Lamentations

AUTHOR:

Jeremiah

SETTING:

Jerusalem has been destroyed, and the people were either killed or exiled to Babylon

PURPOSE:

To teach people that consistent disobedience to God invites disaster, and to show that God suffers when his people suffer.

The fall of Jerusalem was the culmination of the exile for God’s people. It was a defining event in the Old Testament that shaped how the people of Israel understood themselves and God. The book of Lamentations captures the heartache of the people of Judah as well as Jeremiah’s deep sorrow over the destroyed city. What sprang forth were poems that don’t simply retell the events of the destruction; they relive the experience. Through figurative language, Jeremiah asks God “Why?” and “What now?” These questions pervade his poetic pleas, and they have continued to dot Israel’s landscape to this day.

Rather than articulating an explanation for why God had allowed such devastation, Jeremiah simply grieved. He mourned the loss of not only a holy city but also the identity of his people, his understanding of life, and Israel’s relationship with God. Lament is a part of loss. It is how we name our sorrow and begin to work through it.

SUFFERING AND DISABILITY THEMES

  floral bullet  Sorrow must be faced head-on. Jeremiah dearly loved the city of Jerusalem, but he did not defend her innocence, writing that her tragic destruction was the result of her own weaknesses. Sorrow and sin must always be faced head on. It is this no-nonsense, raw approach that allows hope to grow in the fertile ground left from the ashes of suffering. By being honest with our failings and honest about our sorrow, we allow God to turn our hearts back to him so that he can give us the hope of the renewal he has promised.

  floral bullet  Lament implies trust in God. Jeremiah expressed real anger and “negative” emotions—several poems in this book reflect deep heartache, frustration, and hopelessness. There are those today who believe that even in the face of unspeakable struggles, lamenting indicates a lack of faith in God. On the contrary, lament can be an implicit expression of one’s trust in God. Lament shows our awareness that God cares for us and can change our circumstances. God doesn’t view lament as a critical review of our problems, but as a form of praise offered in anticipation of the ways in which he may yet reveal himself.