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THE COMMUNAL COMPLAINT

LAMENTATIONS 5:1-22

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN., 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org


The Communal Complaint

Text: Lamentations 5:1-22, 1. Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. 2. Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes to foreigners. 3. We have become orphans and fatherless, our mothers like widows. 4. We must buy the water we drink; our wood can be had only at a price. 5. Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are weary and find no rest. 6. We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread. 7. Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment. 8. Slaves rule over us, and there is none to free us from their hands. 9. We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert. 10. Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger. 11. Women have been ravished in Zion, and virgins in the towns of Judah. 12. Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders are shown no respect. 13. Young men toil at the millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood. 14. The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. 15. Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.




16. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17. Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim 18. for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it. 19. You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. 20. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? 21. Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old 22. unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. (NIV) Introduction: I. Chapter 5 does not follow the acrostic pattern of chapters 1-4, but it does consist of twenty-two (22) verses characteristic also of chapters 1, 2 and 4. (See Willis.) II. Coffman observed that this chapter is not primarily a dirge, but a national prayer on behalf of the beleaguered people of God. III. Smith observed that Lamentations 5 differs from the previous four (4) in three (3) major respects; viz.,

A. This chapter is not an acrostic. B. Whereas the stanzas in chapters 1-3 had three (3) lines each, and those in chapter 4 had two (2) lines each, the stanzas in chapter 5 have only one (1) line. C. This fifth (5th) poem is a prayer, not a dirge.




IV. Smith wrote that this chapter has two (2) major sections addressed to:

A. the reproach of Zion. B. the request for the restoration of Zion.

VI. Clarke describes this chapter as “a solemn prayer of all the people, stating their past and present sufferings, and praying for God’s mercy.” Commentary:

Insult Upon Insult Has Been Heaped Upon Jerusalem

(Verses 5:1-18) Lamentations 5:1, Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. (NIV) I. Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace.

A. Judah and Jerusalem ask God to remember which reminds us of:

1. Exodus 2:23-25, During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. (NIV)




2. Genesis 9:15-16, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (NIV) 3. Leviticus 26:42, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. (NIV) 4. 1 Samuel 1:11, 19, And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. (NIV) 5. 2 Kings 20:3, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (NIV) 6. Psalm 98:3, He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (NIV)




7. Psalm 105:8, He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, (NIV) 8. Psalm 106:45, for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. (NIV) 9. Psalm 111:5, He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. (NIV) 10. Psalm 136:23, to the One who remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever. (NIV) 11. Jeremiah 14:21, For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it. (NIV) 12. 2 Kings 19:19, Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God." (NIV)

B. To remember is to act (intervene) on behalf of Judah and Jerusalem as he had done in the past. (See Willis.)

1. God is asked for compassion. 2. God is asked to be merciful to a suffering nation. (See Coffman.)

C. “Behold our reproach” can be translated “Look down on us with commiseration.” (Clarke)




Lamentations 5:2, Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes to foreigners. (NIV) I. Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes to foreigners.

A. Regarding Israel’s inheritance, see:

1. Deuteronomy 4:21, The LORD was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance. (NIV) 2. Deuteronomy 19:10, Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. (NIV) 3. Deuteronomy 20:16, However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. (NIV) 4. Deuteronomy 21:23, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. (NIV) 5. Deuteronomy 24:4, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the




eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. (NIV) 6. Deuteronomy 25:19, When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (NIV) 7. Deuteronomy 26:1, When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, (NIV) 8. 1 Kings 8:36, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. (NIV) 9. Jeremiah 3:18, In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance. (NIV)

B. Because of their sins, Israel has lost its inheritance.

1. Deuteronomy 28:43-44, The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail. (NIV)




C. Coffman observed that verses 2-19 describe the stark ugliness, injustice, greed and sadistic cruelty of the terrible captivity they were experiencing. D. Clarke wrote, “The greater part of the Jews were either slain or carried away captive; and even those who were left . . were not free, for they were vassals to the Chaldeans.” E. “Our inheritance” refers to the land that had been “given” to Abraham (The Pulpit Commentary) and “inherited” by Israel.

1. Genesis 13:14-15, The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. (NIV) 2. Genesis 17:8, The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." (NIV) 3. The land had been seized by the Babylonians and the houses of the people were destroyed. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)

a. Jeremiah 52:12-13, On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of




Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. (NIV)

Lamentations 5:3, We have become orphans and fatherless, our mothers like widows. (NIV) I. “We have become orphans and fatherless, our mothers like widows.”

