Study Questions:

1. Where does the prophet identify the cause of their misfortune? (Lamentations 3:40-42)

2. To which other city does the prophet compare the sin of Jerusalem? (Lamentations 4:6)

Commentary and Reflection:

In wisdom literature and Hebrew poetry, inspired writers candidly open their hearts before God to express their deepest emotions during pain, anguish, and suffering. These experiences often touch on theodicy, exploring why the innocent suffer under an omnipotent, just, and merciful God.

The Bible contains books such as Job, Psalms, Lamentations, Habakkuk, and other prophetic writings that address these themes. Lamentations is one of those poetic compositions where Jeremiah speaks to God through tears, grieving over the suffering of his people during the Babylonian captivity. Like Job, David, and Habakkuk, Jeremiah sometimes complains to God, confident that God listens and offers comfort through His promises.

In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah asks several questions to emphasize that God is in control and that humanity cannot solve its self-inflicted suffering by questioning God’s omniscience. It is common in this type of literature for the author to question or even protest against God in ignorance as part of suffering humanity. For example, Job defends his innocence before his accusing friends and even questions why God does not defend him from the wicked.

Similarly, David cries out to God in Psalm 77: “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.” (Psalm 77:2-3)

On the other hand, Jeremiah exhorted his compatriots to acknowledge and lament their sins. He called Israel to turn back to God (Lamentations 3:40-54). He grieved deeply over the consequences of their sins. Like the imprecatory psalms that invoke God’s vengeance, the prophet appeals to divine justice against his people’s enemies.

In Lamentations 4, Jeremiah describes the state of Zion and contrasts its past glory with its present ruin. He vividly portrays the Babylonian siege of Judah. The invasion devastated the beauty of the temple’s gold and precious stones.

Jerusalem’s condition became unspeakably dire: its inhabitants were humiliated, compared to mire; wild animals showed more compassion for their offspring than the mothers of Zion did for their children; those who once feasted abundantly now scavenged for scraps of bread; others searched through refuse for something to wear.

This plight befell Judah due to its rebellion and apostasy against God. Lamentations 4:6 states that their sin was worse than that of Sodom. Sodom’s destruction was swift, but Judah’s suffering was prolonged and agonizing.

The comparison continues: those slain by the sword were better off than those starved. The scene Jeremiah paints is horrific, describing compassionate mothers who, in desperation, cooked their children to survive.

Some question how a merciful God could allow such terrible punishment. Was this the act of a vengeful and wrathful God, or was Judah reaping the consequences of its sins despite God’s repeated calls to avoid this tragedy?

In the Old Testament, the concept of Satan as the source of pain, suffering, and death was not clearly understood. As seen in Job, Psalms, and now Lamentations, both good and evil were attributed to God. (Lamentations 3:37-38) However, the New Testament, with the coming of Jesus, exposes the true murderer and deceiver: Satan.

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

Ultimately, it was the enemy of God and humanity who seduced Israel into apostasy, leading to the tragedy they endured.

The episodes of sorrow and suffering in Jeremiah’s life and Judah’s history remind us that we reap what we sow. Despite Jeremiah’s laments, he never lost his trust and hope in God. As he triumphantly declares: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:22-26)

May this be our conviction as well.