Lamentations 1:1-22 For Jerusalem
Jeremiah cries, laments, for Jerusalem. He depicts her as a woman who mourns all that she has, and is, going through in the judgment of the Lord.
I used to be certain that I had read my bible completely through at least once, but I don’t recall reading the cry of Jerusalem’s heart. Of course, it’s not really the city crying out but Jeremiah giving voice to the pain he sees. But IF the walls and streets could talk, I’m sure that this is what they would say.
Jerusalem was a proud city. She was the jewel of Judah and previously of all Israel. She was the place where the Lord God of creation chose to place His name. She hosted the celebrations of His people when they would honor His name. People traveled for days just to spend time within her walls, praising her God.
She was a strong fortress that none could penetrate. Her people were safe within her walls. She was home to the ruling elite and the king himself. Word that went out from her gates were to be obeyed without question. Those in need of guidance came to her courts and received from her wise men.
Her streets were filled with the finest goods from all around. There was nothing a man could desire that could not be found within her walls. Many merchants had made their fortune in her market places. And her craftsmen were the most skilled of any.
This WAS her beauty that men saw. But there was another side to her. One that eventually stood shoulder to shoulder with her beauty until it overshadowed and eclipsed it.
Other gods began to take the places of her God. Their idols were sold in the market places and promises of prosperity right along with them. Those gods infiltrated the homes of all, from the king to the lowest servants. Even the Lords House was not safe from their reach as the people’s hearts turned away from Him.
The poor were oppressed by those who should be protecting them. The widow and the orphan found no solace. All were in pursuit of their own fortunes and had no time for the cares of others. The tears and cries for help went unanswered as the people’s hearts turned to stone. The people even cheered at the sight of God’s prophets being debased and abused.
The sins of the people grew so great that there was no washing them away. The smell of it clung to the walls and flowed through the streets. Not even the homes of the elite were free of it. This includes the priests and the teachers. Those charged with leading the people to the Lord and teaching them His laws were too busy looking to their own gain. They ‘taught’ whatever was popular at the time. Therefore, compounding the people’s sins instead of helping to purge them.
If Jerusalem were a person at that time, she would be wearing filthy rags, hair in knots, breath smelling of rot as decay filled her mouth, hands covered in ground in dirt, feet so caked with dung that they are barely recognizable. A woman people would cross the street to avoid. One with whom you would never make eye contact.
This is the woman Jeremiah is seeing. The one whose children won’t even acknowledge her existence. One that those who were her friends in the good times, refuse to even take her calls. They won’t even acknowledge knowing her, let alone rise to her aid.
Her strong men have left her. There is no food to maintain her people. What little food there is, is sold for a fortune which will do the seller no good in the end. The stomachs of the people are as empty as the stalls in the market. There is no sound of laughter or children playing. Her walls that she trusted in have been broken through. There is no safety within her arms any longer. Even the gods she called upon are silent. They have failed her, for they held no power to begin with. And the God who truly loves her has called her to account for her sins.
She has no one to blame but herself. She threw over the God of creation for creatures of wood. She looked to herself for safety and found herself poured out on the rocks of adversity. She is so fond of her sins that God weaves them into chains to fasten on her.
Strangers will walk by and see her and shake their heads. “How the mighty have fallen!” Then they quicken their steps so they won’t be associated with her or touched by her when she reaches out her hand in a plea for help.
Jeremiah painted a clear picture of this woman called Jerusalem. Words that evoke images that touch even the hardest heart. In her depiction, she acknowledges her own guilt for a moment. She KNOW that this punishment is from the Lord. “The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against His word” (verse 18a). I don’t know if her cry for people to notice her is for their own protection (warning them against the same acts), or if she is looking for pity. She cries out to the Lord but it is not in repentance but for her own physical needs. And she wants God to judge the other nations too! “Well, Sally did it too. Why doesn’t she get a spanking?” “Let all their evildoing come before You, and deal with them as You have dealt with me” (verse 22). Can we say ‘sour grapes’? Will she learn from her own experience?
Father God, I feel for the city as she is described by Jeremiah. She is totally destroyed because of her own hands. She KNOWS the source and only seeks Him AFTER her calamity hits. PLEASE don’t let me become like her. I want You in ALL I do in my life. Open up the hidden places where my sins try to avoid detection. Expose them and help me deal with them. Don’t let them pile up and become a yoke of my own making.
Forgive me if I call for Your judgment on others just because I want to elevate myself or ‘even the score’. YOU are God and I am NOT. You know what needs to be done in each life to direct attention back to You. And let me seek NO other source but YOU!
I’m glad I’m on the other side of this story and I know of the hope that You eventually brought to Your people. Your anger didn’t last forever. Thank You for Your mercy and grace.
