Lamentations 1-2

“He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel” (2:1).  The book of “Lamentations” mourns over the downfall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians.  Because of unrepentant sin among leaders and citizens, God allowed His own holy city, the light of nations, to be conquered and burned.  The prophet Jeremiah cried over the loss of such beauty.  “She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave” (1:1).    

“[Jerusalem’s] gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; the law is no more …” (2:9).  False “freedom” – rebellion against God – leads to vulnerability, loss, and harm.  God calls us to Himself because He cares about our well-being.