Assignment for Lamentations 

Old Testament Survey

Also called “The Book of Mourning”

It is a “Sequel” to the Book of Jeremiah

Read: Chapter 2

Name_______________________________________________________Date__________________

Vital Statistics

PURPOSE:

To teach people that to disobey God is to invite disaster and to show that God suffers when His people suffer.

AUTHOR:

Written by Jeremiah, the prophet of Judgment also called the “Weeping Prophet”. He wrote the Book of  Jeremiah as well, and was Prophet  to the House of Judah.

 DATE WRITTEN:

Written shortly after the fall of  Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

SETTING:

Jerusalem has been destroyed by Babylon and her people killed, tortured, or taken captive.

KEY VERSE:

“Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth,  for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.”(2:11)

KEY PEOPLE:

Jeremiah and the people of  Jerusalem.

KEY PLACE: 

Jerusalem

DID YOU KNOW?

Three strands of Hebrew thought meet in Lamentations – Prophecy, Ritual, and Wisdom. Lamentations is written in the rhythm and style of Ancient Jewish funeral songs or chants. It contains five poems corresponding to the five chapters.

In the original Hebrew, the chapters of Lamentations are acrostic poems. Each verse in each chapter begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 has 66 verses rather than 22 because it is a triple acrostic. The first three verses begin with the equivalent of the letter “A”, the next three with “B”, and so on. This was a typical form of  Hebrew poetry. Other examples of acrostics as Psalms 119, Psalm 145, and  Proverbs 31. In the Septuagint Version the following introductory words are found: “And it came to pass after Israel was led into captivity that Jeremiah sat weeping and lamenting and lamented this lamentation over Jerusalem.”

THE BLUEPRINT:

  1. THE FIRST POEM: Jerusalem’s Plight, the City – (Chapter 1) 

  2. THE SECOND POEM: Jehovah’s Anger, the Sanctuary – (Chapter 2) 

  3. THE THIRD POEM: Jeremiah’s Sorrow, the Prophet – (Chapter 3) 

  4. THE FOURTH POEM: Jehovah’s Anger, the People – (Chapter 4) 

  5. THE FIFTH POEM: Jeremiah’s Prayer, the Prayer – (Chapter 5) 

THEMES SEEN IN LAMENTATIONS:

 Destruction of Jerusalem – Lamentations is a sad funeral song for the great Capital city of the Jews. God promised to destroy Jerusalem unless the people repented. Too late the people realize their condition and confess their sin.  

Sin’s Consequence – Sin is the cause of their misery and destruction. The vanity of human glory and pride have led to this downfall. The prolonged rebellion of His people bought down God’s anger.

 God’s Mercy – God’s compassion was at work even as the people were beginning to experience affliction at the hand of the Babylonians. He used the affliction to bring the people back to Him.

Hope – God’s mercy in sparing some of the people instead of allowing them all to be destroyed gave a hope of future restoration and a drawing closer to God.

 QUESTIONS & VOCABULARY:

1.)    What does “lamentation” mean?____________________________________________________________

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2.)    What is “affliction”?_____________________________________________________________________

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3.)    What does “desolate” mean?______________________________________________________________

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4.)    “Zion” is used 15 times in Lamentations, to what does it refer?_____________________________________

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5.)    What did you discover as read this book? Anything new or exciting? If so what?________________________

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SUMMARY:

Lamentations consists of five poems. Chapters 1 through 4 are acrostic; each of the verses beginning with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the poems has a reference to desolation, God’s judgments and sorrows and closes with a prayer of petition (except the fourth). The fifth poem is completely intercessory prayer. The Lamentations of Jeremiah concern four things:

A.)   The People of Judah

B.)   The Temple of  Solomon

C.)   The City of Jerusalem

D.)   The Land of Palestine

 CHRIST SEEN:

Christ  is seen as the interceding, weeping Prophet, “the Man of Sorrows”, lamenting as He foretells the desolations of Judah, Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Land (Luke 19:41-44; Luke 21:20-24; Matthew 23:37,38; Matthew 24:1-4).

Thank you for studying with us today. At this point you may choose to either save an unfinished assignment or submit it to the Pastor’s office for review and feedback.

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