Lam 2:20-22 | KingComments | STEP | are a call to prayer. In we have the prayer. The people here again say “see, O LORD” ( ; ). Jeremiah reminds the LORD that He brought this misery upon the people of His election. Is it not so anymore, is the people no longer the people of His election? Will there be no outcome? The misery has already reached the point where women, in desperation, have eaten their own children ( ; cf. ). Also the sanctuary of Him Who after all has all authority, the Lord ( Adonai ), has been desecrated in a terrible way. There lie the corpses of priest and prophet slain there by strangers. Should this not come to an end? There is much lamenting in our day about so much that is wrong. To the extent that it is justified, we should not do that to one another, but speak about it to the Lord. What we cannot say to Him, we should not say to one another. We may point out to the Lord the suffering that His own are undergoing, under which they are weighed down. We may remind Him of the value of His people to Him. Can He allow the children to fall prey to the despair of the parents? Can He allow the service of priest and prophet to disappear completely? We may beg Him to prevent that or to change it. Jeremiah points out to the LORD the streets of the city ( ). Those who walk through the city shudder at the sight of what the enemy has done. The enemy has killed young and old. They are lying in the streets. Those who are the strength and future of the people have fallen by the sword. Age and gender did not matter to the enemy. Without paying attention to anything, they have sown death and destruction with their sword in great ferocity. Yet even here Jeremiah sees that they are not the prey of the enemy powers around them, but of the anger of the LORD. He has slaughtered them and could no longer spare them because they have persisted so much in their sins. He utters it to the LORD that He has called the enemies together, as it were, to feast at the expense of the city ( ). We see here again that interchange of feast and terror, or worse, that connection between feast and terror. What is a day of an appointed feast for the enemy, is for the pious a day of terrors by which he is completely surrounded. There is no escape from the terrors for anyone. The “I” speaking here is Jeremiah. He is here interpreting the voice and feelings of the city, the remnant. Those he has carried on his hands and raised up are the children of Zion, the inhabitants of the city. They are those children who have been killed by the enemy. The important lesson of this chapter is that the city expresses all its woes before the LORD. If we have reasons to lament, about ourselves, our family, the church, we may go to Him with our laments. We may give Him the opportunity to do with it what is pleasing to Him, to the glorification of His Name.

‏ Lamentations 2:20-22

The LORD Is Called Upon

Lam 2:18-19 are a call to prayer. In Lam 2:20-22 we have the prayer. The people here again say “see, O LORD” (Lam 2:20; Lam 1:9 ; 11 ; 20). Jeremiah reminds the LORD that He brought this misery upon the people of His election. Is it not so anymore, is the people no longer the people of His election? Will there be no outcome?

The misery has already reached the point where women, in desperation, have eaten their own children (Deu 28:53; cf. 2Kgs 6:24-31). Also the sanctuary of Him Who after all has all authority, the Lord (Adonai), has been desecrated in a terrible way. There lie the corpses of priest and prophet slain there by strangers. Should this not come to an end?

There is much lamenting in our day about so much that is wrong. To the extent that it is justified, we should not do that to one another, but speak about it to the Lord. What we cannot say to Him, we should not say to one another.

We may point out to the Lord the suffering that His own are undergoing, under which they are weighed down. We may remind Him of the value of His people to Him. Can He allow the children to fall prey to the despair of the parents? Can He allow the service of priest and prophet to disappear completely? We may beg Him to prevent that or to change it.

Jeremiah points out to the LORD the streets of the city (Lam 2:21). Those who walk through the city shudder at the sight of what the enemy has done. The enemy has killed young and old. They are lying in the streets. Those who are the strength and future of the people have fallen by the sword. Age and gender did not matter to the enemy. Without paying attention to anything, they have sown death and destruction with their sword in great ferocity.

Yet even here Jeremiah sees that they are not the prey of the enemy powers around them, but of the anger of the LORD. He has slaughtered them and could no longer spare them because they have persisted so much in their sins.

He utters it to the LORD that He has called the enemies together, as it were, to feast at the expense of the city (Lam 2:22). We see here again that interchange of feast and terror, or worse, that connection between feast and terror. What is a day of an appointed feast for the enemy, is for the pious a day of terrors by which he is completely surrounded. There is no escape from the terrors for anyone.

The “I” speaking here is Jeremiah. He is here interpreting the voice and feelings of the city, the remnant. Those he has carried on his hands and raised up are the children of Zion, the inhabitants of the city. They are those children who have been killed by the enemy.

The important lesson of this chapter is that the city expresses all its woes before the LORD. If we have reasons to lament, about ourselves, our family, the church, we may go to Him with our laments. We may give Him the opportunity to do with it what is pleasing to Him, to the glorification of His Name.