Lamentations 1

Lamentations 1:1

I. THE AWFUL DESOLATION OF JERUSALEM (1:1-11) Here we see the utter desolation of Jerusalem. Verses 1-11 are the language of an onlooker. The once populated city is now a bereaved widow; the princess has become a slave, forsaken by her idols, and betrayed by her allies (vv. 1, 2). The people have gone into captivity because of their sin, and no pilgrims come to worship in Zion (vv. 3-9). The precious vessels of the sanctuary have been taken by the Babylonians (v. 10), and the people suffer famine (v. 11).

Lamentations 1:12

II. THE SAD CRY, CONFESSION, AND PRAYER OF THE PEOPLE (1:12-22) A. The Cry (1:12-17) This passage speaks of the unique sorrow of Jerusalem. Verse 12 has become “a classic expression of grief” and reminds us of our Lord’s lament over the same city for its stiff-necked rejection of Him. The language also fits Christ’s condition on the cross, with the hardened soldiers, religious establishment, and general populace callously watching His suffering as a public spectacle. The Jewish people recognize that it is the LORD (v. 15) who has brought the devastation to pass, and though Zion spreads out her hands in appeal for mercy, no one comforts her; she has become an unclean thing (v. 17).

Lamentations 1:18

B. The Confession (1:18, 19)In the Jews’ confession they admit that the LORD is righteous in sending them into captivity; that they had rebelled against His commandment, and that her pagan “lovers"the Gentile nationshad deceived her.

Lamentations 1:20

C. The Prayer (1:20-22)Judea prays that God will repay the wickedness of her gloating enemies, all the while admitting her transgressions amid her many sighs.