“This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”
~ Lamentations 1:16
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever been to a ghost town? If you have been to a ghost town, could you still hear the sound of horses clopping down streets, glasses filled with whiskey tinkling against each other in a smoke filled saloon and gunfire as gunslingers try to kill each other? Have you ever been to a school during the school’s summer break? If you been to a school during the school’s summer break, could you still hear the sounds of kids talking and laughing in the halls, chairs scraping on tile floors and a loud buzzer signaling the starting or ending of a school day? Have you ever been to a church in the middle of a week? If you have been to a church in the middle of a week, could you still hear the sounds of guys, gals and kids singing hymns and choruses, a preacher droning on to a scattered, somewhat attentive eclectic mass of guys, gals and kids and a speaker system that wants to contribute to the moment with some of its own static? As you are going someplace with your dad and/or ma and you see a dilapidated house, do you ever wish that the ramshackle house could tell you the story of the family or families that its walls once protected? As you are going someplace with your dad and/or ma and you see a forlorn windmill standing vigilantly in a grassy pasture, do you ever wish that the windmill could tell you the story of all the cows, horses and other animals that it brought up out of the ground water for the animals to drink? As you are going someplace with your dad and/or ma and you see in a field a lonesome pine, oak or cottonwood or another kind of tree, do you ever wish that the sentinel could tell you the story of all the bursting sunrises, celebrating sunsets and wild, boisterous storms that it has witnessed?
It is shortly after 586 B.C. The city of Jerusalem has been sacked by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army. Many of the guys, gals and kids who were still alive after Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army did a number on the city of Jerusalem had been taken away as exiles to the country of Babylonia. One of the guys who was left in the city of Jerusalem was Jeremiah. Jeremiah – when the city of Jerusalem was razed by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army, was by now a tired, old guy. Jeremiah – who had been for years a prophet spokesman for God, had warned the Israelite people group guys and gals – who were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, who were living in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem that because of their sin filled lifestyles that they were facing a looming, ominous doomsday. The leaders of the guys and gals who lived in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem considered Jeremiah a meddler and a traitor. Because of his constant warnings of an impending exile caused by their disobedient, decadent lifestyles which were lifestyles that were completely contrary to the way that God wanted His specially chosen guys and gals to live, Jeremiah had to face constantly the reality of being done away with by his own people group – who were the Israelite people group of guys and gals. Jeremiah was treated kindly by the Babylonian army. The Babylonian army gave Jeremiah the choice of either staying with the common guys and gals – who they were letting stay in the city of Jerusalem, or going with the guys, gals and kids who they were taking as captive exiles to the country of Babylonia. Jeremiah opted to stay in the city of Jerusalem.
Lamentations 1 has the ‘lamenter’ – who is thought to be Jeremiah, listening for the sounds of a once happy city – the city of Jerusalem, but instead, the ‘lamenter’ is hearing nothing. The ‘lamenter’ wrote his life story in a reflective memoir that became known as the Lamentations Book. The ‘lamenter’ starts out journaling his chronicle with how deserted the streets in the city of Jerusalem are and reminisces about how very recently the streets had been filled with guys, gals and kids. The ‘lamenter’ characterizes the city of Jerusalem as being a widow who has just lost her husband. The ‘lamenter’ remembers the city of Jerusalem as being a great city among all the cities and the queen city among the province cities. The ‘lamenter’ sees the city of Jerusalem now as a slave city to every other city – a city that now weeps bitterly at night, a city that has no other city to comfort her and a city that has been betrayed by her friends. The ‘lamenter’ laments that the city of Jerusalem is now being scattered in an enemy nation. The ‘lamenter’ bemoans that there is no longer splendor in the city of Jerusalem – that her priests groan, that her princes have fled and that her kids have been taken away as exiles. The ‘lamenter’ watches as the common guys and gals who were left in the city of Jerusalem hunt for bread and barter what they still have in order to stay alive. The ‘lamenter’ reflects on how corrupt the guys, gals and kids who had been living the city of Jerusalem had become that led to their difficulties, then their destruction and now their desolation. The ‘lamenter’ can only cry. Verse 16 says, “‘This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”’ The ‘lamenter’ is going through shock and experiencing despair. The ‘lamenter’ is feeling abandoned and very alone. Have you ever seen a street guy, gal and/or kid? Your grandmaa and grandpaa have seen a lot of street guys, gals and kids. There are street guys, gals and kids in all the larger cities on planet Earth. Some street guys, gals and kids are physically and/or mentally challenged. Some street guys, gals and kids are vacant shells of who they once were. Street guys and gals may have once been successful at what they were doing and then for one reason or another – possibly because of a failed marriage or a life changing crisis or stress or . . ., pushed these guys and gals to live without hope on the streets. Guys, gals and kids who reject God – as God the Son, will have God allow Satan to embed spirits – such as helplessness and gloom, in their lives.
Lamentations 1 (742)