Lamentations

Author: Jeremiah
Date of Writing: 6th century BC
Type of Book: Prophetic
Theme: Mourning for Jerusalem

The book of Lamentations is a series of five elegies written by Jeremiah as he mourned the burning of Jerusalem after the Babylonians ransacked the city.

Jeremiah had been prophesying over Judah and calling them to repentance. They knew the Assyrians had taken the northern tribes of Israel into captivity. And they witnessed the oppression and captivity in Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. The heart of Jeremiah was broken as he saw the continuous rebellion of the people despite God's warnings. Just as Jeremiah, "the weeping prophet," mourned the judgment of the nation, we see the heart of God mourn for His rebellious children. Jeremiah reflected the heart of God as he sat on the hill overlooking Jerusalem, seeing the rubble, the devastation, and the smoke rising up from the burning temple - weeping until he could not shed another tear.

When God has to subject His children to judgment because they are engaged in practices that are eternally deadly, He never judges willfully. It breaks the Father's heart to chastise His children and to teach lessons that are necessary for survival. God's heart is always touched when He sees His children rebelling against Him. He knows their disobedience will lead to consequences that are necessary to bring them to repentance. Yet God is patient. He had sent numerous warnings through His prophets. But as a last resort, God removed His people from the place of His blessing and from their own beauty and strength. He cut them off from their own self-reliance so they would have no choice but to rely on Him.

God will teach us the important lessons we need to learn one way or another. If we learn the easy way, we will be blessed. But when we have to learn the hard way, it breaks the heart of our loving Father.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible