The book of Lamentations is a continuation of Jeremiah. It is Jeremiah's lamentation over the captivity of Judah. While in some ways it seems very negative and repetitive, there are things we can learn and there are glimmers of hope. In chapter 1 Jeremiah is weeping over the captivity of Judah of how far they fell. He speaks of their former glory and of their current state. He mentions how they had formerly ruled an empire, but not they were subjected to another evil empire. They were once a center of worship. Now no one observed the holy days. Once it was a city of rejoicing. Now is was only mourning. Once God blessed them abundantly, but now God had turned against them.
Why had all this happened? Had God failed in His promises? Had the tide of fate simply turned against them? Did their military commanders make poor choices? Had commerce hit a depression? No, it was all their fault! God had blessed them, but they became self-sufficient and stopped serving God as they should have. The kings of Judah lead most of the people into idolatry and awful wickedness. The forsook the very one who had given them all these blessings. Yet, it seems that they couldn't understand why God wasn't blessing them anymore. How are we living our lives. Have all God's blessings distracted us from serving Him? Or, are we using His blessings to bless the lives of others around us.
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