THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 9 – DEEP SUFFERING OF BABIES AND CHILDREN – JEREMIAH HEARTBROKEN – EXPOSES THE FALSE AND LYING PROPHETS - CHAPTER 2:10-14
We have now finished the series of verses that were attributing blame to the LORD for what happened in Judah. There were many accusations but these were aligned with the permissive will of God, and Jeremiah knew that, for he prophesied to the nation over and over about what would happen if there was no repentance. There was no repentance so what happened to the nation was upon the heads of Judah’s people.
[1]. SHAME AND HUMILIATION FROM YOUNG AND OLD
{{Lamentations 2:10 “The ELDERS of the DAUGHTER OF ZION sit on the ground, and are silent. They have thrown DUST on their heads. They have girded themselves with SACKCLOTH. The virgins of Jerusalem have BOWED THEIR HEADS to the ground.”}}
I think from here until the end of the chapter it is Jeremiah lamenting at what he sees. He prophesied it all but it sorts of hits home when it happens and you see the tragedy afterwards.
The daughter of Zion means the nation of Judah, but it is tender term from a tender prophet. Consider these elders who sit silently on the dusty ground throwing dust on their heads. They have wrapped sackcloth around themselves. They must be sitting there in regret, but it is too late. Many, many times, Jeremiah addressed his message directly from the LORD to them, but they arrogantly ignored the LORD and persecuted the prophets. The reckoning had come and it was too late for them.
The elders should have been at the forefront of maintaining the spiritual correctness of the people. They were steeped in the sins of the nation themselves. It is a very sad situation when those with responsibility renege on that responsibility. Elders are held to be very responsible people. In both Testaments elders had/have solemn responsibilities, and they are held to a high accountability.
I said they must have been sitting there in the dust in regret, but I wonder if they gave any thought to repentance for the evil they did to the nation. Throwing dust on their heads according to one is this – [[“The practice of throwing dust upon the head symbolises humility and repentance. By casting the dust over one's head, they are equating themselves to the same level as the dust of the earth and are seeking God's pity and forgiveness.”]] I can only hope that was the case.
Ellicott – [[“The maidens, who had once joined with timbrels and dances in festive processions, walk to and fro with downcast eyes.”]] Everything has gone, hopes for the future, marriage, gaiety, and a lot more. That is what sin does, the cancer that destroys individual lives. Please repent and turn to the Lord who forgives and pardons, and starts you on a whole new journey to the Saviour’s presence. Do not put off the day of repentance and salvation like the elders did, for you will be overthrown as the elders were.
[2]. THE MOST TOUCHING OF ALL – THE PLIGHT OF INFANTS AND SMALL CHILDREN
{{Lamentations 2:11 “MY eyes fail because of tears. MY spirit is greatly troubled. MY heart is poured out on the earth because of the destruction of the daughter of my people when little ones and infants faint in the streets of the city.”
Lamentations 2:12 They say to their mothers, “Where is grain and wine?” as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers’ bosoms.”}}
Any war is devastating with the most horrible atrocities and the subsequent suffering. The most helpless are at the greatest risk because in desperate situations, each cares only for him/herself. The elderly, the frail, the ones with disabilities, and the small children and babies are at the greatest risk.
The scene is too much for Jeremiah as he sees the horrors piled up. This is the disgrace man does, one to the other. Mankind is a vile picture of inhumanity and lack of compassion, all because of his continued departure from his Creator. This is bad and Jeremiah is weeping in sadness of the deepest kind.
Tears have affected his sight with so much crying, and within, he is greatly churned up. One expression he uses is that HIS HEART IS POURED OUT ON THE EARTH. Verse 11 is quite an intriguing verse in the original and in the AV translation which is this – {{“Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.”}} That is language we do not use in our time. Translations have bypassed the original mostly.
