Lamentations — Introduction & Outline

The book is anonymous but attributed to Jeremiah for many reasons. First, there is the uniform testimony of Jewish and Christian tradition. Also, Lamentations fits as a proper postscript to the book of Jeremiah; the latter predicts and records the fall of Jerusalem while the former laments the event. Moreover, the same compassion and grief over Jerusalem's predicament is evident in both. There are also similarities in content though the literary form differs (cf. 1:2 and Jer. 30:14; 1:15 and Jer. 8:21; 1:16 and 2:11 and Jer. 9:1,18; 2:22 and Jer.

6:25; 4:21 and Jer. 49:12). The author was evidently an eyewitness of the destruction of Jerusalem who recorded his feelings soon after the event. No one fits this role better than Jeremiah.

Since Jerusalem was destroyed in mid-August of 586 B.C., Jeremiah probably wrote soon after this while things were fresh in his memory. He also probably wrote before he was forced to go to Egypt by his countrymen in 583-582 B.C. (Jer. 43:1-7). The careful acrostic arrangement indicates that Jeremiah may have written his reflections immediately but arranged them later.

Lamentations shares the same historical setting as the book of Jeremiah. Jerusalem suffered a nineteen-month Babylonian siege (588-586 B.C.) during which the inhabitants experienced severe famine as they vainly cried to their idols for help. The Egyptian attempt to help Judah against Babylon failed. On July 18, 586 B.C. the walls of the city were breeched, and on August 14 the city and temple were burned. King Zedekiah was taken captive thus ending the rule of the Davidic dynasty.

Spiritually, the inconceivable end of the holy city Jerusalem, the temple, and the Davidic dynasty, as well as the captivity of the people represented the darkest hour in Israel's history. With the exile of Judah in Babylon a new era began in Jewish history. During the "Dispersion" sacrifices could no longer be offered and Jews would meet for worship in small assemblies called "synagogues." Still the promise of restoration remained for the nation as hope for the future.

The primary purpose of the book is to give literary expression to the tremendous grief over the loss of the Holy City and the temple. Lamentations also shows how God's warnings are completely and literally fulfilled as it affirms His sovereignty in judgment. These warnings include not just those of Jeremiah, but on a larger scale, the warnings of curses in the Mosaic covenant (Deut. 28). The purpose of lament briefly gives way to a note of hope in God's faithfulness to His people (3:19-39).

Lamentations is composed of five dirges all of which are arranged in alphabetic acrostic except the last (ch. 5). The dirges first lament the destruction of Jerusalem because of sin and God's anger over Jerusalem's sin, then express Jeremiah's confidence in God, his record of the siege, and his prayer for restoration.

The theme of the first dirge is the destruction of Jerusalem due to sin (1:1-22). Jeremiah begins with a lament over Jerusalem's condition after her fall (1:1-11). The utter desolation of the city is described (1:1-7), then attributed to her great sinfulness (1:8-11). This leads to a section in which Jerusalem personified pleads for God's mercy (1:12-22). She describes her great grief (1:12-17) and confesses her guilt (1:18-22). The first dirge ends with a request for God's judgment upon the nations (1:21-22).

The second dirge focuses on God's anger because of Jerusalem's sin (2:1-22). God's anger at Jerusalem is directed at the city itself, the temple, and the leaders (2:1-9). Jeremiah then expresses his grief for the city as enemies mock her condition (2:11-17). Again Jerusalem personified pleads for God's mercy (2:18-22).

The third dirge expresses Jeremiah's response of confidence in God (3:1-66). First, he expresses his personal despair at his affliction and anguish (3:1-18). Then comes a climactic positive confession of hope in God (3:19-39). In his suffering, Jeremiah holds onto the hope of God's future mercy (3:19-24) and explains this hope in God such that the sovereignty of God's righteous judgment is affirmed (3:25-39). He follows this with his prayer for salvation for his people (3:40-66) based confidently on his experience of personal deliverance earlier in his ministry (3:52-66).

