Summary: Jeremiah is faced with the scene of destruction all around and he describes different events and how they affected people and material things. When people turn from God, the inevitable must happen, and that is God’s judgement upon the existing order.

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 2 – DESCRIPTION OF EMPTINESS – CHAPTER 1:4-6

Lamentations is a little studied book but we wish to open it up and see some great gems here. There are very valuable lessons and principles among the sorrow.

PART [A]. ROADS AND GATES; PRIESTS AND VIRGINS ARE IN MOURNING

{{Lamentations 1:4 “The ROADS of Zion are in mourning because NO ONE COMES to the appointed feasts. All her GATES are desolate. Her PRIESTS are groaning; her VIRGINS are afflicted; and she herself is BITTER.”}}

In the next series of verses the prophet highlights Judah’s loss and sorrow. Here are the first losses –

The roads in Zion are mourning; the appointed feasts have died; the gates of the city are desolate; the priests are groaning; the virgins are afflicted, and Judah is bitter. (6 of them)

The roads groan under the burden of sorrow, for it was along those roads the Babylonian troops came, and the people were taken away in exile. The roads are sorrowful reminders of the people’s sins that caused all this to happen. They continued to mourn until the remnamt travelled on them some 70 years later, back to Zion.

Of course no one came to the appointed feasts after the destruction. Three times a year representatives from all over Israel came to three feasts because the Lord determined that – {{Deuteronomy 16:16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and they are not to appear before the LORD empty-handed.”}} In coming to the Feasts they would ascend to Jerusalem and sing the Songs of Ascent as they went.

Some came genuinely to the feasts but most of it was meaningless ritual, condemned by the Lord because of the hypocrisy and utter idolatry of the nation. How can one celebrate the Feasts of the Lord and still be engaged in idolatrous worship? This is God’s summation of the whole affair, the great hypocrisy of unclean hands – {{Isaiah 1:13-15 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer. Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I HATE YOUR NEW MOON FESTIVALS AND YOUR APPOINTED FEASTS. They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing them so when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”}}

What a terrible situation the deception of sin had made. It is no different with us today for some think they can serve God while engaged in the world’s things; the things of the flesh, and all that is dishonouring to the Lord. A fountain does not produce clean and dirty water from the same source. For any in this compromised situation, cleanse your hearts.

When Jeremiah speaks of the gates being desolate, that is because no one is journeying on the roads. The gate was the place of greeting, and of discussion and decision-making. No more would that happen in Jeremiah’s time for the gates were silent, and only phantoms were there – memories long gone. As well, some gates were broken down.

The next mention was of the groaning priests. In all situations there are the true and the false. Sadly in Judah’s case the priests were very false, so over and over the prophets condemned the priests for what they were. They had made themselves enemies of Jeremiah. The Major Prophets are sinking in the indiscretions of the priests but I am selecting only some references mainly at the beginning of the books.

(a). The priests were drunk; full of the lust of the flesh and no commitment; false shepherds of the LORD – {{Isaiah 28:7 “These also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink. THE PRIEST AND THE PROPHET REEL WITH STRONG DRINK.”}}

(b). Jeremiah speaks here of the coming destruction under Nebuchednezzar and what the attitude of the leaders will be. The priests will be taken in their own wickedness – {{Jeremiah 4:9 “It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail, and THE PRIESTS WILL BE APPALLED, and the prophets will be astounded.”}}

(c). Next is the arrogance of the priests who dismiss God and create their own authority. All has become decadent but the sad thing is there is no opposition to that from the people because they love that wickedness themselves. Is our modern time any different? Wicked people vote wicked governments. {{Jeremiah 5:31 “The prophets prophesy falsely, and THE PRIESTS RULE ON THEIR OWN AUTHORITY, and MY PEOPLE LOVE IT SO, but what will you do at the end of it?”}}

(d). The love of money is the root of all evil and the priests loved their money. They dealt falsely, meaning they cheated and schemed because they were greedy for illicit profit. The dishonesty and greed of the prosperity teachers of our own day is a gross evil the Lord will deal with very severely. Greed in our society from governments and people is increasing as the knowledge of God wanes miserably. {{Jeremiah 6:13 “for from the least of them even to the greatest of them, EVERYONE IS GREEDY FOR GAIN, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.”}}

(e). Ezekiel does not beat around the bush. In chapter 34 he hurls the false shepherds over the coals of judgement and penalty. In our verse he focuses on the priests because those in leadership have greater responsibility, so they have the greater penalty. The priests are unholy, Satan’s own flock who polluted the land. {{Ezekiel 22:26 “HER PRIESTS HAVE DONE VIOLENCE TO MY LAW and have profaned My holy things; THEY HAVE MADE NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE HOLY AND THE PROFANE, and THEY HAVE NOT TAUGHT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE UNCLEAN AND THE CLEAN; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.”}}

All the priests of Judah were carried away in judgement and they groan, NOT because they see the work of the LORD desecrated, BUT because they have lost their wicked, privileged position. They were in the enemy camp doing the enemy’s bidding, a disgrace to their calling. Christian ministers, whatever you do, remain humble, dependent on the Lord, serving Him and not yourselves. Remember, one day you will give account. The Lord is not mocked. Your higher calling means a higher responsibility.

PART [B]. DESTRUCTION OF SOCIETY

{{Lamentations 1:5 “Her adversaries have become her masters. Her ENEMIES PROSPER. THE LORD HAS CAUSED HER GRIEF because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her little ones have GONE AWAY AS CAPTIVES before the adversary.”}}

Enemies now rule Judah; the enemies prosper; it was the LORD who caused this distress; the adversary took the little ones as captives.

