Summary: Further to all the troubles, the elders no longer function with determining justice when they sat in the gate. Young men no longer play and enjoy music. The nation lost its joy. Israel has a rich legacy with Composers and Conductors and Performers. Joyful change at the Second Coming.

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS – PART 44 – ELDERS HAVE BEEN VANQUISHED BY BABYLON. WE LOOK AT JOY AND MUSIC CEASING. THEN WE CONSIDER THE GREAT JEWISH CONTRIBUTION IN MUSIC - Lamentations 5:14-15

The nation is being surveyed, or rather, the remnant of Judah is lamenting its terrible conditions. We have been looking at some really awful conditions the people were enduring because Babylon was cruel and dehumanised.

Jeremiah was a tender prophet and related well to his people. Throughout his prophecy he had to chastise them often to call the nation to repentance, but his message was rejected and the people went into judgement. Even after that the prophet ministered to the people, and their condition, he describes in lamentations.

In the previous message we saw where the princes were hanged and the young men were made slaves to the Babylonian war machine and cruelly treated. Earlier we saw that women were raped and no consideration whatever was given to the elderly. Our descriptions continue now.

[14]. THE OLD ORDER HAS GONE

{{Lamentations 5:14 “ELDERS ARE GONE FROM THE GATE, YOUNG MEN FROM THEIR MUSIC.”}}

Two more groups are affected. The older and the younger are both caught up in the tyrant’s net. One is associated with wisdom and the other with enjoyment and happiness.

Elders and their association with being found “in the gate”, is a long-standing tradition in Israel. The elderly were respected in that society, unlike ours where they are discarded for the new order of humanism spearheaded by the socialist academics. It is not surprising for all that which pertains to God has been turned on its head in a secular and godless culture. “Many are called but few are chosen.” “The chosen” are getting fewer and fewer.

(a). {{Deuteronomy 21:18-21 If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to THE ELDERS OF HIS CITY AT THE GATEWAY OF HIS HOME TOWN, and they shall say to the elders of his city, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear of it and fear.}}

Sin is the leaven that spreads and affects all strata of society and rebellion is one of the worst. We saw that earlier on in the rebellion of Korah. A rebellious man who will not repent is the cause of much damage and God was severe on bringing that to an end. I don’t wish to go into the morality of the situation here to get sidetracked, but to draw attention to the location of the elders. They are found in the gate.

A proper functioning people are supposed to have wisdom at the top, and God decreed that wisdom belongs to the elderly. {{Job 12:12-13 “Wisdom is with aged men. With long life is understanding. With Him are wisdom and might. To Him belong counsel and understanding.”}} {{Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, and the honour of old men is their grey hair.”}}

It was decreed that this wisdom be available for people to utilise, so the elders were in the gate of the city as if it was their office. That decree goes right back before Israel even entered Canaan.

(b). {{Ruth 4:1-2 Now Boaz WENT UP TO THE GATE and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here,” and he turned aside and sat down. HE TOOK TEN MEN OF THE ELDERS OF THE CITY and said, “Sit down here,” so they sat down.”}}

Counsel was determined at the gate and that is exactly the way Boaz did it. It is a marvellous story that happened not too long after Israel was in Canaan. It is a story of grace in fact. There was a standing command of the Lord here to consider – {{Deuteronomy 23:3-4 “NO AMMONITE OR MOABITE SHALL ENTER THE ASSEMBLY OF THE LORD. None of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD, because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.”}} It was through grace that Ruth entered the assembly of Israel and became an ancestor of King David. How we need wisdom and it does not come from idiots in politics, or the self indulgent around town, or the socialist academics, or those who think they are something because they are News commentators.

(c). {{Proverbs 31:23 “Her husband is known IN THE GATES WHEN HE SITS AMONG THE ELDERS of the land.”}}

Chapter 31 speaks of the excellent wife and this verse mentions her husband who sits with the elders in the gate and that is where decisions are made and wise advice given. When that is taken away then chaos will ferment. That happened in Judah's overthrow and now the elders have gone from the gate. Jeremiah is giving examples of the destruction of the whole society, a heavily defeated people who brought this on themselves because of sin.

(d). {{Amos 5:15 “Hate evil, love good, and ESTABLISH JUSTICE IN THE GATE. Perhaps the LORD God of hosts may be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”}} {{Amos 5:10 “THEY HATE HIM WHO REPROVES IN THE GATE, and they abhor him who speaks with integrity.”}}

Amos was writing in a time when the nation was so sinful (which was most of the time) and one of the foremost problems was the hatred the people had for justice. How like our own time when people hate righteousness and love their sin. The prophet calls for justice to be established in the gate (with the elders), yet he also acknowledges that the people hate the elder who reproves sin. Sinners hate any reproving of their sin because they are married to their love of sinning. It will make no difference to the day of certain accountability that is coming.

The whole nation was corrupt and the ones who suffered most were the ones who were defenceless and could do nothing about it. Just one verse here exposes some of that injustice – {{Amos 5:11 “Therefore, because you impose HEAVY RENT ON THE POOR, and EXACT A TRIBUTE OF GRAIN FROM THEM, though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, yet you will not live in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.”}}

This matter of extortion is prolific in these days. I see it in supermarkets, in charges from dentists and plumbers, just to name two offenders, some of them great swindlers. Maybe the greatest greed and immoral dealings comes from the great tech companies; at least I see that in their charges – Microsoft, Google especially, Apple, Adobe and certainly others such as the Internet Servers.

What is more painful morally when you are denied justice? When your whole being is crying out for true justice and it is denied. Look at what was happening in the gate in Amos’s time – {{Amos 5:12 “I know your TRANSGRESSIONS are many and your SINS ARE GREAT, you who DISTRESS THE RIGHTEOUS and ACCEPT BRIBES, and TURN ASIDE THE POOR IN THE GATE.”}}. In many subtle ways this happens today.

