Lamentations 5: 1 – 22
Vengeance of the servants
1 Remember, O LORD, what has come upon us; Look, and behold our reproach! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, and our houses to foreigners. 3 We have become orphans and waifs; our mothers are like widows. 4 We pay for the water we drink, and our wood comes at a price. 5 They pursue at our heels; We labor and have no rest. 6 We have given our hand to the Egyptians and the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. 7 Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities. 8 Servants rule over us; There is none to deliver us from their hand. 9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness. 10 Our skin is hot as an oven, because of the fever of famine. 11 They ravished the women in Zion, the maidens in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes were hung up by their hands, and elders were not respected. 13 Young men ground at the millstones; Boys staggered under loads of wood. 14 The elders have ceased gathering at the gate, and the young men from their music. 15 The joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim; 18 Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it. 19 You, O LORD, remain forever; Your throne from generation to generation. 20 Why do You forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time? 21 Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old, 22 Unless You have utterly rejected us, and are very angry with us!
You hear of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ described as ‘Lord of Lords and King of Kings’, right? So, let me ask you then would the term ‘Servant of Servants’ also pay tribute to our Lord and Master Yeshua God?”
As I scan the bible I do not find this term as complementary. In fact it is listed as part of a curse. In the book of Genesis chapter 9 verse 25 the only time it is listed is when Noah curses out Ham pointing to his descendants, “Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; ‘A servant of servants’ he shall be to his brethren.
So, why am I bringing up this point. Well, a scripture verse in today’s chapter verse 8 highlights a curse for not following and obeying our Holy God. It points out to us that one of the curses is that a servant will wind up being in charge as a political leader - “8 Servants rule over us; There is none to deliver us from their hand.”
So, why would it be so bad that a person who was at the lowest of society made his way to the pinnacle of success?
Historical records reveal an interesting statement ‘For a servant, when he reigns, Being unfit for it through his education, that is not having been trained up in and learned the arts of government and maxims of it; and through the disposition of his mind, which is mean, abject, and servile; and as he has been used himself when a servant, so he will use. and through his circumstances, being poor, he will take oppressive methods to become rich; and being raised from a low estate, he is the more imperious, proud, and; all which and more make his reign intolerable.
When his belly is filled with God’s "hid treasure" (Psalms 17:14) when he prospers and hath what he will. Prosperity is hard meat to fools; they cannot digest it.
When he reign; when he is advanced to great power and dignity; for such a one is ignorant and unfit for his place, and therefore commits many errors; he is poor, and therefore an insatiable oppressor, according to Proverbs 28:3; he is proud and imperious, and being maligned and hated by others, he is provoked to hate them, and to be injurious and cruel to them.
Marcus Antonius Felix. He was the Roman governor of Judea, when Paul was accused of creating a revolt among the Jews in the Temple. Emperor Claudius appointed Felix governor in about 52 AD. Felix governed Judea until about 59-60 AD when he was recalled to Rome to answer for disturbances in the province and irregularities in his rule. Felix’s home base was Caesarea Marittima (Caesarea by the sea), 39 miles north of Jerusalem.
Felix had little experience ruling. He was born a slave, became a freedman, then a high government official. Felix’s brother Pallans was Claudius’ favorite minister and probably obtained the governorship for Felix.
According to historian Josephus, Jewish affairs deteriorated during Felix’s governorship. The country was filled with robbers and imposters who deluded the people. Felix captured some criminals, often using deception, which caused the Judean populace to mistrust him. Jonathan, a high priest instrumental in securing Felix’s appointment as governor, admonished Felix about the way he governed. Jonathan wanted Felix to succeed and feared his actions would cause Jewish leaders to complain to Caesar. In response, Felix persuaded one of Jonathan’s most faithful friends to bring robbers on Jonathan and kill him.
In the end having such a man rise to the head of a government is a curse from our Holy God.
In this final lament the prophet outlines in some detail the sad state of YHWH’s people in the period after the destruction of Jerusalem, ending it with a plea that He might yet show mercy as the Eternal King.
1 Remember, O LORD, what has come upon us; Look, and behold our reproach!
The prophet calls on YHWH to remember all that had come on them and to consider the reproach that they were under, something that he will now deal with in detail. The first person plural indicates the prophet’s identification with his people. They were feeling totally humiliated.
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, and our houses to foreigners.
