The Fellowship Residency Program has introduced me to the idea of reading commentaries alongside scripture. By August of 2019, I will have read through the entire Bible as well as The King in His Beauty, our selected commentary. As I am reading, I am writing a little bit about each of the books of the Bible so you and I can have a more thorough understanding of the scriptures. I invite you to follow along with me as we learn the Bible in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation. This summary does NOT encompass the entire book, but it is a good place to start. I encourage you to read for yourself and begin your own Biblical journal along the way. To read any of my other Residency related posts, click here.
Introduction – Lamentations poetically describes God’s people during the time of exile. The chapter is unique in that it is written as an acrostic where each verse begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the chapters end with the last letter of the alphabet. Chapter 3 does this process 3 times, and Chapter 5 has a different structure. However, the entire book is poetically beautiful. Grief is typically an unstructured process where the mind tends to move in unresolvable cycles. This form allows the grief to be expressed yet limited. Israel’s sins are literally confessed from A to Z in the book. Chapter 3 as the unique chapter becomes the key for which the rest of the book is to be interpreted. “Judgment is not the last word. Hope is.” The root of the book is in the Lord’s covenant with His people. Therefore, the writing is not only a lament but also a confession of their inability to uphold their side of the covenant.
Agonizing Judgment at Yahweh’s Hand – Lamentations discusses the experience regarding their judgment. There is immense suffering and anguish in the people. Their grief and oppression evoke sympathy from us as readers. Therefore, it can be troubling to read the emphatic declaration the God was behind the time of judgment. We are told time and time again that God inflicted pain on His people as a result of His anger and wrath towards their disobedience. The language and emotions depicted in the chapter are intense and ferocious. However, the judgment that Israel is experiencing is exactly what the Lord had planned and prophesied would occur if or when they failed to uphold the covenant.
Hope for the Future – Readers of Lamentations may be tempted to wonder how there can be hope if God is against His people. However, in the midst of lamenting the judgment, there are prayers to Yahweh to come to Israel’s aid. Chapter 5, in its entirety, is a prayer to God. The author asks God to remember His people, see their pain, and renew and restore them. It ends with a unique question, “Is the Lord so angry that he will never show mercy again?” However, this is not the focus on Lamentations. The climax is seen in the message of hope in Chapter 3. Though the suffering was brutal, God is forever merciful, gracious, and loving towards His people. Therefore, Israel will persevere humbly and hopeful that the Lord’s favor is near. The mention of the judgment of their enemies in Chapter 4 is significant in that it symbolizes the exile’s future end date.
Conclusion – Ultimately, the exile is given as a result of the people’s disobedience towards the covenant. The punishment is inflicted by pagan nations, but God is sovereign in their suffering. However, if Yahweh is their judge, then He will also be their Savior. The suffering of oneself in Lamentations points forwards to the Isaianic servant who will willingly bear suffering to provide eternal hope to a hurting world.
Themes: Judgment is not the last word. Hope is. God is a God of wrath. God as judge means God can also be the Savior.