I have known injustice, and that from officials and Government puppets of hate. My conclusion is that one can not find justice in this world, especially if one is a Christian, because we are not of the world and the world loves its own but hates God’s own. All we can do it let these matters rest with the Lord because He is our strong shield and there is coming a day when all men’s deeds will be judged. When the Lord returns at the Second Coming and sets up His Kingdom, justice and righteousness will feature all over the world when Jesus Messiah is King in Jerusalem.

The denial of justice is what fractured Jewish society and was partially responsible for their destruction. A terrible thing has happened in my nation. A leading Israeli speaker has been denied entry into Australia because the Government, who is on the side of Hamas, claims he speaks hate. That is because he supports the Israeli government in defending itself. At the same time the Australian Government supports Palestinian terrorists in their tens of thousands blocking Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for Jews to be killed and gassed. Hate?? Is that not hate? The current Australian Government is corrupt through and through. It accuses Christians of hate crimes because they do not agree with homosexuality, but nothing is done about these Palestinians imported into Australia by the Australian Labor Party spreading their hate against Israel and Jews. Americans, treasure the decency you have in part under Donald Trump.

I will end this section with a quote – [[“The elders and people at the gate were integral to the functioning of ancient Israelite society. They ensured that justice was administered, social order was maintained, and the community's covenant relationship with God was honored. The gate served as a focal point for legal, social, and religious life, reflecting the values and priorities of the Israelite community.”]]

The second part of Lamentations 5:14 speaks about young men and their music. Why young men, and not women or people in the wider sense? Here is a well-known passage about the captives who were spared and taken to Babylon – {{Psalm 137:1-4 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. There our captors demanded of us songs and our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the LORD’S song in a foreign land?}}

It is no surprise that music waned and ended, for Jeremiah said that would happen. Sad people don’t sing. Suffering people don’t have the heart to play instruments. {{Jeremiah 7:34 “Then I will MAKE TO CEASE from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin.”}}

[15]. NATURALLY MUSIC IS LINKED WITH JOY AND DANCING; BOTH DESTROYED

{{Lamentations 5:15 “The joy of our hearts has ceased. OUR DANCING HAS BEEN TURNED INTO MOURNING.”}}

The verse here naturally follows from the previous one where the nation’s music suffered a huge blow. The young men in Verse 14 were silent and instruments were not taken up.

Here is a mystery – of all nations on earth, there is more musical ability inherent in the Jewish people than any other peoples, and that includes Germany and Italy. God has gifted His earthly people with special abilities and this has been seen also in 2024 and 2025 with the military’s unique abilities against Hamas and Hezbollah and Iranian terrorism.

Israel transformed a wasteland since 1947 into flourishing productivity with special skills. Though the nation is secular and does not know its Messiah, yet the hand of God is certainly upon His people for inventiveness and protection. AND MUSIC!

One Internet site begins this way – [[Israel, often overshadowed by its historical and political narratives, is also home to a vibrant and diverse music scene. This blog post shines a light on the influential Israeli musicians who have made significant contributions to the world of music. We introduce you to artists who have not only shaped the Israeli music landscape but also left a mark internationally.]]

I don’t follow contemporary music (I dislike it) but you will find many of those names when you look. God has blessed Jews with a rich musical heritage and ability. I am into the classical scene and here are a few Jewish musicians from that classical side who have had such an influence on music in the world (Composers, Performers, Conductors) -

George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Felix Mendelssohn (and a wonderful Christian as well), Irving Berlin, Aaron Copland, Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, Jacques Offenbach, Max Bruch, Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, Asher Fisch, Nathan Milstein, AND a young up and coming pianist, violinist, composer and conductor – Alma Deutscher (now 20 years old) (father is Jewish – Israeli linguist born in Tel Aviv). Check her out on the Internet. You might be very amazed (from 4 years of age onwards). She has her own site as well.

Back to the verse. Joy is associated with musical expression. Musical expression is associated with joy. When one ceases, so does the other. These survivors had no joy and we have been seeing this in our studies. In the Jewish culture, joy is closely connected with dancing. Kill the joy and you kill the dancing. Put the people in terrible bondage and suffering and you destroy music, joy and dancing.

However one day it will all be changed when Messiah reigns among His people in Jerusalem. Psalm 118 is a remarkable chapter allied with Zechariah 12 and 14 dealing with the Lord’s enemies surrounding Jerusalem and the Lord defeating them, and joy and rejoicing will return. Here are a few verses from that Psalm:-

{{Psalm 118:10-11 “ALL NATIONS SURROUNDED ME. In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.”}}

{{Psalm 118:13-14 “You pushed me violently so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND SONG and He has become my salvation.”}}

{{Psalm 118:15-16 “THE SOUND OF JOYFUL SHOUTING AND SALVATION IS IN THE TENTS OF THE RIGHTEOUS. The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. The right hand of the LORD is exalted. The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”}}

{{Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the LORD has made. LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.

Psalm 118:26 BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”}}. That verse was alluded to in the Gospels but its true application will be when the Lord Messiah comes at the Second Coming in Glory to His own earthly people.

What that happens, it truly can be said by Israel - {{Psalm 30:11 “You have TURNED FOR ME MY MOURNING INTO DANCING. You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.”}}

{{Psalm 149:3 “LET THEM PRAISE HIS NAME WITH DANCING. LET THEM SING PRAISES TO HIM with timbrel and lyre.”}}

There is nothing more to say. The people depressed have repressed their joyful expression. No longer can their joy be found. BUT WHEN THE DAY COMES, THEY SHALL!