Lamentations 1:5

• If we allow our *sins to rule us, God is able to allow other enemies to rule us also.

• Where there are no children, there is no future.

• The *Lord is a judge who always does the right thing. See Jeremiah 30:14.

v6 The city of Zion (*Jerusalem) has lost its greatness. Its leaders have become like animals that have no food. They were too weak to run from their enemies.

Verse 6 *Jerusalem was once very beautiful and happy (Psalms 48:1-3). The ‘leaders’ would include King Zedekiah. The enemy has caught them as they tried to escape (Jeremiah 39:4).

v7 Now *Jerusalem’s people are miserable. They remember the good things that they had long ago. But, when their enemies came, nobody would help them. Their enemies laughed at *Jerusalem because they had ruined it.

v8 *Jerusalem’s people have *sinned greatly. That is why their city is disgusting. The people in other nations thought that Jerusalem was wonderful. Now they think that it is no good. They look at it as if it were a naked woman. The city’s people turn away and sigh.

Verse 8 People in other nations no longer admired *Jerusalem and its people.

People always watch God’s people (2 Corinthians 3:2; Romans 2:24). When God’s people *sin, other people do not respect them any more.

Jeremiah is still speaking.

v9 *Jerusalem’s people have greatly *sinned. Its people never thought that its end would be like this. It is hard to believe. I have nobody to comfort me.

*Lord, see how much we are suffering. See how glad our enemies are.

v10 Enemies have seized *Jerusalem’s precious things. Foreigners have burst into God’s holy *temple. But God had said that such people must never go into it.

v11 All *Jerusalem’s people sigh. They must hunt for food. They exchange things that they love to buy food to keep themselves alive.

*Jerusalem’s people are speaking as if the city were a woman.

See, *Lord, and think about me, because nobody else does.

Verse 11 The only way to make our worries less is to tell them to God. Then we should leave it to God to do what he thinks is best for us. See1 Peter 4:6-7.

v12 Come and see, all you who go by! Look closely at me! See if anyone could be more miserable than I am. See what the *Lord’s anger has done to me!

Verse 12 ‘Look closely’ means here to have a very careful look.

v13 God has sent fire down into my bones to hurt them. He has spread a net in front of my feet, to turn me back. All day he has made me lonely and weak.

v14 He has made my *sins like a heavy collar to lie on my neck. And so he has made me weak. He has handed me over to the enemy. I am too weak to oppose them.

v15 The *Lord laughed at my strongest soldiers. He sent a great army to kill all my young men. The *Lord has squeezed my young women like fruit that was too ripe.

Verse 13 This is like a picture in words. God had caused a fire that even burnt the centre (‘bones’) of the city. The people could not escape. It was as if God had caught them in a net. Finally, God had left them. That is why they are like a ‘lonely’ woman.

Verse 15 People walk on the fruit to squeeze the juice out. Then they make the juice into wine.

v16 I weep because of these things. Tears flow down my cheeks. Nobody can comfort me. Nobody can encourage me. My children have no future. The enemy has won.

Jeremiah now speaks.

v17 *Jerusalem’s people reach out their hands for help. But nobody comforts them. The *Lord has commanded nations in the neighbourhood of *Jacob (*Israel) to be their enemies. *Jerusalem has become disgusting to people in other nations.

Verse 17 *Jacob was a man of God. The Bible sometimes uses his name to mean God’s people, *Israel. God often rescued *Israel from troubles (Psalms 44:1-8). This time, they must suffer because they have not obeyed God.

*Jerusalem’s people speak as if the city were a woman.

v18 The *Lord is right. I did not obey him. Listen, all people everywhere, and see how I am suffering. The enemy have taken away my young women and my young men to be slaves.

Verse 18 When God sends trouble, we must realise that he is right. We do not understand either him or ourselves if we blame him. See 2 Chronicles 12:5-6 and Proverbs 5:22.

v19 I called to my friends but they did not help. My priests and my leaders died in the city. They were looking for food to keep them alive.

v20 Look, *Lord, I am suffering greatly. And I am very sad. I have great problems in my mind because I have not obeyed God. Outside, the enemy are using swords to kill people. In the house, there is only death because there is no food.

Verses 20-22 are a prayer. It is a comfort when we know that God sees our troubles. He loves us. He will find a way to cause good results from bad things.

v21 My enemies have heard that I sigh. There is nobody to help. All my enemies know about my trouble. They are glad, God, that you have done it. But you said that you will bring a time when my enemies will suffer like me.

v22 Make that time come. Do to them what you have done to me. You have done it to me because I did not obey you. Do it, because my sighs are many. And my heart has no strength.

Jerusalem ~ the Jews’ capital city; God told King Solomon to build God’s sacred temple there.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
temple ~ the sacred house in Jerusalem where Israel’s people went to pray.
Israel ~ Israel is the group of people that God chose to be his people.
temple ~ the sacred house in Jerusalem where Israel’s people went to pray.
Jerusalem ~ the Jews’ capital city; God told King Solomon to build God’s sacred temple there.
Israel ~ Israel is the group of people that God chose to be his people.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much.
Jeremiah ~ Jeremiah was a man who loved God. And he loved his own people. He may have written the book of Lamentations.
sin ~ to do things against God and other people; an bad action that we do against God and other people.
sin ~ to do things against God and other people; an bad action that we do against God and other people.
Judah ~ a part of the country that God gave to his people.
Lord ~ a special name for God that his people use. He will do what he has promised them. That is what this name means.
Jacob ~ Jacob was a son of Isaac and a brother of Esau. God later changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Sometimes the Bible calls Israel’s people ‘Jacob’.
Israel ~ Israel is the group of people that God chose to be his people.
Israel ~ Israel is the group of people that God chose to be his people.