Lamentations Overview Author: Anonymous Date: Earliest 586 B.C. Latest 516 B.C. Title: Hebrew is ‘ekah whiCh literally means “How…!” History: Following the Captivity of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24-25, 586 B.C.) Literary Structure: Poetic. Chapters 1-4 ACrostic using Hebrew Alphabet. Chapters 1, 2, 4 contain 22 verses, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Chapter 3 has three verses for every letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. This tells the reader that even though the laments Contain passionate thoughts, they are Careful and purposefully plaCed together. Outline: I. Jerusalmer’s Misery and Desolation (Chapter 1) II. The Lord’s Anger against His People (Chapter 2) III. Judah’s Complaint – and Basis for Consolation (Chapter 3) IV. The Contrast Between Zion’s Past and Present (Chapter 4) V. Judah’s Appeal to the Lord for Forgiveness and Restoration (Chapter 5) Lamentations’ ordered struCture is in Contrast with the disorder of pain. The Book of Lamentations is trying to express something that is inexpressible. In the midst of the greatest pain lies Confusion that Cannot, many times, be put into words. There are three purposes for these laments: Form of Protest, ProCessing of Emotion, and VoiCing Confusion. CHAPTER 1 The Devastation of Jerusalem is personified in a widow – Daughter of Zion. This chapter brings to light the emotional and psyChologiCal pain as in an experienCe of a funeral. Daughter of Zion is grieving for her loss. She is desCribed with vivid images: - (vs. 2) Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are upon her cheeks. - (vs. 5) Her foes have beCome her masters; her enemies are at ease. - (vs. 6) Her princes are like deer that find no pasture. - (vs. 7) Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruCtion. - (vs. 8) All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away. - (vs. 9) Her filthiness clung to her skirts. At the end of the Chapter Daughter of Zion is asking for God’s judgment to also Come upon her enemies (vs. 21-22) CHAPTER 2 This Chapter desCribes the Wrath of God against Jerusalem. The fall of Jerusalem is desCribed as a breaking of Covenant. God made his Covenant with Israel. Israel broke their end of the covenant. Therefore, the wrath of God that is poured out on Jerusalem not in volatile anger, but it shows God’s justiCe. Isaiah 55:3-5 gives a piCture of what God desired for Israel to be, “Give ear and Come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting Covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and Commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” God desired for other nations to be drawn to him through what they saw through his Chosen people. Instead, the people of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord and worshipped other gods. God’s righteous anger burned against the nation who had forsaken him. God is slow to anger but will judge human evil. God’s wrath is justified. The poet is asking for God’s judgment against Israel to end, “People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to Comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoiCe at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announCed so they may beCome like me. Let all their wiCkedness Come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me beCause of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint. (vs. 21-22)” CHAPTER 3 The poet uses the image of one man to represent the whole of Israel. More imagery is seen with references such as: - (vs. 2) driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light - (vs. 4) He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. - (vs. 7) walled me in so I Cannot esCape - (vs. 9) barred my way with bloCks of stone - (vs. 10-11) Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. - (vs. 12) drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. - (vs. 16) broken my teeth with gravel The poet makes a Clear statement in vs. 18, “So I say, ‘My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.’” Then in vs. 21-23, “Yet this I Call to mind and therefore I have hope: BeCause of the Lord’s great love we are not Consumed, for his Compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” If God is consistent enough to bring his justiCe on evil; he is also Consistent enough to keep his Covenant promise of not allowing evil to get the final word. “For men are not Cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show Compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliCtion or grief to the Children of men. (vs. 31-33)” CHAPTER 4 The Siege of Jerusalem happened in 586 B.C. The poet in this Chapter uses Contrast to shoCk his readers by Comparing the before and after image of Jerusalem. - Fine gold beCome dull and lost its luster - SaCred gems sCattered - Once ate delicacies now destitute in the streets CHAPTER 5 This Chapter breaks the Hebrew alphabet aCrostiC with an explosion of grief again. A Communal prayer for God’s merCy is expressed through the twenty verses. Intertwined in this prayer is a list of those who have been devastated from the fall of the City. These include: princes, elders, young men, mothers, and virgins. The Book of Lamentations ends with this paradox: “You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejeCted us and are angry with us beyond measure. (vs. 19-22)” Week 1 Bottom Line: There is true hope when placed in God Song: You are My Hope by Skillet Game: Deathball Materials: Chairs Ball Make a CirCle of Chairs for eaCh player, minus one. Students sit in Chairs, one player in the middle of the CirCle is it. One student in the circle holds the ball and throws it to another player in the circle. The player in the middle’s goal is to either tag the person who has the ball or CatCh the ball when it’s thrown to another player. If either of those attempts are suCCessful, then the player in the middle switChes with the player in the CirCle. When starting a round, players Cannot throw the ball to the person direCtly next to them. If the ball doesn’t touCh a player in the CirCle when thrown to them, they Cannot get up and get the ball. The only person Chasing the ball should be the person in the Circle who touched it last and the person in the center. ConneCt the Dots from Game to Lesson: Have you ever felt hopeless? Was there a time when you were the person in the middle of the circle and you felt like there was no way you were ever going to get the ball no matter how hard you tried? Lesson: Movie Clip: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope PrinCess Leia, “Help Obi Won Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” Boy did Leia have it wrong. In her fantasy world she thought that Obi Won could save her loved ones and herself from the Evil Empire. Little did she know that the only one who Can save us from evil is God. Have you ever put all your hope in a friend and they have let you down? Have you ever put your hope in your parents and they have let you down? Have you ever fallen through a floor or fallen out of a broken Chair or…(Gather some good stories!)? In the Case of the Israelites, they thought for sure that God had let them down. God allowed destruCtion to Come upon them beCause he had warned them and warned them to turn away from their false gods to follow him. He made a Covenant with Israel. Israel broke their end by Chasing foolishness. Israel found themselves in this never ending CyCle with God where they would turn away from God and do their own thing. Then went things when wrong they would Cry out to God again. The same thing would happen over and over. (Take a look at 2 Kings 24-25 for the destruCtion of the Cities and the temple) Have you ever felt as if you are feeling so muCh emotional pain that you Cannot express it in words? The people of Israel understood this same emotional anguish. Israel and Judah had been Conquered by foreign nations. People had been abused and Carried off to slavery. The temple had been destroyed. Everything had been taken from them. Lamentations is the Cry of Israel. Throughout the five Chapters of Lamentations there is great emotional Confusion trying to be expressed for three purposes: A Form of Protest: We do not like what is happening.