57: Lamentations — Lament and Hope

BEMA Episode Link: 57: Lamentations — Lament and Hope
Episode Length: 25:48
Published Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2018 01:00:00 -0800
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings examine the often-avoided book of Lamentations and the shocking space it creates for the dark things that need to be grieved.

Discussion Video for BEMA 57

Learning to Lament, Part 1: The Culture of Denial — The RobCast, Episode 92

Learning to Lament, Part 2: Widow, Slave, Mother — The RobCast, Episode 93

Learning to Lament, Part 3: She’s Finding Her Voice — The RobCast, Episode 94

Learning to Lament, Part 4: As Deep as the Sea — The RobCast, Episode 95

Learning to Lament, Part 5: Skirts and Virgins — The RobCast, Episode 96

Transcript for BEMA 57

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 57: Lamentations — Lament and Hope

Title & Source Summary

This episode explores the book of Lamentations, a Babylonian prophetic work traditionally attributed to Jeremiah. The discussion examines how this often-avoided biblical book creates space for authentic grief and lament while maintaining hope in God’s ultimate redemption. The episode unpacks the literary structure of Lamentations as an alphabet acrostic chiasm and reveals how the book guides readers from despair through reflection to hope and back, creating a transformative journey through grief.

Key Takeaways

The Bible intentionally creates space for lament, grief, and honest expression of pain directed toward God
Lamentations is structured as an alphabet acrostic chiasm with hope positioned at the very center
The book features two voices in dialogue: a narrator and a woman representing Judah (the bride of God)
The darkness described in Lamentations reflects the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28 curses
Healthy processing of grief requires appropriate outlets; suppressed lament will eventually find unhealthy expression
The center of Lamentations (Chapter 3:31-33) reveals that God does not cast off forever and does not willingly bring affliction
After encountering hope at the center, the book calls for self-examination and t’shuva (return/repentance)
Christian culture often fails to create adequate space for authentic lament, driving people to find expression elsewhere
Art and music serve as important outlets for processing complex emotions that worship music sometimes cannot accommodate

Main Concepts & Theories

The Literary Structure of Lamentations

Lamentations is an alphabet acrostic, meaning each verse (or stanza in Hebrew) begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, bet, gimel, dalet, etc.). The 22-letter Hebrew alphabet creates a distinctive pattern:

Chapter 1: 22 verses (one per letter)
Chapter 2: 22 verses (one per letter)
Chapter 3: 66 verses (three per letter - aleph, aleph, aleph, bet, bet, bet, etc.)
Chapter 4: 22 verses (one per letter)
Chapter 5: 22 verses (one per letter)

This creates a chiastic structure: A-A-B-A-A (22-22-66-22-22), with Chapter 3 forming the emphatic center. This is sometimes abbreviated as “ACA” - Alphabet, Chiastic, Acrostic (itself a chiasm).

Two Voices in Dialogue

The book employs two distinct voices throughout:

The Narrator: An observer looking out over destroyed Jerusalem, describing the devastation objectively
The Woman: Representing Judah/the people of God/the bride, speaking in first person to express personal anguish

These voices alternate throughout the text, similar to the beloved and groom in Song of Songs, but with profoundly darker content. The woman’s voice interjects with cries like “Look, oh Lord, on my affliction” (1:9) and “Look, oh Lord, and consider, for I am despised” (1:11).

Connection to Deuteronomy 28

The horrific imagery in Lamentations 2:20 - including mothers eating their children, priests and prophets killed in the sanctuary, and widespread slaughter - directly references the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28. This creates a poetic and theological callback: “All the stuff that you said would come true, it’s now coming true. All the stuff that you warned us about, we didn’t heed the warning, and now we’re experiencing it.”

The Center: Hope in the Midst of Lament

The chiastic structure places maximum emphasis on the center passage (Lamentations 3:31-33):

“For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.”

