SOAP Lamentations 1: Such Sorrow

Such sorrow

Lamentations 1

Today we start the book of Lamentations.  With a name like that, it hardly makes you want to read it.  

Background:

It is believed to be written by Jeremiah. It is a book of poetry.  The fall of Jerusalem and the exile were the most horrendous catastrophe in Israel’s history up to this point. God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan and had given David victory to make Jerusalem Israel’s capital. This city is where the kings from the line of David lived, where Solomon built the temple for Israel’s God, and where the priests maintained the rituals of Israel’s worship. After 500 years of all this history, in the summer of 587 B.C.E., the city fell to Babylon and everything was lost. The Book of Lamentations is a memorial to the pain and confusion of the Israelites that followed the destruction.

The structure of Lamentations is divided into five parts. Chapter 1 focuses on grief. Chapter 2 is about the fall of Jerusalem. Chapter 3 turns the focus to hope. Chapter 4 reflects on the hardship of exile. Chapter 5 ends with a prayer for God’s mercy.

Our Chapter today focuses on grief.

Jerusalem, once so full of people, is now deserted. She who was once great among the nations now sits alone like a widow. Once the queen of all the earth, she is now a slave.

‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We all have highs and lows.  Israel is in a low state.  She didn’t follow God, and is now held captive.  

This chapter is heartbreaking.  In that, I can find where I have had some times that are heartbreaking due to my lack of obedience and thought for the future.  What I learned from this chapter is that expressing sorrow to God is ok, maybe more than that it is good.  We see our sin, we are hurting and we cry out to Him.  

He is the only one who can help us, free us, save us.  We see that He gave us the ability to feel sorrow as well as joy.

In a world that doesn’t deal well with uncomfortable emotions, it is relieving to know that God not only can deal with them, He wants us to express them.

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for the full range of emotions you have given us.  Help us not label them as good or bad. They all are useful and are good indicators of our heart and what we need.  Help us turn to you in our sorrow and trust that you hear us, see us, and care about what we are going through. In Jesus’ name.

Amen