A. Coffman wrote that the condition of the poorest people of the land who had been left behind by the Chaldean conquerors is here described.

1. “The people were not allowed any rest, for they were essentially slaves,” Coffman wrote.

B. The people were left without leadership and governmental protection like “orphans”, as it were, and mothers became as if they were widows in a similar figure.

1. By the casualties of war, many children had literally become orphans and wives widows.

C. Judah regarded itself as among the world’s most desolate, like orphans and widows in a hostile world. (Targum, The Pulpit Commentary.)

Lamentations 5:4, We must buy the water we drink; our wood can be had only at a price. (NIV) I. We are forced to buy basic essentials such as drinking water and wood which is obtainable only at a high price.

A. Israel had been reduced to dependency on others for the basic essentials of life. (See Willis.)




1. Numbers 20:19, The Israelites replied: "We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else." (NIV) 2. Deuteronomy 2:6, 28, You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.' " Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot- (NIV) 3. Joshua 9:23, 27, You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD at the place the LORD would choose. And that is what they are to this day. (NIV) 4. Deuteronomy 3:20, until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the LORD your God is giving them, across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you." (NIV) 5. Joshua 1:13, "Remember the command that Mo-ses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' (NIV) 6. Deuteronomy 15:6, But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, (NIV)




7. Deuteronomy 28:12, The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. (NIV)

B. Clarke wrote, “They were so lowly reduced by servitude, that they were obliged to pay dearly for those things which were” (once free).

Lamentations 5:5, Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are weary and find no rest. (NIV) I. Those who pursue us are at our very heels; we are weary and can find no rest.

A. Constant harassment was a daily burden.

1. They were continually hounded by their enemies. 2. “We are driven to our work like the bullock, which has a yoke upon his neck,” Clarke wrote.

B. “The harassing conduct of the Babylonian conquerors is compared to the pursuit of a foe fast gaining upon a fugitive.” (The Pulpit Commentary)

Lamentations 5:6, We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread. (NIV) I. We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread to keep from starving.

A. Coffman observed that some of Judah’s people were under the total control of Assyria while others were under the domination of Egypt where they had gone in hope of help.




B. They labored for the basic necessities of life and took it wherever they could get it. C. “Starvation awaited the Jews unless they submited to one or the other of their hereditary foes.” (The Pulpit Commentary)

1. Some escaped to Egypt and surrender to the Egyptians. (The Pulpit Commentary)

a. Jeremiah 50:15, Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others. (NIV)

2. The majority submited to the Chaldeans, Babylonians. (The Pulpit Commentary)

Lamentations 5:7, Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment. (NIV) I. Our fathers sinned and died and we are left to bear the punishment for their wickedness.

A. Willis points out that the people of Judah and Jerusalem are still in a state of denial.

1. They still hold the idea that what has happened is not their fault. 2. They claim their ancestors sinned and they are suffering for the evils of others.




3. It is often very difficult to see our own faults for what they are.

a. Jeremiah 31:27-30, "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD. "In those days people will no longer say, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge. (NIV) b. Ezekiel 18:1-2, The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: " 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? (NIV) c. It is often very difficult to accept responsibility for our own actions. (See Willis.)

B. The punishment for the sins of past governmental administrations was visited on that living generation.

1. Ezekiel 18:1-32, The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: " 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in




Israel. For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die. "Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or lie with a woman during her period. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He does not lend at usury or take excessive interest. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man. He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD. "Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things (though the father has done none of them): "He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his neighbor's wife. He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things. He lends at usury and takes excessive interest. Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head. "But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things: "He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife. He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He withholds his hand from sin and




takes no usury or excessive interest. He keeps my laws and follows my decrees. He will not die for his father's sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people. "Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. "But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? "But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die. "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he




has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust? "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! (NIV)

2. Exodus 20:5, You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, (NIV) 3. Exodus 34:7, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." (NIV) 4. Numbers 14:18, 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' (NIV)




5. Jeremiah 32:18, You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers' sins into the laps of their children after them. O great and powerful God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, (NIV) 6. Job 21:19, It is said, 'God stores up a man's punishment for his sons.' Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it! (NIV) 7. Jeremiah 31:30, Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge. (NIV) 8. Ezekiel 18:1-2, The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: " 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? (NIV) 9. Jeremiah 16:11-12, then say to them, 'It is because your fathers forsook me,' declares the LORD, 'and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me. (NIV) 10. The above scriptures are reconciled by the fact that Jews were punished for their own sins and the sins of their fathers. (The Pulpit Commentary)

Note: “The next several verses express the appalling state of affairs,” Willis wrote.




