Lamentations - Outline

. . . great is your faithfulness, O Lord, unto me. When suffering comes to us, let us take our eyes off ourselves and look to the Lord and to His faithfulness (see Hebrews 12:1–3). He is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). He is faithful to sympathize with us and help us in our time of need (Hebrews 2:17–18; 4:14–16). He is faithful to deliver us from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). And He is faithful to keep us from falling (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Jude 24–25). Surely we can commit ourselves to such a faithful God (1 Peter 4:19).

1–8 In this lament, the author carries on from where he left off in the second lament; here he further describes the plight of Jerusalem’s people. In verse 1, he speaks of gold and gems, which symbolize God’s chosen people, His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5); but the “gold” has lost its luster and the “gems” are scattered. The precious sons of Zion are now but pots of clay (verse 2). The people have become heartless (verse 3): even jackals feed their young, but the women of Jerusalem are eating their young! (verse 10). Even those nurtured in purple (the nobility) lie on ash heaps like everyone else (verse 5); the princes of Jerusalem have become black and shriveled (verses 7–8). Jerusalem’s punishment has been greater than that of Sodom (verse 6); Sodom’s destruction was over in a moment (see Genesis 19:24–25), while Jerusalem’s suffering has lasted through a lengthy siege.

9–10 The author states that those killed by the sword are better off than those dying of famine (verse 9). What could be worse than a mother being forced to eat her own children! (see Jeremiah 19:9; Lamentations 2:20).

11–16 The leaders, the prophets and priests, deserve special blame for Jerusalem’s plight, because they shed . . . the blood of the righteous¹⁷ (verse 13). Now they will receive special punishment: they will be treated as unclean, because they have defiled themselves with the blood they have shed (verses 14–15).

17–20 The people of Jerusalem had looked in vain for help; they had put their hope in some nation that could save them from the Babylonians, but there was no such nation (verse 17). They had put their trust in nations like EGYPT, but they should have trusted in God alone. They even trusted in Zedekiah their king, the LORD’s anointed (verse 20), but he himself was caught in Babylon’s traps¹⁸ (see 2 Kings 25:4–7). Part of God’s reason for destroying Jerusalem was to teach the survivors that He alone was to be the object of their trust.

21–22 These last two verses concern Edom, the nation immediately to the south of Judah (see Jeremiah 49:7–22); Edom had rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem (see Psalm 137:7). So the author tells Edom to do its rejoicing now, because soon its turn will come to drink the cup of God’s wrath (verse 21). Judah’s punishment, meanwhile, soon will end (verse 22).

1–18 In these verses, the author describes the situation in Jerusalem some time after the city’s fall. Judah—the people’s inheritance—is now occupied by foreigners (Babylonians), just as Israel (the northern kingdom) had been occupied by foreigners over a century earlier. As a result of Judah’s destruction by Babylon, the people are now reduced to poverty and serfdom; low–ranking Babylonian officials—“slaves” of Nebuchadnezzar—rule over the Jews (verse 8). Young men toil at the millstone doing the work of women; boys are forced to do the work of slaves (verse 13). Indeed, the crown—the glory of being God’s covenant people—has fallen from their heads (verse 16).

This entire description of life in Judah following the fall is the very opposite of what life under the COVENANT was supposed to be (see Leviticus 26:3–13). Because of the people’s disobedience, they had forfeited the blessings of the covenant and received instead the punishment for their disobedience (Leviticus 26:14–39).

In verse 7, the author says: our fathers sinned . . . and we bear their punishment. He doesn’t mean that the present survivors bear no responsibility for this terrible punishment; they too have sinned (verse 16). Rather, he means that the survivors must bear the effects of the punishment given for the sins of earlier generations (see Jeremiah 31:29–30 and comment).

In verse 1, the author prays: Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. In the Bible, when the Lord “remembers,” He also acts. This last lament is really a prayer that the Lord might act on behalf of His suffering people.

