Lamentations 1

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Lamentations Chapter 1

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Jeremiah
Date Penned: (586-516 BC)
Overview: To Teach Disobedience Brings Disaster (c 1-5)
Theme: The Lord Speaks Through Lamentation (c 1-5)
Message: Jeremiah Mourns for Jerusalem (v 1-22)

Lamentations 1 Commentary

(1:1) A Song of Sorrow - The prophet Jeremiah wrote this song of sorrow about Jerusalem's destruction. The nation of Judah had been utterly defeated, the temple destroyed, and captives taken away to Babylon. Jeremiah's tears were for the suffering and humiliation of the people, but those tears penetrated even deeper into his heart. He wept because God had rejected the people for their rebellious ways. Later, this book would be read aloud each year on the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem to remind all the Jews that their great city had fallen because of their stubborn sinfulness. Today, devout Jews read this entire book on a regular basis at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

(1:2) Baal and Asherah - Lovers refers to the gods of fertility, Baal and Asherah, to whom Judah and Israel had turned. Friends refers to Egypt and other nations to whom Judah kept turning for help. As the Babylonians closed in on Jerusalem, the nation of Judah turned away from God and sought help and protection from other nations instead.

(1:9) Getting Burned - The warning was loud and clear: If Judah played with fire, its people would get burned. Jerusalem's foolish leaders took a chance and lost, refusing to believe that immoral living would bring God's punishment. The ultimate consequence of sin is punishment (Romans 6:23). We can choose to ignore God's warnings, but as surely as judgment came upon Jerusalem, it will come upon those who defy God. Are you listening to the warnings in God's Word? Are you living by its teaching? Obedience is a sign of your love for God.

(1:10) The Defiling of the Temple - The temple was sacred for the Israelites, and no foreigners were allowed inside. But the Babylonians went inside the temple when they invaded, thus defiling it. They plundered it of all the sacred items and burned it down. This was an utter disgrace for the Israelites (Jeremiah 51:51). Because the Lord's presence had departed from the temple, they had nowhere to worship him. Later, in captivity, the Babylonians demanded that the psalmists sing songs about Jerusalem, but they could not do it. They hung their harps in trees and wept (Psalm 137).

(1:14) The Yoke of Sin - At first, sin seems to offer freedom to do whatever we want, whatever seems best to us. But the liberty to do anything we want gradually confuses our identity as people created by God, separates us from his purpose in creating us, and blurs the boundary between good and evil. Then we become captive to sin, bound by its "yoke." When we ignore God, sins bind us like ropes. Freedom from sin's captivity comes only when God sets us free. He gives us freedom, not to do anything we want, but to do what he knows is best for us. Strange as it may seem, true freedom comes in obeying God and following his guidance.

(1:16) The Sorrow of the Nation - Jeremiah's sorrow expresses the sorrow of the nation. God is his people's comforter, but because of the Israelites' sins, he had to turn away from them and become their judge. When we suffer the consequences of our sin, repentance from the sin that caused the problem should be our first and most important step to find relief.

(1:19) The Allies - Jerusalem's "lovers," her allies, could not come to help because, like Jerusalem, they failed to seek God. Though these allies appeared strong, they were actually weak because God was not behind their power. Dependable assistance can come only from those allies who trust in God and rely on his power. When you seek wise counsel, go first to other believers who get their wisdom from the all-knowing God.

(1:22) Babylon - Babylon, although sinful, was God's instrument for punishing Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem were pleading for God to punish sinful Babylon as he had punished them. God would do this, for he had already passed judgment on Babylon (see Jeremiah 50:1-27).

David Burnette's Life Application

Learning from Our Mistakes

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we start the Book of Lamentations 1. In our text today we see Jeremiah lamenting, or weeping, for Jersulam for their destruction because of their sinful stubbornness. The Jews read this book aloud each year as a reminder to learn from their mistakes. In making application we see the need to remember and learn from the mistakes we make in our lives and the reminders from the pages of the Bible. How about you? Do you learn from your mistakes? Let us apply our text today and the lamentations of Jeremiah to remember that we need to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others recorded in the Bible to avoid the consequences of wrong decisions.

Lamentations 1

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Lamentations 1

¹How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

²She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

³Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

⁴The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

⁵Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

⁶And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

⁷Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

⁸Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

⁹Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.

¹⁰The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

¹¹All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

¹²Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

¹³From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

¹⁴The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the LORD hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

¹⁵The LORD hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the LORD hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

¹⁶For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

¹⁷Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

¹⁸The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

¹⁹I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

²⁰Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

²¹They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.

²²Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

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