The Donner Party’s infamous tale of starvation on the Oregon trail has become a symbol of the shocking lengths to which people will go under extreme circumstances. Some in the party actually resorted to cannibalism.

Jeremiah gives us a similarly grim picture of some in Jerusalem who were so desperate with hunger that they “cooked their own children” (v. 10). Although the act itself was monstrous, those who did such a shocking thing were not. Jeremiah actually says they were “compassionate women.” How, then, do we explain such inconsistent behavior? It may partly be explained by the rationale of verse 9, which says that those who were killed by the sword were better off than those who died of famine. Perhaps those unfortunate mothers convinced themselves that what they were doing was actually an act of mercy that would protect their children from being so “racked with hunger” that they would “waste away for lack of food from the field” (v. 9).

In the end, however, Jeremiah opts for a theological explanation for such unbelievable extremity. The sufferings and atrocities described in this poem are signs of God’s judgment (v. 11). They are also a warning to the rest of the world that God will one day call everyone to account (v. 12). This is truth poignantly summarized by the apostle in 1 Peter 4:17: “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Judah ignored God’s warnings, and the consequences make us shudder.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is it about slapstick comedy that makes us laugh? Film star Buster Keaton began his career in vaudeville at the age of six, playing a disobedient child whose father often tossed him into the orchestra pit as punishment. He became a leading man in silent films, famous for his pratfalls and physical comedy. There is something in human nature that finds it amusing to see another person take a fall. In real life, however, falls can be tragic.

In today’s passage, Jeremiah observes that children were not the only ones who suffered when the city of Jerusalem fell. The rich, who “once ate delicacies” and were raised in luxury, are now “destitute in the streets” and “lie on ash heaps” (v. 5). Likewise, those who had been high- born princes have been brought low. Jeremiah paints a before and after picture in verses 7–8, which contrasts their former health and beauty with the ravages of famine.

In verse 6, Jeremiah contrasts Jerusalem’s destruction with the judgment of Sodom. Unlike Sodom, “which was overthrown in a moment,” the suffering of Jerusalem was prolonged. The Hebrew word that the NIV translates as punishment is ambiguous. It can be used to speak of punishment as well as to refer to the sin that is its cause. Not only was Jerusalem’s suffering greater than that of Sodom but so was their culpability. They had been warned of the consequences of their disobedience. They were given time to repent. Jeremiah had urged them to surrender and submit to divine discipline (see Jer. 38:17–20). Jerusalem’s greatest tragedy was not the magnitude of its suffering but the fact that it was avoidable. As Proverbs 15:32 warns, “Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.”

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The phrase “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is used to speak of the self-made person who rises out of difficulty or obscurity by the sheer force of personal effort. We like to think that hard times build character in us the same way weight resistance builds muscle. Unfortunately, this isn’t automatically the case. When the weight is too heavy, we can strain a muscle, or it may tear. Likewise, hard times may sometimes harden hearts.

This is the sad case Jeremiah describes in his fourth lament over Jerusalem. Lamentations 4 opens with a vision of the city looted by its enemies. Its golden sheen has dulled and sacred gems are “scattered at every street corner” (v. 1). This is a metaphor. It is doubtful that the Babylonians would have left such treasure behind. Indeed, the image of scattered gems seems to allude to the more tragic image of verse 2, which describes “the precious children of Zion” who were “once worth their weight in gold” but are now merely pots of clay, easily cast aside and shattered by the potter’s hand.

The harsh reality Judah now faces has so hardened the survivors that people have become “heartless.” Their treatment of those who deserved care was not only subhuman, it was sub animal, compared here to jackals and ostriches (v. 3). Jackals were considered wild scavengers. Ostriches are depicted elsewhere as less than nurturing (compare with Job 39:14–17). In Jerusalem, the infant’s tongue cleaves to the roof of its mouth, while the children beg for bread in vain (v. 4). Much of this was circumstantial. There was no food available. Circumstances had become so destitute that the survivors could not even live like animals.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many people, their conversion story is one of descent, at least in the beginning. They turned to Christ, but only after they had hit rock bottom. In these concluding verses of Jeremiah’s third Lamentations poem, Jerusalem had hit bottom. In that difficult place, they bear witness to God’s faithfulness.

