Themes from Lamentations

The book of Lamentations describes the results of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem (c. 587 B.C.). It is composed of five interconnected poems which describe a shift from horrible loss and personal shame to restored hope and prayer for God's renewing power.

The central passage in this book is 3:19-26.

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 

This passage affirms that belief in God's mercy and faithfulness is the key to a restored relationship with God. This is true even for those who deserve (and have perhaps already received) God's judgment. Hope is the byword in Lamentations.

Lamentations seems to have been written to be prayed aloud or sung in worship services in a spirit of repentance, asking God's forgiveness, and seeking restoration with Him.

Sadly, Lamentations is an often-neglected book. It presents several key concepts in a creative way during an important time in Israel's history.

These concepts are still applicable today. They include, but are not limited to:


1. It offers beautiful prayers that confess sin, express renewed hope, and declare total dependence on God's grace.

2. It is the only book of the Bible written by someone who endured a manifestation of "the day of the LORD" (see Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:14-16). This "day" is the day God comes to judge sin. It can occur in historical contexts, such as the fall of Jerusalem, or it can occur at the end of time (the final "day of the LORD"). Regardless, such "days" do occur, and warnings in the Bible about such days need to be taken seriously.

3. The book's authorship, setting, contents, and theology underline its value for understanding the nature of pain, sin, and redemption.

4. It affirms that Jerusalem fell
      a. because of the people's sins (1:18)
      b. because they rejected God's word sent through the prophets (2:8; 14, 17)
      c. because their leaders led them astray (4:13)
      d. because they did not heed God's warning (2:17).

5. It affirms God's faithful, unending mercy. God is not finished with His people, even when they sin greatly.

6. It affirms that prayers of confession, repentance, and petition are the means for restoring a broken relationship with God. Their honest expressions of pain and their dismay over what God has allowed to happen coincide with the prayers found in the Psalms. They also share the Psalms' emphasis on God's sovereignty as King of creation (Psalm 103:19).

Do you have any thoughts or additional themes from Lamentations that you would like to add? Don't hesitate to leave a comment!

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Yet I Sin

Eternal Father,
Thou art good beyond all thought, 
But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;
My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel,
      and my ways reluctant to amend.
I bring my soul to Thee;
      break it, wound it, bend it, mould it.
Unmask to me sin's deformity,
      that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it. 
My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against Thee;
      as a rebel I have misused my strength,
      and served the foul adversary of Thy kingdom.
Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly, 
Grant me to know that the way of transgressors is hard,
                            that evil paths are wretched paths, 
                            that to depart from Thee is to lose all good.
I have seen the purity and beauty of Thy perfect law,
                  the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns,
                  the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls,
                     yet I daily violate and contemn its precepts.
Thy loving Spirit strives within me,
                          brings me Scripture warnings,
                          speaks in startling providences, 
                          allures by secret whispers,
                             yet I choose devices and desires to my own hurt,
                                     impiously resent, grieve,
                                        and provoke Him to abandon me. 


All these sins I mourn, lament, and for them cry pardon.
Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;
Give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears,
       yet ever trusts and loves,
       which is ever powerful, and ever confident;
Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly
       the brightness and glory of the saving Cross. 


{"Yet I Sin" from The Valley of Vision}

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Does Failure Make You Unacceptable?

Feelings of failure often plague those who have grown up or are growing up in a dysfunctional, hurtful home. No matter how much you achieve or succeed, there is a constant desire to do or be more. When there is actual failure in some area, there is a disproportionate amount of self-condemnation. When there is actual success, the requirements change, and instead of rejoicing in your success, you burden yourself new requirements. The constant striving and feelings of failure continue.

You demand perfection of yourself to prove your worth to yourself, to someone else, or to God. I have news for you, my friend: God accepts you as you are, knowing you are already perfect in Christ. Your failures are hid in Christ. You have nothing to prove to God. When you fail in your human frailty, God still sees you as perfect and therefore loves you perfectly. 

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.                 {Hebrews 10:14}

Being made holy, or "sanctified," is a process of Christian growth which is achieved through applying God's Word to all areas of your life. As you accept the discipline and guidance Christ provides and as you give Him control of your desires, goals, and will, you become more like Christ. The sanctification process is born out of your love for Christ, not because you must prove yourself perfect to be accepted. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you are perfect in God's eyes, despite the failure of your flesh.

The Apostle Peter failed in his flesh, but God saw him as perfect in Christ. He used Peter to evangelize the Gentiles and two write two books of the Bible.

David failed in his flesh, but God saw his repentance and used him to lead the nation of Israel. God called David "a man after my own heart." David was loved and accepted, not in spite of his sin, but without any regard to it.

God's grace doesn't look at your sins and failures, nor does it look at your good deeds, your "perfection." It looks only on the merit of Jesus Christ.

Grace means we become worthy before we are worthy.

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