Lamentations Bible Study

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Week #1 - Intro and Chapter 1

Prayer - Prayer for Serenity by Reinhold Niebuhr

Hymn - #474 UMH Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Introduction:

Lamentations is a book made up of 5 searing poems on the subject of unspeakable suffering. The poems emerge from a deep wound, a whirlpool of pain, toward which the images, metaphors, and voices of the poetry can only point. Its stinging cries for help, its voices begging God to see, its protests to God who hides behind a cloud - all create space where communal and personal pain can be re-experienced, seen, and perhaps healed.1 The 5 poems are of the genre of “city laments” and are similar to laments from the Mesopotamian region. A city lament owes its original inspiration to the funeral dirge, as it mourns the destruction of a city as if the city were a deceased person.2

Historical Setting:

This book of the Bible is a poetic response to a national tragedy. These poems are most likely written in response to the invasion and collapse of the nation, especially its capital city, Zion, and the destruction of economic and social life of its people. This most likely refers to the Babylonian military assaults on Jerusalem and Judea in the years 597, 587 and finally 582 BCE.

Leading families had been deported and enslaved, the king’s palace, the Temple, and the city walls had been razed. The very long siege of the city had left numerous dead, ill and suffering from famine. The community’s entire theological and symbolic world came crashing down on them like a ton of bricks.

1 Keck, Leander. The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VI. 2001. pg. 1013.

2 Freedman, David. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. 2000. pg. 785.

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Authorship:

Most scholars believe the author was the prophet Jeremiah. He fits into this time frame, having live in the late 7th to early 6th Century. He was a personal eye witness to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Likewise, there is some resemblance between the “speaker” in Lam. 3:52-54 and how Jeremiah portrays his captivity in Jer. 37:11-21 and 38:1-13.

52 My enemies, whom I have never harmed, hunted me down like a bird. 53 They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. 54 The water rose over my head, and I cried out, “This is the end!” 15 They were furious with Jeremiah and had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary. Jonathan’s house had been converted into a prison. 16 Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remained for many days… Instead, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace.

6 So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.

So you can see that these events appear vaguely if not somewhat similar. This on top of the fact that Jeremiah is known at the weeping prophet. Which certainly fits the motif of Lamentations.

Liturgical Usage:

The Jewish community reads the Lamentation scroll on the ninth of Ab. That date commemorates 5 calamities, including thee destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 77. It is read like a public funeral and in fact may be chanted.3

Christians use Lamentations during Holy Week as part of the Tenebrae and Good Friday liturgies. Other than these two uses, Christians mostly ignore Lamentations in public worship, preaching and studies.

3 Ibid. pg. 1016.

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Jerusalem at the time of Jeremiah / Biblical Hebrew Alphabet:

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Form / Structure:

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 acrostic acrostic 22 verses of 3 lines each 22 verses of 3 lines each

Chapter 3 acrostic 66 verses of 1 line each 3 verses per letter

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 acrostic non-acrostic 22 verses of 2 lines each 22 verses of 1 line each

What is an acrostic? It is poetry that in this case begins with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet consecutively. So each first word of each verse begins with the next letter in the alphabet (see figure on previous page).

The Hebrew Bible (Masoretic Text) places Lamentations in the Writings (Ketuvim) which is made up of the poetry, wisdom/philosophy, history and stories. This is the 3rd book of the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. 5 of those books make up what is called the Hamesh Megillot (Five Scrolls). They are Ecclesiastes, Esther, Song of Songs, Ruth and Lamentations. These books are read as part of the 5 calamities memorials mentioned above.

The Christian Bible places Lamentations immediately following Jeremiah due to the understanding that Jeremiah is the author.

Purpose: The poems show no interest in reporting the event so 587/586 BCE, nor is this a narrative. Rather, it seeks to explore the complex cluster of emotions - sorrow, anger, guilt, hope, despair, fear, self-loathing, revenge, compassion, forgiveness, uncertainty, and disorientation which these events have evoked in the poet.

