A Christian's Guide to Studying and Applying the Old Testament
Text: Lamentations 4 (NKJV)
1 How the gold has become dim!
How changed the fine gold!
The stones of the sanctuary are scattered
At the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
Valuable as fine gold,
How they are regarded as clay pots,
The work of the hands of the potter!
3 Even the jackals present their breasts
To nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people is cruel,
Like ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the infant clings
To the roof of its mouth for thirst;
The young children ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who ate delicacies
Are desolate in the streets;
Those who were brought up in scarlet
Embrace ash heaps.
6 The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom,
Which was overthrown in a moment,
With no hand to help her!
7 Her Nazirites were brighter than snow
And whiter than milk;
They were more ruddy in body than rubies,
Like sapphire in their appearance.
8 Now their appearance is blacker than soot;
They go unrecognized in the streets;
Their skin clings to their bones,
It has become as dry as wood.
9 Those slain by the sword are better off
Than those who die of hunger;
For these pine away,
Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.
10 The hands of the compassionate women
Have cooked their own children;
They became food for them
In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The LORD has fulfilled His fury,
He has poured out His fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion,
And it has devoured its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth,
And all inhabitants of the world,
Would not have believed
That the adversary and the enemy
Could enter the gates of Jerusalem—
13 Because of the sins of her prophets
And the iniquities of her priests,
Who shed in her midst
The blood of the just.
14 They wandered blind in the streets;
They have defiled themselves with blood,
So that no one would touch their garments.
15 They cried out to them,
“Go away, unclean!
Go away, go away,
Do not touch us!”
When they fled and wandered,
Those among the nations said,
“They shall no longer dwell here.”
16 The face of the LORD scattered them;
He no longer regards them.
The people do not respect the priests
Nor show favor to the elders.
17 Still our eyes failed us,
Watching vainly for our help;
In our watching we watched
For a nation that could not save us.
18 They tracked our steps
So that we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near;
Our days were over,
For our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
Than the eagles of the heavens.
They pursued us on the mountains
And lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD,
Was caught in their pits,
Of whom we said, “Under his shadow
We shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
You who dwell in the land of Uz!
The cup shall also pass over to you
And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.
22 The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished,
O daughter of Zion;
He will no longer send you into captivity.
He will punish your iniquity,
O daughter of Edom;
He will uncover your sins!
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
This chapter of Jeremiah's lament takes a renewed focus on the suffering, however this time, this emphasis is on that of the political and spiritual leaders of Judah (especially see verse 5).
Note that in verse 6, Jeremiah observed how Jerusalem has suffered a fate worse than Sodom. Most people are familiar with the epic destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed in a storm of fire and brimstone. How could Jerusalem's fate be worse? Essentially, Jeremiah believed that the torturous nature of suffering separation from their God and slavery were worse than a quick death (see also verse 9). This verse is also closely tied with verse 5. Not only was the punishment of Jerusalem worse than that of Sodom, the sin being judged was also. Jerusalem, having a close relationship with the true God, had knowledge and experience with Him; thus, their betrayal is far greater than that of heathens doing what heathens do.
See in verses 12-13 that the Babylonians were only able to breach Jerusalem because God allowed it as a judgment of the sins of Judah.
During the siege, the people of Jerusalem came to a realization that another nation (Egypt) was not, and in fact could not, save them from judgment. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that, as a group, they realized they were being judged for sin and so only the Lord could save them. It was not until after the destruction of Jerusalem that the people of Judah, led by Godly prophets like Jeremiah, understood their sin against God and repented.
Finally, Judah's longtime enemy, Edom, will see judgment come to her in due time. Judah's restoration is prophesied as is Edom's downfall.
Applications:
Again, sin has consequences. They are severe. We might think that some human act can alleviate those consequences (and in some situations, they may relieve the consequences we see on Earth), but the reality is that only repenting of our sin to God and turning to Him for salvation will produce any lasting resolution to our sin problem.
Other Studies from Lamentations
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