After Labor Day, the beach town where I live changes. The population shrinks as the vacationers disappear. It’s a pleasant change for many of the full-time residents. As the traffic diminishes, it becomes a lot easier to cross the street. In Lamentations 1:4–6, Jeremiah describes the grief of the deserted city as being shared by the roads, the priests, and the young women of Zion. They mourn because “no one comes to her appointed festivals” (v. 4). The worshipers do not come because those festivals are no longer possible.

Psalm 48:2 celebrates Zion (another name for Jerusalem) for its beauty and calls it “the joy of the whole earth.” But Jeremiah paints a different picture. The roads to the city lie deserted, and its gates are empty of pilgrims. Others have taken their place. Foes and enemies are at ease while the dregs of the original population, a mere handful of the city’s native residents, serve them and languish in poverty. The city has been drained of its lifeblood because her “children have gone into exile, captive before the foe” (v. 5).

The mention of children in verse 5 is probably a figure of speech that refers to the population as a whole. But the Babylonians did deport some of Jerusalem’s most promising youth (compare with Dan. 1:3–4). The desperate attempt of the city’s leaders to escape, only to be captured and carried to Babylon, showcased Zion’s loss of majesty.

Yet Jeremiah hints at an even greater purpose at work, observing: “The LORD has brought her grief because of her many sins” (v. 5). Why is this an element of hope? Jeremiah points out that their current desperate state was part of a larger divine plan.

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