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The Five Poems of Lamentations

No The Comfort Who Will Dimming Survivor’s Heal of the Prayer You? Future

The Strong Man’s Dilemma

For Yahweh Her For must see Me

1st Complaint 2nd Complaint

1:1 1:11 2:1 2:11 2:19 3:1 3:43 4:1 4:11 4:17 4:21 5:1 5:2 5:19

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Lamentations 1 New Living Translation (NLT) She Has No One to Comfort Her! (Vs.s 1-11b) No Comfort Devastation, abandonment, and comfortless-ness of a 1 Jerusalem, once so full of people, woman confront us the readers in the opening poem. is now deserted. She who was once great among the nations Who is she? now sits alone like a widow. She is Daughter Zion, the destroyed city of Jerusalem. Once the queen of all the earth, It is presumably a male narrator (poet) voice that speaks to she is now a slave. us in these verses… with a couple of interruptions. Note how 2 She sobs through the night; he personifies the city… tears stream down her cheeks. Among all her lovers, Vs. 2 - Weeping (sobs) is her first act according the poet. there is no one left to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her When Babylon defeated Judah in 597 and later destroyed and become her enemies. Jerusalem in 587 BCE, they took a portion of the Judeans 3 Judah has been led away into captivity, into exile in Mesopotamia. After that time, there were at least oppressed with cruel slavery. 2 communities of persons named Judeans or Jews. This She lives among foreign nations began the Jewish dispersion, or the Diaspora in Greek. and has no place of rest. Her enemies have chased her down, 20 These things happened because of the Lord’s and she has nowhere to turn. anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he 4 The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning, finally banished them from his presence and sent them for crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals. into exile. (2 Kings 24-25) The city gates are silent, her priests groan, her young women are crying— “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three how bitter is her fate! festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of 5 Her oppressors have become her masters, Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these and her enemies prosper, occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at for the Lord has punished Jerusalem the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the for her many sins. Lord without a gift for him.” (Deut. 16:16) Her children have been captured and taken away to distant lands.

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6 All the majesty of beautiful Jerusalem 8 On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year has been stripped away. of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain Her princes are like starving deer of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in searching for pasture. Jerusalem. 9 He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the They are too weak to run royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed from the pursuing enemy. all the important buildings in the city. 10 Then he supervised 7 In the midst of her sadness and wandering, the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem remembers her ancient splendor. Jerusalem on every side. (2 Kings 25:8-10) But now she has fallen to her enemy, and there is no one to help her. Her enemy struck her down Vs. 8-9, 2 - Nakedness was a severe form of shame in and laughed as she fell. ancient times, especially for women. Thus, her “lovers” 8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly, mentioned in vs. 2 are what brought her shame… Women so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag. were not allowed to have lovers => these were adulterous All who once honored her now despise her, relations. (i.e. Not God, but other gods…) for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated. All she can do is groan 3 These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord’s and hide her face. command. He had decided to banish Judah from his 9 She defiled herself with immorality presence because of the many sins of Manasseh, 4 who and gave no thought to her future. had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. The Lord would Now she lies in the gutter not forgive this. (2 Kings 24:3-4) with no one to lift her out. “Lord, see my misery,” she cries. Vs. 9c - Daughter Zion interrupts the narrator… She bursts “The enemy has triumphed.” out at God, not the narrator. Perhaps because she was so 10 The enemy has plundered her completely, fiercely accused… taking every precious thing she owns. She has seen foreigners violate her sacred 13 As the Lord had said beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar Temple, carried away all the treasures from the Lord’s Temple and the place the Lord had forbidden them to enter. the royal palace. He stripped away all the gold objects that 11 Her people groan as they search for bread. King Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple. (2 Kings They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive. 24:13) “O Lord, look,” she mourns, Here the narration shifts from the narrator…

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“and see how I am despised. No One to Comfort Me: (Vs.s 11c - 22) 12 “Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see if there is any suffering like mine, Vs. 11c - Daughter Zion takes over the narration herself. which the Lord brought on me Although the 2 voices overlap and echo each other, they do when he erupted in fierce anger. not address each other. He speaks to the unknown 13 “He has sent fire from heaven that burns in my bones. audience (us) while she speaks solely (at first) to God He has placed a trap in my path and turned me back. Himself. He has left me devastated, The narrator tells what happened to her, she reports racked with sickness all day long. how it feels. She feels like an abused woman who has no 14 “He wove my sins into ropes self-esteem… to hitch me to a yoke of captivity. Vs. 12ff - Now having heard no response from God, The Lord sapped my strength and turned me over to my she turns to address a third party, a passer by, demanding enemies; they pay attention… How can others regard her suffering so I am helpless in their hands. lightly? (Have you ever asked that question?) 15 “The Lord has treated my mighty men Wesley’s reminder to “duty in a state of with contempt. affliction” (Notes, Lamentations, ❡1). At his command a great army has come to crush my young warriors. The Lord has trampled his beloved city 14 King Nebuchadnezzar took all of Jerusalem captive, like grapes are trampled in a winepress. including all the commanders and the best of the soldiers, 16 “For all these things I weep; craftsmen, and artisans—10,000 in all. Only the poorest tears flow down my cheeks. people were left in the land. (2 Kings 24:14) No one is here to comfort me; any who might encourage me are far away. Vs, 16 - Finally, Daughter Zion breaks down in weeping My children have no future, again, no one will comfort her! for the enemy has conquered us.” 17 Jerusalem reaches out for help, but no one comforts her. Vs. 17 - the poet (narrator) now interrupts Daughter Zion. Regarding his people Israel, Has he taken pity on Daughter Zion finally? Is he finally the Lord has said, moved by her plight? He ends by likening her to a filthy rag! “Let their neighbors be their enemies! Let them be thrown away like a filthy rag!”

