The Major ProphetsSample

This is a sad book, written by the “weeping prophet” Jeremiah, during a sad time. The book’s name means “to express deep sorrow.” The Babylonians had attacked Jerusalem and brought an end to the southern kingdom of Judah. Many of the people of Israel had been taken into captivity, while others had fled.

Lamentations is the expression of the pain of sin’s consequences. So what we hear and read are the tears of the prophet as he saw destruction all around him. Yet, in the middle of all the pain and the sorrow, Jeremiah highlighted the faithfulness of God. First, there was God’s faithfulness in His warning that if His people departed from Him, He would bring judgment upon them.

But Lamentations is also about the faithfulness of hope (3:21–23), because God’s mercies would be seen even in the midst of judgment. The message of this book is that the rays of God’s mercy can be seen even amid the sadness, and that if His people will return to Him with repentance, He will return to them and limit, or even reverse, the consequences of their disobedience. 

Lamentations is a reminder that sin brings pain and tears, but God is always ready to show His mercy when we repent and come back to Him.