the world and in his personal life.

Have you been experiencing things you don’t understand in your life? Have you been saying, “Why me, Lord, don’t they understand?” Are you struggling with family, job, friends, feelings of hurt, despair, no one understanding you? Hallelujah! God is doing great things in your life--call out to Him and let Him work. You are being tried like gold in the fire!

CHAPTER FOUR: THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM4.1-10 The prophet contrasts between former grandeur and wretched present. Gold and gems are cast away as worthless objects. This symbolizes how the people of Jerusalem now feel. They are compared to jackals, the vilest of scavenger animals, and ostriches which are known for neglect of their young. Children are starving and are too weak to cry. Jerusalem’s slow agony in the siege is worse than the sudden destruction of Sodom, a quick death would be preferable. It is so bad that mothers cook their children for food!

4.11-16 Their misery is divine chastisement. Fire has burned the city. Even foreign kings are shocked that God would let Jerusalem’s enemies conquer them so brutally. Prophets and priests are singled out for blame for not being righteous and misleading the people. They are now shunned like lepers. The Lord has turned His back in sorrow and cannot look.

4.17-22 Jerusalem’s allies (Egypt) cannot help them. The Lord’s anointed, the kings and princes, cannot help as the nation has lost her independence. Her enemies are told to exult while they can--they too will be judged for their iniquity. A final word of encouragement to Israel in the last verse.

This chapter symbolizes how a sinful life destroys us. Man rebels and does want he wants, refusing to obey God’s laws. The end result is misery--and even then many are too hardened to repent! How many times have you met this type of person? We reap what we sow. The Book of Revelation constantly repeats that men refused to repent no matter how bad things got. God would prefer we repent, but divine justice must prevail. There is a point of no return for the unrepentant. Judgment begins at the house of God--get with God and repent now alone with Him.

CHAPTER FIVE: AN APPEAL TO GOD TO TAKE NOTE OF THEIR SUFFERINGS5.1-18 The institutions of society have been broken down. Families lack the head of the house, inheritances are lost, the elite are no more, economic deprivation is widespread, so is violence in the streets. Rebelliousness against God brings only calamity. There is no music in the land, only hard work and toil. Woe to us that we have sinned! The remnant are now repenting.

5.19-22 The people recognize the Lord and praise Him. They ask to not be forgotten, but plead for the Lord to take them back and renew them as days of old. The last verse says, “truly you have forgotten us,” and is a plea to be remembered. It is Jewish custom when reading Lamentations to repeat verse 21 after 22 in order to have a positive ending.

Of course the Lord will forgive and restore. A remnant always emerges. What we often fail to realize when we talk about the remnant is that the remnant usually has gone through difficult times because they were disobeying God. They had to go through suffering in order to be cleansed of their sin. The remnant become purified after they learn their lessons well. The remnant is always a small residue of believers who have experienced difficulties before they come out shining.

Next: God's Righteous Judgments