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18 “The Lord is right,” Jerusalem says, Vs. 18 - Daughter Zion resumes her lament… and acts as if “for I rebelled against him. she has not heard the poet. She declares that God is right in Listen, people everywhere; His judgement. look upon my anguish and despair, for my sons and daughters 15 Nebuchadnezzar led King Jehoiachin away as a captive have been taken captive to distant lands. to Babylon, along with the queen mother, his wives and 19 “I begged my allies for help, officials, and all Jerusalem’s elite. 16 He also exiled 7,000 of but they betrayed me. the best troops and 1,000 craftsmen and artisans, all of My priests and leaders whom were strong and fit for war. ) starved to death in the city, (2 Kings 24:15-16) even as they searched for food to save their lives. 3 By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the 20 “Lord, see my anguish! famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of My heart is broken the food was entirely gone. (2 Kings 25:3). and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. Vs. 20 - She turns back to the Silent One (God) to continue In the streets the sword kills, her plea. and at home there is only death. 21 “Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me. When my enemies heard about my troubles, they were happy to see what you had done. Oh, bring the day you promised, Vs. 21 - Daughter Zion turns from asking for comfort, to when they will suffer as I have suffered. asking God to bring justice. Again, God does not reply… 22 “Look at all their evil deeds, Lord. Punish them, as you have punished me for all my sins. My groans are many, and I am sick at heart.”

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God’s Mighty Acts: (Vs.s 1-10) Lamentations 2 New Living Translation (NLT) The narrator (poet) once again takes over. Who Will Heal You? 2 :1 The Lord in his anger Does this sound like the God you know? has cast a dark shadow over beautiful Jerusalem. God covers Daughter Zion in a cloud of His divine The fairest of Israel’s cities lies in the dust, anger… thrown down from the heights of heaven. Accusations from chapter 1 that Daughter Zion In his day of great anger, caused her suffering nearly disappear in this poem. It is the Lord has shown no mercy even to his Temple. almost as if Yahweh is out of control in a rage that lacks 2 Without mercy the Lord has destroyed proportionality to anything she may have done! every home in Israel. In his anger he has broken down Again, the narrator views the nations suffering in light the fortress walls of beautiful Jerusalem. of its former glory, but now the agent of reversal and collapse He has brought them to the ground, is unmistakably clear. (God has done this!). dishonoring the kingdom and its rulers. 3 All the strength of Israel The word for destroyed / consumed in Hebrew is bala vanishes beneath his fierce anger. which literally means “swallowed up.” The Lord has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. Vs. 3 - withdrawn his protection… He consumes the whole land of Israel Psalm 5:11 - But let all who take refuge in you like a raging fire. rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your 4 He bends his bow against his people, protection over them, that all who love your name may be as though he were their enemy. filled with joy. His strength is used against them Psalm 7:1 - [ A psalm of David, which he sang to the to kill their finest youth. Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin. ] I come to His fury is poured out like fire you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my on beautiful Jerusalem. persecutors—rescue me! 5 Yes, the Lord has vanquished Israel Proverbs 19:23 - Fear of the Lord leads to life, like an enemy. bringing security and protection from harm. He has destroyed her palaces and demolished her fortresses. This is a very different perspective of God than what we are He has brought unending sorrow and tears used to. Perhaps this is why not many preachers teach or upon beautiful Jerusalem. preach from this text!

