The Bible Book

(Chris Devlin) #1
161
See also: Entering the Promised Land 96–97 ■ The Fall of Jerusalem 128–31 ■
The Prophet Jeremiah 156–59 ■ Daniel in Babylon 164–65

WISDOM AND PROPHETS


all the people, and burning the city
to the ground. The survivors are
described in detail, with harrowing
accounts of how mothers ate their
own children in order to survive,
children beg for bread but no one
gives them any, and young and
old lie in the dust of the streets
(Lamentations 2:20–21 and 4:4).

Terrible punishments
After the fall of Jerusalem, worldly
possessions and wealth now mean
nothing: Chapter 4:1 describes how
gold has lost its luster and precious
stones are scattered on every street
corner. It appears that all hope is
lost, such is the misery and despair
that is recounted. Nevertheless,
despite inflicting such a terrible
punishment on His people, Jeremiah
suggests that there is still reason to
hope: “For no one is cast off by the
Lord for ever. Though He brings
grief, He will show compassion, so
great is His unfailing love. For He
does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone” (3:32–33).

Lamentations is full of references
to tears and crying, including the
agonizing and despair of Jeremiah
himself. Lamentations 4:6 states
that the punishment of the people
of Jerusalem is greater even than
that of the people of Sodom. The
extent of God’s wrath is made
abundantly clear as the narrative
unfolds. However, the underlying
tone throughout the book is that,
though His anger knows no limits,
God suffers Himself at having to
wreak such terrible carnage in
the first place.
At the heart of Lamentations
is an important message of peace
and reconciliation, which points
to the inexhaustible possibilities
for redemption and forgiveness if
the exiles maintain their faith in
God. He is angry—but He also
grieves that the longstanding
heinous behavior by the Israelite
people has forced Him to punish
them so harshly. The message of
Lamentations is clear: when God’s
people suffer, God suffers, too. ■

City of Babylon


Babylon, where the Israelites
were taken as slaves and
exiles, was the capital city of
Babylonia in southwest Asia,
now southern Iraq. The city sat
on the Euphrates River, north
of the modern town of Hillah.
The fall of the city, and
the end of the neo-Babylonian
empire with it, is predicted
by the prophets in Isaiah 14:4
and 21:9, as well as Jeremiah
50–51. The city was under
Babylonian control until 539
bce, when Cyrus the Great
of Persia invaded and killed
king Belshazzar. However,
Babylon was fairly unscathed
by the invasion and continued
to flourish under Persian rule.

Hosea 11:8
God cannot bear to
punish His people for

(^) rejecting Him.
Genesis 6:6:
God grieves over
the wickedness
of humankind.
Jeremiah 14:17
God’s eyes overflow
with tears for the
Israelites’ suffering.
God suffers
with His people.
Luke 19:41
Jesus weeps for the lost
souls of Jerusalem.
John 11:35
Jesus weeps when
He sees Mary grieving
over Lazarus.
US_160-161_Lament_for_the_Exiles.indd 161 27/09/17 5:58 pm

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