Summary: Devastating is Jeremiah’s description, for the suffering of infants is great. Judah sinned worse than Sodom. Once devastated, the rich became as poor. The world is in a lamentable situation, but refuses to look at the basic underlying cause - man’s sin against God. Repentance is needed!

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 32 – INFANTS DIE OF HUNGER; RICH AND OPULENT NOW DEVASTATED IN THE STREET; JUDAH’S SIN GREATER THAN SODOM - CHAPTER 4:3-7

These laments continue and there is some “what was” and “what is now” in this message.

PART [3]. WILD ANIMALS TREAT THEIR OFFSPRING CORRECTLY BUT NOT ISRAEL

{{Lamentations 4:3 “Even JACKALS offer the breast. They nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become CRUEL LIKE OSTRICHES in the wilderness.”}}

What a comparison this is. The wild jackals act better than defeated Israel is doing. They let the young jackals suckle but the poor infants of Judah are not privileged to that, because the mothers can not do it. They have no milk. The infants would be neglected and dying. As we have seen earlier, and certainly in verse 10, some were eaten.

Jackals are quite awful creatures and I don’t like them even though they come from the hand of God’s creation. They care for their young, but Israel is failing in that. Judah’s young are being eaten. It is said desperate times require desperate action but we see quite clearly that God condemned what was happening. The LORD declared the daughter of His people (a tender term) to be cruel and compared them with ostriches. The jackals feed their young while the ostrich abandons her eggs, some say, but that is because the ostrich lays up to 30 eggs and ignores them until laying is complete, and then it sits on the eggs.

The AV/KJV renders “sea monsters” and elsewhere “dragons” for this word “jackal”, but best is jackals. I think around 1611 in England the animals of the Middle East were improperly understood, as were gemstones and trees.

{{Job 30:29 “I have become a BROTHER TO JACKALS, and a COMPANION OF OSTRICHES.”}} Poor Job describes how he was feeling – like despised and rejected animals. Nevertheless, in all that time he knew that the Lord had not deserted him.

Babylon’s fate is outlined prophetically in Isaiah and this part is descriptive of the animals there after God was to judge Babylon later on – {{Isaiah 13:21-22 “but desert creatures will lie down there and their houses will be full of owls; OSTRICHES also will live there and shaggy goats will frolic there. Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers and JACKALS in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come and her days will not be prolonged.”}}

{{Isaiah 43:20 “The beasts of the field will glorify Me, THE JACKALS AND THE OSTRICHES, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to My chosen people.”}} This verse is contained in the section dealing with the restoration of Israel when the Lord returns at the Second Coming. The whole land will be changed and the whole of creation will lose the curse that is currently upon it. The desert will bloom – Isaiah 14. The jackals and ostriches will no longer be despised.

Paul spoke about the groaning of creation under the curse and the time that is coming when all creation will be delivered from the curse of sin, and that happens once the Millennium begins. {{Romans 8:18-23 “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. THE ANXIOUS LONGING OF THE CREATION WAITS EAGERLY for the revealing of the sons of God, FOR THE CREATION WAS SUBJECTED TO FUTILITY, NOT OF ITS OWN WILL, but because of Him who subjected it - in hope that THE CREATION ITSELF ALSO WILL BE SET FREE FROM ITS SLAVERY TO CORRUPTION, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. WE KNOW THAT THE WHOLE CREATION GROANS AND SUFFERS THE PAINS OF CHILDBIRTH TOGETHER UNTIL NOW, and not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves WAITING EAGERLY for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”}}

The mothers of the displaced and suffering citizens of Judah don’t care for their young as they are fighting to stay alive themselves. All this Jeremiah saw and it must have torn him apart. How could a mother abandon her child? It happened with the Australian Aborigines but it should not happen to those called by God’s name. The suffering was immense, and the infants paid the price for the sins of the parents.