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6 He has broken down his Temple This depiction of Yahweh allows the poet to salvage the as though it were merely a garden shelter. prestige of Yahweh - He was not defeated by a “superior” The Lord has blotted out all memory Mesopotamian god. of the holy festivals and Sabbath days. Kings and priests fall together Isaiah 1:11 - “What makes you think I want all your before his fierce anger. sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings 7 The Lord has rejected his own altar; of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from he despises his own sanctuary. the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. He has given Jerusalem’s palaces Jeremiah 6:20 - There’s no use offering me sweet to her enemies. frankincense from Sheba… I will not accept your burnt They shout in the Lord’s Temple offerings. Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.” as though it were a day of celebration. 8 The Lord was determined Vs. 8 - Perhaps most appalling of all - the Lord “determined” to destroy the walls of beautiful Jerusalem. to tear down the city wall… God measured, did not turn He made careful plans for their destruction, from swallowing and caused the structures of the city’s then did what he had planned. defenses to waster away. For our poet, divine premeditation Therefore, the ramparts and walls compounds the horror of the divine attack. have fallen down before him. Did God really destroy the city? No! It sure feels that 9 Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground. way to the poet! But, did He allow it to be destroyed by the He has smashed their locks and bars. Babylonians (removed His protection)? Yes, there are Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands; consequences to our sins! her law has ceased to exist. Her prophets receive Vs. 10 - It was custom in those days to dress in sack cloth no more visions from the Lord. (something akin to burlap), sit in the dust, and heap handfuls 10 The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem of dust over your head when in mourning. sit on the ground in silence. Genesis 37:34 - Then Jacob tore his clothes and They are clothed in burlap dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son and throw dust on their heads. for a long time. The young women of Jerusalem 1 Kings 21:27 - But when Ahab heard this message, hang their heads in shame. he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.

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11 I have cried until the tears no longer come; Who Will Heal You? (vs.s 11-19) my heart is broken. My spirit is poured out in agony The narrator looses his indifferent reporting of what as I see the desperate plight of my people. has happened and finally feels empathy for Daughter Zion. Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. He enters her world of pain and anguish, and it brings 12 They cry out to their mothers, him to tears. He stops talking to her in the 3rd person and “We need food and drink!” directs 3 questions to her. Their lives ebb away in the streets Vs, 13 - like the life of a warrior wounded in battle. What can I say about you? No words can be found to They gasp for life express the devastation felt by Daughter Zion. as they collapse in their mothers’ arms. 13 What can I say about you? To what can I compare your anguish? Who has seen Who has ever seen such sorrow? such sorrow? Is there something comparable to which he O daughter of Jerusalem, can appeal so that her pain will be manageable? to what can I compare your anguish? O virgin daughter of Zion, Who can heal you? The answer is a series of denials how can I comfort you? that healing can occur. For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? Vs. 14 Not the prophets - they did not point out your 14 Your prophets have said sins. They filled you with false hope… (Wha about Isaiah, so many foolish things, false to the core. Jeremiah, Joel, Amos, Hosea…) They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Vs. 15 Not passers by - they only jeers at you, they Instead, they painted false pictures, only mock her…. filling you with false hope. 15 All who pass by jeer at you. Revelation 21:2 - And I saw the holy city, the new They scoff and insult beautiful Jerusalem, saying, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a “Is this the city called ‘Most Beautiful in All the World’ bride beautifully dressed for her husband. and ‘Joy of All the Earth’?” 16 All your enemies mock you. Vs. 16 Not her enemies - they declare that they have They scoff and snarl and say, defeated (swallowed up) Daughter Zion… “We have destroyed her at last!

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We have long waited for this day, Vs. 17 - Not God for He is the One who brought on and it is finally here!” this destruction… How often have we felt as if God has 17 But it is the Lord who did just as he planned. abandoned us, or asked the question - Why did God do this He has fulfilled the promises of disaster to me? Or allow this to happen to me? he made long ago. He has destroyed Jerusalem without mercy. “did just as He planned…” zamam (Hebrew ~ to He has caused her enemies to gloat over her orchestrate, plan, bring about)- “He has fulfilled the and has given them power over her. promises of disaster He made long ago.” 18 Cry aloud before the Lord, Deut. 28:15-68. example - 25 “The Lord will cause O walls of beautiful Jerusalem! you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your Let your tears flow like a river enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in day and night. seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of 20 yourselves no rest; the earth. give your eyes no relief. 19 Rise during the night and cry out. Vs. 18-19 the poet encourages Daughter Zion to cry out to Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. God. Let your cries be unending… pray unceasingly… Lift up your hands to him in prayer, pleading for your children, What do you do when things feel like they are falling for in every street apart? Even when you feel as if God caused it? Our greatest they are faint with hunger. challenge is to focus on the wonders of God and not our own woes!

