THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH ENDS with the death of the last king of Judah, Jehoiachin, as most of Israel is taken captive and forced into the Babylonian exile. This seventy-year period was predicted by the prophet, and included the fact that Israel would be restored as a nation, something that occurred as first Ezra and then Nehemiah began the rebuilding of the Temple and the Holy City under the aegis of Cyrus. The Book of Lamentation, following Jeremiah, records the thoughts and feelings of the exiles, and ends with the captives crushed, without knowledge of the end of the diaspora. Lamentations reads both as a funeral dirge for the city of Jerusalem, and as a communal plea for the restoration of its people. The struggle to find the justice of God in the face of extreme suffering is seen in the mixed feelings of protest against the severe discipline imposed, and yet the ultimate acceptance of God’s sovereignty and the righteousness of his wrath.
Jerusalem had once been the capital city of a powerful nation with a vibrant economy. At this time, however, that is distant history, and for the few that were left by Nebuchadnezzar to tend the land, the good life that comes with a good economy is gone. “Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger.” (Lam. 5:10) The once-flourishing agricultural and mercantile economy of Israel, strong from farm to table, has broken down. Crops are no longer grown in sufficient quantity to feed the people, and the supply chain is broken; those which are grown are first and foremost snatched up by the oppressors. People are literally hungry daily, and there are no foreseeable answers to restore what has been lost. There is no army to protect the people; women in town and city have been subjected to the brutality of rape. “Women have been ravished in Zion, and virgins in the towns of Judah.” (Lam. 5:11) Self-governance has been disrupted by subjugation. All influential men have been subjected to torture and intimidation. “Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders are shown no respect.” (Lam. 5:12) Slavery is now a way of life. “Young men toil at the millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood.” (Lam. 5:13) The entire culture has broken down. “The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.” (Lam. 5:14-15) These things all add up to a staggering load of national and cultural heartbreak, especially so since there is no apparent relief in sight in any direction. Except, perhaps, up.
We pause here, and interrupt this historical litany of the discipline of suffering with a view from afar and awhen. We look back in time from our place and time in the journey of mankind, and, knowing of the historical facts that surround this story, marvel at what God’s sovereign care accomplished in the incredible story of the people of Israel. Yes, the prophet’s words were fulfilled; yes, Israel re-entered the land, rebuilt the Temple, and rebuilt the city walls. Yet they failed again, and for the same old and well-practiced reasons. And, knowing, not in full but in part, other prophecies of God’s watchcare over Israel, we note their restoration to the Promised Land yet again in our own time after a diaspora of two millennium, and we are once again astonished.
Even as we ponder in awe this story like no other, we muse both fearfully and hopefully about an even greater story, and that is the one wrapped up in the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This story, his story, is redemptive not just in God’s relationship to Israel, but to all of humanity and creation, and to you and to me. Here, we become uneasy, for our story too often looks much like the story of ancient Israel. We too have inhabited a land built by others before us, and given thanks for the plenteous life afforded us therein. But we also have worshipped many gods, and have clearly become apostate in our generation at a level that invites a similarly deserved rebuke from our heavenly Father. If God dealt that severely with his chosen people, how will he deal with those for whom his son died and who “ignore such a great salvation?” (Heb. 12:3) Perilous the footsteps of a fool, who “says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psa. 14:1) The Psalmist adds, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psa. 14:2-3)
The lessons from those gone before are worthy of our deepest consideration, and so we reconsider this dismal time in Israel: “Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.” (Lam. 5:16b-18) Father, let this not become our history! We cry out, “Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old.” (Lam. 5:21) May these words not cross our lips: “Unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” (Lam. 5:22)
Father, bring awakening to the remnant, let us raise the cry of warning, the pleas for righteousness and holiness, and may your mercy overtake our sins and restore us to your good graces.
Q. Do I grasp how severe the danger signs are in my culture?
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