On the book of Lamentations
Helen Bourne takes a look at this provocative book
I’d never read the book of Lamentations all the way through until a week or so ago, although I once read the introduction in my Youth Bible and thought it sounded much too depressing. Recently, however, I was browsing through Jeremiah and ended up on Lamentations… and decided to read.
Lamentations is an interesting book, found after Isaiah and Jeremiah and before Ezekiel, Daniel and Hosea but not in itself a book of prophecy (although it is attributed to the prophet Jeremiah). It’s actually a poem — my Bible (New Living Translation) tells me that each of the first four chapters is an acrostic: each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet — an ‘A-Z’ poem.
The book is a lament on the fate of Jerusalem — which had recently been destroyed by the Babylonians, just as Jeremiah had warned. It certainly isn’t a happy read — the imagery is vivid and bleak. It opens with Jerusalem, personified as a woman, mourning her fate — “She sobs through the night; tears stream down her cheeks.” (Lam 1:2a)
As I read the opening descriptions of a ravaged city, I can’t help but remember images of other cities destroyed by war and disaster. The images are horrifying — the one that disturbs me most is Lam 4:10 which refers to “Tender-hearted women [who] have cooked their own children.”
And incredibly, in the midst of all the terrible suffering is God. Jeremiah had prophesied the downfall of Jerusalem (e.g. Jeremiah 15:6), due to the idolatry of her people. At Jerusalem’s destruction, there is remorse.
Lord, see my anguish!
My heart is broken,
And my soul despairs,
For I have rebelled against you.
(Lam 1:20)
And yet there is also the cry of complaint, as if the poet says ‘How could you?’ “O Lord, think about this! Should you treat your own people this way?” (Lam 2:20a)
In the book of Jeremiah it was clear — Israel was to be punished for idolatry — “you have as many gods as you have towns” (Jer 12:13). The devastation spoken of Lamentations was allowed by an angry God. I know that most people would find this hard to understand. Jerry Falwell seemed to fancy himself something of a Jeremiah when he attributed the attacks on the World Trade Centre as retribution to the actions of feminists, abortionists, and homosexuals (oddly he didn’t mention anything about neglect of the poor). But it seems that God has been cruel — here the poet begs him for compassion, entreating him to see the victims slain in the streets, accusing “You have killed them with your anger” (Lam 3:21). It is almost reproachful in tone.
And then, incredibly, the poet changes his tune:
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the
Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease
Great is his faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
(Lam 3:21–23)
And then he goes on to exhort the people to wait and seek God. And here is where I found beautiful hope in this apparently depressing book; words that, I feel, take the sting from the lament. Even though it concludes still in the devastation of Jerusalem, this promise still resounds:
For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.
(Lam 3:31–33)
And this is also the message at the heart of Jeremiah — that God’s punishments are for good and not for evil. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jer 29:11) “‘Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?’ says the Lord. ‘I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.’” (Jer 31:20)
I found I was surprised by Lamentations. It speaks of a grief more terrible than I have ever known, although surely comparable to that of many people living in the world today — and many who weren’t warned by prophets before calamity struck. But it also demonstrates the ‘tough love’ of God, disciplining his children and longing for them to come back to him. For God’s anger is momentary, and his mercy everlasting.
His anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy (Micah 7:18b).
The Bible does not shy away from the question of suffering. It tells of punishment caused by God, suffering caused by cruel enemies — and even the suffering of Job, which was apparently not fair at all. We also see the stark reality of people’s cruelty — I once heard it said that for Jonah to preach to the Ninevites was akin to a Jew in the 1940s preaching to Hitler. I don’t believe that God minds our questioning and our lamentations. But I also believe that he is the healer — he will restore, for his love never fails.