20 “O Lord, think about this! Look and Consider: (vs 20-22) Should you treat your own people this way? The narrator gives way to Daughter Zion again so that Should mothers eat their own children, she might call upon God to “see” what has happened! those they once bounced on their knees? Her speech is short, because she only has energy for Should priests and prophets be killed a few short words… within the Lord’s Temple? 21 “See them lying in the streets— The atrocities against Daughter Zion’s children are young and old, just too much to take. Unthinkable things have occurred boys and girls, such as - cannibalism, priests killed in the Temple, young killed by the swords of the enemy. and old dying in the streets…

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You have killed them in your anger, This God is neither absent nor short-sighted, but a slaughtering them without mercy. merciless, calculating, and angry destroyer of innocent life. 22 “You have invited terrors from all around, This is the God who invited Daughter Zion’s enemies for a as though you were calling them to a day of feasting. festival on the day of his anger. In the day of the Lord’s anger, no one has escaped or survived. So why would the Holy Spirit inspire such words? Why The enemy has killed all the children would our loving Father want this to be a part of His Holy whom I carried and raised.” Word?

Lamentations 3 New Living Translation (NLT) The Strong Man’s First Complaint (vs.s 1-42) The Strong Man’s Dilemma The Enemy’s Overflowing Rage (vs.s 1-20)

3:1 I am the one who has seen the afflictions The narrator and Daughter Zion voices are now that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger. silenced. Here we find an unknown man…new testimony 2 He has led me into darkness, now breaks out in the voice of a strong man or perhaps a shutting out all light. soldier (geber in Hebrew). This word translates into ~ one 3 He has turned his hand against me who defends women, children, and other non-combatants. again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and flesh grow old. I am the man who has seen… is possibly in direct He has broken my bones. response to Daughter Zion’s request of God to “see” in the 5 He has besieged and surrounded me previous poem. In Hebrew the connotation of “to see” is with anguish and distress. also “to experience.” Thus, this man has first hand 6 He has buried me in a dark place, knowledge of the events of which he speaks. like those long dead. 7 He has walled me in, and I cannot escape. He is the anonymous enemy… this one has He has bound me in heavy chains. surrounded the man, has walled him in with no place to 8 And though I cry and shout, go…He even shuts out the man’s prayers… he has shut out my prayers. “I may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You” - Michael W. Smith. (This is how I fight my battles)

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9 He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; Now that the strong man is surrounded, the attacks he has made my road crooked. commence… 10 He has hidden like a bear or a lion, Like a bear or a lion… torn to pieces… waiting to attack me. shot in the heart with an arrow… his heart is breaking 11 He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces, leaving me helpless and devastated. and then his own people begin to make fun of him. 12 He has drawn his bow This sounds a lot like David’s Psalms. and made me the target for his arrows. Psalm 89:51 - Your enemies have mocked me, O 13 He shot his arrows Lord; they mock your anointed king wherever he goes. (See deep into my heart. also - Psa. 22, 35, 39, and 102. Also Job 17, 21, 30) 14 My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs. bitter cup of sorrow - the idea that God dishes out cups of 15 He has filled me with bitterness wrath or bitterness is used often. and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink. Matt. 20:22 - (Jesus to His disciples) Are you able to 16 He has made me chew on gravel. drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” He has rolled me in the dust. Matthew 26:42 - Then Jesus left them a second time 17 Peace has been stripped away, and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away and I have forgotten what prosperity is. unless I drink it, your will be done.” 18 I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The strong man finally reaches rock bottom when he 19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness declares “Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” is bitter beyond words. And concludes with his statement that he - “would 20 I will never forget this awful time, never forget this awful time…” His mental state is anything as I grieve over my loss. but stable… But, just as suddenly….

21 Yet I still dare to hope Reasons to Expect Mercy (vs.s 21-39) when I remember this: Remembrance once again brings about recognition of 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! God’s mercy and grace. His mercies never cease. vs. 3:23 is probably the most familiar verse in all of 23 Great is his faithfulness; Lamentations. The idea of new fresh mercy each morning is his mercies begin afresh each morning. encouraging and often quoted.

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24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; Ephesians 1:14 - The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will therefore, I will hope in him!” give us the inheritance he promised and that he has 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, purchased us to be his own people. to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly Matthew 11:28-30 - 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of for salvation from the Lord. you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give 27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, to the yoke of his discipline: because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find 28 Let them sit alone in silence rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the beneath the Lord’s demands. burden I give you is light.” 29 Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. Psalm 46:10 - “Be still, and know that I am God! 30 Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies. Matthew 5:38-40 - But I say, do not resist an evil person! If 31 For no one is abandoned someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek by the Lord forever. also. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. 33 For he does not enjoy hurting people ,in Hebrew - loving kindness, unfailing love חֶסֶד - Hesed or causing them sorrow. steadfast love, obligation to the community (of faith). 34 If people crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, 35 if they deprive others of their rights in defiance of the Most High, Matthew 5:45 - In that way, you will be acting as true 36 if they twist justice in the courts— children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight doesn’t the Lord see all these things? to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just 37 Who can command things to happen and the unjust alike. without the Lord’s permission? 38 Does not the Most High Since according to the strong man God controls all things, send both calamity and good? the speaker does not want to blame God for his troubles, 39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain then he surmises that humans must have provoked God by when we are punished for our sins? their sins.

