Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

How the gold has lost its luster,
    the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
    at every street corner.
How the precious children of Zion,
    once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
    the work of a potter’s hands!

Even jackals offer their breasts
    to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
    like ostriches in the desert.
Because of thirst the infant’s tongue
    sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
    but no one gives it to them.
Those who once ate delicacies
    are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple
    now lie on ash heaps.
The punishment of my people
    is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
    without a hand turned to help her.
Their princes were brighter than snow
    and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
    their appearance like lapis lazuli.
But now they are blacker than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
    it has become as dry as a stick.
Those killed by the sword are better off
    than those who die of famine;
racked with hunger, they waste away
    for lack of food from the field.
With their own hands compassionate women
    have cooked their own children,
who became their food
    when my people were destroyed.
The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;
    he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
    that consumed her foundations.
The kings of the earth did not believe,
    nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
    the gates of Jerusalem.
But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
    and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her
    the blood of the righteous.
Now they grope through the streets
    as if they were blind.
They are so defiled with blood
    that no one dares to touch their garments.
“Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
    “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander about,
    people among the nations say,
    “They can stay here no longer.”
The Lord himself has scattered them;
    he no longer watches over them.
The priests are shown no honor,
    the elders no favor.
Moreover, our eyes failed,
    looking in vain for help;
from our towers we watched
    for a nation that could not save us.
People stalked us at every step,
    so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
    for our end had come.
Our pursuers were swifter
    than eagles in the sky;
they chased us over the mountains
    and lay in wait for us in the desert.
The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath,
    was caught in their traps.
We thought that under his shadow
    we would live among the nations.
Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
    you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
    you will be drunk and stripped naked.
Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;
    he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
    and expose your wickedness.

• Lamentations 4:1-22

Remember, Lord, what has happened to us;
    look, and see our disgrace.
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
    our homes to foreigners.
We have become fatherless,
    our mothers are widows.
We must buy the water we drink;
    our wood can be had only at a price.
Those who pursue us are at our heels;
    we are weary and find no rest.
We submitted to Egypt and Assyria
    to get enough bread.
Our ancestors sinned and are no more,
    and we bear their punishment.
Slaves rule over us,
    and there is no one to free us from their hands.
We get our bread at the risk of our lives
    because of the sword in the desert.
Our skin is hot as an oven,
    feverish from hunger.
Women have been violated in Zion,
    and virgins in the towns of Judah.
Princes have been hung up by their hands;
    elders are shown no respect.
Young men toil at the millstones;
    boys stagger under loads of wood.
The elders are gone from the city gate;
    the young men have stopped their music.
Joy is gone from our hearts;
    our dancing has turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head.
    Woe to us, for we have sinned!
Because of this our hearts are faint,
    because of these things our eyes grow dim
for Mount Zion, which lies desolate,
    with jackals prowling over it.
You, Lord, reign forever;
    your throne endures from generation to generation.
Why do you always forget us?
    Why do you forsake us so long?
Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return;
    renew our days as of old
unless you have utterly rejected us
    and are angry with us beyond measure.

