Lamentations Simplified

Title & Author

In the Hebrew Bible, the Book is Called “How”

It is Taken from the First Word of the Book

The Author is Anonymous

Traditionally Jeremiah has Been Called the Author

But the Book Doesn’t Give Us an Author, So it’s Best Not to Be Dogmatic On Who it May Be

Context

Lamentations Describes the Results of the Babylonian Invasion and Destruction of Jerusalem

The Book Describes this Event in History in Vivid Details

The Author of this Book was Likely an Eyewitness Who Personally Experienced this Horrible Event

Purpose

It is Reflecting Back On the Siege, Fall, and Exile of Jerusalem/Judah

A Memorial to the Pain and Confusion the Israelites Felt After this Tragic Event in Their History

These Poems are Doing Several Things:

They are Protesting the Wickedness of the World

They are a Way of Processing the Emotions that Sin Causes

They are Voicing Confusion on Why These Things Have Happened

Literary Form

Chapters 1-4 are Acrostic Poems (Each Line Starts with a Different Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet)

In Chapters 1, 2, and 4, Each Verse Consists of 3 Lines

And the First Line of Each Verse Begins with a Letter of the Alphabet

In Chapter 3, Each Verse Consists of 1 Line

And Every 3 Verses/Lines Begin with a Letter of the Alphabet

First 3 Verses/Lines Begin with A

Next 3 Verses/Lines Begin with B…and So On

Chapter 5 Has 22 Verses, But Isn’t in Acrostic Form

It’s as if the Author Couldn’t Hold it Together Anymore

The Entire Book is Also has a Chiastic Structure

Chiasm = A Literary Device in Which a Sequence of Ideas are Presented and Then Repeated in Reverse Order

A-B-B-A

“When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going.”

“Those Who Fail to Prepare are Preparing to Fail.”

Mark 2:27 (NASB)

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Matthew 23:12 (NASB)

“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

There are Many Chiasms Like this in the Bible

Some Chiasms are Short and Some of Them Can Be Very Long

Some Can Have a Structure of A-B-C-B-A or A-B-C-C-B-A

The Most Important Point About a Chiasm is:

The Middle Section is the Main Point

We Misunderstand Many Passages in the Bible Because We Read Them the Wrong Way

We are Used to Writings Building Up to a Final Conclusion Where the Main Point is at the End

But in a Chiasm, the Main Point is in the Middle

Matthew 6:24 (NASB)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

A - No one can serve two masters

B - for either he will hate the one

C - and love the other,

C - or he will be devoted to one

B’ - and despise the other.

A’ - You cannot serve God and wealth.

The Main Point of the Passage is Not:

“You Can’t Serve 2 Masters!”

The Main Point of the Passage is:

“You Can’t Love 2 Masters!”

There are Many Christians Who Serve God, But They Don’t Love Him

God Wants Our Hearts/Love and Then Our Obedience

Obedience Follows Love

Genesis 11

A - Whole Earth Has One Language (v.1)

B - People Gather in One Place (v.2)

C - “Come, Let Us Make Bricks (v.3)

D - “Let’s Make a Name for Ourselves (v.4)

X - God Comes Down to Investigate (v.5)

D’ - “They’re Making a Name for Themselves” (v.6)

C’ - “Come, Let Us Confuse” (v.7)

B’ - God Disperses the People (v.8)

A’ - Whole Earth has Confused Languages (v.9)

The Greatest Accomplishment that Man Could Ever Do Together was So Small that God had to “Come Down” from Heaven Just to See it

And When God Gets Involved, Everything Changes/Reverses

Isaiah 1:21-26

A - Faithful City is Now Unfaithful (v.21)

B - The City is Now Unjust (v.21)

C - Your Silver is Now Rubbish (v.22)

D - There is No Justice (v.23)

X - Thus Says YHWH (v.24)

D’ - I Will Avenge Injustice (v.24)

C’ - I Will Destroy Your Rubbish (v.25)

B’ - I Will Restore Justice (v.26)

A’ - You Will Again Be a Faithful City (v.26)

Main Point - When God Speaks, Everything Changes

When God Gets Involved, Everything Changes

I Believe Lamentations as an Entire Book is a Chiasm

A - Zion is Desolate and Devastated (1:1-11)

B - Zion was Betrayed and Defeated (1:12-22)

C - God has Caused This in His Anger (2:1-8)

D - Princes, Maidens, Nurselings, Children, and Mothers Suffer (2:9-12)

E - Zion Should Cry Out to God (2:13-22)

F - God Has Afflicted Me (3:1-20)

G - There is Hope in God’s Mercy (3:21-32)

F’ - God Afflicts Humans (3:33-39)

E’ - God, to You I Cry Out (3:40-66)

D’ - Princes, Maidens, Nurselings, Children, and Mothers Suffer (4:1-10)

C’ - God Has Caused This in His Anger (4:11-16)

B’ - The People of Zion Were Betrayed and Defeated (4:17-22)

