Lamentations 2:11-22 – There’s hope in suffering

Continuing with the second lament of Jeremiah where the prophet’s focus was on the anger of God, as he thought of the fall of Jerusalem. He saw the hand of Yahweh coming against Jerusalem for her sin and rebellion. God’s dealing was severe! Walls, gates, rampart, palaces, and the Temple were all destroyed. Her kings and princes were captured, and her young men deported. In Lamentation 2:11-13, Jeremiah continued to express his unremitting distress at all that had happened. He was greatly grieved to see the women, referred to as “daughters of my people” and their innocent infants swept up in the judgement. Pitifully, they all suffered and were deprived of their basic necessities. Hit by famine, mothers could not find food for their innocent babies. Hence, the infants were abandoned and left to die in the streets. Some died on their mothers’ bosom. Jeremiah could find no word to comfort the people because he couldn’t recall another city that had suffered at such a depth. The devastation of Zion was as unfathomable as the depth of the ocean.

It saddened him to think that prior to the devastation, he had work untiringly to avoid such a catastrophe. But they were blinded by the false prophets who had spewed out so much lies and falsehood that had led the people astray. The false prophets who gave false vision and hope were nowhere to be found. They did not speak truthfully concerning their sin to turn them from the path of ruin. None of their allied nations could help them. Many of them even gloated and derided them scornfully. They mocked at the deplorable condition of the once beautiful city, the joy of all the earth. In reality, those “supposed friends” were eyeing the territory of Judah which now laid in massive ruin.  

Jeremiah now turns to give them a glimpse of hope. It’s true that God had brought about this tragedy as He had promised if they failed to walk in obedience. In the bleakness of the moment, the people now turned to God. The prophet encouraged them to join him as he travailed for the city. They were called to pour out their heart and tears to the Lord day and night. Jeremiah encouraged them not to give up but to relentlessly and earnestly plead with the Lord for the sake of those little ones who were suffering. In verses 20-22 we see a prayer of a deep cry of anguish to God. It was a plead to God to consider their suffering. This prayer shows us how each group of people has to endure the great trauma of the suffering of God’s judgement. Men and women of the city all suffered. The slaughter had no regards to gender or position. No one was spared, not even the babies. In this prayer, they described their suffering to God as a plead for Him to show mercy and spare them.

Know it or not, the judgement the people endured indirectly revealed God’s perfection. In His perfect justice, God had to deal with the rebellion. He did it not for fun. Remember, God is not a sadist who is thrilled by inflicting suffering on His people. He did what He had to do to chasten His people to get them to turn away for their sin. Through suffering God’s people will learn that God is true to His word. They will learn that nothing is dependable apart from God. In suffering, we see a clearer perspective that will help us realize that we have to place our absolute trust in Him. Let’s not allow pain to drive us away from God but to drive us towards Him.