Lenten Study Lamentations Ch 1
Let’s start this commentary with the definition of the word that is the title of this book. I will grab two definitions from two places because they add information to our discussion, first from the American Heritage Dictionary at wordnik.com, which you can find HERE.
"Michelangelo, Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, detail of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, 1508-12" by Prof. Mortel is marked with CC BY 2.0.
Lamentations
Plural form of lamentation
lăm″ən-tā′shən
noun
1. The act of lamenting.
2. A lament.
3. The act of bewailing; expression of sorrow; a mournful outcry.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
The second definition comes from Dictionary.com, which can be found HERE.
Lamentations
læmɛnˈteɪʃənz
noun (functioning as singular)
1. a book of the Old Testament, traditionally ascribed to the prophet Jeremiah, lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem
2. a musical setting of these poems
If you would like to read a summary of the Book of Lamentations, you can find a good one at Biblehub.com, found HERE.
1 How lonely sits the city That was full of people! She has become like a widow Who was once great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces Has become a forced laborer!
Lamentations 1:1 (NASB)
The opening of this book of the Bible is exactly what the book’s title suggests, a sorrowful reflection on recent events. To make matters worse, the prophet Jeremiah predicted this would happen. Then, he got to watch it happen. Now, he is looking back on all that he has seen. Imagine knowing something is going to happen, trying to warn people it will happen, and then being powerless to stop it from happening. That is the state of mind Jeremiah is in when he writes this book, and we can see that in his opening statement.
2 She weeps bitterly in the night And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her Among all her lovers. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.
Lamentations 1:2 (NASB)
People love the city they live in. We can see that reflected in the people who follow sports teams named after their cities, the people who work on the infrastructure that makes a city run, and people who serve and protect those in their city via public services. All those people are gone now for Jerusalem, the city Jeremiah is writing about.
3 Judah has gone into exile under affliction And under harsh servitude; She dwells among the nations, But she has found no rest; All her pursuers have overtaken her In the midst of distress.
Lamentations 1:3 (NASB)
The Babylonians have conquered all of Israel and Judah. Those who served God have been taken captive and removed. Where they had the freedom to build their lives, tend their lands, and expand their families, now they expend their efforts to serve their conquerors in Babylon. We will see the reasons for this before we complete this book of the Bible.
4 The roads of Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her virgins are afflicted, And she herself is bitter.
Lamentations 1:4 (NASB)
Zion refers to and always has been referred to as the homeland of the Jewish people. It is located where Israel is located today but hasn’t always existed there. For a time, that land was not inhabited by the Jewish people. This, too, was by design. We will see more on that as we read on.
5 Her adversaries have become her masters, Her enemies prosper; For the LORD has caused her grief Because of the multitude of her transgressions; Her little ones have gone away As captives before the adversary.
Lamentations 1:5 (NASB)
The fall of Israel is a historical event that is not in dispute. Some debate when it occurred, but most conclude it happened somewhere around 730-720 B.C. There is quite a bit of information on the web concerning the fall of Israel at this time. If you have a study Bible, you can find more information there. Jeremiah tells us that everyone who sought after Israel as an enemy succeeded and did whatever they wanted to the Jews at this time. He also tells us why; the people did not obey God and adhere to His ways. Their children were taken away as captives of those same enemies. Imagine for a moment that you, as a parent, have been told by someone (Jeremiah) what you’re doing is against God and will draw His punishment. Then, your children are carried off after a great war, siege, and conquering army ravages your city. In that light, I think the title of this book is a little light-handed.
6 All her majesty Has departed from the daughter of Zion; Her princes have become like deer That have found no pasture; And they have fled without strength Before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem remembers all her precious things That were from the days of old, When her people fell into the hand of the adversary And no one helped her. The adversaries saw her, They mocked at her ruin.
Lamentations 1:6-7 (NASB)
There are some parallels we can draw here between what is happening to Jerusalem and what happened to Job. In both cases, it was assumed the bad events were coming from God as punishment for some misdeed(s). In Job’s case, we know that wasn’t the case, but in the case of the people of Jerusalem, it is the case. As those people lived through the fall of the city, I wonder if they had any introspection or self-awareness to realize their lifestyle, actions, and disobedience to God’s ways were the cause? Did they repent? From this section, we can see Jeremiah telling us they reflected on the good days gone by, but I wonder if they understood why those were good days?
8 Jerusalem sinned greatly, Therefore she has become an unclean thing. All who honored her despise her Because they have seen her nakedness; Even she herself groans and turns away.
Lamentations 1:8 (NASB)
A scriptural reference to “…seen her nakedness…” refers to secret things being revealed. In this case, all the atrocities committed by the Jewish people have been shown the light of day. As the invading armies marched through the lands, their infractions against God were made manifest. Those armies weren’t doing this consciously. They weren’t soldiers of God out to find people violating His principles. They were secular kingdoms conquering a neighbor because they could for various reasons. Revealing the wickedness, the ungodly behavior of those supposed to be following His ways, is a simple byproduct of that invasion.