• Lamentations 5:1-22

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Lamentations 4:1 ‘gold has become dim’: “The gold adornment of the temple, looted by the conquerors, lost its luster with a coating of dust from the remains.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 4:3 ‘nurse their young’: “Even worthless jackals by nature nurse their young but, under the severities of conquest, Israelite women were unable to nurse their babies (cf. v. 4). Like ostriches. Birds which are notable for ignoring their young (cf. Job 39:14-16).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 4:6 ‘the sin of Sodom’: “Their sin was homosexuality. The fact that the suffering of Jerusalem was prolonged, while that of even Sodom was swift, marks it as the greater punishment (cf. 1 Pet. 4:17).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 4:7-8 ‘Nazirites’: “Those who were the purest, most devout (cf. Num. 6), strong, healthy, and noble of the people became dirty, weak, and ignoble.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 4:16 ‘The face of the Lord’: “This was symbolic of divine anger. The Jews had to face up to God.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 4:20 ‘The breath of our nostrils’: “This was a term for God, the life-giver.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Lamentations 4:22 ‘comfort and woe’: “This verse contains two messages. The first message is one of comfort. This was a joyous fact. In the case of the kingdom of Judah, the people had suffered so much in their captivity that their God, who in his anger had put them from him, considered that they had suffered enough. Sin must be punished. Any theology that offers the pardon of sin without punishment ignores a major part of God’s character. The testimony of the gospel is not that punishment has been mitigated or foregone. The consolation is far more sure and effectual: Christ has, for his people, borne all the punishment they deserved. Now here is a precious promise: ‘He will not lengthen your exile.’  We may be in captivity now, but it is the last we will ever have. We may have troubles, but we will never have punishment. We may know affliction, but we will never know wrath. We may go to the grave, but we will never go to hell. We will descend into the regions of the dead but never into the regions of the damned.
“But this passage also contains a burden of woe-‘he will punish your iniquity, Daughter Edom, and will expose your sins.’ God’s justice tarries, but it is sure; his axe seems rusty, but it is sharp. Who is this ‘Daughter Edom’? The preceding verse seems to give us some inkling of who she is. Of course it refers to the race of Esau, who inhabited such cities as Bozrah and Petra, which became a desolate wilderness. It seems, according to verse 21, that Daughter Edom was a mirthful one. A holy joy belongs to the people of God; an unholy mirth is a sure sign of a graceless state. The verse ends with a special word of warning. God says, I ‘will expose your sins.’ Let every sinner be afraid because of this. If we have hidden our sin, the all-seeing One will discover it.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Lamentations 5:1-22 ‘Remember, O Lord’: “Jeremiah prayed for mercy on his people. He summed up the nation’s wounds and woes (vv. 1-10), recalled woes of specific groups (vv. 11-14), showed why God judged (vv. 15-18), and interceded for the renewal of Israel (vv. 19-22; cf. Mic. 7:18-20).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Lamentations 5:1, 16-17 ‘growth in amusement’: “The abuse of a harmless thing is the essence of sin. The growth of the amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern man. it has been built into a multimillion-dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men if they were but worthy to entertain them. And the whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination, and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak.
“For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was—a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has gotten over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate ‘producers’ peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.
“The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the minds of the retarded saints of our day, so much so that not a few persons manage to make a comfortable living by spinning yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church people. What is natural and beautiful in a child may be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true religion.
“Is it not a strange thing and a wonder that, with the shadow of atomic destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of Christ drawing near, the professed followers of the Lord should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed, vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood and clamor for religious toys?
“ ‘Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: Consider, and behold our reproach. … The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim’ (Lamentations 5:1, 16-17). Amen. Amen.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous

Lamentations 5:6 ‘the Egyptians … the Assyrians’: “The Jews sinfully submitted to unholy alliances, thus expressing trust in men for protection and goods (cf. Jer. 2:18, 36).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 5:16 ‘The crown has fallen.’: “Israel lost its line of kings wearing the crown. The Davidic monarchy was temporarily over and will not be resumed until Christ comes as King (Jer. 23:5-8; Ezek. 37:24-28; Rev. 19:1-21).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Lamentations 5:19 ‘Your throne from generation.’: “Here is the high point of this chapter. Jeremiah was consoled by the fact that God always sits on His sovereign throne, ruling over the universe from heaven (Pss. 45:6; 93:2; 102:12; 103:19; Dan. 4:3, 34, 35).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Lamentations 5:21 ‘Turn us back to You’: “God must Himself initiate and enable any return to Him (cf. Ps. 80:3, 7, 19; Jer. 24:7; 31:18; John 6:44, 65). Renew our days. The intercessions of verses 19—22 will yet be fulfilled in the New Covenant restoration of Israel (cf. Jer. 30-33).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

 

My Thoughts

Lamentations, as a book of the Bible, is written in the same style as Psalm 119, except the fifth chapter.   Lamentations 1-4 are each acrostics, with each segment of the poem starting with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, alphabetically.  Lamentations 3 may look longer, divided into three verses per poetic segment, but all other chapters are twenty-two verses (Lamentations 5 not written as an acrostic but maintaining the pattern). Note: In Psalm 119, each segment of the acrostic poem is divided into eight verses. Without some English translations noting the Hebrew letter, the acrostic pattern is then lost in translation.

