The fourth acrostic lamentation of Jeremiah.
God is a poet.
He gave us all of the arts and the crafts. And He gave those skills to people to express Him.
God made Jeremiah a gifted and talented poet.
He paints pictures that are so clear.
How the gold has grown dim,
how the pure gold is changed!
The holy stones lie scattered
at the head of every street.2 The precious sons of Zion,
worth their weight in fine gold,
how they are regarded as earthen pots,
the work of a potter's hands! Lamentations 4:1-2
I have to admit, that normally when I read about these cities being destroyed, it's easy to picture rubble. Stones upon stone, desolate streets and signs of a fallen civilization. This is easy for us, or for me, because I see ancient ruins, I see Hollywood's depiction of a city fallen, and I see modern third world cities, like in Gaza or Mogadishu. It's not exactly a sterile depiction, but I have a sort of callous remove to the actual loss and devastation. However, Jeremiah starts his description of the fallen city by referencing pictures of fallen gold and jewels—images painted in vivid details when kings such as Solomon and Hezekiah reigned—There is a concrete understanding of the loss of such wealth. And then, immediately, in verse two connects the value of the humans that were lost, specifically the men, worth their weight in gold. Broken clay that had been brought to life by the Potter.
Such strong imagery. Yes, a building that has become a pile of rubble is stark and very visual; but the broken body of a man, who had been made by God in God's image...it's more than visual. It is visceral. Emotional. Difficult to shrug and glance away.
That happened to me when I watched those early videos of the October 7, 2023 massacre, when the men of Gaza invaded Israel and raped, murdered, kidnapped, and devastated the peaceful civilians at a music festival, in their homes, and neighborhoods, in their safe houses and anywhere else they found human life. And those savages filmed it for us to see. It didn't make me feel terror, like I did when I saw the buildings fall on 9/11, it made me disgust and revulsion at the real men who did these real crimes to real People of God. I never have to contend with the "religion of peace" lie again. It's not a handful of bad apples, but a clear picture of the final submission that Allah envisions for humanity. Islam brought to life in 4K.
Jeremiah wants to communicate that kind of visceral imagery for you to fully understand the broken city that fell all around him.
The trauma continues in verse 3. Now that most of the men are gone, either as causalities or captives, and are not coming back, Jeremiah observes who is left and he is disgusted and revolted by what he sees. Women with thirsty and hungry babies left unattended. He points out that even jackals allow their babies to nurse; but not these women. These women wore fine purple gowns and lived the high life. They didn't care for their babies in the good time; they had nannies for that. And now they won't offer water or break off a piece of bread for their babies in desolate times. They lost their humanity and ignored their basic built-in instincts for mothering. Does that remind you of anything modern? Abortion as birth control. Daycare as primary caregiver. Women pursuing careers to afford our modern luxuries and lifestyles...
Don't get me wrong. I've always worked. And I don't have children. But I see how the world has taken responsibility for raising (or aborting) our children and I am a member of the civilization that can see where this is going. The citizens of New York City just elected a man who promised full-time, free childcare. They used to get your kids from ages 5 to 18 to indoctrinate. Now they want them from birth to complete the process of breaking apart the nuclear family. Straight out of the Communist Manifesto.
Verse 6 is the most shocking so far:
For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater
than the punishment of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment,
and no hands were wrung for her. Lamentations 4: 6
Jeremiah claims that this sins of the daughters of Jerusalem was greater than Sodom! Sodom was overthrown in a flash by God. Complete annihilation; but quick and by some natural disaster. Jerusalem, on the other hand, was repeatedly invaded over years, people hauled off in three batches, and then the final destruction left these women and children behind suffering at the hands of other people.
Verses 7 and 8 are a biblical contrast similar to the modern meme of "how it started and how it's going". Jerusalem's children started off whiter than milk. Pure as snow. Healthy skin. Healthy glow. Now they are blacker than soot. In the streets with withered and shriveled skin. Not a pretty picture. Verse 9 goes on to say it was better for those slain by the sword than those left behind to starve to death. Verse 10 is even worse, once again painting a dark picture of the women of Jerusalem boiling their own babies for food. An unimaginable monstrosity. All maternal instincts snuffed out by their own selfish abundance early on.
Verse 11 affirms that the Lord accomplished His wrath, His anger was poured out in the form of fire in Zion that burned it to its foundation. No one thought the enemy would get through God's gates in Jerusalem, but the prophets and priests brought on the blood of the righteous by leading them all astray. Now they wander blind and unclean, defiled by actual blood. The Lord scattered them because they did not honor the priests and elders.
In verse 17, Jeremiah moves to first person, our eyes failed to find help; it was useless; this nation could not be saved. They couldn't even walk in the streets for being hunted. Their days were ended. Their time had come.
So grim. Jeremiah can paint such a convincing picture; I can see it clearly. He goes on to describe how they fled to the mountains and wilderness and the pursuers still kept coming. Their breath was captured in the pits of the enemy. They thought they were safe under His shadow...
Verse 21 turns attention to the daughters Edom; who were part of the local wrecking crews used by Babylon to kick Israel while it was down. Jeremiah tells them to live it up while they can, because the Lord's cup of wrath is coming for them as well. He concludes the chapter by giving the daughters of Zion hope. Their punishment and exile will end. But the punishment for Edom is still on the horizon.
When the Lord speaks; when the Lord corrects you. Listen and act swiftly to change course. The full punishment to correct your course will be horrific. Seek peace with the Lord and know His grace and mercy. Or reap what you sew and pay the full bill yourself. It doesn't seem like a tough choice...so why do we all stubbornly seek our own way.
Lord have mercy on this wretched sinner. I want to completely submit my will to You. Amen.