Lamentations: Light in Dark Times

Even in destruction hope can be found.

Written by Jeremiah, the Book of Lamentations is a haunting series of funeral dirges mourning the destruction of Jerusalem.  It refers to the destruction that came from the Babylonians beginning in 606 B.C.  It is a touching display of the miserable conditions the people of Judah brought upon themselves by incessant disobedience to God.

One of the amazing characteristics of the book is its arrangement. It contains five poems which correspond to the various chapters. Each poem contains 22 verses, except the third chapter. The third poem (chapter) contains 66 verses. 

These poems are 22 verses long because they are arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet, with three cycles of the alphabet being used in the third poem. Each verse (with a few exceptions and except chapter 5) begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet so that in one poem the entire alphabet is used. This arrangement is not unique, but it is rare. If we could explain it in our own way, we might say that these are poems showing the terribleness of the destruction from A to Z.

In times of sorrow look to God, the source of comfort. 

Two other unique characteristics of the book are that the poems work in a crescendo/decrescendo fashion and they work as parenthetical statements. In the first two poems there is crescendo with the third poem the climax, and then the last two poems serve as decrescendo. The design is such that the first and fifth poems are closely related, and the second and fourth poems are also closely related. 

The third poem contains its own similar fashion. The first part and the third relate to one another. All of the poems and parts of the centerpiece revolve around the second (and middle) section of the third poem. That middle section is the climax of a beautiful message couched in a sea of sorrow and despair. At the height of the misery of the poems comes a great paradox that shines with brilliance above all the turmoil listed in the surrounding verses. Note how the central part begins, the climax of the entire masterpiece:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

It might be difficult for some to realize the import of such words. The author notes the distress and misery and rises up above those circumstances. He pulls himself up like climbing a hill of trash and mud in a dump on a sad, rainy day. He pulls himself up above it all and releases a light for all to see: Hope for the distressed and a great proclamation of love for his God. Then, again, he retreats into the misery of the situation, having changed the outcome through realization of the central point: God is still in control. He is faithful. He will help us overcome. 

Even in sorrow we can find God's goodness.

Chapters one and five emphasize the destruction that came upon the city of Jerusalem and the city is personified as a woman crying out in pain and agony over her abuse. In the second and fourth poems the city is crying out but the emphasis is on the anger of the Lord who caused the destruction. The third poem relates to the personal distress Jeremiah felt while watching the destruction come against his own people. The nature of the poems also shows a natural progression of the outward, less personal events to the emotional, personal events, and then back out again. The closer to the middle of the book one travels, the more personal the message becomes. 

These are general observations and impressions the book made on me. I hope that I have encouraged you to read and contemplate the message of this and other books of the Bible. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this or other books of the Bible!