Lamentations 4

Defilement

How dark the gold has become,

How the pure gold has changed!

The sacred stones are spilled out

At the corner of every street.

Lamentations 4:1 (NASB)

The poet describes Israel as precious gold which has now become dull and defiled. His words create a somber picture of what is beautiful becoming ugly and what is treasured becoming garbage. For the people of Israel, this language would have struck at their hearts, for the gold and precious stones which the poet is referring to belonged to the temple.

The temple was supposed to be the place in which God’s real presence resided. Essentially, it was God’s house, a place for the Almighty to dwell among His people. The gold and precious stones belonged to God, and as such, were viewed as sacred. This was not any ordinary jewelry.

But now the sacred gold and gemstones have been thrown out into the streets to be covered in mud. What was once beautiful and precious is now worthless, only existing to be trampled on.

This is how the poet feels about the people of Israel.

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. They belonged to God, and because they belonged to God, they were precious and beautiful. Israel was to be a holy people, set apart for God Himself. But because of their sin, they have been defiled. Because of their sin, the relationship between the Israelites and God has been broken. The people who once were set apart as holy are now being trampled into the mud.

Sin has the power to defile and tarnish what we love. We grieve broken relationships, and when a relationship has been broken, the places and things which we associate with that relationship can become tarnished as well. Everyone knows what it is like for a place that used to bring joy to only bring sorrow because it reminds them of the broken relationship. Pictures, clothing, even homes, can cause bitter tastes in our mouths when they are so attached to someone we no longer have in our life (or who has caused great pain in our life).

What once was beautiful and joyous now brings only painful memories.

Sin defiles what is good. That’s why God wants to address it. God does not want sin to continue to tarnish the good world He has made. God’s judgment may be painful, but like a purifying fire, God’s judgment is designed to destroy the source of what is defiling the goodness in this world and in us.

When painful memories come to mind, remember God’s mission of redemption. When you encounter something or someone you used to love, but now only causes heartache, remember the joy found in Christ. He is making all things new.

Here are some thoughts to dwell on:

What in your life has become “defiled?” How have you mourned that which has been tarnished?

How do broken relationships cause a ripple effect of pain?

Have you seen relationships restored? How were they healed?

Christ, in taking on our sin, took our defilement. Christ took our dirt and made us beautiful again. He has restored the relationship between us and our God, and we know that we will be preserved to see the New Heavens and New Earth where nothing will be defiled again.

This life we live now can be filled with brokenness, but Christ is making us new and beautiful again.