The imagery in these verses reflects Jeremiah’s personal experience (see also Jeremiah 38). But there is a shift in tone from earlier verses. Unceasing tears (v. 49) have given way to a cry for help (vv. 55–56). God, who had seemed so distant, has answered by drawing near with words of assurance (v. 57). Judah’s heavenly prosecutor has become her defender who will take up her case and redeem her life (v. 58). He acts as her advocate to uphold her cause (v. 59).

When Jeremiah speaks of the enemy’s insults, whispers, and songs in verses 61–63, he could just as well be speaking for himself as for Judah. In Jeremiah 20:8, the prophet complains that “the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.” People ridiculed Jeremiah by flinging the warnings he had given to them back in his face as taunts, hoping that they prove to be false (compare with Jer. 20:10). Nevertheless, the appeal for divine justice in verses 64–66 is not a personal vendetta. As God’s prophet, Jeremiah speaks for God’s people. His petition is a reminder that God has promised to settle all accounts. In Deuteronomy 32:35, the Lord had said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief,” writes the prophet Jeremiah, “until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees. What I see brings grief to my soul” (Lam. 3:49– 50). In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah is describing his extreme sorrow at the judgment being carried out against God’s people.

Clearly, the Lord is not afraid to use both extreme measures and unlikely agents to bring pressure to bear on those who resist His will. He is not vindictive, but rebellion against God inevitably creates a barrier. Verses 43–44 say He has “covered” Himself in anger and cloud “so that no prayer can get through.” The consequences of Judah’s rebellion against God have been far-reaching. They have been scorned and terrorized by the nations (vv. 45–47). When they opened their mouths, it was not merely to speak against God’s people but to swallow them whole like some monster.

The overall effect on Jeremiah, who has been a voice for God, is one of profound sorrow. His tears flow without ceasing (v. 49). He is like a man who has been thrown into a pit as the waters fill it and people hurl stones at him from above (v. 54). Jeremiah may be drawing on personal experience for this imagery. Jeremiah 38 describes how the religious and political authorities accused God’s prophet of treason when he predicted that the besieged city of Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonians. Their complaint? He was too discouraging. “This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin,” they grumbled (Jer. 38:4). Jeremiah’s enemies wanted to do more than silence him. They wanted him dead (Jer. 38:4). It is not always easy to speak for God. Those you love may misunderstand your motives.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you know if someone has truly repented? Does it involve more than simply feeling sorry? One of the most common misconceptions about biblical repentance is that it is primarily an emotion. We tend to measure the legitimacy of repentance by how badly the person feels about themselves. Lamentations offers a different view. The mark of genuine repentance is more a matter of understanding than emotion.

Verse 40 describes the nature of true repentance: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.” Repentance begins when we carefully consider our attitudes and actions, agree with God’s assessment, and then turn to the Lord. What is more, the engine that drives true repentance is hope. The nature of this hope is expressed in verses 31–32. It is the conviction that “no one is cast off by the Lord forever” if they come to Him in true repentance. This assurance springs from God’s own compassion, an “unfailing love” that cannot be exhausted.

God’s unfailing love provides the theological framework for understanding the afflictions and sorrows that will continue to be the subject of this book. Although there is a divine hand behind them (vv. 37–39), God takes no pleasure in the injustices inflicted by the agents who enact His discipline or from the suffering experienced by His people (vv. 33–36). Repentance is not stoic resignation that dispassionately accepts suffering. Nor is it necessarily a kind of spiritual depression that fills us with self- loathing. Repentance is a biblically informed view of ourselves that has been enlightened by God’s goodness and holiness. We may be grieved by what we learn, but the ultimate goal is to compel us to lift our gaze to God’s mercy.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children, who are about to be disciplined, might have heard their mom or dad say, “This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you.” They probably didn’t believe it at the time. So, it’s not surprising that we might be skeptical when we read Lamentations 3:33. Jeremiah writes that the Lord “does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” If this is true, why do affliction and grief happen at all?

What the Hebrew literally says is that the Lord does not do these things “from his heart.” Jeremiah does not deny God’s sovereign control. “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?” he declares in verse 37. In the next verse, he doubles down: “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (v. 38). Jeremiah does not merely say that God foresees such things. He asserts that God commands them. That is a hard pill to swallow, not just for us but even for some of God’s prophets (see also Hab. 1:3, 5, 13).

