Having described the condition of
Jerusalem as a result of the fall, Jeremiah went on to reveal the cause of the
downfall. What they had experienced was God pouring out His wrath because of
their disobedience and rebelliousness. Jeremiah made it clear in Lamentations
4:11. He was the one who had poured out His wrath upon them. Nothing would have
happened to them if He had not allowed it. Here he gave reasons for the intense
judgment of God that came upon them.
Verses 12-13 tell us why they failed. These verses
indicate the negligence of their spiritual leaders. The prophets and priests
had failed in their duties. As a result, the people were deprived of God’s Word
as well as food. What they did had led to the shedding of innocent blood. Now
they had to bear with humiliation and were rejected. What they did had brought
about the wrath of God. Verses 17-19 suggest that the king had also failed.
They turned the nation’s eyes to a foreign nation. They entered into an unholy
alliance with Egypt and turn to her for assistance. King Zedekiah foolishly
thought that the alliance with Egypt could help them resist the advance of
Babylon. Finally, he himself was subdued.
What’s noticeable was the failure of three branches
of the nation’s leadership. One key reason Jerusalem fell into the Babylonians
was all these three offices forsook divine guidance. The prophet, priest and
king had all failed in their callings. The kings became cowardly and
apostatized. The prophets, except for Jeremiah, did not prophesy truthfully.
They did not give them the direction from God. The priests also sabotaged the
nation by abusing their sacred callings. Jeremiah was lamenting over the
horrendous lack of spiritual leadership. The nation of Judah failed to see that
theirs was a spiritual problem. They had rebelled against the Lord. And the
spiritual problem could not be resolved politically. We too need to know that
the difficulties we encounter in life can often be traced to a spiritual cause.
It is pointless to try and resolve in any other way but to come before God and
honestly confess and repent.
In Lamentations 4:21-22, Edom, Judah’s traditional
enemy was warned. They were sarcastically urged to enjoy the misfortune of
Jerusalem. For their lack of compassion and treachery against Judah, Edom was
also doomed to be judged. There is a lesson here. We mustn’t gloat over someone
else’s misfortune and stand idly by and watch them suffer in their dire strait.
God expects us to come to the assistance of those we are connected with.
In the midst of all the gloom, there was a glimpse
of hope. In the first line of verse 22, the prophet said, “The punishment of your
iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no
longer.” God will never leave His
people in utter despair forever. After He has dealt with us, He will provide a
way out. This is seen in what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “…God is faithful, He will
not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation
will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” We serve a compassionate
God! So, let’s stay faithful and unwavering!
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