Sunday 16th February 2025 – Lindsay Wilson
Read: Lamentations 4-5
Chapter 4 as the background to chapter 5
– a series of horrors (4:1-10)
– the destruction of Jerusalem (4:11-12)
– the religious leaders (4:13-16)
– scattered and caught (4:17-20)
– a glimpse of reversal and rescue (4:21-22)
• ‘What is missing in Lamentations 4 is any direct prayer to God. For that we must await the next chapter, which is an extended prayer for salvation.’ (Parry)
Prayer to God (chapter 5)
– the opening plea (5:1)
– economic poverty (5:2-10)
– social humiliation (5:11-14)
– community sorrow (5:15-18)
– an appeal for help: declaration, accusation and prayer (5:19-22)
So, what can we learn from the book of Lamentations?