Overview:
The book of Lamentations reveals the devastating consequences of God’s anger against his people’s sin (2 Kgs 25; 2 Chr 36; Jer 37-39, 52). Yet hope centers on the majestic peak of God’s unchanging character in Lamentations 3:21-24, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”
Main Idea:
Lament is the language of prayer for sufferers seeking comfort, sinners seeking grace, and saints seeking hope in God.
Outline:
- Man’s Anguish in Suffering (1:1-22)
- God’s Anger toward Sin (2:1-22)
- Man’s Anchor of Hope (3:1-66)
- God’s Anger in Judgment (4:1-22)
- Man’s Appeal for Restoration (5:1-22)
Interpretive Keys:
10 Things to Know About Lament[1]
- A lament is a loud cry, a howl, or a passionate expression of grief.
- Anywhere from a third to a half of the Psalms are psalms of lament. They are the largest category of psalms.
- Laments are found throughout the Old and New Testaments— not just in Lamentations.
- The author of Lamentations isn’t named, but most agree that Jeremiah wrote it (see 2 Chr 35:25).
- The book consists of five poems explaining the judgment and death of Jerusalem because of her sin.
- The chapters are acrostic poems built on the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with chapter 3 giving three verses to each letter instead of one. (Note: chapter 5 is twenty-two verses long, but not an acrostic.)
- Lamentations was likely written between 587-583 BC, either during the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 or shortly thereafter.
- Laments can vary greatly in nature: personal or communal, confessional or imprecatory, mourning or protesting, based on God’s actions or his seeming failure to act, they can be prayerful or more descriptive, and they can mourn deserved suffering (Lamentations) or undeserved suffering (Job).
- Laments are often joined with or an avenue to praise. Lament isn’t the opposite of praise but often the path to praise.
- Lamentations emphasizes God’s justice in judging and punishing sin when there is no repentance, as well as His patience in waiting to execute such justice.
7 Elements Common in Biblical Lament[2]
- An invocation
- A plea to God for help
- One or more complaints
- Confession of sin or an assertion of one’s innocence
- An imprecation on one’s enemies
- Confidence that God will respond
- A hymn or blessing
Projects for Growth:
Below is a template to help you write your own prayers of lament.
| Movements | Biblical Lament (examples below) | Personal Lament (modeled after Scripture) |
|---|---|---|
| Come: Turn to God in prayer (often merged with the complaint). | E.g., Ps 77:1-2a | |
| Complain: Honestly express your specific struggle with pain or injustice (often asking Why or How). | E.g., Ps 77:2b-9 | |
| Communicate: Specifically request God to act in a way that fits his character and resolves your complaint. Pray the Bible back to God. | E.g., Ps 77:13-20 | |
| Commit: Affirm God’s worthiness to be trusted and choose to give him praise. | E.g., Ps 77:10-12 |
INDIVIDUAL LAMENTS IN THE PSALMS (3, 4, 5, 7, 9-10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 28, 31, 39, 40:12-17, 41, 42-43, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 70, 71, 77, 86, 120, 139, 141, 142)
LAMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT (Matt 2:18; 27:46-50; Mark 14:36; Acts 8:2; John 11:31-33; Heb 5:7)
Helpful Resources:
General:
Exegetical:
- Duane Garrett, Song of Songs, Lamentations (WBC)
- R. K. Harrison, Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary (TOTC)
Expositional:
- Walter C. Kaiser, Grief and Pain in the Plan of God: Christian Assurance and the Message of Lamentations
- Eric Kress and Paul Tautges, The Discipline of Mercy: The Book of Lamentations for Pastors and Counselors
- Philip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope (PTW)
Applicational:
- Leslie Allen, A Liturgy of Grief: A Pastoral Commentary on Lamentations
- J. Todd Billings, Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life in Christ
- Michael Card, A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching Out to God in the Lost Language of Lament
- Soong Chan-Rah, Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times
- John Piper, When the Darkness Will Not Lift
- Colin Smith, For All Who Grieve: Light and Hope in Lamentations
- Tom Sugimura, Counsel the Word study (forthcoming)
- Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament
[1] Adapted from the Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy Study Guide.
[2] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 123-24. Some, but not necessarily all, of these elements are present in each lament.
