Summary: The survivors of the Babylonian destruction had a terrible time. Even to get food was very risky, and because of starvation, the famine caused the skin to become hot, and earlier on, dry like wood. The army raped the women in all of Judah. We consider that infamy of debased men.

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 42 – OBTAINING FOOD COULD MEAN DEATH; STARVATION CAUSED OVEN-HOT SKIN; WOMEN WERE RAPED BY BABYLON - Lamentations 5:8-11

Currently we are in the last chapter of the book with all the grievances written in short statements. All these are sad and we can not begin to understand and appreciate all the things that were done to the inhabitants of Judah and to their survivors. This is a cruel world with prevailing injustices where evil people thrive and the weaker and powerless are downtrodden.

Right now there are awful tragedies against our fellow Christians in some nations of Africa, and Christians in other areas such as China and the Middle East, suffer abuse because of the Name by which they are named. Can we who are in nations of relative freedom understand the suffering of these fellow believers? I don’t think we can and their lives are isolated from us. We don’t appreciate what it is like for them.

Let us continue in our study of the conditions of sadness these overturned inhabitants are enduring because of their sin that matured into tragedy. Please do not be put off by these awful tragedies. They still exist in this world.

There is a word many of us Christians need to understand better as many of us are lacking it. The word is EMPATHY. We must appreciate with compassion and sympathy what fellow members of the Body are experiencing. Are we too selfish to do that? Are we too content with our materialistic lot in life? There is a verse in James that applies to one’s own condition, but may I suggest we let it apply to the conditions of believers who suffer, and therefore, not neglect them – {{James 1:23-24 “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he HAS IMMEDIATELY FORGOTTEN what kind of person he was”}}

[8]. THE SLAVES RULE DESPOTICALLY

{{Lamentations 5:8 “Slaves rule over us. There is no one to deliver us from their hand.”}}

I wonder how many have read or watched a play called "The Admirable Crichton" by J. M. Barrie. In that story, a group of aristocrats is shipwrecked on a deserted island, and the butler, Crichton, becomes the leader, as he is the only one with survival skills, reversing the social order.

In that play all is decent in what happened, but in the reverse order in Jerusalem, there was not one touch of decency. Slaves, as despots, ruled over the people and no one was able to deliver them from the suffering they endured.

It is always a despairing situation when you are in a tight spot or are in need, or suffering physical pain or mental anguish, AND there is no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no one to rescue you. These outside influences seem to rule over you.

Of course for the Christian, the Lord Jesus is all he/she needs and even then for some people that is a hard road to walk because they see their problems as being insurmountable.

We must consider the key verse here. There is some uncertainty about what the verse refers to.

Budde suggests that such persons may have seized upon property (Habakkuk 1:6 – “for behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth TO SEIZE DWELLING PLACES WHICH ARE NOT THEIRS,”}}) and forced the Jews to earn their bread under them as day-labourers.

Gill makes an observation here for “Servants/slaves have ruled over us” . . .

[[The Targum says, "the sons of Ham, who were given to be servants to the sons of Shem, they have ruled over us;''

This is referring to the prophecy of Noah, Genesis 9:26; or to such as had been tributary to the Jews, as the Edomites; the Babylonians are meant; and not the nobles and principal inhabitants only, but even their servants, had power and authority over the Jews and they were at their beck and command; which made their servitude the more disagreeable and intolerable.]]

It was a galling situation for the Jews in defeat. They had lost everything, even their dignity.

[9]. JUST TRYING TO GET BREAD TO LIVE IS A RISK

{{Lamentations 5:9 “We get our bread AT THE RISK OF OUR LIVES because of the sword in the wilderness.”}}

We continue with this list of “This is what they have done to us.” It is impossible for us to project ourselves into that situation to try to imagine what it would be like. Sometimes we complain about one thing going wrong, but here is a list, and they are not trivial matters, but affect the necessities of life.

One of the shortest verses in the New Testament is this – {{Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread,”}} and for us in western nations, we hardly ever give that verse a thought. I think it is deprivations and difficulties we can’t just automatically solve that reinforce our dependence on God. For a lot of us we don’t have dependence when there is no need. Us Christians need shaking up because we have become too laisse-faire and arrogant, and are adopting the Laodicean spirit. We are too lax. Maybe the Lord who refines His Church will allow this to happen to us as it does in a lot of the world where Christians are suffering. Hardship and endurance will produce the sweetest fruit.

Our Lamentations verse reveals great difficulty and risk just obtaining enough food to exist. We already know the people were starving; their skin was as leather, and things were so bad that some mothers boiled their children to eat them.

There is background to this verse. The sense is that while the people were scavenging for food or trying to attend meager crops or do some shepherding work with left over animals, then they got attacked by random and wandering bands of desert dwellers and it has been suggested these were the predatory Bedouins.

I have always understood the Bedouins, the desert dwellers, to be very hospitable to strangers. These desert Arabs are tent dwellers, maybe a little the way Abraham was. I did find this – [[“Are Bedouin people friendly? Yes, Bedouin people are considered friendly and hospitable. Originating in Muslim teaching, Bedouins ethos comprises courage and hospitality towards strangers. Today, many Bedouins work in the tourism sector, offering Bedouin camp experiences in desert environments such as the Wadi Rum desert.”]]