Barnes in his Notes says, [[“Liver - As the heart was regarded by the Jews as the seat of the intellect, so the liver (or bowels) was supposed to be the seat of the emotions. The pouring out of the liver upon the ground meant that feelings had entirely given way under the acuteness of sorrow, and he could no longer restrain them.”]] In Matthew Poole's Commentary, he is a touch more graphic – [[“This whole verse is but expressive of the prophet’s great affliction for the miseries come upon the Jews: he wept himself almost blind, his passion had disturbed his bodily humours, that his bowels were troubled; his gall lying under his liver, upon this disturbance was vomited up: they are all no more than expressions of very great affliction and sorrow.”]]
Particularly galling to Jeremiah was to see the condition of the small, defenseless ones in the street. Little children and infants and nursing babies were helpless and no one could assist them. It was a slow death, and later on we read of some of them who were eaten. Verse 12 mentions those just a little older crying for food, in this case, oil and wine, but it covers any food. The ravages of war affect the most vulnerable the most.
These butchers of Babylon will be responsible at the great white throne when they are judged, but so too the people of Judah who were stiff-necked and unrepentant, AND the king and the elders and the priests and the false prophets who were responsible for all that happened, the whole wicked bunch of them. Such are the depths that fallen, wicked man has fallen into. The innocent and most vulnerable are the worst affected.
VERSE 12
In verse 12, such graphic language is heart-rending. The life of the young ones is poured out on their mother’s bosoms. All is despair; all is without hope. This picture has repeated itself time and time again in the world as callousness, hate, evil murderers in armies and vile satanic men do the devil’s work because he was a murderer from the beginning.
The scene was all before the prophet. As one has said, [[“The children cried for food, and their mothers had none to give them. They were like wounded men at their last gasp, and breathed out their life as they clung in their despair to their mothers’ breasts.”]] All is misery and devoid of hope to rational eyes, but the man of God, also knew that through the pages of the future that a glorious restoration waits at the door of Israel, and in our day we know that is now very close. Jeremiah wrote of it at length. Especially read his prophecy chapter 30 and 31.
What Jeremiah describes is sadly ongoing in the world with the cruelty perpetrated in many nations, especially Africa. Barbaric Islam with its satanic zeal is murdering indiscriminately and torturing so many. What they will receive at the hands of a fearful God in judgement is what they deserve.
[3]. WHO CAN ANSWER THE 4 QUESTIONS?
{{Lamentations 2:13 “How shall I admonish you? To what shall I compare you, O DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM? To what shall I liken you as I comfort you, O VIRGIN DAUGHTER OF ZION? For your ruin is as vast as the sea. Who can heal you?”}}
This is a true lament from Jeremiah. He is feeling helpless in assistance. His compassion is there as he embraces the destroyed nation as a father might embrace a daughter – he continues to use this endearing term “daughter”. Four questions come streaming out. This is a difficult passage because it is uncertain what the exact original wording is. In Lamentations, this does happen a bit. I am keeping to the NASB but here is the ESV of the same verse – {{“What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is vast as the sea. Who can heal you?”}}
The verses seem to imply that there was no parallel for the sufferings of Zion in the history of the past. There certainly was no greater destruction and loss of life.
The word “admonish” in the NASB may be too harsh because I can’t see Jeremiah reproving the suffering people at that stage. He certainly did before the overthrow, and rightly, but now is the time for comfort. Jeremiah was a tender prophet and his desire was for his people and gladly would he comfort them, but how can that be done? It is too much. The remainder of the verse indicates that - “your ruin is as vast as the sea. Who can heal you?”
The answer to the last question can only be the Lord. {{Hosea 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD for He has torn us, but He will heal us. He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.”}} The Hosea verses are a wonderful prophetic passage dealing with the two days and the third day, but we won’t digress. Only the Lord can heal the nation. It is He who brings about a complete healing, and that He does at the Second Coming when He returns to the nation as they are returning to Him.
