Today is October 7th and in view of all that is happening in Israel, what Jewish people are facing now and following the horrific attacks in the synagogue in Manchester, let us look to the Scriptures and to the Lord for comfort and real hope. The book of Lamentations is usually read at Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning remembering the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians in 586BC and the Romans in AD70. On that same date in 1290, Jewish people were expelled from England until they were encouraged to return under Oliver Cromwell in 1656. Again, on that same date, on 1492, Jewish people were expelled from Spain. Indeed, further tragedies have occurred on that same date.
History repeats itself. The year was 586BC and most of Judah had been carried away captive to Babylon from Jerusalem and the Temple had been destroyed. Meanwhile Jeremiah was lamenting over Jerusalem, there was a famine and they were destitute. From 586-588BC the Babylonian army laid siege against Jerusalem. The Temple, King’s Palace and other buildings had been flattened to a heap of broken rubble.
Jeremiah writes with great tenderness, concern and insight for his countrymen. When King Josiah fell in battle in 2 Chronicles 35:25, Jeremiah lamented him. Jeremiah understood what would happen and his fears were realised. He felt his theology. He was personally invested in writing five funeral songs that could be described as dirges or laments over Jerusalem. Today, once a year, many Jewish people read the book of Lamentations and remember these solemn events.
The structure of Lamentations is unusual and it has been likened to a mournful postscript to the book of Jeremiah. Despite his heartfelt warnings, Jeremiah was severely mistreated, imprisoned, thrown into a well and rejected. Lamentations Chapters 1, 2, 4 and 5, each contain 22 verses though Chapter three has 66 verses. The former are written in an acrostic pattern commencing with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and so forth. Hence the third chapter includes three verses for each of the Hebrew characters. Intriguingly though, chapter 5 contains 22 verses although it is not an acrostic.
We are probably most familiar with the comforting and timeless words of the middle section of the centre of the book. Sometimes, we read or pen these words to others to bring hope or consolation to others experiencing difficult situations. Equally, when times are bleak in our lives, we may turn to this passage and look to the Lord. We sing songs such as ‘’Great is Thy faithfulness’ (Lamentations 3:23) or ‘The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end.’ However, the closing verses of Chapter 5 are also a high point, a prayer for restoration and a plea for mercy. They are a helpful template to aid our prayers and for seeking God through prayer.
Jeremiah is also a type of Messiah. He is described as ‘the weeping prophet’ and Jesus was called ‘Man of Sorrows’. In Matthew 16:14, Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was? Some though He might be Elijah, or one of the other prophets, or even John the Baptist, though others though Jeremiah. Both Jeremiah and Jesus knew exactly what would happen to Jerusalem, wept over her and were rejected, hated without cause, accused falsely, imprisoned and were misunderstood.
But the book of Lamentations was not written to depress us, but that we might turn to God and trust Him. Some may see Lamentations as depressing-initially, maybe, but see how it ends! Some might view Ecclesiastes as hard going or merely philosophical but read the third and last chapter and see how it finishes. Some may consider Habakkuk as perplexing, yet it closes with a promising hymn of faith. Many times the psalmists did not shy away from pouring out their sorrowful complaints to God in anguish, though following the anguish there was inevitably lasting hope. God heard their prayers and hears our prayers and so the conclusion of the matter must be to choose to trust in God who sees the end from the beginning. Similarly, the closing verse of Lamentations re- echo the psalms so that we can rest in Him.
Have you ever visited an important site of historical importance and benefitted from the heartfelt expertise of the tour guide? Somehow, they invest their energy and part of themselves into their presentation as they relate their beloved subject. No doubt we will reflect on October 7th and remember Jewish history throughout the ages as Jeremiah paints a pitiful sight of ruins, people broken, destitute and miserable.
In Chapter 5, Jeremiah relates their experience as like orphans, paying for water, being pursued, weary, ruled over by slaves, obtaining food is perilous, their skin is burning, women are molested, men have been hung and their hearts have become sick. It is desolate with foxes walking about on it.