9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts; She did not consider her future. Therefore she has fallen astonishingly; She has no comforter. “See, O LORD, my affliction, For the enemy has magnified himself!”
Lamentations 1:9 (NASB)
This is a just punishment from God for the people’s actions. Those who did the actions fall to the sword, and those who stood by permitting the wickedness to suffer the same fate. The events are indiscriminate between those who took action and those who permitted it. Not to act or say something is on its own an action.
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand Over all her precious things, For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, The ones whom You commanded That they should not enter into Your congregation.
11 All her people groan seeking bread; They have given their precious things for food To restore their lives themselves. “See, O LORD, and look, For I am despised.”
Lamentations 1:10-11 (NASB)
Nothing is held sacred. It is a total defeat. Everything from the old regime is destroyed. Yes, there are people left behind, but they are the old, and those who have no beneficial skills the conquerors can conscript for their benefit. Consider being in the people who remain. All the prime skills necessary for a comfortable, good, easier life are gone. Everyone you relied upon to do things you could not do yourself are gone. If you can’t do it now, you don’t get whatever is turned out by that skill. If that means food, you starve. If that means repair on your house’s roof, you get wet. If that means swinging an ax to cut wood to stay warm in the winter, you freeze.
12 “Is it nothing to all you who pass this way? Look and see if there is any pain like my pain Which was severely dealt out to me, Which the LORD inflicted on the day of His fierce anger.
Lamentations 1:12 (NASB)
No one wants to come to the aid of the Israelites at this point. They do not want to draw the attention of the conquerors who might turn on them next, or worse; God might be angered at someone interfering with His punishment. This is a very dark time for those who survive the siege of Jerusalem and are left behind when Babylonian armies move on.
13 “From on high He sent fire into my bones, And it prevailed over them. He has spread a net for my feet; He has turned me back; He has made me desolate, Faint all day long.
14 “The yoke of my transgressions is bound; By His hand they are knit together. They have come upon my neck; He has made my strength fail. The Lord has given me into the hands Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The Lord has rejected all my strong men In my midst; He has called an appointed time against me To crush my young men; The Lord has trodden as in a wine press The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I weep; My eyes run down with water; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul. My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed.”
Lamentations 1:13-16 (NASB)
The collapse of Jerusalem is as complete as the destruction of Job’s life. The prophet Jeremiah documents this. He knows this is a just punishment from God because God gave that message to Jeremiah to tell to Israel, and they ignored him. I wonder how many people at this point, after the fall of Jerusalem, came to understand the message Jeremiah had for them both before and after that terrible portion of time?
17 Zion stretches out her hands; There is no one to comfort her; The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob That the ones round about him should be his adversaries; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
Lamentations 1:17 (NASB)
Zion and the Jewish people are one, while the reference to Jacob is a reference to Israel as Jacob is considered the father of the nation and was renamed Israel to recognize that fact, among other things. Everything about the city and the people became an abomination to the Lord, and He acted accordingly, moving the hearts of Israel’s allies to leave her to her fate.
18 “The LORD is righteous; For I have rebelled against His command; Hear now, all peoples, And behold my pain; My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.
Lamentations 1:18 (NASB)
Jeremiah flat out states God is right in His punishment of Jerusalem.
19 “I called to my lovers, but they deceived me; My priests and my elders perished in the city While they sought food to restore their strength themselves.
20 “See, O LORD, for I am in distress; My spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is overturned within me, For I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword slays; In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I groan; There is no one to comfort me; All my enemies have heard of my calamity; They are glad that You have done it. Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed, That they may become like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You; And deal with them as You have dealt with me For all my transgressions; For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Lamentations 1:19-22 (NASB)
Jeremiah personifies the city of Jerusalem as a woman betrayed by those around her. In this case, it is the people who inhabited the city who betrayed the city. The lament Jeremiah closes this chapter with is from the city, hoping those who take pleasure in her fall will suffer the same fate because they are just as wicked and evil as the people living inside her walls were. We, today, can take a warning from this first chapter. The warning we should heed is to examine ourselves and see where we might be straying from God’s ways? Where we find deviation, we should make personal corrections. Where we see a deviation in others, we should not stand idly by and allow open wickedness to flourish.
This is not a call to be judgmental. This is a call to examine the character of those we support, associate with, and work for. Where we find those people lacking, if we love them, we try to help them discover a more excellent way. If we do not love them, we should shake the dust off our feet and move away from them. Some of this will be harder than other portions of it, but to allow wickedness to continue in the city in which we live is to invite the same fate as Jerusalem suffered so long ago. That is a condition I do not wish upon anyone.