DATE: ca. 586 B.C.
The term Lamentations is from a Greek verb meaning “to cry aloud.” Crying aloud accurately describes this book, which consists of five melancholy poems of mourning over the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians.
A consensus of Jewish tradition attributes authorship of this book to the prophet Jeremiah. A superscription to this book in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) and Vulgate (Latin Bible) reads in part, “Jeremiah sat weeping and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem.” Additionally, there are many similarities between the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations and Jeremiah is connected with this type of literature in 2 Chronicles 35:25.
From 588 to 586 B.C., the Babylonian army besieged Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1-10). Judah’s ally, Egypt, had been defeated, and Jeremiah’s repeated warnings to the Jews had been rejected. As Babylon’s stranglehold on Jerusalem tightened, people were starving, yet they continued to turn to idols for help. Finally, the walls were breached, the city secured and plundered, the Temple, palace, and other buildings burned, and prisoners deported to Babylon. Having witnessed these horrible events, Jeremiah composed these laments.
The book consists of five poems, one for each chapter, the first four being written as acrostics (each verse beginning with a word whose first letter is successively one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet–except in chap. 3 where three verses are allotted to each letter). These four chapters are also written in what is called “limping meter,” a cadence used in funeral dirges, and thus most appropriate for this lament over the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Jews read this book publicly every year on the ninth day of the month of Ab (about mid-July) in commemoration of the destructions of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (by the Babylonians) and in A.D. 70 (by the Romans). Roman Catholics use it during the last three days of Holy Week. The concern of the book reminds one of Jesus’ burden over Jerusalem (Matt. 23:37-38). The best-known verses in the book are undoubtedly Jer 1:12a and Jer 3:22-23.
OUTLINE OF LAMENTATIONS
I. The Desolation of Jerusalem, 1:1-22
A. The Barrenness of the City, 1:1-11
B. The Anguish of the City, 1:12-22
II. The Destruction of Jerusalem, 2:1-22
A. The Lord’s Judgment, 2:1-10
B. The Author’s Lament, 2:11-22
III. The Distraught Prophet, 3:1-66
A. His Lament, 3:1-18
B. His Hope, 3:19-42
C. His Suffering, 3:43-54
D. His Prayer, 3:55-66
IV. The Defeated People of Jerusalem, 4:1-22
A. The Siege of the City, 4:1-12
B. The Reasons for the Siege, 4:13-20
C. The Hope for the Future, 4:21-22
V. The Prayer for the People, 5:1-22
A. Confession, 5:1-18
B. Petition, 5:19-22
Do not be anxious about anything. (Phil 4:6)
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must rightly remember who is in control. Our God is sovereign over all things, including COVID-19. As Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) said, “The sovereignty of God is a soft pillow on which weary people lay their heads.”
Remember also God’s gracious promise, and that it is true and He is faithful to keep it: Hebrews 13:5 …”I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” The next verse remind us of the power that comes in trusting God and how we can live: Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man [or COVID-19] shall do to me.
God loves us, and in Christ we find confidence and calm in times of uncertainty and trouble. When we trust in God, fear is replaced with faith, stress is replaced with strength, anxiety is gone and hope abounds, problems become opportunities, and we are able to receive the blessings God has for us in the midst of difficult circumstances. Turn to Jesus. He will lead you to the still waters and give rest for your troubled soul.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…Hebrews 6:19
Be Ready Always...
to give a reason for the Hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15). When you can’t share the gospel with your words, share it by leaving tracts that tell people about God's grace.
When leaving a tract, always be diligent to pray about the short gospel message. Pray that it be found by someone who is in need of Jesus’ saving grace, and pray that the person will have a tender heart and open ears to receive the gift Jesus desires to give them.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, even a small tract can help in turning a broken sinner from darkness to light.
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