Lamentations 5:8, Slaves rule over us, and there is none to free us from their hands. (NIV) I. Slaves rule over us. There is no one to free us from their rule.

A. Foreign servants, not kings, ruled over them.

1. Isaiah 3:4, 12, I will make boys their officials; mere children will govern them. Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. (NIV)

B. Coffman observed, “Babylonian satraps were often the promoted slaves of the king’s household.”

1. Coffman further wrote, “They lack the necessities of life; homes and loved ones are gone; they must pay black market prices even for wood and water; they work incessantly; they beg bread from their enemies; they are enslaved and ruled over by former servants.”

Lamentations 5:9, We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert. (NIV) I. We have to risk our lives to get bread because of the sword in the desert.

A. “They are desperate for food,” Willis wrote. B. Coffman agrees with Cook in saying the ‘sword of the wilderness’ refers to Bedouin (Ishmaelite) marauders.

1. Deuteronomy 28:31, Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your




donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. (NIV) 2. The afflictions of captives in Babylon were great, but those who remained at home in Judah were no less severely distressed. (See Coffman.) 3. Marauding bands came in from the desert in harvest time to steal any crops the people may have produced. (See Smith.)

Lamentations 5:10, Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger. (NIV) I. We are sick, hot with fever, because of hunger.

A. “The entire population was showing the effects of prolonged hunger,” Smith wrote. B. Weakened by hunger and buffeted by the burning heat of the scorching sun and wind, the people became very weak and ill.

Note: Smith stated the generalities of the previous verses are now individualized. Specific segments of the population are named and their afflictions specified. Lamentations 5:11, Women have been ravished in Zion, and virgins in the towns of Judah. (NIV) I. Women (married women) have been ravished in Zion, and virgins have been raped in the towns of Judah.




A. “. . .the wholesale rape of women by an army of enemies . . .is the utmost in depravity,” Coffman wrote.

1. Deuteronomy 28:30-32, You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and ravish her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. (NIV) 2. Jeremiah 6:12, Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand against those who live in the land," declares the LORD. (NIV)

Lamentations 5:12, Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders are shown no respect. (NIV) I. Princes have been hung up by their hands and elders are shown no respect.

A. This may be saying that princes were hanged by the hands of their enemies. (See Coffman and The Pulpit Commen-tary.) B. Dummelow via Coffman stated it was customary in those ancient times to impale bodies after death in order to expose them to the most utter contempt possible.




1. 1 Samuel 31:8-13, The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. (NIV) 2. “Impalement after death was common punishment with the Assyrians and Babylonians,” The Pulpit Commentary states.

C. Smith wrote, “Princes had been impaled and left to die a slow and shameful death.” D. “Elderly people received no compassionate considera-tion,” Smith wrote. E. “It is very probable that this was a species of punishment. They were suspended from hooks in the wall by their hands till they died through torture and exhaustion,” Clarke wrote.

Lamentations 5:13, Young men toil at the millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood. (NIV)




I. Young men labor at the millstones while boys stagger under the heavy loads of wood they are forced to carry.

A. Boys are forced to do the work of adults, Willis wrote, to which Coffman added that young men were disgraced by being forced to do the work usually assigned to women and slaves.

1. Isaiah 47:2, Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams. (NIV) 2. Job 41:24, His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. (NIV) 3. Exodus 11:5, Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. (NIV) 4. Matthew 24:41, Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (KJV)

B. Harsh child labor was also mentioned as an affliction they were compelled to endure. C. “Youth had been forced to do the work of animals,” Smith wrote.

