Jensens survey of the old testament adam 209
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them are: (1) as an aid to memorization; (2)
as a symbol of the fullness of the people’s
grief (i.e., from A to Z); (3) to con ne the
expression of boundless grief by the limiting
device of acrostic.
E. MESSAGE
The message of Lamentations is threefold:
1. Mourning over Jerusalem’s judgment for
sin. Most of the book presents this. Compare
Jesus’ mourning over Jerusalem in Luke
13:34-35 and 19:41-44.
2. Confession of sin (e.g., 1:8; 3:59; 5:16).
3. Ray of hope (e.g., 3:21-32; 5:21). Only
one who saw into the far-distant future
could speak of hope. Babylon was the
conqueror now, and Jerusalem the
vanquished; in that future day, it would be
glory for Jerusalem and desolation for
Babylon. With such a hope, the author could
exclaim, “Great is Thy faithfulness” (3:23b).
III. SURVEY
Scan the book of Lamentations, chapter by
chapter. Check your own observations with
the following:
1. The book has ve chapters, each of
which is a separate poem.
2. Sometimes Jeremiah speaks for himself
(“I”); sometimes the Jewish captives
(including Jeremiah) speak (“We”); and
sometimes Jeremiah writes about his
brethren (“They”).
3. The prevailing tone is utter grief and
resignation. At a few places a ray of hope
shines through. Such hope is brightest in the
middle of chapter 3.
4. There is much imagery in the book.
(E.g., “From on high He sent re into my
bones,” 1:13.)
5. Short prayers to God appear from time
to time. The entire last chapter is a prayer.
6. Jeremiah continually acknowledges
God’s holiness, justice, and sovereignty in
the judgments which He has sent upon
Judah.
7. References to the people’s sins appear
from time to time in the book.
8. The book ends on a note of hope (5:1922).5
9. Study carefully the survey Chart 85.
Relate it to the survey you have already
made of the book. Note the following on the
chart, rereading the Bible text to justify any
outlines which do not seem clear:
a) The rst four chapters are dirges, written
in acrostic style. chapter 5 is basically a
prayer; and it is nonacrostic.
b) The middle chapter (3) is the brightest.
Various references to the Lord’s mercies are
made here.
c) There is a natural progression of thought
throughout the chapters. In chapter 1, the
prophet and people are weeping over
Jerusalem’s destruction; in chapter 2, God’s
judgments, as the cause of the grief, are
described; chapter 3 shows where hope is to
be found; in chapter 4, sin is acknowledged
as the cause of divine judgment; and in
chapter 5, the prophet prays in behalf of his
brethren as he pleads for God’s deliverance.
d) Each of chapters 1-3 ends with a prayer.
Although this is not so of chapter 4, all of
the succeeding chapter (5) is a prayer.
IV. KEY WORDS AND VERSES
Note the key words on Chart 85. Also read
the Bible text of the key verses cited.
V. APPLICATIONS
