PASTORS NOTES
The word Lamentations literally means the passionate expression of grief or sorrow; to weep. In this old testament book believed to be written by Jeremiah, this is exactly what we see; a man weeping for what sin has done to his people. People that he had spent a lifetime loving, teaching, and warning. Lamentations is a book on what happens when warnings are not heard. To best understand Lamentations, you must understand the book of Jeremiah. The book of Jeremiah is God’s call to repentance towards a group of people who have stopped following the ways of God. Lamentations is a continuation of Jeremiah, the aftermath of what it looks like not to repent. This book written by Jeremiah is not simply cries from the heart of a burdened pastor, but it is a moment in faith to look back on how God works in the midst of unchecked sin. We see the attempt to understand the ways of God towards humanity. We also see man’s cry for mercy and grace towards our God who is not happy with man’s life. For you and I today, Lamentations calls us to look at our own life, to hear Gods warning, avoid His correction, and to seek faithful living. This book allows us to examine our own homes and country. Lamentations gives a voice to the deepest agonies of grief and sorrow, all with the standing hope that some comfort may come when broken sinners cry out to God for mercy.
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE MESSAGE
Read Jeremiah 15:1-7 and Daniel 1:1-3 for a greater understanding of the timeline of when Lamentations took place.
HIGHLIGHT IN YOUR BIBLES
Highlight verses 1 and 12 in chapter 1 of Lamentations
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1.) Have you ever left sin unchecked? Refused to repent or respond to God’s warning. If so, what was the outcome?
2.) Read chapter 1 of Lamentations, what verse is a prophetic image of the coming suffering of Christ? Read through all the verses carefully and where does the Gospel shine?
3.) How do you see Daniel connected to the book of Jeremiah and Lamentations?
