This is the last chapter of Lamentations. In it Jeremiah recounts the plight of him and his people, and asks the Lord to restore them. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “Lord, remember everything that has happened to us. See all the sorrows we bear! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed. We have to pay for water to drink, and even firewood is expensive. Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted but are given no rest. We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough food to survive. It was our ancestors who sinned, but they died before the hand of judgment fell. We have suffered the punishment they deserved! (This may be the case, but in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah states many times how often his people failed to listen to his instructions from the Lord.)
Slaves have now become our masters; there is no one left to rescue us. We must hunt for food in the wilderness at the risk of our lives. Because of the famine, our skin has been blackened as though baked in an oven. Our enemies rape the women and young girls in Jerusalem and throughout the towns of Judah. Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and the old men are treated with contempt. The young men are led away to work at millstones, and the children stagger under heavy loads of wood. The old men no longer sit in the city gates; the young men no longer dance and sing.
The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Disaster has fallen upon us because we have sinned. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears. For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals.
But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you forsaken us for so long? Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still?" (Lamentations 5)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for blessing us with another book of your amazing Word! Jeremiah lamented over the circumstances of his people. However, help us rejoice, even in our trials, disappointments, and disparities. For you have a plan to bless and restore us, in spite of our circumstances! Lord, we love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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