Lamentations 5:1-18 – The extensiveness of sin

This fifth lament of Jeremiah is a departure from the previous four. It is not written acrostically and is also not so much a dirge as it is a prayer. It is the prophet making a desperate cry for God to come and intervene. A closer look tells us that the first three laments in chapters 1-3 all ended with a prayer but not the fourth one in chapter 4. So, what’s missing in the fourth lament is now provided by the whole of chapter 5. Jeremiah began by calling on the Lord to remember their plight. It is a call for Him to come to their rescue. In verses 2-18, he recounted the desolation of Zion and in verses 19-22, he requested that the Lord restore and reinstate Zion.

Jeremiah began by asking God to look at their suffering. They were in utter disgrace. The city was in ruin and her people were in total shambles. None was spared. They were dominated by their enemy and abandoned by God and allies. They were bereaved of life. Every conceivable misfortune overtook them. Suffering from thirst and poverty, they were invaded and overtaken and had become slaves. Besides they were famished by the famine. Their women were degraded and raped. Totally exposed, they were humiliated, tired, and exhausted.

In verses 11-18, we see a delineation of the suffering of the people. Every segment of the populace was affected. Women were raped, princes were left hanging to die shamefully, and the elders were shamefully treated without compassion. Then the youth was forced to do what was normally done by animals. They were made to grind the mills and carry woods. The leadership of the elders no longer exist. The young had no more song, and dancing had turned into mourning. The glory, the crown that Zion had previously worn, had fallen off her head. Their hearts were sick and sorrowful. Their eyes became dim because of their incessant crying. Animals now inhabit the once beautiful temple of Zion.

This passage shows us that sin can be the undoing of a nation and her people. Proverbs 14:33 rightly declares that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Just imagine what devastation can be brought about by a nation of sinful people. Then imagine again what glory a nation can experience when a group of righteous people within her infiltrate the nation and shine as lights in a darkened world. Let us rise up and be the righteousness people who can influence the nation!