Lamentations 5:14, The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. (NIV)




I. The respected elders are gone from the city gate; the young men no longer rejoice with their music.

A. The normal happy sounds of daily life, normalcy, are no more. (See Willis.)

1. 1 Samuel 18:6, When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. (NIV) 2. 2 Chronicles 36:17, He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. (NIV) 3. Psalm 30:11, You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, (NIV) 4. Psalm 149:3, Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. (NIV) 5. Psalm 150:4, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, (NIV) 6. Jeremiah 31:4, 11-14, I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful. For the LORD will ransom Jacob




and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty," declares the LORD. (NIV) 7. Jeremiah 49:16, The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD. (NIV) 8. Jeremiah 50:30, Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day," declares the LORD. (NIV) 9. Jeremiah 51:22, with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and maiden, (NIV) 10. Job 19:9, He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. (NIV) 11. Jeremiah 13:18, Say to the king and to the queen mother, "Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads." (NIV)




B. Public meetings of all kinds including judicial proceedings had ceased.

1. Their captors made and enforced the rules.

C. “Elders could no longer exercise their leadership in the city gate. Young men could no longer sing. Dance had turned to mourning,” Smith wrote.

1. Jeremiah 7:34, I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate. (NIV) 2. Jeremiah 16:9, For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place. (NIV)

Lamentations 5:15, Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. (NIV) I. Joy has vanished from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.

A. 1 Samuel 18:6, When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. (NIV) B. 2 Chronicles 36:17, He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young




man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. (NIV) C. Psalm 30:11, You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, (NIV) D. Psalm 149:3, Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. (NIV) E. Psalm 150:4, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, (NIV) F. Jeremiah 31:4, 11-14, I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful. For the LORD will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty," declares the LORD. (NIV) G. Jeremiah 49:26, Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day," declares the LORD Almighty. (NIV) H. Jeremiah 50:30, Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day," declares the LORD. (NIV)




I. Jeremiah 51:22, with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and maiden, (NIV) J. Job 19:9, He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. (NIV)

Lamentations 5:16, The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! (NIV) I. Our crown has fallen from our head. All these woes have come upon us because we have sinned.

A. For a moment they seen to realize that their sins had brought all these troubles upon them. (Willis) B. However, they soon reverted to grieving over their troubles rather than constructively acting to return to the Lord and righteousness.

1. Isaiah 28:1, Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley—to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! (NIV)

2. Jeremiah 13:18, Say to the king and to the queen mother, "Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads." (NIV)

C. Smith wrote, “Like a crown toppling from the head of a deposed monarch, the glory of Zion had been completely removed.”




1. Isaiah 28:1, Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley—to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! (NIV) 2. Jeremiah 13:18, Say to the king and to the queen mother, "Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads." (NIV)

D. “They had lost their sovereignty.” (Clarke)

Lamentations 5:17, Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim (NIV) I. Because of our sins our hearts are faint and our eyes grow dim.

A. Death is imminent.

1. Isaiah 13:19-22, Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians' pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited (NIV)

2. Micah 3:12, you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; (NIV) 3. Zephaniah 2:13-15, He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows, rubble will be in the doorways, the




beams of cedar will be exposed. This is the carefree city that lived in safety. She said to herself, "I am, and there is none besides me." What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists. (NIV)

B. The beloved city died and its citizens expected to die.

Lamentations 5:18, for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it. (NIV) I. Mount Zion lies desolate and jackals prowl over it.

A. “This is the climax of all that is wrong in Israel,” Coffman wrote; that is, the worship and service of God had been neglected causing God to forsake his people. B. Wild animals now prowl over the place where the glorious temple once stood. (See Smith.)

1. Judges 15:4, So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, (NIV) 2. Wild animals claimed unpopulated land: when people moved out, animals moved in.

Final Appeal to God for the Reversal of the Judgment

(Verses 19-22)

Lamentations 5:19, You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. (NIV)




I. You, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures on and on.

A. Willis wrote that the Lord is still king and his throne will endure even though the temple has been destroyed and David’s heir is a captive in Babylon.

1. Psalm 11:4, The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. (NIV)

2. Psalm 45:6, Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. (NIV)

3. Psalm 47:8, God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. (NIV)

4. Psalm 89:4, 14, 'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.' " Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. (NIV) 5. Psalm 93:2, Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. (NIV)

6. Psalm 97:2, Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (NIV)

7. Isaiah 6:1, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. (NIV)




8. Jeremiah 17:12, A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. (NIV)

9. Ezekiel 43:7, He said: "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the lifeless idols of their kings at their high places. (NIV)

B. “Earthly things may pass away, but God remains and rules,” Smith wrote.

Lamentations 5:20, Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? (NIV) I. Why do you always forget us, O Lord? Why do you forsake us for so long?