AI wants to answer a lot of questions today as it sifts through answers to synthesise a result. This was its response to the friendliness of Bedouins – [[“Yes, Bedouins are known for their exceptional hospitality, which is a core value of their culture. They often welcome guests warmly, offering food and shelter without expecting anything in return, reflecting their deep-rooted traditions of generosity and kindness.’]]

However we are not in today in Lamentations. We are looking at 2 400+ years ago. I can not find a commentator who does not refer to the surrounding Arabs and these were the ones doing mischief to the hungry, seeking survivors of the destruction.

[10]. FAMINE WAS FELT ON THE SKIN

{{Lamentations 5:10 “OUR SKIN HAS BECOME AS HOT as an oven because of the burning heat of famine.”}}

Just how does starvation affect the skin in this way? A Health Adviser site on the Internet describes hunger/starvation in the following manner –

[[[ PHYSICAL SIGNS

“As starvation progresses, the physical symptoms set in. The timing of these symptoms depends on age, size, and how healthy you are. It usually takes days to weeks, and includes weakness, fast heart rate, shallow breaths that are slowed, thirst, and constipation. There may also be diarrhea in some cases. The eyes begin to sink in and glassed over. The muscles begin to become smaller and muscle wasting sets in. One prominent sign in children is the belly begins to swell. Skin will loosen and turn pale in color, and there may be feet and ankle swelling.

WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM

Symptoms of starvation may also appear in other areas such as weakened immune system, slow wound healing, and poor response to infection. You may notice rashes on the skin or wounds that don’t heal. This is because your body is directing any nutrients available to just keeping organs functioning.” ]]]

The results of famine caused reaction in the bodies and for some, it felt feverish. We just can’t imagine how bad it was for them. Descriptions are small windows that allow the slightest appreciation of the dire effect of the conditions. These were conditions hardly any of us could tolerate.

[11]. THE “SPOILS” OF WAR

{{Lamentations 5:11 “They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.”}}

The most satanic and depraved of men do despicable things to those who are weaker and can’t defend themselves. It is a cruel world because of sin. Throughout history armies have conquered and killed and raped the girls and women in overthrown territories. I don’t need to elaborate on this evil. Historic records testify to it over and over.

The savagery of all this, the injustice, and the accumulated wickedness is appalling, and nothing ever is done about it. It happened from man’s first ventures into evil. Without there being an accounting for this shameful behaviour, then justice falls in a heap of worthlessness. However that is not the case in the long run, for God has the heavenly “accountants” with accurate records. {{Hebrews 9:27 “Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgement.”}}. No one escapes that.

Regarding the punishment of the wicked for their wicked deeds, it is not wrong to say, “they deserve it,” and any who think that attitude is anti-Christian then so would be this verse – {{Revelation 16:6 “for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. THEY DESERVE IT.”}}

The great beauty about grace is that God does not give His believers what they deserve. We deserve what the sinner outside of Christ will receive but grace has wiped the slate clean and clothed us in the righteousness of Christ. What a glorious position God has brought us into, and are we absolutely grateful for that? I wonder if some don’t value their salvation like they should.

In Isaiah’s description of the coming Day of the LORD, part of that is devoted to the overthrow of Judah, but most of it to the world – {{Isaiah 13:11 “Thus I WILL PUNISH THE WORLD FOR ITS EVIL and the wicked for their iniquity. I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”}}

And it continues, more with Judah in view (and it happened) – {{Isaiah 13:15-16 “Anyone who is found will be thrust through and anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. THEIR HOUSES WILL BE PLUNDERED AND THEIR WIVES RAVISHED.”}}. Lamentations confirms all that.

The prophecy then turns to Babylon and its utter destruction.

That barbaric behaviour comes from the filth of Satan and iniquity that is insatiable, but it is all in God’s records, and every single individual has a personal account that will face exposure in the judgement to come – {{Revelation 20:12 “and I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and THE DEAD WERE JUDGED FROM THE THINGS WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS, ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS.”}}

The very last incidence in the bible of this unbridled rape and horror of Satan occurs right at the end of the Tribulation when the armies of the entire world are gathered against Jerusalem. This is not fanciful. NOR is it allegory. It will happen. By that time the majority of the earth’s inhabitants have perished, and I would say armies are small having suffered judgement after judgement in the Tribulation. BUT the hate is there still for Israel right until the end – {{Revelation 16:13-14 “I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs, for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of THE WHOLE WORLD, TO GATHER THEM TOGETHER FOR THE WAR OF THE GREAT DAY OF GOD, THE ALMIGHTY.”}}

This is what will happen right on the eve of the Lord’s/Messiah’s Second Coming when He comes for Armageddon and the return to His earthly people in Jerusalem for their final, permanent restoration – {{Zechariah 14:2-3 “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, THE WOMEN RAVISHED, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. THEN THE LORD WILL GO FORTH AND FIGHT AGAINST THOSE NATIONS, as when He fights on a day of battle.”}}

I sometimes wonder why God allows the world to continue. The evil of men’s hearts is enormous. Yes, I wonder but I know the answer. The grace of God reaches out before sudden destruction comes, but when it does come, then it will be fierce and unrelenting.