From the previous article, my premise is that there are two main points in the first 11 verses of Lamentations 4, with each verse pointing out one point or the other:
- First, things are really bad.
- Second, people are doing bad things.
While the first couple of verses in this chapter suggest that “things are really bad”, the next two verses are more like “Desperate people sometimes do bad things”.
Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.Because of thirst the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.Lamentations 4:3-4 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/lam.4.3-4.NIV
My understanding of verse 2 is that even human beings are no longer valued like they would be when times are good. When they fear for their own survival, some people – at least here in Jerusalem, and in other times throughout history – start to look out for only themselves. (If you’re not sure why the people are “like ostriches in the desert”, apparently ostriches lay their eggs and leave them, according to the Lookout.)
In fairness, I read these verses and hate to even think about the heartache of parents who love their children, but – even after sacrificing their own needs – still have nothing to share with them. Verse 3 makes it clear that people are being “heartless” (NIV) or “cruel” (NASB), but if we want to give others the benefit of the doubt, verse 4 sounds like it could be a matter of not having anything to give to infants and children. The problem is that, whether others around them were selfish or merely in a time of great need, the results for these young ones are the same.
Continuing this hypothesis: that the first half of Lamentations 11 describes a combination of examples where “things are really bad” or “people are doing bad things”, I encourage you to read verses 5-11, and consider if each verse is an example of one or the other of these things. In reality, these two points are probably related: the evil behavior of certain people at the time described by this chapter is part of the dire situation that Jerusalem is in, and their actions are part of what is making things so tragic. And, the tragedy (regardless of its sources) is bringing out bad behavior in people.
(Before you read those verses, though, I want to warn you that there are some graphic descriptions of bad things that are going on. I do not want to dwell on these cases, but God inspired them as part of the Bible, so I don’t think that we are honoring His decisions if we skip over them or try to rewrite them to make them less disturbing. You should just know that reality before you start.)
How about you? Does it feel like your world is locked in a downward cycle of bad situations and bad behavior? Do you feel like challenging situations bring out the worst in you, or that your behavior has made things worse for those around you?
I suspect that none of us are exempt from having felt this way at one time or another. However, while it’s hard to find much that is uplifting in the book of Lamentations specifically, there is hope. Jesus Christ saw us at our worst (throughout history), and exchanged His very self to redeem us (buy us back) from the eternal consequences that our own sins deserved. If we will accept His gift, and let Him change us for the better, we reverse the spiral. When we do this, our transformed lives (by following the Holy Spirit’s direction) make the world around us better, and while sin still pervades this world, we can be part of a change for the better while awaiting an eternal life with Jesus Himself.
In closing, if you know the old hymn Whiter than Snow (or would like to learn it), I encourage you to read Lamentations 4:7-8, and then read (or listen to) the lyrics of that song.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for May 7, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, May 7, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Jeremiah-Lamentations, by Timothy M. Willis. © 2002 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 