A. The people cannot hold to the thought of God’s glorious reign, but return to the despair they were experiencing. (See Willis.) B. The people were concerned that the Lord, their king, had forgotten and forsaken them. How could this be? (See Willis.)

1. Joshua 1:5, 9, No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV)




2. 1 Kings 6:13, And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." (NIV)

3. 1 Kings 8:57, May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. (NIV)

4. Psalm 37:28, For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the off-spring of the wicked will be cut off; (NIV)

5. Psalm 94:14, For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. (NIV)

6. Isaiah 41:17, "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. (NIV)

7. Psalm 74:1, Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? (NIV)

Lamentations 5:21, Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old (NIV) I. Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old; that is, may things again be as they once were.

A. The people asked for restoration to God’s favor. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)




1. Jeremiah 12:15, But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country. (NIV) 2. Jeremiah 15:19, Therefore this is what the LORD says: that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. (NIV)

3. Jeremiah 16:15, but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers. (NIV)

4. Jeremiah 23:3, "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. (NIV)

5. Jeremiah 24:6, My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. (NIV)

6. Jeremiah 27:22, 'They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,' declares the LORD. 'Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.' " (NIV)

7. Jeremiah 28:6, He said, "Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have




prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD's house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. (NIV)

8. Jeremiah 41:16, Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had brought from Gibeon. (NIV)

B. To effect reconciliation, man must move toward God and God must be willing to accept man to his care and keeping.

1. Isaiah 1:26-27, I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City." Zion will be redeemed with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. (NIV)

2. Jeremiah 31:18, "I have surely heard Ephraim's moaning: 'You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the LORD my God. (NIV)

C. “ ‘Return our days as of old.’ Restore us to our former state, let us regain our country, our temple, and all the Divine offices of our religion, but, more especially, thy favor,” Clarke wrote. D. Judah could have hope that God would respond favorably to their prayer because of God’s character and nature and His former dealings with Israel.




Lamentations 5:22, unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. (NIV) I. Do this, O Lord, unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.

A. Willis wrote that the book of Lamentations closes on a note of uncertainty.

1. Willis concluded, “The concern is that the Lord has rejected them completely.” 2. This had previously happened in Israel’s history.

a. 1 Samuel 15:23, 26, For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!" (NIV)

b. 1 Samuel 16:1, The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." (NIV)

c. 1 Chronicles 28:9, "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches




every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (NIV)

d. Hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (NIV)

e. 1 Samuel 2:30, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home. (NIV)

f. 2 Kings 17:20, Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence. (NIV)

g. Isaiah 54:6, The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God. (NIV)

B. The writer of Lamentations cannot accept the idea that God has irrevocably rejected Israel.

1. Lamentations ends with some hope that Judah’s fortunes will be restored. 2. A glimmer of hope remains that God will again bless the children of Israel.




Conclusion: I. This book and chapter ends on a very sorrowful and somber note (Willis).

A. This is the end to which sin brings us all, a somber end indeed!

II. Coffman observes that the book ends with an appeal to the eternal king to return

A. This should be the prayer of us all!

III. There could be no end to Judah’s misery except by their restoration to divine favor. (Clarke)

A. This is true of us as well.




Questions

on

Lamentations 5:1-22

(Questions based on NIV text.)

1. How does Lamentations 5 differ from Lamentations 1-4? _____ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How are Lamentations 5 and Lamentations 1-4 alike? ________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Lamentations 5 has what two topical sections? ______________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. God was asked to _________________ what had happened to Judah and Jerusalem; to _______________ and _______________ their ____________________.