[4]. THE LYING PROPHETS MISLED THE PEOPLE
{{Lamentations 2:14 “YOUR PROPHETS HAVE SEEN FALSE AND FOOLISH VISIONS for you, and THEY HAVE NOT EXPOSED YOUR INIQUITY so as to restore you from captivity, but they have seen false and misleading oracles for you.”}}
These false prophets will bear a great deal of responsibility. Jeremiah had a lot to say about them. I will chose just from the start of his prophecy –
(a). {{Jeremiah 2:8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ and those who handle the law did not know Me. The rulers also transgressed against Me, and THE PROPHETS PROPHESIED BY BAAL and walked after things that did not profit.”}} The audacity of these lying, false prophets to claim they spoke in the LORD’S name, yet were followers of Baal. The sad thing was that the people loved listening to them but rejected God’s prophet Jeremiah, and I think Haggai was there about the same time.
(b). {{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.”}} The whole of Judah’s society was sick with sin, putrid and fitting Isaiah’s many descriptions. Three words are used – FAIL, APPALLED, and ASTOUNDED. I have a great respect for the Holman Translation which renders it this way - {{“On that day” -?this is the LORD’S declaration -?“the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and THE PROPHETS WILL BE SCARED SPEECHLESS.”}} That is a good description for the prophets – “scared speechless”. They issued Satan’s schemes and probably believed them because they were demonic.
(c). {{Jeremiah 5:13 “THE PROPHETS ARE AS WIND, and the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them.”}} There is no substance to them. They receive their reward, and there they are in Lamentations rejected by God. Wind creates noise as it interacts with objects and reacts with itself. I have heard high shrieking of the wind in cyclones, one occasion a gust of 200 km/h. The false prophets are as wind; all noise but no substance, but they shrieked when they encountered Babylon.
(d). {{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?”}} False prophets are proven by their words, but their words also condemn them. Here they are condemned. What is scandalous is the fact that the people like it that way. Today in the secular world, false prophets lie about the climate and so many more things like the time Aborigines have been in Australia, but the people (mainly) love it that way. They lie about democracy and drugs and abortion and the correctness of homosexuality. They are everywhere.
One great monstrosity is the part churches and ministers are playing today. So many of them deny the power of God’s word and adopt liberalism, preaching a false gospel of socialism and humanism. These ministers and churches will be accountable in the day of judgement that is coming. I was astounded and sickened to see online, some of the black Baptist churches in the United States. So many of them are SO liberal and preach socialism and “civil rights”. What has happened to the once great Baptists of the past?
Jeremiah brings three charges against these prophets. The first is that the prophets have seen false and foolish visions. Did they see visions or did they make it up? Yes, they saw visions but they were demonic ones. I think in certain churches today, we have something of the same with their visions and strange revelations. The second charge is most serious – they did not expose iniquity; they did not speak to the people about their sins and potential judgement; they claimed falsely that no judgement was coming, so they did not call for repentance. The third charge is about seeing false and misleading oracles, and that is again, the visions of demons. These prophets will have their just judgement.
It is astounding that after the overthrow of Jerusalem in the Babylonian destruction, these false prophets were still uttering their false lies. The people were in captivity but the false prophets did nothing about restoration for the people. They were so blind that they could not understand. They did not minister to a people in great need. They were Satan’s agents, satanic tares, and did his will.
Jeremiah claimed they did not expose the iniquity of the people that would lead them out of captivity. False prophets always have a false agenda and that agenda dismisses the true heart of the people, and works towards the implementation of their agenda. The climate activists of our time have their Marxist agenda and disregard the plight and hurt of the people and the damage they themselves are causing. It has always been like that.
The days of Jeremiah are similar to our own times. Both were/are set at the end of the current rule of man. Judah was about to fall with the judgement of Babylon. Our modern rule is about to fall with the Rapture of the Church followed by the judgement of the Tribulation. In both cases there was/is a proliferation of false prophets. These operate inside the churches and outside.
The world is rushing to a universal Marxism and nasty left wing politics under hateful and lying people. Just look at the way the US election and pre-election lies from the Legacy Media played out. The Church has its prophets of false teaching and denial of biblical authority, and false cults and deceptive heresies. They are everywhere. We must be very vigilant.
