Reading: The Theology of Lamentations (Video Slides)

#36 The Theology of Lamentations

The Lamentations (of Jeremiah?)

• Traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah: hence their location in biblical literature immediately following Jeremiah
• Four acrostic laments (1-4) plus another lament (5)
  -  1 (22 X 3 couplets, only the first of which begins with the successive letter): Jerusalem is like a lonely widow suffering from many oppressions
  - 2 (22 X 3 couplets, only the first of which begins with the successive letter): Yahweh’s covenant anger and the resulting judgment
  - 3 (22 X 3 lines, each of which begins with the successive letter): Personalized pain because of Yahweh’s judgment, coupled with an expectation of restoration
  - 4 (22 X 2 couplets, only the first of which begins with the successive letter): the pain of Jerusalem’s ruin personalized
  - 5 (22 couplets, not acrostic): a prayer of repentance, seeking Yahweh’s deliverance

What is the message of the Lamentations?

• Absolute affirmation that the judgments of Yahweh against Jerusalem and the people of Judah were appropriate (direct link to the curses of the Sinai Covenant)
• And yet, questions:
  - How can Yahweh carry out the divine mission if Yahweh’s human partner is annihilated?
  - What message is sent if Israel is utterly destroyed?
  - How will the nations of the world (Yahweh’s target for reclamation in the divine mission) view Yahweh if the marriage of Yahweh and Israel ends in divorce?
  - Can Yahweh be trusted to see things through, even when Israel is persistently unfaithful?
  - How can a marriage between such unequal partners ever last?
  - Where do we go from here?

Messianic Leanings

• The problems identified in the Laments do not come to conclusions or resolutions
• They anticipate a new act of God (3:22-24) that will resolve matters by divine initiative
• These same issues resurface in the New Testament when Paul writes with confidence about “predestination” to the Roman congregation (Romans 8), only to have to explain God’s actions with Israel (Romans 9-11)

Lament 3

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

“I’ll Never Let Go of Your Hand” 
Don Francisco

I know what you've been hearing
I've seen you hide your fear
Embarrassed by your weaknesses
Afraid to let Me near
I wish you knew how much
I long for you to understand
No matter what may happen, child
I'll never let go of your hand

I know you've been forsaken
By all you've known before
When you failed their expectations
They frowned and closed the door
But even though your heart itself
Should lose the will to stand
No matter what may happen, child,
I'll never let go of your hand

The life that I have given you
No one can take away
I've sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word
The everlasting Father
Has made His covenant with you
And He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard

So don't you fear to show them
All the love I have for you
I'll be with you everywhere
In everything you do
And even if you do it wrong
And miss the joy I've planned
No matter what may happen, child,

I'll never let go of your hand