A’ - The People of Zion are Desolate and Devastated (5:1-22)

The Main Point of the Book is:

Even in Such Tragedy and Devastation, We Can Still Have Hope Because God is a Merciful God

Outline

The Lonely Widowed City of Jerusalem (1:1–22)

A Description of the City’s Destruction (1:1–11)

The City’s Plea for Compassion (1:12–17)

The City’s Confession of Sin (1:18–20)

An Appeal for Punishment of Jerusalem’s Enemies (1:21–22)

God’s Judgment on the City (2:1–22)

God’s Wrath Expressed in Jerusalem’s Destruction (2:1–9)

The Suffering of the People (2:10–13)

Misleading Advice of False Prophets (2:14)

Ridicule by the Enemies (2:15–17)

An Anguished Appeal to God (2:18–22)

Hope of Relief Through Loving-Kindness (3:1–66)

An Individual’s Description of the Suffering (3:1–20)

God’s Past Mercies as the Basis for Future Hope (3:21–39)

An Appeal for God’s Mercy (3:40–51)

An Appeal for Deliverance and a Call for Vengeance (3:52–66)

Sorrows of the People Resulting from the Siege (4:1–22)

Remembrances of Better Days (4:1–11)

The Sins of Prophets and Priests (4:12–16)

A Vain Search for Help (4:17–20)

Edom’s Coming Punishment (4:21–22)

A Prayer for Mercy and Deliverance (5:1–22)

The Affliction and Suffering of the People (5:1–13)

The Loss of Joy and Hope (5:14–18)

An Appeal for the Lord’s Restored Favor (5:19–22)

Key Themes

The Overall Theme of the Book is Lamentation/Grief/Sorrow Over the Destruction of Jerusalem

But Another Major Theme is Hope in God’s Mercy and Compassion

Read Lamentations

Chapter 1

All About the Widowed City of Jerusalem

Chapter 2

All About the Fall of Jerusalem and God’s Wrath Against Israel’s Sins

Chapter 3

It is of a Man Who Represents the People of Israel Crying Out to God

The Man Recognizes that God is Consistent with His Wrath, Therefore He will Be Consistent with His Grace, Mercy, and Restoration

Chapter 4

It is About the Siege of Jerusalem

It Compares Life Before the Siege to Life After the Siege

Chapter 5

It is About a Communal Prayer for God to Look On Their Suffering and Rescue Them

They Recognize God’s Sovereignty, But They Also Feel Like God is Nowhere to Be Found

Why We Need Lamentations

Contemporary applications that can be made from the Book of Lamentations include the following: (1) the wickedness of any people will eventually result in the disintegration of that society; (2) we should never take God’s past blessings as assurance that they will continue when we continue in sin; (3) our nation and our churches are subject to God’s judgment when they are no longer faithful; (4) God fulfills his word; (5) though many solutions for human suffering have been proposed, ultimately the only satisfactory way to deal with it is through deep and abiding faith in God in spite of the circumstances.

God is patient and compassionate, not willing that any should perish (2 Pet 3:9; 1 Tim 2:4); but when all warnings are ignored, nothing remains but his judgment. We should never presume upon God’s mercy and compassion. The Book of Lamentations contains the implied warning that sometimes it is too late to weep and repent; nonetheless, God is always faithful (3:23).

Few things contrast religious and humanistic traditions more than their respective responses to suffering. The humanist sees suffering as a bare, impersonal event without ultimate meaning or purpose. For believers, suffering is a personal problem because they believe that all events of history are under the hand of a personal God. And if that is true, then how can God’s love and justice be reconciled with our pain?

Lamentations gives no easy answers to this question, but it helps us meet God in the midst of our suffering and teaches us the language of prayer. Instead of offering a set of techniques, easy answers, or inspiring slogans for facing pain and grief, Lamentations supplies: (1) an orientation, (2) a voice for working through grief from “A” to “Z,” (3) instruction on how and what to pray, and (4) a focal point on the faithfulness of God and the affirmation that he alone is our portion.

Jesus In Lamentations

Lamentations is About How Lament, Prayer, and Grief are a Crucial Part of the Life of God’s People in this Fallen World

events lamentations

1. Siege of Jerusalem 2:20–22; 3:5, 7

2. Famine in the city 1:11, 19; 2:11–12, 19–20; 4:4–5, 9–10; 5:9–10

3. Flight of the Judean army 1:3, 6; 2:2; 4:19–20

4. Burning of the temple, etc. 2:3–5; 4:11; 5:18

5. Breaching of the city walls 2:7–9

6. Exile of the people 1:1, 4–5, 18; 2:9, 14; 3:2, 19; 4:22; 5:2

7. Looting of the temple 1:10; 2:6–7

8. Execution of the leaders 1:15; 2:2, 20

9. Vassal status of Judah 1:1; 5:8–9

10. Collapse of foreign help 4:17; 5:6