The last two chapters of Lamentations paint a desolate landscape.  Lamentations 4, the last of the four acrostic chapters, talks of children being hungry and thirsty.  This was a result of punishment.

It would be better to die by the sword than by the famine.  The sword is a quick death, but the resulting famine is long-lasting and arduous.  Mothers will be cooking the children who have died.  This reminds me of a documentary on the Donner party.  Some of the last people to be rescued used cannibalism to survive.  Of those people, one man was ostracized by the community in that he developed a taste for human flesh.

The people in Judah would be so destitute due to their lowly state, knowing that their sins had led them there that they would call out “unclean” as the Levitical Law required for leprosy and other contagious skin diseases.

And the priests and elders will be shown no favoritism.  The saying of “no honor among thieves” comes to mind.

In the last chapter, still twenty-two verses but not the same meter, a bit shorter, the lament ends with much of the same pitiable state of the people.  They would beg for bread from Egypt and Assyria.  They would go from dancing to mourning.

Rev. Tozer’s comments about our amusements today make it seem Tozer was a contemporary pastor, but he died about 60 years ago.  The proliferation of amusement as found no boundaries in that time, and people have become addicted to video games, television shows, and the internet, things that were not around in Tozer’s day, although television was starting to take hold when he made that comment.  The quoted book was printed after his death, gathered from his sermon notes.

But the last few verses are a plea, wondering if God has truly rejected them from an anger beyond measure.

We know that God will not forsake us.  For those who know a personal relationship with God, we will not be punished, although we will face many trials, trials that test our faith in God’s promises.  But Jesus will not lose any who are His.

Yet, during our trials, we may think that God has gotten so angry with us that the trial may have no end.  Indeed, some trials may end with our earthly death, but that leads to glory with God.

In Jeremiah’s case, he must wonder.  Did the Jews go too far in their rebellion against God?  Jeremiah is reassured in his prophecy, but Lamentations ends with that overpowering question.  May we never press too many buttons in our rebellion.  But more importantly, may we focus our gaze on Jesus and our strength on doing God’s will, even during these troubling times.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

“Lamentations 4: 1. What are the ‘gold and sacred gems’ in your life’? If these were suddenly taken away, how would you feel? Where would you look for a sense of self-worth?
“2. Jerusalem’s gates were for Judah a symbol of security. What are the symbols oi security for your nation: NATO alliance? Nuclear arsenal? Technological superiority? Fort Knox? Other: ?
“3. Has national pride or presumption of safety actually made your country vulnerable? By the same token, are you spiritually vulnerable?
“4. Does your country, like Judah, have prophets and priests who prophecy false visions? Who are they: (a) Advertisers? (b) Political ‘image makers’? (c) School textbook publishers? (d) ‘Health and wealth’ evangelists? (e) New Age advocates? (f) Other: ? What makes their visions so attractive? So dangerous?
“5. Are you or your nation guilty of being an ‘ostrich’ toward the children in your life? How so? What can be done to stop this?
“6. it an individual does not resist the Lord’s discipline, but submits to it, what can he hope for? ls that your hope? Your church’s hope? By contrast, what is your nation’s hope? Explain the difference. Your nation’s
“Lamentations 5: 1. When are we most apt to ‘consider our ways’: During smooth sailing’? In the midst of the storm? When we’re going nowhere?
“2. In what sense are you bearing the punishment for the sins of your fathers? In what ways are you laying up punishment for your children? How can the cycle be broken?
“3. As a nation, are we storing up judgment for the next generation? Explain.
“4. If repentance is the first step in returning to God’s favor, why is it so difficult for us? Where in your life is it most difficult to admit your failure and ask for God’s help? What incentive does this book give you to do that?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Lamentations 4-5 have one set of questions each.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.