True & Beautiful Things About the Bible--Old TestamentSample

Jeremiah & Lamentations: A Funeral for a City

Jeremiah saw it all go down in flames—the holiest of cities, where God’s glory dwelled. Jerusalem was now rubble. Everything Israel thought was irrevocably theirs—the city of Zion, David’s throne, Solomon’s temple, and the land God had promised them—all of it was gone. After years of telling God’s people judgement was coming, Jeremiah witnessed first-hand the day it came. The invading armies of Babylon destroyed the magnificent and uniquely holy city of Jerusalem. Nobody could believe it, but it was true.

It didn’t have to end this way. God would have saved His people and His city. For four decades, He called His people to turn back to Him but they wouldn’t come. Jeremiah couldn’t help but weep as he warned Israel of the approaching storm. Some dubbed him a cry-baby for the tears he shed on their behalf, but God chose Jeremiah to deliver this fateful message specifically because of his tender, broken heart. He, for one, would take it seriously.

Jeremiah relayed God’s message, I have not given you up. But He couldn’t ignore their sin. Israel had committed two evils. First, they rejected the Lord and His special covenant with them. Second, they hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that couldn’t hold water—a picture of their independent arrogance. Despite God’s patience, they slapped away His good hand and said, No thanks, God, we’ll do it on our own.”

The book of Lamentations, which follows Jeremiah, is covered by the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem. As Jeremiah sat down in the ashes while they were still warm, hot tears ran down his cheeks. He wrote five sad poems, a lament to his grief at what he saw and experienced.

But here’s the surprise. In spite of the severe discipline God was imposing on Israel, Jeremiah could also see God’s mercy. If Israel had gotten what they really deserved, they would have disappeared from the face of the earth. But like a beam of light through storm clouds, we see God’s beautiful, tender forgiveness in both books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. God was still with His people. Yes, He is disciplining them, but He wouldn’t desert them. He sat with them in the rubble.

Jeremiah reminded them, Did you see the sun rise this morning? God’s new mercies came with it. Great is His faithfulness.

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