God’s Judgement Came to Jerusalem
November 27, 2021
Commentary
Charles Swindoll has appropriately titled this chapter “Words from the Woodshed.” The first 10 verses depict the anger of God as He systematically destroys the city in judgement. The destruction included the physical dwellings (v. 2), palaces (vv. 5,7) and strongholds (vv. 2,5), but it also included its leaders, her kingdom and its princes (v. 2). The leadership was devastated by Babylon; God removed all those to whom the people looked for guidance and leadership. Because of this destruction God seemed to Judah like a fire (vv. 3-4). Just as the walls around Jerusalem were destroyed (vv. 8-9a) her human wall of leadership was dismantles (vv. 9b-10). The king and her priests were exiled, the Davidic dynasty was removed from its throne.
Their suffering is excruciating, their agony is beyond description. Dark clouds of divine indignation have covered them. Their beauty has vanished (v. 1). Their strongholds have been pitilessly torn downs (v. 2). God has allowed their enemies to advance unmolested, for His anger against Judah burns like fire (v. 3). The Lord is Himself her fiery foe (v. 4). He leveled her palaces and strongholds and caused mourning (v. 5). He abhorred and ruined her temple, abolished her feasts and despised her rulers (vv. 6-7).
He demolished Jerusalem’s walls, dismantled her gates and broke down her bars (vv. 8-9). Because of His anger she had been taken into captivity, her laws had become meaningless, her prophets had proved futile (v. 9), her elders were in despair and her virgins were disgraced (v. 10). The humiliation of Judah, which had been a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:6), was how reduced to a position below all the other nations. As a consuming fire (Heb 12:29, Deut 4:24) the Lord had taken away every means of both offense and defense available to the kingdom (v. 3).
Application
God was not Judah’s enemy, but he couldn’t permit her wickedness to go unchecked. Neither will he allow my sins to go unchecked without my paying the consequences.
Lamentations 2:1– 10 (NET)
1 Alas! The Lord has covered Daughter Zion with his anger. He has thrown down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth; he did not protect his temple when he displayed his anger. ב (Bet)
2 The Lord destroyed mercilessly all the homes of Jacob’s descendants. In his anger he tore down the fortified cities of Daughter Judah. He knocked to the ground and humiliated the kingdom and its rulers. ג (Gimel)
3 In fierce anger he destroyed the whole army of Israel. He withdrew his right hand as the enemy attacked. He was like a raging fire in the land of Jacob; it consumed everything around it. ד (Dalet)
4 He prepared his bow like an enemy; his right hand was ready to shoot. Like a foe he killed everyone, even our strong young men; he has poured out his anger like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion. ה (He)
5 The Lord, like an enemy, destroyed Israel. He destroyed all her palaces; he ruined her fortified cities. He made everyone in Daughter Judah mourn and lament. ו (Vav)
6 He destroyed his temple as if it were a vineyard; he destroyed his appointed meeting place. The Lord has made those in Zion forget both the festivals and the Sabbaths. In his fierce anger he has spurned both king and priest. ז (Zayin)
7 The Lord rejected his altar and abhorred his temple. He handed over to the enemy Jerusalem’s palace walls; the enemy shouted in the Lord’s temple as if it were a feast day. ח (Khet)
8 The Lord was determined to tear down Daughter Zion’s wall. He prepared to knock it down; he did not withdraw his hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament; together they mourned their ruin. ט (Tet)
9 Her city gates have fallen to the ground; he smashed to bits the bars that lock her gates. Her king and princes were taken into exile; there is no more guidance available. As for her prophets, they no longer receive a vision from the Lord. י (Yod)
10 The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dirt on their heads; They have dressed in sackcloth. Jerusalem’s young women stare down at the ground. כ (Kaf)
Illustration: Angry Plane Passenger Who Missed His Stop
As a passenger boarded the Los Angeles-to-New York plane, he told the flight attendant to wake him and make sure he got off in Dallas. The passenger awoke just as the plane was landing in New York. Furious, he called the flight attendant and demanded an explanation. The fellow mumbled an apology and, in a rage, the passenger stomped off the plane. “Boy, was he ever mad!” another crew member observed to her errant colleague. “If you think he was mad,” replied the flight attendant, “you should have seen the guy I put off the plane in Dallas!” – H.B. McClung (Source unknown).