“How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.” (1:1-2)

These are the opening words of the book of Lamentations, and what follows is one of the most horrifying and tragic accounts ever recorded. Penned by the prophet Jeremiah, Lamentations is a firsthand account of Babylon laying Jerusalem to waist.

“Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? In the dust of the streets lie the young and the old; my young women and my young men have fallen by the sword; you have killed them in the day of your anger, slaughtering without pity.” (2:20-21)

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Jeremiah mourned the fall of Jerusalem and was wearied by the devastation - the city had fallen because of the sin of Israel:


“This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous.” (4:13)

Jeremiah was confident, however, that the Lord would not forsake Israel forever. He cried out to the Lord, and beseeched Him to return.

“Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.” (5:21-22)

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While the situation certainly was dire, all hope was not lost.

Just prior to the fall of Jerusalem, we find an event in the life of Jeremiah that symbolizes his hope in the faithfulness of the Lord; Jeremiah is confident the Lord will raise up a remnant to return to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 32 records a transaction in which the prophet buys a field from his cousin Hanamel (32: 8-12), a field it only makes sense for Jeremiah to own if one day, the Lord will allow a remnant to return to Jerusalem.

“For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.” (32:43)

These words may seem insignificant to us, but to a people fearful of the impending doom facing Jerusalem, they would have inspired hope and confidence in the faithfulness of the Lord.

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