[a]. The descriptions continue in the lament for what has passed. The first one in this verse is the dominance of the adversary/enemy, over the nation. Babylon had no authority over Judah while the hand of God was upon the people, even though they were evil. The LORD pleaded for their return to Him but defiantly they would not repent. In the end, the bell tolled and the enemy overpowered the nation resulting in many deaths and dispersion and captivity and the loss of all things. Now JUDAH WAS THE SLAVE UNDER MASTER BABYLON.

People today live their lives oblivious to God, or unaware of the sword that hangs over their heads. They show no interest in their eternal destiny, and in a lot of cases do not want to know about it. One day the hand of God will be lifted and the world passes into the greatest Tribulation it has ever had, but God’s people (the Church) are removed before that. Where will you spend eternity?

[b]. The next point in the verse is that JUDAH’S ENEMIES PROSPER. The truth is obvious – they prosper at Judah’s expense. Prosperity here covers a wide field. Matters like happiness, freedom, citizenship, are all factors and then you can include the rape of Judah’s precious items and any object of value. The gold, silver, brass and other valuables in Solomon’s Temple ended up in Babylon. The value of that was fantastic in any currency. Judah became the poverty-stricken slave.

[c]. This next point is very clear in that the calamity Judah encountered was from God, yet, some contend, God would not do such a thing so the blame must rest with Babylon. God is a God of love, not of vindictiveness some argue, but the truth is, these people do not understand the attributes of God.

In Judah’s case the LORD was longsuffering, compassionate, caring, but the patience of the LORD had come to an end because the people’s transgressions just got worse and they killed and persecuted the prophets. Judah’s time was up so God withdrew His protecting hand and Babylon arrived. In Noah’s time we read this – {{Genesis 6:3 Then the LORD said, “MY SPIRIT SHALL NOT STRIVE WITH MAN forever because he also is flesh. Nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”}} Sin has to meet the day of accounting and so it was that THE LORD PUNISHED THE NATION rewarding them with the results of their sins, which were great.

God’s discipline is necessary for correction with the aim that affliction might turn the people back to their God. That did have an effect as attention dwelt on reasons for their loss, for after 70 years a good number returned as a remnant.

The enlightening passage on discipline is Hebrews 12:5-11 but I have selected three verses – {{Hebrews 12:5-6 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him, for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”}}

{{Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”}}

God’s will is directive and permissive. God initiates actions, and others He allows but all is in His will. Punishment was designated for Judah because of its willful, gross sinfulness, but it was all in God’s plan, and one day the glory of Israel will be seen when the Lord restores His people at the Second Coming. After the defeat by Nebuchadnezzar, the Jews never again touched the idolatry of wood and stone.

[d]. HER LITTLE ONES HAVE GONE AWAY AS CAPTIVES. Commentators reference this with being driven like a flock of cattle on the occasion of the actual deportation, or possibly (as the writer may be dealing with a time many years subsequent) sold by their parents owing to their extreme penury. Barnes mentions “children” (young children) who are driven before the enemy (literally the adversary), not as a flock of lambs, which follow the shepherd, but for sale as slaves.

There is not one joyful thing in these verses so far; only misery and regret. Sadly when a person willfully sins and then rejects what God requires, and that is repentance, then only regret and remorse lay before the unrepentant soul.

PART [C]. MAJESTY DEPARTED, AS DID THE PRINCES

{{Lamentations 1:6 “All her MAJESTY HAS DEPARTED from the daughter of Zion. Her PRINCES have become like bucks that have found no pasture, and THEY HAVE FLED without strength before the pursuer.”}}

We come now to the third verse of the descriptions of Judah’s loss and sorrow. Jeremiah’s lament continues.

[a]. Past MAJESTY HAS PASSED, GONE FOREVER. The majesty of Solomon’s Temple lay in ruins, all her value stripped and taken to Babylon. The thought is not just of precious minerals and gems, but of wisdom and people and possessions. God blessed the nation when the people followed the LORD, but when they continued in their apostasy, even their whole majesty was destroyed. I think the term “daughter of Zion” speaks of what was and should have been a tender relationship, but it has all passed.

They knew the majesty of God – the Temple exemplified that. They knew the teaching of their Pentateuch – the prophets taught that as did any faithful priests. They did not care that the hand of the LORD would be lifted from them. Jeremiah’s pleas to the nation, and God’s warnings to them, fell on deaf ears, or as Jeremiah put it – {{Jeremiah 5:20-21 “Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah, saying, ‘Hear this, O foolish and senseless people who have eyes, but do not see; who have ears, but do not hear.”}}

[b]. Princes have become as bucks. Bucks are considered the strong ones of the herd but they languish because they are unable to find anything to eat. They are restless and frustrated and empty. That is because they have lost all. Sadly the princes, the sons of the evil kings of Judah who did not follow the way of Josiah, were as apostate as the nation was. They came under the judgement of God. I always marvel at this fact – Josiah was a king along with David, who represented the two best kings of Israel/Judah. Josiah introduced so many godly reforms, yet his own sons were so wicked and they ended Judah. How can a godly man have all his sons so wicked?

(c). These bucks fled. A man who has no firm relationship with God has nothing on which to stand and is swept away at the first wind of adversity. He is like the man who built his house on the sand. These bucks were as infants in strength against the foe, and fled as fast as they could when news came of the enemy’s approach. Their royal position made no difference. It matters not whether one is rich or privileged or infirm and penniless. All have to give account to God on an equal footing. The great white throne will be the great leveller.

That would end the list of descriptions. We continue next time looking at the sadness in Judah after God withdrew His hand.