A Book of Sorrow

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The Lamentations of Jeremiah
This is a short book, but has a long name: to lament means to grieve or mourn. This was a poem or sad song in the Hebrew language and tells the sorrow of Jeremiah when he saw the ruin of Jerusalem, its grand buildings burned, its wide, high walls broken, and its people dead from famine, or killed, or taken prisoners.
Many cities of the world have been destroyed, good buildings are now ruined in many places, causing great sorrow, but the reason the ruin of Jerusalem was a greater sorrow, was that it was the city which the Lord of all the earth had chosen, where a wonderful Temple for His honor was built, where His cloud of glory rested. Anyone who wished to honor Him, could come there; it was
“That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God” (See 1 Kings 8 :41-43,60).
But the kings and people of that land did not value the blessing of God; they set up images of wood or stone to pray to, and lived wickedly. After many years, because of their sins, God let a heathen king conquer Jerusalem. It was so strong a city that other nations were supriesed when it was taken:
“The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that ... .the enemy should have entered the gates of Jerusalem.” Lam. 4:1212The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. (Lamentations 4:12).
Jeremiah had himself suffered such bad treatment there, we might think he would not have felt sorry for its ruin, but he sorrowed much. Part of his “Lamentations” were written as though the city were a woman left alone; read the first words,
“How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become a widow! she that was great among the nation!”
If we could see this first chapter written in Hebrew we would see each verse began with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order, 22 in all. Notice how many verses in the chapter. The next chapter has almost the same order, and also the fourth, but in the third chapter each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is repeated three times, making a triple alphabet, three verses with the same letter. All this seems to show us that all the language was not enough to tell this sorrow.
Jeremiah was comforted when he remembered God wanted to show mercy:
Perhaps you think it is not good to hear sad or sober words when young, but Jeremiah said,
“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke (burdens) in his youth.” Lamentations 3:2727It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. (Lamentations 3:27).
This book seems also a prophecy of the sorrow of the Son of God when He took the punishment of God on the cross:
“Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of His fierce anger.” Lamentations 1:1212Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. (Lamentations 1:12).
ML 04/19/1942