Reading for October 16th

Read Lamentations 4.1-10. In 4.1-10: Jerusalem's changed fortunes. The poet portrays a world upside down, where all all that is normal has vanished. In verses 2-4: Children, once treasured, are as fragile as clay pots, and scare food is not given to them. Ostriches have the reputation of neglecting their young (Job 39.13-18). In verses 5-8: Purple, due to the costliness of it dye, was worn by royalty. The once privileged class now starves. In verse 6: Sodom: See Gen 19.24-25. In verse 9: Quick death would be better than the slow torture of famine. In verse 8: Black skin is a description of famine (5.10; Job 30.30). In verse 10: In a dramatic reversal once compassionate mothers eat rather than feed their young. Comments or Questions... 

Reading for October 15th

 Read Lamentations 3.52-66. In 3.52-66: A psalm of praise. As in 3.1-24, the individual catalogues his complaints generally and metaphorically: like a bird, v. 52; pit, vv 53,55 (Ps 7.15;9.10). As in a psalm of thanksgiving (Ps 31), God is reported to have answered the  prayer. In verse 52: Without cause: Strikingly different from the assumption of guilt (vv. 22-39).  In verses 59-66: Complaint about  enemies. Although the preceding verses suggest that God has already responded to the individual's plea, the speaker explicitly calls for God to punish enemies (1.21-22). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 14th

 Read Lamentations 3.42--51. In 3.42-51: Communal lament. While beginning with recognition of guilt, the section also complains that God has refused to forgive (vv. 42, 44). Further complaints follow the shame of defeat and enemy taunts, mentioned earlier in the book, is repeated. in verse 48: While the speaker shifts to "I" the theme remains the fate of the city. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 13th

 Read Lamentations 3.25-41. In verses 25-41: A teaching on God's goodness. In a jarring shift, this section at the center of the book offers beautiful statement of God's mercy, faithfulness, and compassion (vv. 22-33) and teaches silence in the face of suffering. Because some passages appear to contradict material that comes before and after (v. 39: Why should anyone complain?), these verses are often considered a later addition to the book. They function however, to balance the community's expression of suffering with the book's insistent theme that God is justifiably punishing Judah for it sins. In verses 40-41: Because God has acted justly, Judah must examine its own wrongs. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 12th

 Read Lamentations 3.1-24. In 3.1-66: Multiple responses to suffering. Speakers and moods shift throughout this chapter, making a neat outline difficult. Has the material been adjusted to fit the acrostic pattern? Does the jaring style mimic the dislocation of trauma. In verses 1-24: An individual lament. Like other individual laments (Ps 38; 22), this section includes nonspecific complaints of suffering (vv. 1-19) and a statement of confidence in God (vv. 21-24). Identified neither with the poet who has spoken previously nor with Woman Zion, the speaker is an individual male (Heb., "geber"). He explicitly blames God for his troubles, comparing God to a wild animal (v. 10) and an enemy warrior (vv. 12-13). His troubles are not outlined but are compared to heavy chains (v. 7) and gravel to the the teeth (v. 16). In verse 15: Wormwood (also v. 19) is a bitter-tasting plant (Jer 9.14). In verse 19: Gall: Bile (see comment on 2.1). In verses 21-24: Statement of confidence, a feature of individual lament. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 11th

 Read Lamentation 2.20-22. In 2.20-22: Jerusalem petitions God. The stark picture of women eating their own children and the death of the young raises this question: Has God punished too severely? Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 10th

 Read Lamentations 2.11-19. In 2.11-19: The pot continues his lament. In verse 11: Both the stomach (also 1.20) and bile refer to the seat of emotions (Jer 4.19); bile in addition means "bitterness" (from the taste of digestive substance secreted from the gallbladder). In verse 14: False prophets gave unwarranted messages of comfort (Jer 14.13-16). In verses 15-16: Jerusalem suffers not only the famine of children but also the taunts of enemies (Jer 19.8). In verse 17: As he ordained long ago may refer to the teaching of the pre-exilic prophets, for whom destruction of the nation as punishment for sin was a common motif. In verses 18-19: The poet urges Jerusalem to petition God. Comments or Questions..