I won’t add any more to that until we do this verse from chapter 5 – {{Lamentations 5:7 “Our fathers sinned, and are no more. IT IS WE WHO HAVE BORNE THEIR INIQUITIES.”}}

PART [4]. THE PLIGHT OF THE DEFENCELESS INFANT CONTINUES

{{Lamentations 4:4 “The tongue of the infant cleaves to the roof of its mouth because of THIRST. The little ones ask for BREAD, but no one breaks it for them.”}}

We have learned the infants are not fed but abandoned, unlike the jackal that nurses her young and protects them. Now we have a most lamentable situation. The plea for food is denied and it is demonstrated two ways. Firstly the mouth is so dry it is as if the tongue is stuck to the top of the mouth. There is no milk. We have described the mothers refusing to provide sustenance to the young but we must think too that in a lot of cases this might have been impossible. The mothers possibly were so under-nourished themselves that they were not able to provide milk, and had no other food to give.

What a terrible outcome sin causes. This world is so ready to blame symptoms for the state of the world. Some fools right now are trying to blame their myth of climate change for all the world’s problems. They blame political establishments, decision making, and a host of reasons for the world’s lamentable situation, but refuse to look at the basic underlying cause which is man’s sin against God. You have politicians promising to fix this and that and implementing some new law to change some legislation, but they are all pathetic band aids, for the root cause it not addressed. Man will not face the truth because to do so means facing his own wickedness and then addressing that problem. That is too much to ask and the voice of God will be ignored or bitterly opposed as they did to Christ, putting Him to death.

The infant at the breast was sucking dry, even if the mother tried. The child a little older in the weaning stage and just after, was in starvation because there was no bread for that one. These conditions are not unique for Judah but are repeated all over in war. Tragedy is caused by ruthless, ambitious, godless men, but it was never meant to be for Judah. Their problem was of their own making when they resorted to gross idolatry and turned from God.

Sinners blame circumstances for their ills but only the gospel can break that bondage. When a person surrenders to Christ that one is a new creation and that means new understanding, new priorities and new hopes. Every born again member of the Body of Christ has moved from darkness to light and ought to be able to echo these words – {{John 9:25 He therefore answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”}}

PART [5]. THE CONTRAST – WHAT WAS AND WHAT IS NOW

{{Lamentations 4:5 “Those who ate DELICACIES are DESOLATE in the streets. Those reared in PURPLE embrace ASH PITS,”}}

From luxury to desolation, and from stately living to the grime of hovels. Two outcomes are given, one for food and one for dress and location. The rich are reduced to poverty and desolation. Their sumptuous eating is no more, for war had reduced everyone to the same level. Gone are their rich foods, and the opulence of their delicacies. Now they are unknown and desolate in the street. They are nothing – no choice food; no classy apparel; no mansions for living in comparison with others, for all is gone and they are meaningless to the impoverished around.

This life is so artificial and some lord it over others as if they have a birthright to do so. It is a tragedy to be rich in this life and poor in spiritual matters. Many examples exist in the bible for this. There was a rich man who dined luxuriously while poor Lazarus begged among the scraps. Life on earth is transitory and in death all are exposed. People build empires here but what do they take with them? Here is the answer –

Psalm 49:16-19 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased, FOR WHEN HE DIES HE WILL CARRY NOTHING AWAY. His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself - and though men praise you when you do well for yourself - He shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.”}}

That marvellous Psalm sets out the contrast – {{Psalm 49:14 “As sheep THEY ARE APPOINTED FOR SHEOL. Death shall be their shepherd and the upright shall rule over them in the morning and their form shall be for Sheol to consume so that they have no habitation,” Psalm 49:15 “but GOD WILL REDEEM MY SOUL from the power of Sheol FOR HE WILL RECEIVE ME. Selah.”}}. Many times in the Psalms is the contrast made between the righteous and the unrighteous but the way of the wicked is clear – {{Psalm 49:20 “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.”}}. How sad is that and we look to the Lord to convict and save so many, especially of our families.

When the Tribulation comes riches and poverty matter not when peace is taken from the earth and wars are all over the face of the earth. They matter not when the great judgements of God begin to fall and this happens – {{Revelation 6:15-17 “THE KINGS OF THE EARTH AND THE GREAT MEN AND THE COMMANDERS AND THE RICH AND THE STRONG AND EVERY SLAVE AND FREE MAN, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb FOR THE GREAT DAY OF THEIR WRATH HAS COME, and who is able to stand?”}}

The fashion elite lost their privileged position when overthrown in Jerusalem, and purple of royalty and high position gave way to rags and tatters. They lost their estates. It says they ended up in ash pits. The KJV uses scarlet and dungheaps in translation. Poole wrote - [[“They were wont to eat upon scarlet carpets, or to lodge upon scarlet beds and couches; now they searched for their meat upon, or were glad to lie upon, dunghills.”]] Class and status mean nothing in complete tragedy; and in the judgement, all men and women stand on the same premise, all undone before the Lord. You who are rich, beware, because your riches are a great danger to the unsuspecting and unprepared. They often bend your minds away from God.