The siege of Jerusalem is described in the fourth dirge (4:1-22). The terrible conditions during the siege (4:1-10) and the causes of the siege in the sin of the people (4:11-20) are elaborated. Misplaced trust in the help of other nations and the king was a primary sin of Judah (4:17-20). The dirge ends with a call for vindication as judgment passes from Jerusalem to Edom (4:21-22).

The final dirge is a prayer for the restoration of the city and the people of God (5:1- 22). Jeremiah reminds God of the vulnerable condition of the city and the mistreatment of the people (5:1-14). He then expresses repentance for the sin of the people (5:15-18) which opens the way for his request for God's work of restoration (5:19-22). This final note of the book is a recognition of God's sovereignty in judgment and of the hope of restoration.

Jeremiah's lament for the destruction of Jerusalem acknowledges God's just judgment for Judah's sin according to the terms of the Mosaic covenant. Yet a glimmer of hope is also present because Jeremiah also understands God's covenant faithfulness to Israel.

1. First Dirge: The Destruction of Jerusalem because of Sin 1:1-22

   1. Jeremiah's lament over Jerusalem 1:1-11

      1. The desolation of Jerusalem 1:1-7

         1. The city is like a lonely woman. 1:1-2
         2. The city's calamity is described. 1:3-6

            1. Judah is in exile. 1:3
            2. There is no more worship. 1:4
            3. Her enemies are triumphant. 1:5
            4. Her splendor has departed. 1:6
         3. The city remembers pleasant days. 1:7
      2. The cause of Jerusalem's desolation 1:8-11

         1. The city sinned greatly. 1:8
         2. The city ignored the consequences. 1:9a
         3. The city suffered the consequences. 1:9b-11

            1. She collapsed. 1:9b
            2. She was overrun by the enemy. 1:10
            3. Her people suffer famine. 1:11
   2. Jerusalem's plea for mercy 1:12-22

      1. Jerusalem's grief 1:12-17

         1. Her sorrow is incomparable. 1:12
         2. Her sorrow was caused by God's judgment. 1:13-15

            1. God made her desolate. 1:13
            2. God delivered her to the enemy. 1:14
            3. God destroyed the people. 1:15
         3. She has no comforter. 1:16-17
      2. Jerusalem's confession 1:18-22

         1. She admits her guilt. 1:18-19

            1. She rebelled against the Law. 1:18
            2. She was deceived. 1:19
         2. She asks God to notice her distress. 1:20
         3. She asks for judgment on the nations. 1:21-22
2. Second Dirge: God's Anger because of Jerusalem's Sin 2:1-22

   1. God's anger at Jerusalem. 2:1-9

      1. His anger was directed at the city. 2:1-5

         1. She was cast down without pity. 2:1-2
         2. God removed her leaders. 2:3
         3. God destroyed her as an enemy. 2:4-5
      2. His anger was directed at the temple. 2:6-7

         1. God destroyed the temple. 2:6
         2. God gave the temple to the enemy. 2:7
      3. His anger was directed at the leaders. 2:8-10

         1. God purposed to destroy the leaders. 2:8
         2. God scattered them among the nations. 2:9
         3. The elders mourn. 2:10
   2. Jeremiah's grief for Jerusalem 2:11-17

      1. He grieves at the destruction and starvation. 2:11-12
      2. He longs to comfort her. 2:13
      3. He blames the false prophets. 2:14
      4. He describes the mocking of her enemies. 2:15-17
3. They mock her devastation. 2:15
4. They gloat over their victory. 2:16
5. This is a fulfillment of God's purpose. 2:17

   1. Jerusalem's plea for mercy 2:18-22

      1. She cries out to God in great grief. 2:18-19
      2. She asks God to consider His destruction. 2:20-21
      3. God's destructive judgment is affirmed. 2:22
6. Third Dirge: Jeremiah's Response of Confidence in God 3:1-66

