Lamentations 1:1

The Bible says in Lamentations 1:1-2, “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people how is she become as a widow she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary.[2] She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.” Jeremiah starts this book talking about Jerusalem and what has happened to a once powerful and prosperous city. At one time Jerusalem was great among the nations. That was during the time of King David and King Solomon. But the greatness did not last long. Jerusalem is described as “solitary,” “widow,” and “tributary.” Unfortunately, that seems to be the pattern that is too often followed in this world. Someone gets close to God and they serve Him bearing fruit, but then something happens and they fall away. They are not able to retain their first estate. There is a solution to this problem: it is called confession of sin. Sin is a reproach to any nation. Your sin will surely find you out. But for those who do not learn to daily confess their sins, sin will take them on a constant path downward.

The Bible says in Lamentations 1:3-5, “Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.[4] The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.[5] Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.” Of course, Jeremiah was sad at what had befallen Jerusalem. If we have genuine affection for others, we should feel sorrow when they fall. We should never rejoice over someone else’s misfortune even if they deserve what happened to them. In verse 3 Jeremiah said that Jerusalem, “dwelleth among the heathen.” Jerusalem was supposed to be separate from the heathen in order to be an example to them. Christians are to also be like that in certain ways: in the world but not of the world. The truthful ones can conquer the false ones, but only if the truthful ones stay in fellowship with the Lord Jesus. If you are mixed in with the heathen in the sense that they are defining your priorities, entertainments, and conversation, then the heathen have conquered you. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world.” And He said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Let you light shine. Do not allow it to suppressed. Jerusalem lost its testimony to the world. Instead of being a good example of what can happen when someone walks closely with God, they became an example of the bad things that can happen when someone departs from God. O what might have been!

In verse 4 Jeremiah said, “none come to the solemn feasts.” In other words they had lost the religious emphasis of their culture. Their society had been torn apart to the point that the official religious activities no longer took place. That same thing is happening in our country also, although for different reasons. The heathen conquered Jerusalem, tore down the temple, and took the people captive to a foreign land. And so for very practical reasons the Jewish people could no longer observe the feast days and other religious celebrations in Jerusalem like they once did. The heathen have accomplished something very similar in America by doing many things among which are: 1. Attacking the Bible, creation account as being unscientific. 2. Attacking the Bible having errors. 3. Removing the Bible from the school systems, so that children no longer hear its teachings as often. 4. Having businesses operate on Sunday just like other days of the week, so that many people must work instead of going to hear the Bible taught. 5. Attacking free speech so that those who do attempt to speak the truth are shouted down or refused an opportunity. 6. Creating a secular-only environment in entertainment, education, and politics. Of course, many so-called Christians have not helped who: 1. No longer teach the Bible in church services, but substitute the traditions of man instead. 2. Commit horrible ethical violations that drive people away from any church. 3. Make the same mistake as the Jews in the Old Testament: stop confessing their sins, and get out of fellowship with the Lord.

In case no one could figure out why such things happened to Jerusalem, it is made very clear in verse 5, “Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions.” We are so blessed that Jesus so willingly forgives our sins, but He only forgives if we repent and ask for forgiveness. It would be a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God still under the guilt of sin. When you walk in fellowship with the Lord, He fights your enemies for you. That will not be a good situation to be faced with your enemies and to not have the Lord to rely on. That is exactly what happened to the Jewish people when the armies of Babylon came against them: her enemies prospered. Christians can stay in fellowship with Jesus constantly and not have to worry about being in that situation as long as they learn to apply First John 1:9 to their hearts. It says, “If we confess our sins, he is failthful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Bible says in Lamentations 1:6-10, “And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.[7] Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.[8] Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.[9] Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.[10] The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.” Notice some of the things that it says about Jerusalem’s condition after they went away from God and suffered the consequences of doing so: lack of strength, miseries, none did help her, and mocked. Once again verse 8 tells us clearly why all these terrible things happened to the Jewish people: “Jerusalem hath grievously sinned.” There is no greater problem than the sin problem. Thank God that Jesus gives us an answer to that problem: forgiveness.

A very shameful thing happened to Israel. It is described in verse 8 that says, “all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness.” This is symbolic, but it does make clear that God wants people to wear clothes. It is shameful to you if people see your body without clothes. That means that there are a lot of people in Hollywood and the entertainment business who are full of shame. They have shamed themselves, and they are a shame to the nation.

A terrible thing is said about Jerusalem in verse 9: “she had no comforter.” Everyone needs a comforter because life can throw a lot of bad stuff at you. Even Jesus was called a man of sorrows and well acquainted with grief. Once again we see a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. No Christian will ever be without a comforter because Jesus made a wonderful promise about that very thing. Jesus said in John 14:6, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” By the way, The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, will often use the Word of God to comfort you, so I hope you keep yourself in the Word.

Lamentations 1:10 is an interesting verse because it tells us about the enemies of Israel as the enemies were gaining the upper hand. It says, “The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.” The adversary saw that Israel was no longer protected, and they realized that it was open-season on the Jews. Listen, you need God’s protection in this crazy world. If you are one of God’s children and you get out of fellowship with Christ, then you are in a dangerous position. That is one of the chastisements that will surely fall upon you: losing God’s protective hand. Hebrews 12:6-8 says, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.[7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?[8] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” The way to avoid that kind of chastisement is to keep confessing your sins and thus staying in fellowship with Christ. As it says in First John 1:6-9, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:[7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.[8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Bible says in Lamentations 1:11-15, “All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.[12] Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.[13] From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.[14] The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.[15] The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.” In these verses as Jeremiah continues to describe his great sorrow about what happened to his nation and to his capital city, Jeremiah starts viewing things through the lens of God’s sovereignty. Since God rules over all things and nothing happens without God’s approval, we might say. Not that God approves of everything that human beings do, of course, but God can stoop anything at any time and thus what happens God has allowed to happen. Some people who take the path of doubt in life instead of the path of faith realize this, but they react in the wrong way. If God can do anything, then why did He not stop this terrible thing from happening to me? One truth that helps to overcome such things is the following: make serving Jesus your number one priority. Also, believe Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.” But anyway in the case of Jeremiah, he knew that not only did God allow these great sorrows and destructions to happen to Israel, God is the One who brought them. We know by looking back that God had to punish the great sins of the Jewish people when they turned away from Him. That will happen to any people. God is Judge and He will judge this earth beginning at the people of God. Also, the Jews of the Old Testament lived under the law, and the law is very unforgiving. How fortunate we are to live during the age of grace when we have the grace of God showered upon us through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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