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 April 25

Lesson 8 (KJV)

The Nation’s Plea

Devotional Reading: Lamentations 3:22–33

Background Scripture: Lamentations 5

Lamentations 5

1 Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.

2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.

3 We are orphans and fatherless; our mothers are widows.

4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.

5 Our necks are under persecution: we labor and have no rest.

6 We have given a hand to the Egyptians and the Assyrians to be satisfied with bread.

7 Our fathers have sinned and are not, and we have borne their iniquities.

8 Servants have ruled over us: none doth deliver us out of their hand.

9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.

10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

11 They ravished the women in Zion and the maids in the cities of Judah.

12 Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honored.

13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.

14 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.

15 The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.

16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!

17 For this, our heart is faint; for these things, our eyes are dim.

18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

19 Thou, O Lord, remainest forever; thy throne from generation to generation.

20 Wherefore dost thou forget us forever, and forsake us so long time?

21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

 Key Verse

Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.—Lamentations 5:21

Prophets Faithful to God’s Covenant

Unit 2: Prophets of Restoration

Lessons 5–8

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Describe the historical context of the book of Lamentations.

2. Summarize the reasons for the people’s mourning.

3. Lament having sinned against God.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. In Memory Of

B. Lesson Context

I. Confrontation (Lamentations 5:1–15)

A. Remember! (v. 1)

B. Results of “Their” Sins (vv. 2–14)

C. Reversal (v. 15)

Words for Mourning

II. Confession (Lamentations 5:16–22)

A. Of “Our” Sins (vv. 16–18)

B. Of the Lord’s Reign (v. 19)

C. Of Hope and Fear (vv. 20–22)

Has God Forgotten You?

Conclusion

A. Called to Lament

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

Assyria	Uh-sear-ee-uh.
Babylon	Bab-uh-lun.
Jebusites	Jeb-yuh-sites.
Judah	Joo-duh.
Nebuchadnezzar	Neb-yuh-kud-nez-er.
Zedekiah	Zed-uh-kye-uh.
Zion	Zi-un.

What Do You Think? With James 1:27 in mind, how can you be more proactive in seeking out those in need? Digging Deeper What parts of such a ministry, if any, should be reserved for those specially gifted in it?

What Do You Think? What is the best course of action to take in light of whatever or whoever is now oppressing you or a loved one? Digging Deeper How can you know whether such oppression is a natural consequence of God’s own reaction?

What Do You Think? How bad would the consequences for your sin have to be for you to grieve openly? Digging Deeper What was a time in the past when you should have done so? Why did you not?

What Do You Think? How would you comfort and guide someone who feels forgotten by God? Digging Deeper How do passages such as Job 2:11–3:26; 13:4–5; 16:2–5; 23:1–4; 29:1–3 frame your answer?

What Do You Think? How do we keep the genuine sorrow of repentance from becoming merely a pity party? Digging Deeper Without giving directive advice, how would you counsel someone who has failed to do so?

Conclusion

A. Called to Lament

In the midst of our suffering, we know that God is still trustworthy and faithful. However, there are times when we do not feel that He is still trustworthy or faithful. We do not know where God is when we confess and repent of our sins but do not experience mercy in the consequences. We find that worship and praise lag behind mourning and lament. Like those left in a destroyed Jerusalem, all we can see is devastation; the only thing we want is to make sure God sees and knows what we are experiencing.

Lamentations help us find language to tell God the intense, genuine pain we remember or experience. The book serves as an invitation to take those things to God. As Paul wrote, “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39). Though Lamentations' inclusion in the Bible may seem odd, it gives evidence of the truth of Paul’s assertion. No siege, no famine, no cannibalism, no destruction, forced labor, and exile could separate God’s people from His love.

God demonstrated this love in Jesus Christ, making way for all people to turn to the Lord and experience His blessings. Through Jesus’ great suffering, we have been added to those who will be freed from all suffering (Revelation 21:4).

B. Prayer

Father, strengthen us to be willing to turn our hearts to You! Help us to be honest with You as Jeremiah and Jesus were honest with You in their suffering. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Let sorrow draw you closer to God.

 Kenney, Jane Ann, David Faust, et al. “The Nation’s Plea.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2020–2021. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jane Ann Kenney, and Margaret K. Williams. Vol. 68. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2021. 295. Print.