The Book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. In spite of God's warnings through Jeremiah the prophet, the people didn't listen, and God used Israel's enemies once again to bring them to repentance.
Jeremiah is called the Weeping Prophet, and for good reason...he went through hardship to warn the people, only to see them reject God's Word and be destroyed by Babylon.
Lamentations 1
(v.2) Sometimes when we go through hardships, we realize that we didn't have as many friends as we thought...we feel alone. Of course, that's probably not accurate, but nonetheless, we always have our Heavenly Father by our side!
(v.3) God brought destruction upon Judah, but He did get out a remnant to Babylon to be saved for His purposes.
(v.9) Israel didn't realize how God had provided for them, and they trusted in their own instead. If they had only trusted in their true King, they would've avoided all these troubles!
(v.15) In Jewish culture, the wine press is important. We will see this imagery many times in the Old and New Testament. Nowhere is it displayed more poignantly than in Rev 14:19 where Jesus has returned and His robe is soaked with blood, as if He mashed grapes in the wine press.
(v.16) The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. I remind my kids that in Gen 15:2 Abraham's servant and helper was Eliezer. In Hebrew, Eliezer means Comforter. In Gen 24 the unnamed servant, Eliezer, acts out as a type of the Holy Spirit and gathers a Bride for the Son at the command of the Father.
Lamentations 2
(v.3) The use of the term, right hand, is another type in the Bible...it refers to Jesus. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father right now in heaven, and the Father's right hand carries out His will.
In this case in the book, God has removed or pulled back the work of His right hand...they are without protection.
(v.9) By this time, the Law of Moses had become just a meaningless ritual that the people did out of habit and tradition...it didn't bring them closer to God. The Feasts and the Sabbaths were meant to keep God on the minds of the people, and for them to be thankful for what God had done for them. We too can let life get in the way of our gratitude towards God, we must be careful with that.
(v.20) This is a gross verse, where it seems that there was such a famine in the land, that mothers ate their own children for food. Now, most likely the children had already died, so the parents ate the child for any nourishment to stay alive. Nonetheless, not a great image to ponder!
Lamentations 3
(v.9) This is the exact opposite of Prov 3:5-6 where if we walk with the LORD, He directs our paths straight.
(v.17) When we are far from God, we have no real peace...only with Him are we at peace! John 14:27
(v.32) God is just, but He is also compassionate. We see so many times in the Bible that He relents from His anger at the cries of His beloved. Even when we sin, and we cry out to Him, if we have a truly repentant heart, He will hear us and comfort us. 2 Chron 7:14
Lamentations 4
(v.10) Here again we see that out of desperation and survival mode, the women cooked their own children to live. This is a far cry from where they could've been had they listened to God. We Americans can learn from this, because we are on the same path. All our wealth can go in an instant, and we can be faced with tragic times like what is described here. The most important thing I have found, is to start with your family, and make sure our hearts are with God, then we can work on the community...then the county...then the state...then the country!
(v.17) So many nations rely on America to save them, but in the future, we may not be able to help them anymore...we may be looking for help as well. Our only true help is with God!
Lamentations 5
(v.2) Israel will be ruled by the Gentiles for centuries...the fall to Babylon began the Times of the Gentiles...meaning that Israel is ruled by others. One day, they will be dependent upon no one...only their King...Yeshua!
There are two terms that often get confused:
The Times of the Gentiles (TOG) ~ This started at Babylon, and will end when Jesus returns
The Fullness of the Gentiles (FOG) ~ This is the Church, which started at Pentecost and will end with the Rapture. I like to remember it with the FOG term, since during the time of the Church, Israel will not see God's Word correctly...like they're trying to see through a fog. Luke 19:42
(v.21) Repentance is defined as turning back to God...only then will we be walking with Him and enjoying His blessings.
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