They had had to stand by and watch while their land had been handed over to foreigners, and aliens had taken possession of their houses. They had lost the inheritance that YHWH had given them. Note that this was the fulfilment of the curse in Deuteronomy 28 .30. They had been warned. They had no one to blame but themselves.
3 We have become orphans and waifs; our mothers are like widows.
They were orphans and fatherless, and their mothers were as widows because the men had been carried off to Babylon, or had been drafted in for slave labor. There is an irony here in that they themselves had been guilty of neglecting the widows and orphans, and now it had rebounded on their own heads. They had become like the people that they had ignored.
The prophet clearly sees this as an important argument to put to YHWH on their behalf. Let him now watch over the newly made ‘widows and orphans’ as He had declared that He would.
4 We pay for the water we drink, and our wood comes at a price.
Previously the water from their springs and rivers, and from their own cisterns, had been freely available to them. Now they were being charged fees for the privilege of using it. Furthermore, the trees from which they been able freely to obtain timber were now in the hands of others who charged them for any wood that they obtained, whilst there was presumably a charge for gathering firewood. Everyone was taking advantage of them, and there was nothing that they could do about it.
5 They pursue at our heels; We labor and have no rest.
The ‘pursuers’ are probably the men set to watch over them as they went about their working day, or as they followed other pursuits. These ‘pursuers’ were seemingly relentless in ensuring that they did not slacken off. Instead of them being ‘on our necks’ we would say that they were ‘on our backs’ (get off my back). And the relentless pressure was proving too much. They were very weary and were finding no opportunity to rest. (Deuteronomy 28.43 ““The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.).
6 We have given our hand to the Egyptians and the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
In view of the mention of the Assyrians some see this as looking back to the past when they had had to come to an agreement with either Egypt or Assyria in order to be satisfied with bread, rather than looking wholly to YHWH. But the term ‘Assyria’ is elsewhere used to refer to countries in the north, Assyria being the first port of call when crossing ‘the River’. Babylonians would come via Assyria. This indicates that the Babylonians were tightly controlling the food supply. It was an ignominious position to be in.
7 Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities.
The prophet acknowledged that their fathers had sinned and were no longer alive. They had suffered the penalty of sin. And now their offspring themselves were ‘bearing their iniquities’. The sins of the fathers were being visited on the children. But this was not a matter of excusing themselves. It was an acknowledgement that YHWH had a right to be angry because sin had been continual, and a recognition that sins pass on from father to children as the children copy their father. Thus they had to bear God’s judgment on both their father’s sins and their own. They were not claiming to be innocent as verse 16 makes clear. They were rather recognising the reality that sons tend to copy their fathers (Jeremiah 16.10-11, “16 “Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the LORD, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. 17 For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.), which the principle lying behind punishment to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20.5, “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me”). When people fell into gross sin it affected not only themselves but their descendants. However, we must remember that such consequences were always avoidable by coming to God in true repentance. God was always ready to respond to such repentance, as the whole sacrificial system made clear.
8 Servants rule over us; There is none to deliver us from their hand.
It is an open question here whether this means ‘servants’ of the king of Babylon, signifying Babylonian officials They were not being ruled by their Israelite peers. And because YHWH was no longer on their side there was no one to deliver them from them. Jeremiah had once asked, ‘Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave?’ (Jeremiah 2.14, ““Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he plundered?). And the answer now was ‘yes’.
9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
When they left the safety of their cities and went into the countryside, which was now bare and neglected, in order to grow their food, the Israelites were always in danger of Bedouin raiders, or local bandits who were waiting to swoop on them. The population was sparse and there was no organised defence against such raiders. The country was at the mercy of marauders. It made obtaining food a risky, and even fatal, business. ‘At the peril of our lives’ is more literally ‘for the price of our soul’.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven, because of the fever of famine.
The starvation conditions in which they were living had had its effect on their bodies. Their skin was like the stirred up ashes of a baker’s oven, caused by the feverish heat of hunger.
11 They ravished the women in Zion, the maidens in the cities of Judah.
The Israelite women were now easy prey for the Babylonian soldiers so that many women, including virgins, were ravished in Jerusalem, and many virgins in the cities of Judah. Few were safe from their attentions. Israel were a conquered people, and their women were see as fair prey.