The journey to this center follows a deliberate path:

Chapters 1-2: Unrelenting darkness and grief
Chapter 3:19-21: Beginning reflection - “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope”
Chapter 3:22-30: Building hope - God’s compassions are new every morning; it is good to wait for salvation
Chapter 3:31-33: THE CENTER - God’s eternal compassion and unwillingness to afflict
Chapter 3:34-39: Response to hope - examination of injustice and acknowledgment of sin
Chapter 3:40-42: Call to t’shuva - “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord”
Chapters 3:43-5:22: Return to lament, but with transformed perspective

The Theology of Lament

The episode emphasizes several critical theological points about lament:

Space for Authentic Emotion: The Bible does not demand that people “get their act together and put a smile on their face first.” It creates space for those who mourn without requiring them to suppress or sanitize their pain.

Directed Lament: The lament in Lamentations is directed at the appropriate place - toward God himself. It rages at Adonai, not irreverently, but honestly. God can handle the emotion; he can accept it.

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Processing: If grief has no appropriate outlet, it will find an outlet eventually, often in destructive ways. The Bible provides healthy spaces for processing darkness.

Transformative Journey: The book doesn’t leave readers in despair. By continuing to read through the chiasm, readers are guided toward hope, self-examination, and redemption while still honoring the reality of their pain.

The Role of Art in Lament

The episode addresses how contemporary Christian culture often fails to create adequate space for lament, leading people to seek expression through art and music outside traditional Christian contexts. This is not necessarily unhealthy - art provides expression for frustration, anger, and rage that many worship songs cannot accommodate.

The challenge is that “Christian music doesn’t sell if they make darker, more honest music,” creating a void that drives some believers to find expression in what might be labeled “secular” music or art. The episode suggests this seeking is often a legitimate search for authentic space to process complex emotions rather than spiritual compromise.

Examples & Applications

Historical Context: Babylonian Exile

Lamentations emerges from the devastation of Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon. The city is deserted, the people are in exile, and the narrator observes: “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people. How like a widow is she who wants to be great among the nation” (1:1). This is not metaphorical grief - it’s the processing of actual historical trauma.

Personal Grief and Loss

The book models how individuals can process personal devastation. Like the woman in Lamentations, people experiencing loss can:

Give voice to their pain honestly before God
Remember who God is even in darkness (“Yet this I call to mind”)
Sit in silence waiting for salvation (3:26-28)
Eventually examine their own responses and choices
Return to life with transformed perspective

Community and Witness

The episode emphasizes the importance of having people to process lament with - creating spaces where voices of grief can be witnessed rather than isolated. This connects to BEMA discussion groups providing community for wrestling with difficult questions.

Ministry to Young Adults

The episode notes that giving Gen Z and Millennials the ability to ask questions and wrestle with difficult texts creates beautiful ministry opportunities. The honest engagement with Lamentations models the kind of authentic faith that resonates with younger generations who value transparency over superficial positivity.

Campus Ministry Example

The episode shares a concrete example of how BEMA community led to ministry multiplication: Karl Moritz was hired for Impact Campus Ministries at the University of Montana after Marty visited a BEMA discussion group in Missoula. This demonstrates how creating space for honest biblical engagement produces fruit in unexpected ways.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Deep Dive into Lamentations Structure

Detailed analysis of the Hebrew alphabet acrostic pattern
Comparison with other acrostic poems in Scripture (Psalm 119, Proverbs 31)
Study of chiastic structures throughout biblical literature
Investigation of why Chapter 3 receives triple emphasis (66 verses)

Rob Bell’s “Learning to Lament” Series

The episode strongly recommends RobCast Episodes 92-96, which provide an extended study of Lamentations. These episodes would offer additional perspectives and deeper exegesis of the text.

