Through The Bible

Session #22

Jeremiah / Lamentations, part 2

November 20, 2002

Look at the following passages and answer the following questions based on the passage:

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

2. What message would this have conveyed for the people in Jeremiah’s day? State it in a single sentence.

3. How does the message for people in Jeremiah’s day translate into a message for our day? State it in a single sentence.

Jeremiah 13:1-11

1. God intends to deal with Judah’s pride by sending them into exile. The loincloth was ruined (God will ruin the pride of Judah); The people will cling to God one day once they’ve learned (v. 11). The proper use of a loincloth is to be worn, not hidden and buried.

2. Judah will experience judgment because they have not clung to God.

3. We must cling to God.

Jeremiah 18:1-11

1. God will rework the people’s brokenness and imperfections if they repent.

2. They must repent or God will ‘throw them away’ into exile.

3. We must stay in the hands of God who will shape us.

Jeremiah 19:1-15

1. God will break Judah so it can never be mended because of their sin.

2. Judgment has been set for Judah. (Note there’s no call to repentance here.)

3. God reaches a point where judgment is the answer.

Jeremiah 24:1-10

1. God restores those exiles who change their heart.

2. The exiles will be returned to God’s favor.

3. God renews those who faithfully follow.

Jeremiah 28:1-17

1. Jeremiah was called to speak God’s word even when it wasn’t popular.

2. Judah needed to be faithful rather than only listen to what they wanted to hear.

3. It’s more important to be faithful than to say a message everyone wants to hear.

Jeremiah 38:1-13

1. The leadership in Judah refused to hear the prophetic word and so they sought to eliminate the voice.

2. Poor leadership was a big part of Judah’s problem.

3. We need strong, God-fearing leaders.

Lamentations

Made up of 5 poems that seek to grasp the meaning of the tragedy that came with the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Cf. 2^nd Kings 25.1-12; Jeremiah 52.

Hebrew name is ‘ekah, meaning “how.” Look at how 1:1 begins, “How lonely...” (NRSV).

The five poems are broken down accordingly:

• 1:1 – 1:22 The Plight of Jerusalem (TTB)
• 2:1 – 2:22 The Anger of Jehovah (TTB)
• 3:1 – 3:66 The Grief of Jeremiah (TTB)
• 4:1 – 4:22 More Anger of Jehovah (TTB)
• 5:1 – 5:22 The Prayer of Jerusalem (TTB)

The five poems reflect upon the events of 587 BC in slightly different ways and deal with a variety of issues:

• Sin and God’s wrath
• Human suffering and divine retribution
• Despair and the possibility of hope

In many ways, Lamentations is like Job because it ponders issues of suffering. One difference though, Lamentations deals with corporate suffering where Job deals with individual suffering.

Who wrote Lamentations?

• For a long time, Jeremiah was thought to be the writer. Our workbook credits Jeremiah with authorship. The Harper-Collins Study Bible you’re using reflects more current scholarship which credits authorship with someone who survived the tragedy.
• Greek versions of the Old Testament began to propagate the idea that Jeremiah was the author.
• In 2^nd Chronicles 35:25 it says that, “Jeremiah...uttered a lament for Josiah...”
• There is also material in Jeremiah that resembles the mournful poetry of Lamentations. See Jeremiah 7:29; 8:22-9:1.

• Why not Jeremiah?
• Some of the best Hebrew manuscripts don’t mention Jeremiah.
• In Hebrew texts of the Old Testament, Lamentations is not right after Jeremiah but is in the “Writings” section along with Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Had the books both been written by Jeremiah, they likely would have remained together as they are in our English Bibles.
• Despite the reference in 2^nd Chronicles, no lament over Josiah can be identified in Lamentations.

· Who then if not Jeremiah?

• We just don’t know. Nothing in the book suggests who might have written it.

Features of Lamentations

• Though not evident in our English Bibles, the poems (in chapters 1-4) are based on the Hebrew aleph bet. The first letter of each line begins with a progressive letter of the aleph bet.

• There are multiple speakers in the poems. For example in chapter 1, the first 11 verses seem to come from one voice, then in verse 12 there’s someone new speaking. In verse 12, it’s as if Jerusalem herself is speaking. Remember in reading Lamentations to pay attention to who is speaking.

• The poems of Lamentations continually seek God for help for a variety of reasons: (a) because of the destruction of Jerusalem; (b) because of the triumph of an enemy; (c) because of God’s anger and seemingly harsh treatment; and the absence of anyone to comfort or help the people.

• Even though the language used was in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem, it’s language that can fit other situations. Other situations of distress and disaster can find expression in Lamentations.

The Theology of Lamentations

• What does the book of Lamentations say about God?

• A popular theology at the time of the exile asserted that God rewarded people who did good and punished those who disobeyed. Just prior to the Babylonian invasion, King Josiah implemented a number of reforms that were an attempt to turn people back to God. Such reforms would seem to have resulted in good for Judah but instead Judah experienced a harsh punishment. Lamentations was an attempt to deal with the question of why those who sincerely attempted to obey God should suffer so.

• Lamentations 3 is seen as a key chapter because it points to an unnamed sufferer. This section reminds us that there is hope beyond immediate suffering. The book calls a suffering people to patiently wait for the Lord’s deliverance.

• Some have said that hope is not the main emphasis. Some have suggested that Lamentations challenges us to ponder the meaning of suffering for faith without giving a clear answer to that question. If we’re honest, suffering does not always bring about quick resolution and a clear sense of hope. Some experience suffering for a lifetime and live with things that we can’t forget or completely heal from.

• Lamentations gives us a voice to express to God our suffering. Our culture does not know this because we promote confidence and optimism. To speak of suffering is to speak of weakness and pessimism. We have little patience for suffering. Lamentations invites us to speak honestly before God of the pain that afflicts us.