November 8, 2018: Day 89 – Lamentations 4

We find the siege of Jerusalem described, once again, in graphic terms.  You hear about the thirst of the children which was not to be assuaged, and left the children’s tongues clinging to the roof of their mouths.  We find this destruction even greater than the one that we read about with Sodom in Genesis.  We read about women who were deemed highly respectable were left to boil their own children for food.  

Once again the author points to a direct causal attribution in vs. 13 where he states: “It was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of the priests.”  The blame is placed directly in the lap of the religious leaders of the day, which is where it belonged, and probably where it belongs today as well.  If the religious leaders do not speak up and encourage the people to see things through the lenses of Scripture and the eyes of a gracious God, then how are  the people to be blamed if they follow an immoral and ungodly course?

If you go to vs.20 you will see that it refers to the Lord’s anointed as being taken to their pits.  This probably refers to King Zedekiah who was the last king of Judah, whose defeat signals the failure of the Davidic dynasty to protect the people.  This showed that they were no longer protected by God’s anointed, because the people had turned their back on God.