12 Princes were hung up by their hands, and elders were not respected.
The cruelty of conquerors was well known. The ‘princes’ may well have been dead, for the display of the dead bodies of important people was a regular practice.
The elders and the older men in any nation were usually treated with respect. But it was not so in this case. Here they were from a land of rebels. Thus, instead of being honored they were ‘not honored’, that is, were treated with disrespect.
13 Young men ground at the millstones; Boys staggered under loads of wood.
The use of hand mills with which people in ancient towns regularly ground their grain was commonplace. But it was the work of women or slaves. Now, however, it was the young men of Israel who were being forced to carry the mills to wherever they were needed and were then required to operate them in order to grind the grain (. And the younger children who were being forced into service carrying wood under which they staggered because of the weight. They had become an enslaved people.
14 The elders have ceased gathering at the gate, and the young men from their music.
The area within and around the gate of the city was where much local activity took place. It was often the only place in the city where there was an open space. Most cities were unplanned and simply a mass of houses huddled together. But the space before the gate was always left open. There the elders of the city would meet to deliberate and make decisions and try local cases. There too they would sit and watch the movement of people through the gates and enjoy amusements and entertainment, whilst the young men would take the opportunity to show off their musical skills. But in miserable Judah no such activities were occurring. Life was low key.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning.
No longer were the inhabitants of Judah joyful at heart. Life under an oppressive regime had removed all the joy out of life. And instead of meeting to dance, the women would gather to mourn.
16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
The crown is fallen from our head’ might be a reference to the fact that they no longer had a king ruling over them. But far more likely in mind was the festal garland crown often worn at feasts. It was a symbol of fruitfulness and joy. But there were no grounds for wearing such a crown in those difficult and oppressive times, for there was nothing to be joyful about. The people who had once gathered in festal joy now had no grounds for festivities. The crown of joy and fruitfulness lay discarded on the ground.
Now after the long catalogue of miseries that they were enduring we come to the people’s admission as to why things were like this. It was because they had sinned. That was why these woes had come upon them. This was one of the most important lessons to come from the laments, an admission that their condition was due to their sins.
17 Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim;
It was because of all these things that their heart was faint, and their eyes were dim with weeping. Life had become a burden, full of sorrow and tears.
18 Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it.
Capping all that has gone before was the fact that the mountain of Zion, that mountain that had once throbbed with the sound of worshippers walking in and around the Temple, was now desolate. It had become the haunt and walking place of jackals. Outwardly it looked as though YHWH was no longer interested in the land, or in His people.
19 You, O LORD, remain forever; Your throne from generation to generation.
But the prophet knew differently. The Temple site may be desolate, the Temple might lie in ruins, but he knew that YHWH sat on His throne forever. For His throne was an eternal throne, surviving from generation to generation. Here was the climax of the lament, the certainty that, despite all that had happened and all the gloom and misery, YHWH was on His throne. And if that were so nothing else was of comparative importance.
20 Why do You forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?
The incongruity of the situations in which God’s people found themselves as described in this chapter, as compared with YHWH’s eternal throne, now raises questions in the prophet’s mind. Why does this powerful almighty King leave them in this terrible state. Why is He taking so long to remedy the situation? So the cry goes up from his heart:
The years had ground past and the time seemed endless. It had been such a long time. Why then did YHWH not DO something? Had He really determined to forget them forever? Had He forsaken hem permanently?
Of course, by praying this the prophet was not expressing his own conviction, he was seeking to stir up God’s compassion as He looked down on what they were enduring. He was hoping He would act NOW.
21 Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old, 22 Unless You have utterly rejected us, and are very angry with us!
But he also realizes that they cannot expect YHWH to act if they remain unchanged. There had to be a true turning to God. But he recognizes that it will not come just from the people themselves. So, he calls on YHWH to right the situation. Let Him turn His people towards Himself, and then they will be turned. He recognizes that man’s sinful condition is such that unless he is turned by the Lord he will not turn.
Let Him ‘renew their days as of old’. He recognizes that what was needed was a complete renewal resulting from repentance and a true response to God.
But then he adds a provision although he cannot really believe that it can be so. What if YHWH has utterly rejected them? What if He is still very angry with them? Those are the only reasons that he can think of as to why YHWH should not act.
And so the book ends on the note of a plea for true spiritual revival, subject to YHWH’s will and purposes. He has removed from despair to hope, a hope based on the salvation of God.