PART [6]. THE BOTTOM LINE – THE INTENSITY OF WICKEDNESS

{{Lamentations 4:6 “for the iniquity of the daughter of my people is GREATER THAN THE SIN OF SODOM which was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were turned toward her.”}}

Another comparison is Judah and Sodom. We all know how iniquitous Sodom was, and I suppose if you asked people in churches which is the most wicked city in the bible, you most probably would get Sodom as the answer. Sodom and Gomorrah were vile, homosexual places and God overthrew them along with other cities of the plains. However Jeremiah writes one word in this verse that changes things – GREATER.

The sin in Judah was greater than that of Sodom. Why would that be? The answer is not difficult. Israel was in the highest privileged position because God called Abraham and established with him everlasting covenants. The LORD redeemed Israel out of Egypt and He loved His son Israel. They were given the Law and the prophets and the Tabernacle and Temple. However Israel turned its back on her Redeemer and turned to the most disgraceful idolatry and filth of the heathen nations.

Sodom dropped from being sinful men into homosexuality, but Israel and Judah dropped from a high privileged position of fellowship with God to fellowship with satanic idols and the whole degradation of the human being that pagan idolatry brings. That drop was worse; the sin of Judah was a lot greater.

Our verse says Sodom was overthrown in a moment meaning God stepped in suddenly and it was all over. They were buried under bitumen and ashes, and a similar thing happened with Judah. Their downfall came suddenly. One year they lived their gross sinfulness; the next, most had been killed and the survivors who were left in the land were suffering in the ways we are examining. God is not mocked and sin will always pay its wages. The sword of Damocles is hovering over the present world and in a matter of moments is about to fall. You must take immediate refuge in the Son or you will likewise perish. Salvation is freely yours through repentance and faith, with your life changing around.

The end of verse 6 says no hands were turned towards her and I think it refers to Sodom, but equally true for Judah. There was not one to help; no one to provide relief or to give solace. Judah was rejected of men, and rejected by God (but God never fully rejects when it comes to Israel), and left abandoned. Their sorry state continued to rest on their own heads.

The translation of the ending of this verse is in doubt with some alternatives. I have decided to keep to the NASB. The ESV is “no hands were wrung for her,” and the AV is “and no hands stayed on her”. It is all dismal and lonely in suffering.

PART [7]. THE PROMINENT ONES WERE ON AN EXALTED PLANE

{{Lamentations 4:7 “HER CONSECRATED ONES were PURER than snow. They were WHITER than milk. They were more RUDDY in body than corals. Their POLISHING was like lapis lazuli.”}}

Verses 7 and 8 are together but I have separated them for the purposes of comments. Now Jeremiah introduces four similes of description. The verse begins with “her consecrated ones” (NASB) with the KJV being Nazarites. There is some variation from nobles to eminent ones to princes, (the NASB being “consecrated ones”), and I don’t intend deciphering what is accepted by the majority, but these are the prominent leaders in some way, even the consecrated Nazarites from the Temple.

Jeremiah describes these in glowing terms before he contrasts that with verse 8. It is what they were (7) and what they now are (8). Snow and milk were to bring out the whiteness of purity, and the redness of corals showed the beauty, while the lapis lazuli was to show the brilliance shining. In order to get the best contrast in verse 8, he brings an excellent description here in 7.

It is interesting how the AV/KJV has these objects wrong, and as previously said, in 1611 they would have been uncertain of the physical world in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Here is the AV translation – {{“Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:”}}. Even the NASB could be wrong in translation but it is not important. The concept is.

The eminent ones, especially if it did concern the Nazarites, were very recognisable before the defeat. They stood out but a huge change came and we will move to that in verse 8, but in the next message.