THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS
I link the book of Lamentations to the introductions of the book of Jeremiah because am convinced these lamentations are directly connected to the events that take place during the prophet’s ministry. I suggest a layman can best appreciate the lamentations of the prophet in the context of what happened in the days of the man of God (Jeremiah).
Context of the Lamentations (2Kings 24, Jeremiah 52)
These Lamentations follow what had happened to Israel and finally to Judah. Israel (Samaria) fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C and its ten tribes were carried to exile and over 30 years later, these tribes were no more but considered the lost tribes. Though prophets like Isaiah insisted that these tribes were to return (Isaiah 27:13), this never happened.
After the demise of Samaria, the next to fall was Jerusalem (Judah) and after a series of sieges and deportation by Babylonians on Judeans, Jerusalem was finally destroyed for good. Here is what happened:
When Nebuchadnezzar deported the crème del crème of Judah to Babylon, he installed Zedekiah over the peasant remnants in Judah. Later, as we saw, Zedekiah was politically misled and he rebelled against Babylon and was punished for that. A year later, after the deportation, Babylon sent an ambassador by the name Nebuzaradan, who totally burnt down all the remains of Jerusalem art and infrastructure to the ground.
At this time in Judah, Babylon had two supporters among the Judeans. The first category was the political category represented by a man known as Gedaliah and another one known as Johanan, the son of Karea and another category was the prophetic one represented by Jeremiah. Many prophets perceived Babylon and other superpowers as divine instruments for God’s Judgement to his rebellious wife Israel. So Jeremiah was always urging Judah to submit to Babylon and this was the cause of many of his political problems with the Jerusalem leadership. So because Gedaliah was a supporter, Nebuzaradan was appointed over the ruins of Judah.
The Ammonites had rebelled against Babylon and opposed to any alliance with it, and, through a conspiracy led by a man by the name Ishmael, they killed Gedaliah together with his council in the absence Johanan. They carried all the remaining families to Ammon but before they passed Gibeon, Johanan pursued them and Ishmael had to flee for his life, leaving the captives behind. The death of a Babylonian installed governor (Gedaliah) was a serious matter that could not be overlooked by Nebuchadnezzar. Johanan and group, knowing this, panicked and resolved to run to Egypt for their lives. They consulted Jeremiah, and Jeremiah told them not to go but to present the matter to Babylon for investigations since it was the Ammonites who killed Gedaliah and not them (Jeremiah 42; 44:26-28).
These families refused to listen to Jeremiah and ended up carrying Jeremiah by force with them to Egypt. On reaching there, they resorted to the worship of an idol known as the Queen of Heaven and this was the last nail in the coffin of Israel and Judah combined. Israel as a covenant people of God was now gone and the remnant depended on individual believers in exile like Esther, Mordecai, the three Hebrew boys, Ezekiel, etc.
It is this context within which these lamentations are developed. Whether Jeremiah is the author or not, I don’t know. What is for sure is that these lamentations belong to an individual who knew the history of Israel and who was either in exile or between the exile and the ruins of Israel and Judah. It is for this reason that I include the introductions to the book of Lamentations under prophet Jeremiah.
Title
The title that we have in our Bibles of the book is a translation of a translation. Our title ‘Lamentations’ is a translation of the Greek term ‘Threnos’. However, both Latin and Greek translate from the Hebrew term of the book. The Hebrew name is Ekah (transliteration) and it means ‘HOW’ with an emotional exclamation. It is ‘HOW!!’ “Alas!” or “Oh!!” (Lamentations 1:1; 2:1; 4:1). ‘Ekah’, is a eulogy language and a term often used in funeral settings (Isaiah 42:12; 2Samuel 1:19).
The name of the book is emotional rhetoric, whose confusion comes from the fact that the sufferer suffers from pain inflicted by his God and doesn’t understand what next (Lamentations 5:20). The Lamentations are by a covenant people who are convinced their problems are coming from their only solution. The Lamentations are a frustration that asks: WHY? WHAT NEXT? IS THIS IT OH! GOD? What we have in the book, therefore, is a series of Elegies.
Outline
The outline of the book is a simple one since it is a list of Elegies (mournful poems)
- Chapter 1 is an elegy about THE PROBLEM (Judah’s Captivity, Jerusalem’s desolation and Misery)
- Chapter 2 is an elegy about THE CAUSE (To the mourner, the cause of their problems is not so much their disobedience as it is due to the Lord’s anger)
- Chapter 3 is an elegy about THE COVENANT PEOPLE’S RESPONSE (Judah agrees to their failure but complains about the extreme harshness of Yahweh)
- Chapter 4 is an elegy that reflects the state of things in THE THEN AND NOW (Judah contrasts their past with their present state)
- Chapter 5 is an elegy that serves as A FORGIVENESS APPEAL (the mourners are hopeful for a second chance with Yahweh)
Death Environment
What we have in the book of Lamentations is a straightforward lesson about death and how it affects the entire environment. The Babylonian Exile is equated to death and through the book, the writer demonstrates what a death environment looks like.
First, in such a death environment, true worship is the first victim (Lamentations 1:4, 10). Our modern world is an exile and yes there is no true worship or utmost it is opposed.
The second thing in a death environment is for starving mothers (the definition of a parent) eat their children (Lamentations 2:20; 4:10).
Finally, a death environment dismisses all social statuses and reduces all people to the same thing. In a death environment the following are equally vulnerable: the kings (2:6,9; 4:20), princes (1:6; 2:2,9; 4:7–8; 5:12), elders (1:19; 2:10; 4:16; 5:12), priests (1:4,19; 2:6,20; 4:16), prophets (2:9,20) and commoners (2:10–12; 3:48; 4:6). Isn’t absurd to know that death knows no strata?
God bless you I invoke TRUTH, WISDOM, and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Priest Isaiah White (+256-775 822833 for further inquiries)
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