Lamentations

This book is mostly remarkable for the great variety of pathetic images it presents, expressing the deepest sorrow. On the other hand, it is rich in expressions of penitence and trust which are offered to GOD by the afflicted one. As Jeremiah, stunned and heartbroken, viewed the destruction of the city, he understood fully that the judgment had been overwhelmingly justified on God's part (Lam 3:22) but he pleaded for a return of God's mercy (Lam 3:32, 33). Lamentations is read in Jewish synagogues on the ninth day of the fourth month (July/Aug), which is the day of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (Jer 52:6, 7). Following the captivity, Jerusalem was rebuilt and again became a great and powerful city. But the needed lesson was not learned, and in A.D. 70 it was again destroyed. Just as these words are not only Jeremiah's, but God's, so the grief is not only the prophet's, but God's grief. - William Orr