5. As used in verse 1, what does remember mean? ____________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. As used in verse 1, what does “behold our reproach, see our disgrace” mean? ________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. In verse 2, to what does “our inheritance” refer? ____________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Why had Israel been deprived of their inheritance? _________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. “The greater part of the ______________________ were either ______________________ or ________________________ away _____________________; and even those who were left . . .were not ____________________, for they were __________________ to the ____________________.” (Clarke)




10. Verses 2-19 describe the _______________ ______________, _________________________, ________________________ and ________________________ ________________________ of the ______________________ ______________________ Judah and Jerusalem were experiencing. (See Coffman.) 11. Judah regarded itself as among the _____________________’s _______________ _________________, like _________________ and _____________________ in a _________________________ ____________________. By the ________________________ of ______________________, many ______________________ had literally become _________________ and ___________________. (See verse 3.) 12. ___________________ had been reduced to ______________ on others for the ______________________ of _______________ such as ___________________ _________________________ and fire ____________________________. They now had to pay a ____________________ ________________________ for these necessities. (See verse 4.) 13. ______________________ _____________________ by their ____________________ was a ____________________________ _________________. The _______________ ________________ of the ___________________ __________________________ is ______________________ to the _______________________ of a _______________ ___________________ _________________ upon a ____________________. (See verse 5.) 14. What detestable thing was Judah and Jerusalem forced to do to keep from starving? (See verse 6.) _________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Our ____________________ _______________________ and ____________________ and we are ______________________ to ___________________ the __________________________ for their ______________________. (See verse 7.) 16. How can the teachings that each person is responsible for his own sins and people suffer for the sins of others be reconciled? (See verse 7.) __________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. It is __________________________ ____________________ ___________________ to see our own ____________________ for what they are. (See verse 7.) 18. Exactly who were the slaves who ruled over Judah and Jerusalem? (See verse 8.) ________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. What is meant by “the sword in the desert?” According to Willis, Coffman and Smith, to what circumstances does this phrase refer? (See verse 9.) ____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. _____________________ by _______________________ and _________________ by the _________________ _____________ of the _____________________ _______________________ and ______________________, the _____________________ became very _________________ and ______________________. (See verse 10.) 21. What atrocities did the women of Judah suffer? (See verse 11.) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. What is meant by the expression, “Princes have been hung up by their hands?” To what does this expression refer? (See verse 12.) __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. What hardships were visited upon young men and boys? What compounded the severity of their experience? (See verse 13.) _____ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




24. What, before the fall of Jerusalem, happened at the city gate? What function did the elders perform? (See verse 14.) _________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. Now the ___________________ ____________________ are gone from the ____________________ __________________; the ______________________ _____________________ no longer ____________________ with their _______________________. (See verse 14.) 26. “_________________________ is _______________ from our _______________________; our ___________________ has turned to ___________________.” (See verse 15.) 27. Smith wrote, “Like a _________________ ________________ from the ________________ of a __________________________ __________________, the _________________ of ____________ had been ___________________ _____________________.” (See verse 16.) 28. All these _________________ have come upon Judah because we have ________________. For a moment they seem to realize that their _________________ had brought all these ___________________ upon them, but soon they _____________ to __________________ over their ________________ rather than ______________________ ___________________ to return to the __________________ and ___________________.” (See verse 16.) 29. Because of our _______________ our ___________________ are ______________________ and our ______________________




___________________ ________________. _________________ is ____________________. (See verse 17.) 30. Describe the desolation of the temple mount after Jerusalem was destroyed. (See verse 18.) ____________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 31. The _____________________ is still ____________________ and his _________________ will _____________________ even though the ___________________ has been __________________ and _______________________’s ______________________ is a ________________________ in ___________________. (Willis) “___________________ things may ________________________ _________________, but _______________ _________________ and ___________________.” (See Smith) (See verse 19.) 32. What is the answer to the questions, “Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?” (See verse 20.) _____ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 33. Didn’t Judah know the answer to these questions? What did God think of these accusatory questions? (See question 32 above.) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




34. ___________________ us to __________________, O Lord, that we may _________________; ______________________ our _____________________ as of ____________________; that is, may things again be as ___________________ _______________ _____________________. (See verse 21.) 35. How could Judah be restored to God’s favor? (See verse 21.) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 36. Give examples of God’s utterly rejecting elements of his chosen people. (See verse 22.) ____________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 37. The writer of Lamentations cannot _____________________ the ______________ that _______________ has______________ ___________________ ____________________. (See verse 22.) 38. Lamentations ________________ with some _____________ that ______________________’s ____________________ will be _____________________________. A ___________________ of ___________________ remains that _________________ will again _________________________ the __________________ of ______________________. (See verse 22.)




39, Why was it so difficult for Judah and Jerusalem to accept responsibility for the effects of their sins? Do we have this same problem? If so, why? ____________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 40. How could/can God’s wayward people be returned to the Lord’s favor? __________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



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