A Teaching Outline for the Book of Lamentations

It’s been well recognized that the foundation of genuine wisdom consists of two aspects: knowing God and knowing ourselves. This simple idea cannot be overlooked. For men to call upon the Lord and be saved, they must know who He is and the gloriously redemptive plans He has (cf. Rom 10:14). They must have a knowledge of God. But for men to know why they ought to call upon the Lord and be saved, they must see their own wretched condition and the disastrously sinful life they’ve lived (cf. Gal. 3:24, Rom. 7:7-9). They must know themselves.

This is precisely what the book of Lamentations offered to the people of Judah, and what it continues to offer people today.

Why had the southern kingdom of Judah fallen to the Babylonians? What was the purpose of exile? Did Yahweh forget about His covenant people? Was there any hope of restoration? Writing to (and for) the exiles in captivity, Jeremiah the prophet put together a series of funeral dirges—lament songs—that answered these questions. In the event of an individual’s death, one might purchase a sympathy card for family members of the deceased loved one in order to express helpful words of comfort amidst heartache. Similarly, the five laments that make up the book of Lamentations provided the exiles with helpful words (both thoughts and prayers) to reflect upon the death of their nation, the reason for it, and the way forward.

In doing this, Jeremiah exercised a great deal of divinely inspired creativity. The first four chapters are acrostics, meaning that within a given chapter, each section begins with the next letter in the twenty-two-letter Hebrew alphabet. The first, second, and fourth chapters begin each verse with successive letters of the alphabet, whereas the third chapter begins every three verses with the next letter. Though this acrostic format has been thought to be used as a mnemonic device to remember grief, it is better understood to be a literary tool to express the fullness of grief. After all, by cataloging sorrow from “A to Z” (or aleph to tav in Hebrew), the Jewish exiles were forced to contemplate all aspects of their pain, and the conditions that brought it about, so as to create a mental and emotional collage of sorts. By way of example, if you were to write a eulogy for a loved one in an acrostic format, the creative effort required to pull it off would force you to recall memories that you might have otherwise overlooked. And so it was for Jeremiah as he recounted the sin of Judah (cf. Lam. 1:18), the sorrow associated with God’s wrath (cf. Lam. 2:5), and the salvation found only in Christ (cf. Lam. 3:26).

He began by reflecting on the destroyed condition of Jerusalem: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people! She has become like a widow who was once great among the nations!” (Lam. 1:1a). Later speaking in first person on behalf of the city, Jeremiah not only described the judgment inflicted, but the shame of sin that brought it about: “The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against His command” (Lam. 1:18). Those tempted to think that the exile was unjust were taught otherwise. Jeremiah was clear that their captivity was not just an “unlucky event” at the hands of a rising world empire, but was truly a judgment from God Himself for their ongoing sin. After all, in the book of Jeremiah, the nation of Babylon is mentioned more than one hundred fifty times, whereas in Lamentations (a book reflecting on the Babylonian assault), the nation is not mentioned even once. Instead, God is portrayed as taking full credit for the barbarous acts committed by Babylon upon the nation of Judah (cf. Lam. 3:1-18).

After stating that “the pure gold has changed” (Lam. 4:1), Jeremiah went on to describe the economic catastrophe that had come upon the city. Horrifically, because parents could no longer afford to feed their children, they resorted to feeding on their children (cf. Lam. 4:3-4, 10, Deut. 28:53-57). Even the rich had been reduced to utter poverty (cf. Lam. 4:5). Yet, in a very real way, that financial decline was but a reflection of their spiritual decline: “For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom” (Lam. 4:6). It was the people themselves, not merely the adornments on their buildings, who had been ruined. Thus, their only hope was through confession. “Woe to us, for we have sinned!” was an honest expression of guilt (Lam. 5:16b). By grace, God had not forgotten about His chosen nation—nor the enemies who had attacked it (cf. Lam. 3:59-66, 4:21-22).

The climax of the book occurs in Lamentations 3:22-23, in which Jeremiah said, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Recognizing that each morning faced by the exiles in Babylon would be difficult, this passage was intended to remind them of God’s past provision: new manna every morning for the generation of Israelites who were in the wilderness (cf. Exod. 16:13-21). And because of God’s past covenantal faithfulness, His people could count on the fact that they would not be forgotten by Him on into the future. In other words, their only hope would be found in the perfections (attributes) of God, especially His immutable love (cf. Mal. 3:6). Jeremiah’s eyes were filled with tears (cf. Lam. 2:11), but he could trust that God would collect those tears (cf. Psa. 56:8) and one day wipe them away (cf. Isa. 25:8). Such is the case for all who trust in the Savior.

Sadly, many never take the time to consider these things. The cavalier attitude with which people so often view their own sin is, quite frankly, astonishing. In a moment of honesty, many would have to admit that they spend more time planning for hobbies or leisure than eternity. It is just as Jeremiah said concerning the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants: “She did not consider her future” (Lam. 1:9). Scripture tells us that “godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation,” and yet most do not take even a moment to grieve over their own iniquity. With that said, the book of Lamentations allowed those in the past to pause for this kind of soul-searching grief, and it does the same for us today. Ending with a prayer for remembrance and restoration (cf. Lam. 5:19-22), the final lament reminds those who are grief-stricken to call out to the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

As you and your disciples walk through this book verse by verse, may God grant each of you a mind to consider the depths of depravity, the heights of heaven, and the Lord Jesus Christ who can carry you from the former to the latter. The following outline is offered to help.

No One to Comfort Her (Lamentations 1:1-22)

The Condition of the City (Lam. 1:1-7)

The Cry of Shame (Lam. 1:8-11)

The Cause of Pain (Lam. 1:12-17)

The Confession of Sin (Lam. 1:18-20)

The Call for Justice (Lam. 1:21-22)

The Day of God’s Anger (Lamentations 2:1-22)

A Punished Nation (Lam. 2:1-10)

A Painful Response (Lam. 2:11-14)

A Pagan Response (Lam. 2:15-17)

A Prayerful Response (Lam. 2:18-22)

Great Is Your Faithfulness (Lamentations 3:1-66)

The Pain of Judgment (Lam. 3:1-18)

The Perfections of God (Lam. 3:19-38)

The Prayer of Faith (Lam. 3:39-66)

The Pure Gold Has Changed (Lamentations 4:1-22)

Costly Sin (Lam. 4:1-12)

Corrupted Leadership (Lam. 4:13-20)

Covenantal Justice (Lam. 4:21-22)

Renew Our Days (Lamentations 5:1-22)

A Plea for Remembrance (Lam. 5:1-18)

A Plea for Restoration (Lam. 5:19-22)