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40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Invitation to Repent (vs. 40-42) Let us turn back to the Lord. The speakers temporary conclusion that humans are 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands at the cause of their own suffering by sin prepares the way to God in heaven and say, for him to turn directly to the audience (us) and to try and 42 “We have sinned and rebelled, draw them into acts of repentance. and you have not forgiven us. But even then his final words are aimed at the Lord for His apparent lack of forgiveness.

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43 “You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, The Strong Man’s Second Complaint (vs.s 43-66) and slaughtered us without mercy. God Has Not Forgiven (vs.s 43-54) 44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud The Strong Man now continues his complaint against so our prayers cannot reach you. God. Now he speaks to the Lord directly in first person 45 You have discarded us as refuse and garbage pronouns. You, You,… among the nations. Likewise, he speaks in first person plurals, as if to 46 “All our enemies expand his own suffering to embrace the suffering of the have spoken out against us. community as a whole. We, us,…(vs.s 43-47) 47 We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.” Advice to submit quietly to the yoke, that no one has 48 Tears stream from my eyes a right to complain, humble calls to lift up hands to God - all because of the destruction of my people! disappear from the Strong Man’s speech. 49 My tears flow endlessly; they will not stop Vs. 48 the man shifts back to first person singular pronouns, 50 until the Lord looks down Me, I, my… so that he might express sorrow at the fate of from heaven and sees. his people. 51 My heart is breaking over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem. This sounds like a roller coaster ride! Or perhaps a Bi- 52 My enemies, whom I have never harmed, polar esq response to what has happened. When hunted me down like a bird. experiencing grief, one also experiences a range of 53 They threw me into a pit emotions. The glory and goodness of God can be found, but and dropped stones on me. they are often surrounded by deep darkness and hidden- 54 The water rose over my head, ness. and I cried out, “This is the end!”

God has Rescued - God Will Rescue (vs.s 55-63) 55 But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. Here the speaker uses perfect verbs which connote 56 You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! completed action. So is he thinking back on another Hear my cry for help!” calamity that God had brought him through? Or is he 57 Yes, you came when I called; referring to this particular event and God has / is brining him you told me, “Do not fear.” through it?

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58 Lord, you have come to my defense; God has seen, has heard, and has taken up the you have redeemed my life. speaker’s case… 59 You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge, and prove me right. Divine “seeing” continues to be the main theme 60 You have seen the vengeful plots throughout all three poems to this point. my enemies have laid against me. 61 Lord, you have heard the vile names they call me. This sounds a lot more like the God we know! You know all about the plans they have made. 62 My enemies whisper and mutter as they plot against me all day long. 63 Look at them! Whether they sit or stand, I am the object of their mocking songs.

64 Pay them back, Lord, Petition for Justice (vs.s 64-66) for all the evil they have done. The poem closes with a petition, typical of the lament 65 Give them hard and stubborn hearts, form, for vengeance, retaliation, and justice… and then let your curse fall on them! Has the poet come to the end of himself? Whatever 66 Chase them down in your anger, the point he is at, it is clear that he has not reached destroying them beneath the Lord’s heavens. theological resolution.

Lamentations 4 New Living Translation (NLT) The Dimming of Everything: (vs.s 1-10) The Dimming of the Future We may consider that sufficient time has elapsed for 4:1 How the gold has lost its luster! the poet for the first shock to wear off, and the poet is now Even the finest gold has become dull. able to bring what had happened to a focus. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets! Gold does not become dim… so we cannot take this as a 2 See how the precious children of Jerusalem, literal statement… the diminishing brightness of gold refers worth their weight in fine gold, to the city’s past glories, now ruined. are now treated like pots of clay God represents the city’s honor and power, its life made by a common potter. and people, and in particular, its children (vs. 2).

