In The Word
Read: Lamentations 1
The Sorrows of Zion
1 How lonely sits the city
That once had many people!
She has become like a widow
Who was once great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
Has become a forced laborer!
2 She weeps bitterly in the night,
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has no one to comfort her
Among all her lovers.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile out of affliction
And harsh servitude;
She lives among the nations,
But she has not found a resting place;
All those who pursued her have overtaken her
In the midst of distress.
4 The roads of Zion are in mourning
Because no one comes to an appointed feast.
All her gates are deserted;
Her priests groan,
Her virgins are worried,
And as for Zion herself, it is bitter for her.
5 Her adversaries have become her masters,
Her enemies are secure;
For the Lord has caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her wrongdoings;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives led by the enemy.
6 All of her splendor
Is gone from the daughter of Zion;
Her leaders have become like deer
That have found no pasture,
And they have fled without strength
From the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
Jerusalem remembers all her treasures
That were hers since the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They laughed at her ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned greatly,
Therefore she has become an object of ridicule.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even she herself groans and turns away.
9 Her uncleanness was in her garment’s seams;
She did not think of her future.
So she has fallen in an astonishing way;
She has no comforter.
“See, Lord, my affliction,
For the enemy has honored himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they were not to enter Your congregation.
11 All her people groan, seeking bread;
They have given their treasures for food
To restore their lives.
“See, Lord, and look,
For I am despised.”
12 “Is it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any pain like my pain
Which was inflicted on me,
With which the Lord tormented me on the day of His fierce anger.
13 From the height He sent fire into my bones,
And it dominated them.
He has spread a net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me desolate,
Faint all day long.
14 The yoke of my wrongdoings is bound;
By His hand they are woven together.
They have come upon my neck;
He has made my strength fail.
The Lord has handed me over
To those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 The Lord has thrown away all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed time against me
To crush my young men;
The Lord has trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 For these things I weep;
My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a comforter,
One to restore my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out with her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has commanded regarding Jacob
That those around him become his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous,
For I have rebelled against His command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And see my pain;
My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 I called to my lovers, but they deserted me;
My priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to restore their strength themselves.
20 See, Lord, for I am in distress;
My spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
In the street the sword has made women childless;
In the house it is like death.
21 They have heard that I groan;
There is no one to comfort me,
All my enemies have heard of my disaster;
They are joyful that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
So that they will become like me.
22 May all their wickedness come before You;
And deal with them just as You have dealt with me
For all my wrongdoings.
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Today we begin a five-day journey into the book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah. These writings coincide with Jerusalem’s annihilation in 586 B.C. Jeremiah and his countrymen were devastated by the destruction of their beloved city and sacred Temple. Through prophets like Jeremiah came God’s voice of warning about the painful consequences of recurring, uncorrected sin. But because it was God’s cherished city, the inhabitants of Jerusalem felt they were immune from God’s judgment.
Jeremiah vividly describes the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of the tragedy. But the book is much more than just a recording of sorrows; it pushes through the misery to see the goodness of God and the comfort He provides through His abiding presence to those who suffer.
This book is uniquely qualified to help believers manage with every kind of calamity. During difficulty, it can be easy to think, “I am the only person dealing with something like this.” Or, “I am alone in my suffering.” The truth is that many others before you, and even now, are facing similar situations. Even more significantly, whenever a Christian experiences pain and hurt, so does the Father!
Whenever you face a difficult situation, realize that God doesn’t just see you, but also, He understands the pain you are encountering and is there with you through His Word and Spirit. Do not let your thoughts get consumed with the situation or sorrow, but focus your attention on God, and you will find the comfort you need.