Jeremiah's Laments

INTRO

The book of Lamentations is the recording of a prophet who was lamenting over what happened to Judah and Jerusalem. It’s a collection of five laments. This little book is not particularly exciting and can even feel depressing, but when you study through it, it can help you find hope in difficult times. I promise you that someone who is listening to this will or has already gone through a tough period of time. This study can bring you hope! Our phrase for Christ in the book of Lamentations is My Portion (Lamentations 3:22–24). My Portion is how we get through difficult times.

MacArthur explains, “Lamentations, which conveys the idea of ‘loud cries,’ was derived from a translation of the title as found in the Latin Vulgate and the Septuagint. The Hebrew exclamation ‘How!’ (which expresses ‘dismay’; 1:1; 2:1; 4:1) gives the book its Hebrew title. However, the rabbis began to call the book ‘loud cries’ or ‘lamentations’ early on (Jeremiah 7:29).”¹ Lamentations is the only book in the Bible that has only laments, and “this distressful dirge, mark[ed] the funeral of the once- beautiful city of Jerusalem (2:15).”² The book shows the heart of Jeremiah the prophet and “keeps alive the memory of that city’s fall (586 BC) and teaches all believers how to deal with suffering.”³

Authorship of Lamentations is not claimed within the book, “but there are internal and historical indications that it was Jeremiah.”⁴ For example Jeremiah 7:29 pictures Jeremiah lamenting, and 2 Chronicles 35:25 states Jeremiah wrote laments for King Josiah. Jeremiah proclaimed the prophecies about the fall of Jerusalem and was there to see the destruction of Jerusalem as well—he had an eye-witness account. MacArthur explains, “It was mid-July when the city fell and mid-August when the temple was burned. Likely, Jeremiah saw the destruction of the walls, towers, homes, palace, and temple; he wrote while the event remained painfully fresh in his memory, but before his forced departure to Egypt c. 583 BC. (Jeremiah 43:1–7).”⁵

Jeremiah’s voice is heard when the specific language used in the book of Jeremiah and the book of Lamentations are compared (Lamentations 1:2 with Jeremiah 30:14; Lamentations 1:15 with Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 1:6; 2:11 with Jeremiah 9:1,18; Lamentations 2:22 with Jeremiah 6:25; Lamentations 4:21 with Jeremiah 49:12).⁶

Why was the book of Lamentations written? According to MacArthur “The prophetic seeds of Jerusalem’s destruction had already been sown through Joshua, 800 years earlier (Joshua 23:15-16). Now for over 40 years, Jeremiah had prophesied of coming judgment and been scorned by the people for preaching doom (645–605 BC).”⁷

The coming destruction of Jerusalem was recorded four times in the Old Testament: 2 Kings 25; Jeremiah 39:1–11; Jeremiah 52; and 2 Chronicles 36:11–21. The book of Lamentations was included by the Jews in the Megilloth, which contains five sacred scrolls (Ruth, Esther, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations) read on special days of remembrance. MacArthur points out, “Lamentations is read on the ninth of Ab (July/August) to remember the date of Jerusalem’s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. Interestingly this same date later marked the destruction of Herod’s temple by the Romans in AD 70.”⁸ When Jeremiah saw the prophetic word coming to fulfillment, he wept with “sorrow and great compassion toward his suffering and obstinate people.”⁹ It was important the Jews not forget about the destruction of Jerusalem because of their sin.

The themes in the book include: “God’s judgment in response to Judah’s sin . . . hope [is] found in God’s compassion . .

. God’s sovereign judgment . . . the sweeping judgment seemed to be the end of every hope for Israel’s salvation and the fulfillment of God’s promises . . . [and] Jeremiah’s tears compare with Jesus’ weeping over the city of Jerusalem.”¹⁰ Both Jeremiah and Jesus wept over the city that God has plans for. To this day we still have not seen the city of Jerusalem fully restored. Ryken explains, “The five poems that make up the book are communal [national] rather than personal laments.”¹¹

TEACHING

Lamentations 1:1-11: The first 11 verses were personal for Jeremiah. He lamented over Jerusalem, “a widow,” “a princess,” and a slave. She wept at night with no comfort—no lovers or friends. She had been betrayed even by her friends (possibly referring to the pagan nations) (vv. 1–2). Judah had been exiled to Babylon and into slavery. The widow/princess/ slave had no rest (v. 3). Even the roads going to Jerusalem mourned because there were no more festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles) (v. 4). Verse 5 shows a heartbreaking picture—even the children were gone. There was no hope for the future of the city. Jerusalem was judged and punished for her transgressions (vv. 6–8). “Her nakedness” refers to the fact that her transgressions had been completely exposed to the world. Constable states, “Jerusalem had embarrassed herself; her sins and vices had come to the light.”¹² Jerusalem had never considered the consequences (“her end”) of their transgressions (v. 9). The enemy had taken everything, even entering her sanctuary (v. 10). Everyone left in Jerusalem was starving with no food (v. 11).

Lamentations 1:12–22: Jeremiah’s lament took on a corporate nature as he expressed what Jerusalem could see as it looked outward. MacArthur describes verse 12 as “the pathetic appeal of Jerusalem for some compassion even from strangers!”¹³ Jerusalem described the viciousness of her suffering with the images of “fire,” “a net,” “a yoke,” “an army,” “crush my young warriors,” and “trampled . . . like grapes” (vv. 13–15). The city of Jerusalem wept—she had no comfort and no one left to keep the city alive (vv. 16–17). Yet the city acknowledged she had rebelled against God and there was no one left to stand with her (vv. 18–22). This is why the book of Lamentations is so important to the Jews. They must be reminded of the consequences of rebelling against God.

CLOSING

This is very real situation. The only way to get to this point is through rebellion against God. And the only way to get past this point is to acknowledge that rebellion before God and return to Him. We’ll see this in Lamentations 3. God is My Portion and will carry us through.