Why Should Christians Lament? (Lamentations 1-5)
What do you think of when you hear the word lament? There's a reason God included an entire book in Scripture to help us understand its value.
Lamentations 1-5
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
What comes to mind when you think of the word lament?
For those who struggle to grasp the importance of this term, there is a good reason an entire book of the Bible is devoted to this topic. The title of the book of Lamentations in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) is “Wailings,” and this book primarily explores themes of sorrow and mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and the resulting suffering of its people. It reflects on the consequences of sin, the severity of God's judgment, and the deep sense of loss and desolation experienced by the community.
Lamentations is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah and is set in the aftermath of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The text consists of five poetic laments, which are acrostic poems reflecting a structured and intentional form of mourning. Historically, it captures the profound devastation experienced by the Jewish people, including the destruction of the Temple, the city, and the exile of its inhabitants. Textually, the book's use of vivid imagery and metaphors underscores the depth of the community's despair, while its liturgical and communal nature suggests it was used in public mourning rituals.
As Tremper Longman writes, “The language is vivid and intense; the reader can almost smell the smoke from the smoldering buildings, see the bodies lining the street, and, most poignantly, hear the cries of the children. The poet is so effective that it is almost too much for the reader to bear and makes the sensitive reader ask, who is to blame for this carnage?”[1]
In Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, Mark Vroegop writes, “Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness.”[2] You can sense this cry in the words of the author of Lamentations as he writes mournful statements such as:
· "The Lord has destroyed without compassion all the dwellings of Jacob. In his wrath he has demolished the fortified cities of Daughter Judah. He brought them to the ground and defiled the kingdom and its leaders." – Lamentations 2:2
· "I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God's wrath. He has driven me away and forced me to walk in darkness instead of light.” – Lamentations 3:1-2
· "Why do you continually forget us, abandon us for our entire lives? Lord, bring us back to yourself, so we may return; renew our days as in former times." – Lamentations 5:20-21
Still, despite this author's pain and feelings of despair, he finds a way to praise. As Vroegop writes, “You might think lament is the opposite of praise. It isn’t. Instead, lament is a path to praise as we are led through our brokenness and disappointment.”[3] Consider these verses from Lamentations 3:
22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
31 For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if he causes suffering,
he will show compassion
according to the abundance of his faithful love.
33 For he does not enjoy bringing affliction
or suffering on mankind.
Despite even the gravest of situations, this author recognizes there is hope because there is a God. R.K. Harrison writes, “As with Jeremiah, the author sees a ray of hope permeating even the darkest cloud. Although Judah has been desolated, her plight is not absolutely beyond any expectation of restoration and renewal.”[4]
A Meditation to PRAY
Praise | Father, I come before you, acknowledging your unfailing love and great mercy. Despite my sorrow and suffering, I praise you for your steadfast faithfulness. Your compassion never fails; it is new every morning.
Release | I bring my pain and heartache before you and lament the weight of my burdens. When I feel overwhelmed and forsaken, I release my fears and doubts to you. I lay down my grief and my sorrow, trusting that you see my tears and hear my cries.