19–22 This lament ends with the affirmation that the Lord is indeed King, King of all nations and Ruler of the universe (verse 19). Then, in verse 21, the author offers this important prayer: Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return. Here, as elsewhere, the word “return” means to repent and turn back to the Lord. But before that is possible, the Lord must first “restore” us (see Jeremiah 31:18). God initiates; we respond. God’s GRACE touches us, and we turn in repentance. Humans don’t repent all by themselves; God’s enabling grace is necessary. This great truth is a fore shadowing of the New Testament doctrine of regeneration. Unbelievers start out dead in transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Before they can repent, they must be made . . . alive (Ephesians 2:4–5). This is why the author of Lamentations says: Restore us . . . that we may return. This is a prayer God is always ready to answer.¹⁹

¹ People usually don’t know the value of their blessings until they have lost them.

² There had been much religious activity in Jerusalem and Judah before the Babylonians invaded, but it had been external only and not from the heart. One result of God’s judgment on the city was to put an end to this false religion.

³ Many people believe that “freedom” means being able to do whatever they please—even sinning. They don’t realize that such behavior leads not to freedom but to bondage—to a yoke being placed on their necks. The yoke of sin is heavy, but the yoke of Jesus is easy, because He takes away the burden of our sin (Matthew 11:28–30).

⁴ Trampling grapes in the winepress is a metaphor signifying God’s judgment (see Isaiah 63:2–3).

⁵ Christ has called us to forgive our personal enemies (Matthew 5:43–44; 6:12,14–15). But when it comes to those who oppose God, we are expected to pray for the accomplishment of that which God has spoken in His word. In every case, our prayers must be in agreement with God’s word.

⁶ In verse 8, the author says that when the Lord destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, He stretched out a measuring line; that is, He destroyed the walls deliberately and precisely.

⁷ Jerusalem is also called the Daughter of Zion (verse 1) and the Daughter of Judah (verse 5).

⁸ For further discussion of these two aspects of God—His righteous judgment and His fatherly love—see Exodus 34:4–7 and comment. For further discussion on the subject of testing and discipline, see Exodus 15:25–27 and comment.

⁹ Some Bible scholars believe that the speaker in this third lament is Jerusalem personified. The problem with this view is that the pronouns are masculine; elsewhere in the Bible, the personifications of cities and nations are always feminine. It is best to interpret these verses as the words of an individual Israelite and attempt, as readers, to put ourselves in his place. His complaint describes afflictions similar to those experienced by many people, and his observations in verses 1933 have brought hope and comfort to millions of believers down to this very day.

¹⁰ God’s great love and faithfulness are two of His most important attributes. Because of His love He established His covenant with Israel, and because of His faithfulness He will never break that covenant—even though His people break it!

¹¹ In verse 22, the author says: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed. The purpose of God’s judgment is to consume the dross and refine what remains (Proverbs 25:4; 1 Peter 1:6–7). Because of the people’s sins, they all deserved to be consumed; but because of God’s great love, a remnant of Israel was spared.

¹² Discipline, rightly accepted, produces spiritual maturity. It’s much better, obviously, to gain this maturity when one is young.

¹³ For further discussion on the subject of testing and discipline, see Exodus 15:25–27 and comment; Word List: Discipline.

¹⁴ God’s punishment for our sins is sure to be less than we deserve; therefore, we must not complain but rather accept our punishment, for it is intended for our good.

¹⁵ For further discussion on the subject of praying against one’s enemies, see Psalms 3:7; 10:15; 109:6–20 and comments.

¹⁶ For further discussion on the subject of suffering and affliction, see Job: Introduction; Psalms 22:1–2; 44:9–22 and comments.

¹⁷ In verse 13, the author states that the prophets and priests have shed . . . blood. This doesn’t mean they have actually wielded swords and killed people; rather, it means they have unjustly deprived people of their livelihood and thereby shortened their lives. This is equivalent to shedding blood (see Ezekiel 22:1–12).

¹⁸ The people no doubt remembered God’s promise to David that his throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16). But this promise was contingent on the obedience of David’s descendants who sat upon that throne. The promise would be fulfilled in the future by the Messiah, Jesus Christ (see 2 Samuel 7:12–17 and comment).

¹⁹ In verse 22, the author wonders if God has utterly rejected the people. Anyone who prays to be restored to God can never be “utterly rejected.” The utterly rejected person doesn’t want to be restored to God, because he himself has rejected God and hardened his heart against Him.