Lamentations 5

The Book of Lamentations by Jeremiah is the experience of Jeremiah of the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah witnessed the people of God, weed and seed of the remnant, been taken to Babylon in 597 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar in his 7^th year (3023 people) in 587 BCE or Nebuchadnezzar’s 18^th year (882) and in 583 BCE or Nebuchadnezzar’s 23^rd year (745). But even this brain-drain of intellectuals of the country did not turn their wicked ways. He witnessed the fall of Jerusalem in the 19^th year of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE. Lamentations 5 is licking wounds time after the 586 destruction. He calls on God to see the landgrab that took place where their inheritance was turned over to strangers (v. 2a). Their houses were given to aliens (v. 2b). God is not a lover of landgrabbing actions since this will make God a thief, whether a Robin Hood style thief or the ordinary understanding of thief. God is neither since both are wrong. The result is that they have become orphans with no fathers (v. 3a). Their fathers were taken away or killed and their mothers were like widows (v. 3b). They have to pay for their drinking water and for their firewood they are charged a high price (v. 4a-b). They have unsympathetic leaders who pursues them at their necks and worn them out so that there is no rest for them (v. 5). It means they are overworked and underpaid. Illegal labor situations existed. They submitted to Assyria and Egypt just to get bread (v. 6). The heart of the problem, Jeremiah analyzed, is that their fathers have sinned and their father’s iniquities were accounted to them (v. 7). It is not an excuse of Jeremiah, but just the analysis of the reality. He later included himself and the others of his time. Slaves rules over them so that incompetency is at the order of the day and there is no one to deliver them from the hand of these slave made-masters. Crime went up and they get their bread at the expense of their lives (v. 9a). It was dangerous to travel in the wilderness due to the sword in that area, robbers and thieves and orchestrated and organized crime (v. 9b). Overworking in the heat of the sun their skin became hot as an oven with fever “because of the burning heat of the famine” which means they became also malnutritioned (v. 10a-b). Their females were maltreated (v. 11a-b). The leadership and seniority were not respected “princes hung by their hands” and “elders were not respected” (v. 12a-b). When one has an ochlocracy or people-power, then this is the result. It happens when a mob becomes ruler. Labor malpractices were at the order of the day since “young men worked at the grinding mill” and “youths stumbled under wood” (v. 13a-b). The judicial system is at havoc since elders are not sitting in the gate any longer to do civil cases (v. 14a). The young people were normally sitting near the entrances of the gates to sing or perform their beautiful music by singing and instruments but these were all gone from the area of the gate or markets (v. 14b). Jeremiah says that there is a blocking of their joy of their hearts, it has ceased and their dancing changed to mourning (v. 15a-b). Jeremiah implies that they use to dance because they are happy not because they want to create happiness. It is not an organized dance or ancient biblical disco or rock party but as the individual experience some blessing from the Lord, he/she hop around considered to be dancing. We know it is the case that dancing was individual since nowhere in the Bible is it recorded by anyone that they are going to a dance party. The parties that are mentioned are the evil ones with evil leaders, like Belshazzar. Their leaders were dethroned “crown has fallen from our head” (v. 16a). All this happened not only because of their fathers (see v. 7) but also because of their own sins (v. 16b). “Woe to us, for we have sinned”. It is because of their sins that their heart is faint (v. 17a), their eyes dim (v. 17b) and of course Mount Zion “which lies desolate” (v. 18a). Foxes are prowling in it (v. 18b). Despite this disaster, Jeremiah looks up to his God and outlines His character. God rules forever and His throne is from generation to generation, thus not temporary as their own earthly kings (v. 19a-b). Jeremiah asks God why He is forgetting them with an everlasting forgetting, meaning that God treats them like Satan will be treated when the hell-punishment will be allotted to him. Eternal nothingness. It is the most severe form of punishment in the Universe. Jeremiah knows about this and uses jargon related to this eternal non-existence condition at that time in the Eschaton but wonders if God is applying it similarly to them in Jeremiah’s time (v. 20a). “Why do You forsake us so long?” (v. 20b). God revealed to Jeremiah that the particular conditions of Jerusalem will persist at least 70 years. What is fundamental for Jeremiah is that they should be restored not in possessions and material gain after their losses, or their inheritance given back, but “restore us to You, O Lord that we may be restored”. This restoration of spirituality and spiritual relationship with God is a peace and treasure and inheritance that Jeremiah valued higher than any property or possession (v. 21a-b). If this happens then God will “renew their days as of old” (v. 21c). Such restoration and renewal can only take place, says Jeremiah, if God does not treat them like Satan or Lucifer, “unless You have utterly rejected us, and are exceedingly angry with us” which means that the Holy Spirit was so hurt that the person or individual looses his/her hope or reality of eternal life.

Dear God

In our fall, help us to look up to thee, in our disaster, to realize that tragedy is sometimes a window of opportunity for God’s blessings and in this realization, restore and reaffirm our spiritual depth with thee, our Maker and our Friend. Amen.

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Arts Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia