In 154 verses Jeremiah pours out a heartfelt, tear-stained lament over the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of God’s people into Babylonian captivity. For some 40 years Jeremiah had prophesied of the coming judgment of God through Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian kingdom (Jer. 1-29). Interestingly, Jeremiah refers to Babylon some 150 times in Jeremiah 20-52; but it is not mentioned in Lamentations. Jeremiah emphasizes God as the one who dealt with the sins of Judah (Lam. 2:17).
In this brief overview of the book, I would like to choose a passage from each chapter and prayerfully present truths from each chapter. Before beginning the chapter analysis, please consider a broad topic that I believe permeates the entire book – The faithfulness of God! Going back some 800 years, Joshua spoke prophetic words which sadly came to pass (cf. Josh. 23:15-16). The tearful lament of Jeremiah records God’s faithfulness to His word and to the punishment of His people. As we turn our attention to the book of Lamentations notice these chapter points.
CHAPTER 1
GOD IS FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE OR CARE. A personified city (Jerusalem) asks a haunting question in 1:12. The text reads, “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which has been brought on me, which the Lord has inflicted on me in the day of His fierce anger.” Apparently, some who passed by and saw the city failed to grasp the magnitude of what had been lost. The once magnificent city was now lonely, widowed, weeping bitterly and could find no rest (1:1-3). Further, considering Lamentations 2:15 there appears to be a sense of rejoicing by some at the plight which had befallen once magnificent Jerusalem. Why has this great calamity come upon Jerusalem and Judah? The answer – because of a multitude of transgressions and sinning grievously (1:5, 8). Jerusalem and Judah forgot that “the Lord is righteous” (1:18) and would not allow their sin and rebellion to continue.
CHAPTER 2
GOD IS FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN HE IS ANGRY. The anger of God is described in various terms, while the images of those terms paint an unthinkable picture of God’s punishment. The book of Hebrews reminds us, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Jeremiah lived to see the horrors brought upon Jerusalem, because of their sinfulness. Consider, the image Jeremiah presents concerning God found in 2:4-5. It is hard to imagine God being an enemy, with bow in hand ready to pour out His fury, increasing mourning and lamentation in Judah, but that is exactly what happened. God was angry with His disobedient people (cf. Ps. 7:11) and God fulfilled His purpose and His word in punishing Judah. God is faithful even in His anger.
CHAPTER 3
GOD IS FAITHFUL IN ASTONISHING PROPORTIONS. As an eyewitness of Judah’s punishment Jeremiah would struggle and experience many emotions. He would feel personally attacked by God and would suffer from waves of despair. Perhaps a summary verse of all Jeremiah felt is verse 18 which reads, “And I said, my strength and my hope have perished from the Lord.” On occasion we can fall into the same mindset as Jeremiah. Sometimes life is tough; circumstances and events cause us to feel as though God has abandoned us and oh how we need to “remember”– “Your (God’s) faithfulness endures to all generations…” (Ps. 119:90). Like Jeremiah we need to sit alone, remain quiet and submit willingly to God and then we’ll realize – there is hope (v. 28-30). No matter how far one may go away from God, it only takes one step to return. Why? Hear Jeremiah, “through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, Therefore I hope in Him” (3:22-24). In unfathomable degrees God continues to show His loving kindness, compassion and faithfulness to us and each day we ought to be reminded and grateful for His love.
CHAPTER 4
GOD IS FAITHFUL WHEN MEN ARE NOT. People will disappoint us. People will lead us astray, some unintentionally and some on purpose. The prophets of Jeremiah’s day had seen and told the people false and deceptive visions (2:14) further, the sins and iniquities of the priests and prophets had led to the shedding of the blood of the just (4:13). However, unlike men, God is always wanting and providing for men what is best for them. Before leaving this section please take note of 4:1-2, “How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street. The precious sons of Zion, valuable as fine gold, how they are regarded as clay pots, the work of the hand of the potter.” Sin changes things from a human stand point, but God remains faithful (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13).
CHAPTER 5
GOD IS FAITHFUL TO RESTORE. The fall of Judah and Jerusalem was of epic proportions. The mighty Nation had been taken captive and forced into servitude all because of sin. However, that is not the end of the story. Seventy years would pass and then God’s people would be allowed to return home (cf. Jer. 29:10; Ezra 1). All of this is possible because God is a restoring God. Jeremiah’s plea for restoration (5:21) is echoing the truthfulness of God’s word in Jeremiah 29:14 where God promises to restore the Nation to their land. God is a restoring God because He is a welcoming God (Luke 15:11ff), we ought to be thankful.
CONCLUSION
The book of Lamentations is both sad and encouraging. It is sad because of the sinfulness of Judah that led to their captivity in Babylon. But, it is encouraging because we are reminded of the faithfulness of God. How thankful we should be for our loving God (1 Cor. 1:9).
Carl McCan