Lamentations
Ronald B Allen
"Lamentations is one of the most highly crafted of all biblical books, the Hebrew poetry developed in a complex acrostic pattern. It seems as though the very crafting of the poem was an outworking of his [Jeremiah's] grief, as a grieving mother might fashion a collage of pictures of her deceased child." --Ronald B. Allen, A Shelter in the Fury, p. 72
November 13, 2023
Zorek Richards
The book of Lamentations is a book I neglected for a long time. Kind of like Job. They just didnt make any sense to me. Back in about 2005 I started reading Job and suddenly it was making sense. In fact, the whole world made more sense by reading it. Lamentation was the same. Until a few months ago. With Job it's almost like two bookends of wisdom.
Pain has a way of awakening us to our need for God’s help. It shines a spotlight on our powerlessness to control everything. We are never more aware of our frailty than when hardship comes our way. This is one of the blessings of suffering if we allow lament to lead us. The various trials of life can become a platform to reaffirm our dependence upon the Lord. The requests of lament can become the place where we celebrate our need for God’s help.
I have battled being a "control freak" most of my life. It's a real killer, BTW, for true and honest relationships. I had to learn to reach out to God as opposed to reaching out to myself for power to get through many things. It is much much better to be on the non-controlling side and learning how to complain (i.e. lament) and overcome weaknesses. Peace Through Strength? Yes...but not the nuclear military buildup kind....Peace through His strength.
Pain has a way of awakening us to our need for God’s help. It shines a spotlight on our powerlessness to control everything. We are never more aware of our frailty than when hardship comes our way. This is one of the blessings of suffering if we allow lament to lead us. The various trials of life can become a platform to reaffirm our dependence upon the Lord. The requests of lament can become the place where we celebrate our need for God’s help.
I have battled being a "control freak" most of my life. It's a real killer, BTW, for true and honest relationships. I had to learn to reach out to God as opposed to reaching out to myself for power to get through many things. It is much much better to be on the non-controlling side and learning how to complain (i.e. lament) and overcome weaknesses. Peace Through Strength? Yes...but not the nuclear military buildup kind....Peace through His strength.
"Protestant Christians, one regrets to say, have too often neglected the reading of these solemn poems. Yet in these days of personal, national, and international crises (and disaster) the message of this book is a challenge to repent of sins personal, national, and international, and to commit ourselves afresh to God's steadfast love. Though this love is ever present and outgoing, a holy and just God must surely judge unrepentant sinners." -Ross Price, "Lamentations," in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
Robin A Parry
"Lamentations never asks, 'Why has this happened to us?' This is because the 'why' is already known—Israel has broken the covenant law. Rather, the anguished questions behind Lamentations are, 'Why punish so severely?' and 'How long until you save?'" -Robin A Parry; Lamentations. The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary series. Grand Rapids and Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010.
Charles H Dyer
"Several Hebrew abecedaries (alphabets scratched on pieces of broken pottery by Hebrew children learning to write) have been found by archeologists. Some of these alphabetical lists are in the normal order for the Hebrew letters but others are in the reverse pe-'ayin order. Evidently both arrangements of the alphabet were acceptable. Thus the writer of Lamentations was merely employing two forms of the Hebrew alphabet, both of which were used in his time." ---Charles H. Dyer, "Lamentations," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, pp. 1210-11.
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Lamentations 1:1:
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! |
 Charles Swindoll
“While the author of Lamentations remains nameless within the book, strong evidence from both inside and outside the text points to the prophet Jeremiah as the author. Both Jewish and Christian tradition ascribe authorship to Jeremiah, and the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament—even adds a note asserting Jeremiah as the writer of the book. In addition, when the early Christian church father Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he added a note claiming Jeremiah as the author of Lamentations.
How lonely sits the city / That was full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1), so goes the beginning of Lamentations. The city in question was none other than Jerusalem. Jeremiah walked through the streets and alleys of the Holy City and saw nothing but pain, suffering, and destruction in the wake of the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC. It also makes sense to date the book as close to the invasion as possible, meaning late 586 BC or early 585 BC, due to the raw emotion Jeremiah expresses throughout its pages. --Chuck Swindoll |
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Lamentations 3:2:
He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day. He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones. |
 Charles Spurgeon
“This seems to be the hardest part of our lot, that God should lead us into darkness: ‘He hath led me, and brought me into darkness.’ Yet dear brethren, that is, on the other hand, the sweetest thing about our trial; because, if the darkness be in the place where God has led us, it is best for us to be in the dark.” --Charles Spurgeon
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Lamentations 3:19-24:
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” |
“Let me experience, your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go, because I appeal to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection.Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground”. (Psalms 143: 8-10 CSB)  Mary Fairchild
As a teenager, before I received salvation in Jesus Christ, I woke each morning with a terrible sense of dread. But all that changed when I encountered the love of my Savior. Since then I have discovered one sure thing I can count on: the steadfast love of the Lord. And I am not alone in this discovery.
Just as people live with the certainty that the sun will rise in the morning, believers can trust and know that God's strong love and faithfulness will greet them again each day and his tender mercies will be renewed every morning. -Mary Fairchild; Learn Religions; His Mercies Are New Every Morning - Lamentations 3:22-24 8.11.21 |
Robin A Parry
"The change in the man's attitude found in 3:19-24 has affected the way in which he perceived his situation. It is interesting that now, in this final section, he no longer speaks of YHWH as his enemy but rather as the one who can deliver him from his human enemies. The recovery of hope has not led him to deny that YHWH is the ultimate cause of his distress, but it has led to a shift in emphasis. The focus now is on the immediate cause of his sorrow (his human enemies) and on God as his savior." -Robin A Parry; Lamentations. The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary series. Grand Rapids and Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010.
Warren Wiersbe
“Jeremiah had been dwelling on his sorrows and the sorrows of his people, but then he lifted his eyes to the Lord — and this was the turning point. In the midst of sorrow and ruin he remembered the mercy of the Lord. “‘His compassions fail not.’ We have failed him, but he cannot fail us. ‘Great is your faithfulness.’” --Warren Wiersbe on Lamentations 3
How encouraging is it that God pours out His love for us that His mercies are new everyday. Everyday is a new day in which we can move in a direction that defines our eternity. Our contentment is not found in the things of this world, but in God’s constant and consistent mercy; His saving grace.
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The sense of The LORD is my portion may often be rendered, for example, “I trust God and I need nothing more,” “God is everything; I need nothing else,” or “I need nothing because God is with me.” -
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His Mercies Are New Every Morning, this reminds us of God’s powerful promise in His word that offers peace to our hearts in hard seasons. It was written for His people when times were very difficult.
It gives us great hope in the battles we face today, like rays of light breaking through the darkest night.For just as sure as the sun comes up every morning, we can be confident that His mercies never end. They are never based on how good we are, but only on His steadfast character. His compassion towards us is fresh every morning, and each day is a gift straight from His hand. We can trust His heart for us. -Christ Win
It gives us great hope in the battles we face today, like rays of light breaking through the darkest night.For just as sure as the sun comes up every morning, we can be confident that His mercies never end. They are never based on how good we are, but only on His steadfast character. His compassion towards us is fresh every morning, and each day is a gift straight from His hand. We can trust His heart for us. -Christ Win
