11. My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.
12. They say to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms.
13. What can I say for you? With what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?
14. The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.
15. All who pass your way clap their hands at you; they scoff and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: "Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?"
16. All your enemies open their mouths wide against you; they scoff and gnash their teeth and say, "We have swallowed her up. This is the day we have waited for; we have lived to see it."
17. The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes.
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Reflection |
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Weeping in Suffering (2:11–16)
Verse 11 can be seen as the theme verse for the whole book of Lamentations. Jeremiah, the likely author of the book, is known as the “weeping prophet,” for his heart is overcome with grief and sorrow for the city of Jerusalem. He understands and acknowledges the pain in his own heart. Having witnessed the destruction and devastation of the city, he bursts forth with his own personal lament out of the brokenness of his own heart: “My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground.” Jesus, a man of sorrows, is recorded to have openly wept twice in the Gospels—once when Lazarus died, and once when He looked to the same city, Jerusalem. Instead of denying our feelings of grief, we need to embrace them.
The Father’s Loving Discipline (2:17)
Out of love, God disciplines the people of Israel for their continued disobedience despite His repeated warnings. There are serious consequences for sin, and God justifies the devastation that has fallen upon Jerusalem. The book of Jeremiah is the warning that “He decreed long ago,” and Lamentations is the answer to that warning. God has allowed all the hardships experienced, and “has let the enemy gloat over you.” Some people believe in a God who accepts them no matter what and use that as an excuse to continue to sin. But true love confronts, disciplines, and chastises. Hebrews 12:8 reveals that those who do not receive God’s discipline are not legitimate children.
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Application |
- When you look at the moral decay of society, are you grieved at the sin, evil, and injustice that is around you? As you grow closer to God, you will grieve over what grieves Him.
- Are you going through a season of hardship? Perhaps it is the Lord’s way of drawing you closer to Him. What a gift! Don’t miss out on this moment to let Him lavish you with His love.
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A Letter to
God |
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Lord, give me Your heart for the lost, the broken, the hurting, and the helpless. Help me to feel what You feel. Soften any hard or jaded places in my heart. Teach me to love again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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