Yet Jeremiah distinguishes God’s own disposition and moral nature from that of the human instruments He sometimes uses to discipline His people. The Lord takes no pleasure in the suffering He allows. Nor does He condone the actions of those who “crush underfoot all prisoners in the land” and who “deny people their rights before the Most High, to deprive them of justice” (vv. 34–36). While He uses such people to accomplish His purposes, they, in turn, are accountable for their actions. In other words, the prophet distinguishes the rod from the hand that wields it. The nature of God’s heart is revealed in the fact that He has chosen to act within the broken world through fallen people. His aim is not to afflict or to grieve but to redeem.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho wrote, “Waiting is painful. Suffering is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.” The author of Lamentations helps us with this dilemma by clarifying when it is good to remember our suffering and wait. It is good when we are waiting for the salvation of the Lord.

It is not wrong to be aware of our suffering or even to be grieved about it. Indeed, it is natural. The key to suffering in faith is to keep God’s loving compassion in view. Jeremiah describes this as a discipline. When bad things happen, the bitter recollection of such events always seems to be near at hand. Like Jeremiah, we “well remember them” (v. 20). Perhaps this is because they are fresh in our experience. Or it may be that we, like the people of Jerusalem, must live with the consequences for years to come. Either way, the faithfulness of God is something that we must often “call to mind” (v. 21).

The mindfulness of verses 22–24 is a kind of double vision. On the one hand, it looks back to the many instances of God’s love, compassion, and faithfulness. Despite Judah’s unfaithfulness, Jehovah had been true to His word, even the hard words of warning that had come to pass. On the other hand, this is a view that also looks forward to what God will yet do. The compassion of the past has not been exhausted. There is a fresh supply with each new day (v. 23). The primary act of faith is often a matter of waiting (v. 24). Those who recall the faithfulness of God understand that He is still “good” even during their suffering. They eventually come to see that God is using the difficulties they experience to work for their good (vv. 25–27; see also Rom. 8:28).

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we are walking through severe hardship, we might say, “I’ve come to the end of my rope.” Like someone dangling over a cliff, with only the end of a rope left to grasp, we are depleted and exhausted. We don’t feel like we can hang on. That is exactly how the prophet Jeremiah felt as he and God’s people experienced divine judgment and discipline.

In verses 10–13, the prophet said the experience was like being dragged from the path by a predatory beast or pierced through the heart by an enemy’s arrows. The imagery of verse 14 describes the shame of defeat, while verses 15–16 could speak either of an enemy or God Himself when it says, “He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.” Both are true. Daughter Jerusalem has already recognized that it was the Lord who summoned the enemy to defeat her (compare with Lam. 1:15; 2:22).

If this passage feels too heavy to bear, be encouraged that a change in perspective is coming. But before it does, we find the speaker face down in the gravel, trampled in the dust (vv. 16–17). He says, “My splendor is gone” (v. 18). The Hebrew word for “splendor” also means “endurance.” Sadly, we often must come to the end of our own strength before we are willing to find strength in God. He alone is our hope beyond hope. In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord said: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is when we come to the end of ourselves that we find strength in God.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The phrase “tough love” was first popularized by a book of the same name written by Bill Milliken with Char Meredith in 1968. But it was God who originated the concept. It probably feels like the book of Lamentations is mostly about suffering. In reality, its theme is the persistence of God’s love. This is not warm and fuzzy, sentimental kind of love but a love that is firm enough to discipline.

In the first two poems, the primary speaker is daughter Zion, personified as a woman. But we notice that the voice speaking in this third poem is male. He declares: “I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD’s wrath” (v. 1). This voice is the author, presumably Jeremiah himself, who speaks not only as an eyewitness but as a fellow sufferer. The combined use of the first person pronouns (I, me, my) with the divine third person pronouns (he, his) lets us know that Jeremiah identifies with Zion. He is like the one who stumbles in the darkness (vv. 2, 5) or a prisoner who is walled in and chained (v. 7). Jeremiah does not feel like God is listening to his prayers; his way forward seems blocked (vv. 8–9).

Most of us have experienced moments when God seems silent, when the way forward feels unknown and impossible. Jeremiah describes this position of suffering well, because he is experiencing God’s discipline, His tough love. Today, we often hear talk about divine judgment, especially on social media. We even look forward to judgment…of other evildoers. But Jeremiah is expressing a first-hand view of God’s discipline. He feels the weight of it. Disciplinary love is “tough” for those who receive it, but also for the hand that exercises it.

Donate to Today in the Word: https://give.todayintheword.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.