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3 Even the jackals feed their young, The poet then compares parents to both jackals and but not my people Israel. ostriches… They ignore their children’s cries, (Jer. 10:22) The towns of Judah will be destroyed and like ostriches in the desert. become a haunt for jackals. 4 The parched tongues of their little ones (Psm. 44:19) Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. desert home. (often a theme in Psalms, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The children cry for bread, and Isaiah) but no one has any to give them. (Job 39:13-18) 13 “The ostrich flaps her wings 5 The people who once ate the richest foods grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork. now beg in the streets for anything they can get. 14 She lays her eggs on top of the earth, letting them be Those who once wore the finest clothes warmed in the dust.” now search the garbage dumps for food. The ostrich was proverbial because of its apparent 6 The guilt of my people neglect of their eggs. Jackals were scavengers… is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment vs. 6 - Guilt of the people is greater than Sodom! Wow! and no hand offered help. (Ezek. 16:46-50) 46 … Your younger sister was 7 Our princes once glowed with health— Sodom, who lived with her daughters in the south. 47 But brighter than snow, whiter than milk. you have not merely sinned as they did. You quickly Their faces were as ruddy as rubies, surpassed them in corruption. 48 As surely as I live, says the their appearance like fine jewels. Sovereign Lord, Sodom and her daughters were never as 8 But now their faces are blacker than soot. wicked as you and your daughters. … 50 She was proud and No one recognizes them in the streets. committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have Their skin sticks to their bones; seen. it is as dry and hard as wood. 9 Those killed by the sword are better off vs, 9 - Those who died by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger. than those who remain to live through what is now Starving, they waste away happening. for lack of food from the fields. vs. 10 - Cannibalism is unthinkable! This may be more 10 Tenderhearted women symbolic than actual, but we cannot know for sure. have cooked their own children. (Deut 28:53) 53 “The siege and terrible distress of the They have eaten them enemy’s attack will be so severe that you will eat the flesh of to survive the siege. your own sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you.

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11 But now the anger of the Lord is satisfied. Why Everything Grows Dull: (vs.s 11-17) His fierce anger has been poured out. This section might also be subtitled as - The sins of He started a fire in Jerusalem the prophets and priests. that burned the city to its foundations. vs. 12-13 The perceived invincibility of Jerusalem has 12 Not a king in all the earth— been over-thrown, and much of the blame goes to the no one in all the world— religious leaders. would have believed that an enemy (Ezek. 22:1-12) 6 “Every leader in Israel who lives could march through the gates of Jerusalem. within your walls is bent on murder. 7 Fathers and mothers 13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for and the sins of her priests, protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and who defiled the city oppressed among you. 8 You despise my holy things and by shedding innocent blood. violate my Sabbath days of rest. 9 People accuse others 14 They wandered blindly falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol through the streets, worshipers and people who do obscene things. 10 Men so defiled by blood sleep with their fathers’ wives and force themselves on that no one dared touch them. women who are menstruating. 11 Within your walls live men 15 “Get away!” the people shouted at them. who commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives, who defile “You’re defiled! Don’t touch us!” their daughters-in-law, or who rape their own sisters. So they fled to distant lands 12 There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and and wandered among foreign nations, extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and but none would let them stay. my commands, says the Sovereign Lord. 16 The Lord himself has scattered them, and he no longer helps them. Word of warning here for the modern church - the People show no respect for the priests fate of the people rest with the religious leadership! and no longer honor the leaders. (James 3:1) - Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.

17 We looked in vain for our allies The Retelling of the Attack: (vs.s 17-20) to come and save us, Suddenly, the speaker begins using 1st person plural but we were looking to nations forms. The community replaces him as speaker… that could not help us.

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18 We couldn’t go into the streets For the first time we get to hear the community of without danger to our lives. survivors account of their experience of the invasion. Our end was near; our days were numbered. We were doomed! These 4 short verses depict their unrealized hope for 19 Our enemies were swifter than eagles in flight. help, their expectation of death, the terror of the attack and If we fled to the mountains, they found us. the devastation loss of their king. If we hid in the wilderness, Not even the king (God’s anointed one) could save they were waiting for us there. them… 20 Our king—the Lord’s anointed, the very life of our nation (2 Kings 24:17) 17 Then the king of Babylon installed — was caught in their snares. Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, as the next king, and he We had thought that his shadow changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah. would protect us against any nation on earth! So the truth of the matter is that this was not God’s anointed one, but instead a vassal king set up by their enemies.

21 Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz, The Future Reversal: (vs.s 17-20) O people of Edom? Land of Uz - Interestingly enough, this is the home But you, too, must drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger. land of Job. It is believed to be located between Edom and You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness. northern Arabia. 22 O beautiful Jerusalem, your punishment will end; Why Edom and not Babylon? you will soon return from exile. Edom ~ descendants of Esau - often antagonistic But Edom, your punishment is just beginning; enemies (if not vassal state) of Judah. soon your many sins will be exposed. (Isaiah 34) - Isaiah sees Edom as an enemy… 8 For it is the day of the Lord’s revenge, the year when Edom will be paid back for all it did to Israel. 9 The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire. 10 This judgment on Edom will never end; the smoke of its burning will rise forever… Edom was accused of aiding Babylon, and refusing to help Judeans trying to escape the onslaught.

