This chapter has twenty-two verses, but it is not an acrostic. It is a prayer; the pronouns are plural, for the prophet prayed for himself and the suffering remnant that had survived the invasion. He asked the Lord to “remember … consider … behold” (v. 1). This means that he and the people wanted the Lord to act on their behalf and deliver them from their painful and humiliating situation. Jeremiah knew that the Babylonian captivity would not end for seventy years (Jer. 25:1–14; Dan. 9:1ff.), but he still asked the Lord to be merciful to the poor people left in the land and to the exiles in Babylon.
God had given His people their land (“inheritance”), their law, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple. They disobeyed the law and defiled the land, the city, and the temple because of their sins. Therefore, they lost the land, the city, and the temple, just as God had warned in His covenant. People were killed and families destroyed (v. 3); the economy was ruined (vv. 4, 9; see Deut. 29:11); and their freedom was taken from them (vv. 5–6, 8).
It didn’t seem fair that God punished the children for the sins of their parents (v. 7; Ex. 20:5; 34:7; Num. 14:18; see Jer. 31:29; Ezek. 18:2). But before the prayer ends, the people will confess, “We have sinned” (v. 16). To be sure, the ancestors of that suffering generation had indeed sinned against the Lord, but their sins helped to lead their descendants into sin. God visits His wrath on the fathers and their children when the children behave like their fathers!
They remembered that bread was scarce (v. 9) and that the famine caused terrible loss of weight, sickness, and ugliness (v. 10; Deut. 28:48). Their wives and daughters were raped by enemy soldiers (v. 11; Deut. 28:30), so that even if they did survive, they were unacceptable as wives. The leaders of the nation were treated with disrespect (v. 12), and the youths and children were forced to do the work of adults (v. 13). There was no more joy in the city (vv. 14–15). The “crown city” was fallen (v. 16; see 2:15), and the king who wore the crown was in exile (4:20).
What was the cause of all this trouble, loss, and pain? The Babylonian army? The wrath of God? No, the sins of the people! Here we see the blinding effects of sin (v. 17; and see 4:14), the binding effects of sin (vv. 5, 8), and the grinding effects of sin (v. 13). The city of the great King was now a home for wild beasts (v. 18).
But the book doesn’t end with this recitation of the tragic losses of the people. It ends with a marvelous confession of faith and a humble confession of sin. Though the throne of Judah was disgraced and destroyed, by faith Jeremiah and the remnant saw the living and unchanging God on His throne in heaven, and this gave them courage (v. 19; Ps. 102:12). Yes, they felt forsaken and forgotten (v. 20; see 2:9; 3:37–39), but they knew God would return to them if they would return to Him. (See Lev. 26:40–45; Deut. 30:1–10.) “Return to us and renew us” is their final cry. Without God’s presence and power, their lives could never be renewed, and they didn’t want to go back to the old ways that had caused so much trouble. (For a similar prayer, see Jer. 14:19–22.)
The final verse seems very pessimistic after such a sincere prayer for redemption and renewal. When the Jews read Lamentations publicly in the synagogue to remember the fall of Jerusalem, they repeat verse 21 so the reading won’t end on a negative note. But the verse is still there, and it reminds us of the high cost of sin. God delights in His people and longs to bless them, but if we sin, He will chasten us. If we repent and confess our sins, He will forgive us (1 John 1:9) and give us a new beginning. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).
Living Lessons The book of Lamentations vividly presents to us some important lessons that God’s people must learn and never forget.
1. Privilege brings responsibility, and responsibility involves accountability.
2. God is longsuffering, but there comes a time when He must chasten His people.
3. When the blessings He gives are taken for granted and used selfishly, He takes those blessings from us. To enjoy the gifts but ignore the Giver is idolatry.
4. God is always faithful to the terms of His covenant, either to bless because we have obeyed, or to chasten because we have not.
5. When parents sin, the children also suffer.
6. When spiritual leaders refuse to hear and obey God’s Word, they lead their followers into sin and judgment.
7. It’s possible to declare God’s Word faithfully and never see the Lord change the hearts of sinners. Jeremiah was faithful for over forty years, yet the nation became more and more wicked.
E Z E K I E L8. Jeremiah was a man with a broken heart, a man who suffered much; yet he was rewarded by being identified with Jesus (Matt. 16:13–14). Jeremiah’s ministry may not have been “successful” as we measure success, but his character became more and more Christlike, “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29).