All of Scripture is God-breathed. Yes, even Lamentations

To be honest

All my life as a Christian I've avoided the book of Lamentations,  due to what I perceived as intense and hardcore themes of judgment and suffering that are hard to reckon with. I assumed it would be difficult to read and sadly gave in to the misconception that so many of us have - that the parts of Scripture that we may find tough to read and understand are somewhat inaccessible and out of our reach in terms of understanding. And so we typically stick to that which is “comfortable” and familiar, which not only robs us of so much but is also a faulty approach to reading the Bible. All of Scripture is God’s very word to us; every book, and he has made it accessible to us (look up 2 Timothy 3:16-7 and 2 Peter 1:20-21). Therefore, we should read all of Scripture with this in mind, pouring over every word, and we will discover treasures that will help us know God better and grow us. 

Brief overview

This was my experience as I read and studied the book of Lamentations, and as I began reading it, I appreciated how raw and explicit it is; I got to see God's character even more! His holiness, and his strong, uncompromising hatred for sin, his justice, his faithfulness, and His mercy. 

The author of the book is unknown, but it is someone who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple when it was invaded by Babylon. The description of Jerusalem's fall; being conquered by an enemy nation and the details of the horrible circumstances that the people were in as a result of their sin; people starved to death, women were raped and even boiled and ate their children (2vs20); priests were slaughtered in the sanctuary. Just awful. 

Jerusalem seems to cry out to God to look on her affliction and cries out to neighbors for help but no one comforts her, instead, she is rejected and scorned by the nations. It is clear God has done all this, pouring out his wrath on Jerusalem. It says in verse 17 " The Lord has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago". Complete judgment without pity because the people rejected the prophets sent by God to warn them over and over and sinned against their God, disregarding the covenant they had with him

The situation seems completely hopeless; "the Day of the Lord" has come, and no one has escaped God's judgment. The Lord has destroyed his own people, to whom the promises of blessing belong, and the promises made to Abraham seem to have failed. And therefore Jerusalem and the author are lamenting. 

The tone changes in chapter 3 (which is the climax of the book) and the author remembers God's unfailing love and compassion; he expresses hope in God even in the midst of suffering and judgment. He speaks about patiently enduring while looking to God, convinced that he is faithful and will be good to him and to Israel and he calls the people to repent and look to God. 

The book ends with a plea to the Lord to remember his people and restore them. He is the eternal God and sovereign Ruler of the universe, and only he can restore them. The themes of judgment, suffering, and hope characterize the book.

Reflections from Lamentations

Although I found this book outright terrifying and difficult to read in some ways, it is so important that we see God acting in righteous judgment. This is also a foretaste of the final Day of the Lord when Jesus will judge the world, and if this is how Jerusalem was destroyed, I am afraid to imagine what that day will be like. 

I got to see just how awful sin is, MY sin, and how deserving it is of God’s full judgment. Sin is a big deal to God, and will not go unpunished; even his own people are not an exception in the book of Lamentations. We tend to take sin lightly and overlook it sometimes and think that God has that same attitude towards it, but what a sobering reminder that sin is awful and deserves justice. God will and does pour out his wrath against unrepentant sinners - he has done so over and over throughout history. From the flood to the nation of Israel, and other nations being ruined. Yet there is still a coming judgment, more final and more terrifying than anything we can imagine. 

The judgment recorded in this book seems to be an account of one of the worst of Jerusalem's punishments, yet it is only a foretaste of what is to come.  

To my surprise, what shone out as I continued to read is how perfectly God's holiness fits with his great love. As I was reading, at the back of my mind I had an anticipation of the coming Messiah and his sufferings (not mentioned in the book, but reading in light of the entire story of the Bible). Praise God that Jesus took the full blow of God's wrath on behalf of all who will believe in him so that they don't have to face his fury. He has secured forgiveness for God’s people forever, and a future of hope and restoration. Our only hope when God is against us because of sin is God himself because he alone can save! - which he has through Jesus. He is the answer to the writer's plea for God's mercy and restoration.   

The book beautifully casts a spotlight on God's mercy and divine patience. It is clear that his first instinct is not to punish, instead, he is very patient with sinners. The Lord’s faithfulness is great and lasts forever; his love and compassion never fail and he does not delight in bringing affliction or grief to anyone. He is good to those who seek him, therefore we should turn to Him in faith and repentance. 

I would encourage everyone reading this to read Lamentations. Not just Lamentations, but all of Scripture it is God-breathed - useful and life-giving. Challenge yourself to study a book of the Bible you haven’t read before or have been avoiding and you will find nourishment for your soul.