The Herod’s were of Idumean (Edomite) descent.

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Appeal to Yahweh to Look and See (vs. 1) Lamentations 5 New Living Translation (NLT) This poem is not an acrostic. And now the communal The Survivor’s Prayer voice takes over completely. Again, the theme of “see” is 5:1 Lord, remember what has happened to us. paramount. Now the only One who is the recipient of these See how we have been disgraced! verses is Yahweh Himself.

What Yahweh Must See (vs. 2-18) 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, The meat of the poem, the people tell God what to our homes to foreigners. look at… what God should see, should attend to. should 3 We are orphaned and fatherless. witness… Our mothers are widowed. Again, they do not retell the story as in the 4th poem. 4 We have to pay for water to drink, Once more they describe the physical, social, emotional, and and even firewood is expensive. spiritual conditions of survivors in an occupied land. 5 Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted but are given no rest. vs. 3 - Orphans and widows - remember one of the 6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria sins of the people was their lack of concern for orphans and to get enough food to survive. widows. Now they are them! 7 Our ancestors sinned, but they have died— Isaiah 10:2 - They deprive the poor of justice and and we are suffering the punishment they deserved! deny the rights of the needy among my people. They prey on 8 Slaves have now become our masters; widows and take advantage of orphans. there is no one left to rescue us. 9 We hunt for food at the risk of our lives, vs. 6 - Judah has looked to foreign nations rather than for violence rules the countryside. Yahweh! Remember the “lovers” of earlier poems. 10 The famine has blackened our skin as though baked in an oven. vs. 7 - There doesn’t seem to be any repentance in 11 Our enemies rape the women in Jerusalem these verses! They simply blame earlier generations. and the young girls in all the towns of Judah. 12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, Life in the occupied land threatens human survival at and our elders are treated with contempt. every turn… rape, hunt for food, princes hung, treated with 13 Young men are led away to work at millstones, contempt, hard labor, etc… and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood. 14 The elders no longer sit in the city gates; There is a numbness about this poem! Where are the the young men no longer dance and sing. tears? Where is the moaning? It is not!

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15 Joy has left our hearts; Their eyes are dim because they have no hope, no our dancing has turned to mourning. future to set upon. They cannot see ahead, because God 16 The garlands have fallen from our heads. does not see their plight now. Weep for us because we have sinned. 17 Our hearts are sick and weary, From this place, they make one last desperate plea to and our eyes grow dim with tears. Yahweh… 18 For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals.

A Qualified Plea for Restoration (vs. 19-22) 19 But Lord, you remain the same forever! Abruptly, the people confess the reign of God that Your throne continues from generation to generation. goes forever and ever. 20 Why do you continue to forget us? Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, Why have you abandoned us for so long? today, and forever. 21 Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! Even this thought seems not to bring them comfort! 22 Or have you utterly rejected us? They hurl two poignant questions heavenward… Are you angry with us still? Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you abandoned us for so long?

Restore us… the Hebrew here (sub) literally means ~ return us to You that we may return.

The people recognize their powerlessness and incapacity before the divine ruler. (Sound familiar?)

The restoration of their relationship with God seems to be in grave danger, grave doubt. Thus, the final 2 questions to God…

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So what have we learned? Why is this particular book part of the Canon of the Bible? Why would the Holy Spirit inspire such writings?

1. God never answers any of His accusers in these poems! The people seem to be left just as desolate as Daughter Zion in the first poems.

2. Why? If God were to give an answer… a “happy ending” as it were; then it would cheapen the suffering, foreshorten the exploration of tragedy, and deny the depth of human experience of pain.

3. This book of the Bible offers no answers. It plunges into pain beyond words and finds words to explore realities humans prefer to deny!

4. Lamentations articulates a theology of absence and abandonment the tis almost contemporary in its longing and emptiness. In the language of the Christian mystics, it portrays “the dark night of the soul” of a whole people.

5. Think upon some modern day examples of what Lamentations declares: The Holocaust, the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the genocide of Rwanda, the Twin Tower attacks, etc…

6. This book serves to crush false images, smashes sugary / syrupy pictures, and destroys narrow theologies of prosperity gospel, etc…

7. This gathering of poems build a sacred space where suffering is seen, acknowledged, borne witness to. And that may comfort enough.

8. The simple fact is that the people of Israel - with few exceptions - had so failed to grasp God’s revelation that an experience parallel to the bondage of Egypt and a new Exodus were needed to prepare Israel for the appearance of her Messiah and the world’s Savior.

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