Lamentations 2
The
book of Jeremiah ended with an event in the first year of Evil-Merodach, the
successor of Nebuchadnezzar (calculated with a non-ascension calculation, thus
his second year or 560, from 597 – 37) and thus Jeremiah experienced the horrors
of the exile in all its forms: 605 as it is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 35:25
that Jeremiah wrote the lament in the Book of Lamentations in the days of
Josiah, which is after Elul of 609 BCE against Necho of Egypt at Megiddo; 597 and
the terrible events of 586 BCE when Judah was carried off to Babylon. The exile
was the punishment from the Lord. Here is no clinical history but history in
salvation-historical context, which is allowing God to be in the picture of
historical description. We find in Jeremiah often the expression: what my God
ordained, is right. The Book of
Lamentations do not cancel that thinking. Jerusalem was destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar but Jeremiah is quick to say “how the Lord has covered the
daughter of Zion with a cloud of His anger” (v. 1a-b). Lucifer’s glory was cast
out of heaven when he became Satan and the remnant weed’s glory “the glory of
[spiritual] Israel He has cast from heaven to earth” (v. 1c-d). On earth God
has thrown down all the habitations of Jacob (v. 2b); the strongholds (v. 2d);
He has profaned the kingdom and its princes (v. 2f). The focus is not on the
results on earth but what God did during each result: He has drawn back His
right hand before the enemy (v. 3a-b); He has burned like a flaming fire
consuming (v. 3e-f); He has bent His bow like an enemy (v. 4a); He has set His
right hand (v. 4b); He has slain all that were “pleasant to the eye” (v. 4c);
He has poured out His wrath in the tents of the daughters of Zion (v. 4d-e); God
has become like an enemy to the remnant weed (v. 5a); He has swallowed up the
remnant weed of Israel (v. b); swallowed up Israel’s palaces (v. 5c);
strongholds (v. 5d); He has multiplied mourning in Judah (v. 5e-f). God has
focused His wrath on a number of aspects of the weeds of the remnant: “His
tabernacle” was violently treated (v. 6a); the appointed meeting place
destroyed (v. 6b); God caused the festivals to be forgotten in Jerusalem (v.
6c-d); God caused the Sabbath to be forgotten in Jerusalem (v. 6d); kings and
priests or civil leaders were despised by Him (v. 6e); His altar or pulpit He
rejected (v. 7a); His sanctuary or church He abandoned (v. 7b); the walls of
the palaces or governmental buildings were delivered in the hands of the enemy
(v. 7c); the enemy screamed in the house of the Lord like the noise on a
festival day in the house of the Lord (v. 7e-f). Again Jeremiah listed the
actions of God against Jerusalem: the Lord has determined to destroy (wall) (v.
8a-b); the Lord has stretched out a line [punishment measure tool] (v. 8c); the
Lord has not restrained from destroying (v. 8d); the Lord has caused to lament
(wall and rampart) (v. 8e). Many more things were allowed by the Lord: gates
sunk into the ground (v. 9a); bars were broken (v. 9b); king and princes were
taken away (v. 9c); “the law is no more” (v. 9d) which is a product of
usurpation and invasion in history; prophets and visions were no more (v.
9e-f); elders sat on the ground silently (v. 10a-b); elders throw dust on their
heads (v. 10c); elders gird themselves with sackcloth (v. 10d); virgins bowed
their heads to the ground (v. 10e-f). Jeremiah is lamenting and emotionally
taken up by the event and he says “my eyes fail because of tears; my spirit is
greatly troubled, my heart is poured out on the earth” (v. 11a-c). Jeremiah saw
suffering and he listed them: little ones or babies fainted in the streets and
people were asking where is grain and wine (grape juice) (v. 12a) and they
fainted like a wounded man in the streets (v. 12b-c). Babies died on their
mother’s bosom (v. 12e-f). Jeremiah has a hard time to think of comfort for the
broken and destroyed inhabitants of Jerusalem (v. 13) “How shall I admonish
you?” The problem with the remnant weed is then spelled out by Jeremiah:
prophets have seen false and foolish visions (v. 14a-b); prophets have not
exposed their iniquity (v. 14c). This would have prevented the captivity for
them (v. 14d). Prophets have seen false and misleading oracles (v. 14e). Now
that calamity came for them and they are ruined the Ancient Near Eastern practice
was to clap hands, totally opposite to the modern culture of clapping hands for
honoring someone (v. 15a). They also hiss and shake the heads (v. 15b). This
song is the Fall of a City song. It
was common in the Ancient Near East to compose a song after the fall of an
empire’s city (Umma, Lagash, Ur, Tyre, Jerusalem, Babylon). People asked
whether this is the city that was called “the perfection of beauty. A joy to
all the earth” (v. 15e-f). The fall of Babylon of Revelation 18 of a future
empire before the Second Coming also is such a song. The enemies of Jerusalem
has hissed and gnash their teeth against the city “We have swallowed up” (v.
16d) but although the Babylonians said that in 586 BCE with the fall of
Jerusalem, also “that is the day for which we waited” (v. 16e) it was a
decision by the Lord. The accomplishment was not solely in the hands of human
agencies for “the Lord has done what He purposed” (v. 17a). Also “He has
accomplished His Word” (v. 17b). God warned them by revelation to the prophets
that He is going to punish them but they did not pay attention. “He commanded
from days of old” (v. 17c) which means it was not just in the spur of a moment.
The Lord has exalted the enemy over them (v. 17e-f). Then Jeremiah described
the emotional reaction of the afflicted weeds of the remnant and also Jeremiah
is wrapped up in this disaster as we see how he switch from they to me and my. He started off
this section by saying “their heart cried out to the Lord” (v. 18a) but he
ended the section “my enemy annihilated them” (v. 22f) a reference to his own
descendants. They spoke “O wall” (v. 18b); they ask for tears (v. 18c-e); they
should stand up “arise, cry aloud” (v. 19a); crying should be in the night at
the beginning of the nightwatches (v. 19b-c); they are to pour out their heart
before the presence of the Lord (v. 19d); they are to lift up their hands to
Him [in the nightwatch of the night] (v. 19e). They should pray for their
babies who are hungry (v. 19g) at the head of every street (v. 19h).
Handraising is not in the congregation during the day but at night at the
corners of streets. They pray for the Lord to “see, O Lord, and look” (v. 20a).
They mention that women eat their offspring (v. 20c); priest and prophet are
slain in the sanctuary of the Lord (v. 20e). In the streets lies the bodies of
young men and virgins and old people (v. 21a-b). The sword has killed them and
Jeremiah says that the Lord did it in wrath (v. 21e-f). Then Jeremiah named
himself that the Lord has called terrors to surround him (v. 22b) and no one
could escape or survived and those whom Jeremiah bore and reared were also
annihilated (v. 22e-f).
Dear God
The calamity of
the remnant weed can also be ours in modern times but for the remnant seed You
promise security and salvation and protection during the Time of Trouble. We
wish to be the remnant seed. In Jesus Name. 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