Jeremiah does what we must do in a bleak situation by turning his eyes to the Lord. His attention, focus, mind, heart and crucially his will, is directed to the Lord, because only He can help. It reminds me of Horatius Bonar’s dirge, ‘I heard the voice of Jesus say.’ Each of the verses begin soberly and in minor key, but then there is a sudden shift to a joyful and hopeful tone. The shift comes when he comes to Jesus, drinks from life-giving stream and looks to the light of the world.
God is who He is
I have heard some say that all we can do is trust God, but that is exactly what we must do! God is who He is and it is vital that we remind ourselves, who He is. God keeps His covenants and He is faithful, because of who He is. God’s righteousness, attributes and character are not affected or swayed by anyone’s opinion and He never has an ‘off day’. The Lord is from everlasting to everlasting and if that were not the case then we would really be in continuous unsurmountable trouble. Whilst we worry, He is upholding the universe, preserving us, working out His purposes and is accessible to us through faith in Him.
It might initially appear to be a strange question, although can you remember the last time you forgot to remember? Why do I ask? Can God forget? Is anyone able to erase anything from His memory? Even the most faithful of friends will on seldom occasions forget things, since we are all finite and fallible. Encouragingly however, the opposite of forgetting is to remember and thank the Lord that His perfect and gracious memory means that He constantly remembers us.
Jeremiah’s lament was not a response of anger, lashing out, accusing, self-justifying, or even seeking justice. He was in anguish, yet even in his anguish, God gave him hope. He knew exactly what was happening and why. But it still hurt and he knew God was with him and the Jewish people would be in Babylonian exile for seventy years. Jeremiah had the consolation that the Lord would be with him through that and so does the believer.
Does Jeremiah’s experience remind you of Messiah’s words in Matthew 27:46, where He drew attention to Psalm 22, that song concerning Himself? Jesus knew exactly what was happening and in a comparable way, He was in anguish of soul. For our sakes, He suffered, bled, and died, that our sin may be atoned for and that we might turn to Him and trust in Him.
God restores us
We can look horizontally at the spiritual poverty of our nation and recognise that we are in a mess. The question is, how will you and I respond? We must be a part of the solution, not part of the problem and shift our focus from the horizontal and look upwards to the Saviour. Will we lay our sorrows and problems before the Lord? Will we respond in heartfelt prayer and will we choose to remember His faithfulness throughout all the generations.
Can you remember the song, ‘Restore O Lord the honour of Your name’? How many times do we read in the prophets concerning the Lord movingly mightily for the sake of His name? The One who gave us the breath of life can revive us. Jeremiah looked back to the days of old but I do not think he was merely craving nostalgia. No doubt, at that time as a people they must have felt distant from God in a foreign land. How can we close the gap today? By humbling ourselves, submitting to God who will lift us up and when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
God gives us rest for our souls
The closing verses are not the sign for Jeremiah to throw the towel in, because God remains from generation to generation. Jeremiah was pleading from a place of godly humility and sorrow. Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem in a way that reminds us of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem in the time of the Romans.
In the synagogues, when Lamentations is read, Lamentations 5:21 is often read after Lamentations 5:22, to finish on an encouraging note. “Turn us back to you, O Lord, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old.” This is a prayer of repentance and useful at anytime and provides real hope.
What happened next? Psalm 137 bewails the Jewish people in Babylon longing for Zion. But the Lord appointed Daniel and both King Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius ended up greatly praising God. The Lord used Cyrus to allow the Jewish people to return to their homeland, following Babylon’s demise.
The book of Jeremiah closes on a positive note recalling that even King Jehoiachin was released from prison by Evil-Merodach king of Babylon and lifted up his head. Jehoiachin was spoken kindly to and given a more prominent seat than those kings who were with him in Babylon. He would change his prison garments and eat bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.
I knew a pastor who has gone to be with the Lord who took great encouragement from Jeremiah 52:31-34 and used these verses in what he called his ‘go to verses’ for encouragement in the Lord. The Lord provides for our needs daily. He lifts up our heads and brings us out of captivity. He has spoken kindly to us and prepares a banquet for us in the midst of our enemies. He is the bread of life who feeds us and is our portion for the rest of our lives and into eternity!