   1. Jeremiah's cry of despair 3:1-18

      1. He acknowledges God's affliction on him. 3:1-3
      2. He describes God's affliction. 3:4-18

         1. God afflicted him outwardly and inwardly. 3:4-6
         2. God imprisoned him in affliction. 3:7-9
         3. God targeted him for affliction. 3:10-13

            1. Like an ambushing bear 3:10-11
            2. Like a shooting archer 3:12-13
      3. He describes the results of God's affliction. 3:14-18

         1. He is ridiculed. 3:14
         2. He is filled with bitterness. 3:15
         3. He is decimated. 3:16
         4. He has no peace. 3:17
         5. He has no hope. 3:18
   2. Jeremiah's confession of hope in God 3:19-39

      1. He confesses his only hope in suffering. 3:19-24

         1. His soul is overwhelmed except for one hope. 3:19-21
         2. He has hope in God's mercy. 3:22-24
      2. He explains his hope in God. 3:25-39

         1. Affliction should be endured with hope in God. 3:25-33

            1. God is good to those who wait for Him. 3:25-27
            2. Endurance in affliction is encouraged. 3:28-30
            3. Affliction is only temporary. 3:31-33
         2. Affliction comes because of injustice. 3:34-36
         3. Affliction comes from God's sovereignty. 3:36-39
   3. Jeremiah's prayer for salvation 3:40-66

      1. He encourages prayer to God. 3:40-42
      2. He acknowledges God's anger and judgment. 3:43-47

         1. God's anger has slain them. 3:43
         2. God will not hear their pleas. 3:44
         3. God made them refuse before their enemies. 3:45-46
         4. God has brought desolation. 3:47
      3. He vows to cry to God until He hears. 3:48-51

         1. He cries in behalf of his troubled people. 3:48
         2. He vows ceaseless crying until God hears. 3:49-50
         3. His crying shows his suffering for his people. 3:51
      4. He recounts his past personal deliverance. 3:52-66

         1. He was persecuted and imprisoned. 3:52-54
         2. He called out to God and God heard. 3:55-57
         3. He asked God to vindicate him. 3:58-66

            1. He acknowledges God's defense. 3:58-60
            2. He recites the injustice of his enemies. 3:61-63
            3. He asks God to destroy his enemies. 3:64-66
7. Fourth Dirge: The Seige of Jerusalem 4:1-22

   1. The conditions during the seige 4:1-10

      1. The precious people have become worthless. 4:1-2
      2. The people are famished and desolate. 4:3-5
      3. The desolation is worse than Sodom's. 4:6
      4. The leaders are left desolate. 4:7-9
      5. The women cooked their children. 4:10
   2. The causes for the seige 4:11-20

      1. God's wrath is fulfilled. 4:11-12
      2. The prophets and the priests sinned. 4:13-16

         1. They killed the upright. 4:13
         2. They are treated as lepers. 4:14-15
         3. They are scattered without respect. 4:16
      3. The city made foreign alliances in vain. 4:17-19
      4. The city trusted vainly in her king. 4:20
   3. The call for vindication 4:21-22

      1. Judgment would pass to Edom. 4:21
      2. Jerusalem's judgment is finished. 4:22
8. Fifth Dirge: The Prayer for Restoration 5:1-22

   1. The reminder of the need for restoration 5:1-14

      1. Foreigners possess the city. 5:1-3
      2. Basic needs are scarce. 5:4-6
      3. The city is subject to others. 5:7-8
      4. Famine makes life dangerous. 5:9-10
      5. All the people are mistreated. 5:11-14
   2. The repentance of sin 5:15-18

      1. There is sorrow because of sin. 5:15-16
      2. There is despair at the desolation of the city. 5:17-18
   3. The request for restoration 5:19-22

      1. God's sovereign reign is recognized. 5:19
      2. God's neglect of His people is questioned. 5:20
      3. God's renewal of His people is requested. 5:21-22