Read the Passage: Lamentations 3–5

Jeremiah’s Grief (3:1–66)

When God called Jeremiah into ministry, He told Jermiah that his ministry would be largely ineffective from an earthly point-of-view (cf. Jer. 7:27). Indeed, Jeremiah spent decades warning God’s people to repent, only to see the people reject his message and then to witness Jerusalem being destroyed. Lam. 3:1–66 is a lament from Jeremiah that is the result of him seeing God’s wrath poured out upon the city. In this chapter, at times Jeremiah writes personally (cf. Lam. 3:1–12), at times he writes corporately (cf. Lam. 3:46–48), and at times he writes prophetically (cf. Lam. 3:14–15). A lament has been defined as, “A prayer in pain that leads to trust.” While Jeremiah’s anguish is clear in these verses, we know from his prophecies that Jeremiah’s relationship with God was actually nourished as God walked with him in this difficult season of life and ministry.

The middle verses of this lament, which are also the middle verses of this entire book, contains some of the most well-known declarations of faith and hope in all of Scripture. For example, in a well-known text from this passage Jeremiah writes, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23). While such statements are encouraging, they are even more inspiring considering the context in which they were spoken—that is, in the midst of the rubble and decay of the razed city of Jerusalem. Indeed, here in this passage, despite his circumstances, Jeremiah declared, “There may yet be hope” (Lam. 3:29). Next, in Lam. 3:31–39, Jeremiah repeatedly declared that it was actually God who had afflicted the city, not the Babylonian army. In other words, the Babylonian army was merely the instrumental cause of affliction, while God was the ultimate cause. This recognition show’s Jeremiah’s trust in God’s sovereignty.

Rather than blaming God for evil, Jeremiah witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and then wrote, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord” (Lam. 3:40). Observe that this process of using suffering as an impetus for self-examination and repentance was commanded by Jesus’ at Luke 13:1–5 (cf. Heb. 12:11). In Lam. 3:52–66, Jeremiah’s lament becomes even more personal, as his complaint in this passage seems to be more about his ministerial trials than the destruction of Jerusalem. Recall that from his own prophetic book, Jeremiah was oftentimes persecuted, including being beaten and put in stocks (cf. Jer. 20:1–6), being thrown into a dungeon (cf. Jer. 37:15–20), and being cast into a muddy cistern (cf. Jer. 38:1–6). These were undoubtedly some of the wrongs that were on Jeremiah’s mind as he pleaded with God for His intervention and for justice.

People’s Anguish (4:1–22)

The fourth lament in this book describes the remaining people’s deep anguish and pain after the destruction of Jerusalem. In this passage Jeremiah describes the people’s great suffering in detail, including: infants were dehydrated (cf. Lam. 4:3), children were starving (cf. Lam. 4:4), the people were dirty and emaciated (cf. Lam. 4:8), everyone was dying of hunger (cf. Lam. 4:9), cannibalism was occurring (cf. Lam. 4:10), and societal order had completely broken down (cf. Lam. 4:16). While conditions in the city were unimaginable, Jeremiah recognized that God’s punishment was just, for the people’s sins were greater than “the sins of Sodom” (Lam. 4:6). Scripture repeatedly teaches that God’s punishment can serve as a warning and deterrent to others (cf. Prov. 21:11; 1 Tim. 5:20). Along these same lines, in Lam. 3:21–22 Edom is repeatedly warned that God’s judgment was near.

Prophet’s Prayer (5:1–22)

The fifth lament in this book is the only lament that does not conform to the alphabetic, acrostic style of the previous four laments. This final lament does follow the 22 verse pattern of the other laments, yet some have wondered if this lament may have been penned long after the other four laments. This fifth lament is a prayer of Jeremiah for the restoration of God’s people. In many ways, this lament is similar to the previous lament, with the main difference being that the fourth lament comes from the people, while the fifth lament comes from the prophet. In this chapter Jeremiah writes they had lost land and houses (cf. Lam. 5:2), they had to pay for water and wood (cf. Lam. 5:4), and they were living on the very edge of existence (cf. Lam. 5:8–9). Jeremiah notes that no one was exempt from suffering (cf. Lam. 5:10–14). Finally, Jeremiah prays for God’s mercy, restoration, and renewal.

Application Questions:

1. What is the goal of engaging in a lament? Do laments always need to be public in form, or are private laments acceptable?
2. When bad things occur, are you more inclined to get angry at God, to withdraw from God, or to lament with God?
3. Is it possible to affirm that God oversees “woe and well-bring” (Lam. 3:38), and yet not blame God for evil?
4. Have you ever been moved to repent and/or make life changes when you’ve seen others judged for their sins?
5. What affect would the book of Lamentations have had upon those who read it after their return from exile?