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