Lamentations 2 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application

Lamentations 2 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• Lamentation was written by someone who experienced the downfall, destruction, and aftermath of the Babylonian conquest of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC.

AUTHOR:

• Although not stated directly in the text, the Book of Lamentations has been attributed to Jeremiah since ancient days.

WORTHLESS TEMPLE

• The writer of Lamentations makes it clear in this chapter that God tore down His Temple in Jerusalem.

• Yes, physically speaking, the Babylonians destroyed it, but they were working on behalf of God.

• Why would God want His own Temple destroyed?

• This tells us something about what God cares about. He doesn’t care about external structures and worship ceremonies, unless those places are filled with holy people who offer genuine worship to Him.

• He doesn’t care about the big cathedral you worship in if it’s filled with corruption and false religion.  

OUTLINE:

• GOD’S FURY POURED OUT ON JERUSALEM (2:1-22):

  • The writer of Lamentations continues his discussion of the sorry state of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah.  

  • He makes it clear that all that befell Judah was done with the permission of God. In a sense, Babylon was Judah’s enemy, but in a truer sense, God was their adversary (2:5).

  • “The LORD has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes” (2:17).

  • It was God’s anger that cut down the strength of the nation and took away all its splendor.

  • His fury was poured out like fire (2:4).

  • “The Lord has scorned His altar, disowned His sanctuary; He has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces… He did not restrain His hand from destroying” (2:6, 8).

  • The ruined walls of the city lamented for what they had failed to protect.

  • Judah’s kings and princes were scattered throughout the nations, their significance and titles stripped.

  • The writer said his eyes were dry, because he had cried out all his tears.  

  • Judah’s enemies walked outside the city gloating at its downfall.

  • The children of Jerusalem starved during the siege. They called out to their mothers for food but there was none.

  • Food was so scarce, some even resorted to cannibalism.

  • “On the day of the anger of the Lord no one escaped or survived” (2:22).

APPLICATION:

• You have to feel bad for the children of Jerusalem during the siege.

• They were suffering for no fault of their own. They were suffering because their parents brought negative consequences into their lives before they even knew right from wrong.

• Don’t be the kind of parent that makes your children’s lives hard, maybe even painful, because you won’t give up your sins!

• What parts of your life do you need to prune in order to protect your children from your bad behavior?