The Weeping Prophet Connection

Explore the tradition attributing Lamentations to Jeremiah, examining:

Thematic connections between Jeremiah and Lamentations
The image of the “weeping prophet”
Academic perspectives on authorship
How the two books function together in the biblical narrative

Deuteronomy 28 and Covenant Curses

Full examination of Deuteronomy 28 and its structure of blessings and curses
Theological implications of covenant faithfulness and judgment
How other prophets reference these same covenant themes
Peter Enns’ perspective on these passages (referenced in the episode)

Imprecatory Psalms

The episode references imprecatory psalms as another biblical space for expressing anger and calling for justice. Further study could include:

Psalms 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, 137, and 139
Theological frameworks for understanding these prayers
How Jesus and New Testament writers engage with imprecatory psalms
Ethical questions about praying for enemies’ destruction

The Prophetic Timeline

Review and deepen understanding of the prophetic structure:

Pre-Assyrian Prophets: Amos (plumb line/ripe fruit), Hosea (prostitute), Micah (judge), 1 Isaiah (vineyard)
Assyrian Prophets: Jonah (potential), Nahum (diyn), Zephaniah (t’shuva), 2 Isaiah (woe)
Babylonian Prophets: Jeremiah (weeping), Lamentations
Post-exilic prophets yet to come in BEMA series

Theology of Suffering and God’s Character

How does God’s justice relate to his compassion?
What does it mean that God “does not willingly bring affliction”?
Exploring the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility
How lament functions as honest relationship rather than irreverence

Art, Music, and Spiritual Expression

The role of creative expression in spiritual formation
Why some emotional territories require artistic rather than propositional expression
How to discern healthy vs. unhealthy outlets for grief and anger
Building more holistic worship cultures that accommodate lament

T’shuva (Return/Repentance)

Hebrew concept of return as opposed to merely feeling sorry
How repentance connects to restoration
The call to “examine our ways and test them” (3:40)
T’shuva in other prophetic literature

Comprehension Questions

Structural Analysis: Explain how Lamentations functions as an “alphabet, chiastic, acrostic” (ACA). What is the significance of the 22-22-66-22-22 verse pattern, and why does the center chapter receive triple emphasis?
Literary Voices: Describe the two voices that speak throughout Lamentations. How do their perspectives differ, and what purpose does this dialogue serve in processing grief and devastation?
Theological Reflection: The center of Lamentations (3:31-33) states that God does not cast off forever and does not willingly bring affliction. How does this central message interact with the intense suffering and judgment described in the surrounding chapters? What does this reveal about the book’s overall theological purpose?
Connection to Torah: How does Lamentations 2:20 connect to Deuteronomy 28? What is the significance of this connection for understanding how the author interprets the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem?
Contemporary Application: According to the episode, why does Christian culture sometimes fail to create adequate space for lament, and what are the consequences? How might communities of faith better accommodate authentic grief while maintaining hope?

Summary

Episode 57 reveals Lamentations as far more than a collection of depressing poems - it is a carefully crafted literary and theological masterpiece designed to guide people through the transformative journey of grief. The book’s alphabet acrostic structure and chiastic arrangement place hope at the very center, surrounded by honest expressions of devastation and pain.

The dual voices of narrator and personified Jerusalem create space for both objective observation and subjective experience of trauma. The horrific imagery references the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28, acknowledging that the destruction represents consequences the people were warned about.

Yet the book does not end in despair. At its center, readers encounter the eternal truth that God does not cast off forever, does not willingly afflict, and shows compassion because of his unfailing love. This central hope then calls readers to self-examination and t’shuva (return) before returning them to their grief - but now with transformed perspective.

The episode challenges contemporary Christian culture to create better spaces for authentic lament, recognizing that suppressed grief will find unhealthy outlets if healthy ones are not provided. Whether through the book of Lamentations itself, imprecatory psalms, honest art, or community discussion groups, believers need permission to bring their whole selves - including anger, confusion, and pain - before God.

Ultimately, Lamentations models that genuine faith does not require false positivity. It invites the brokenhearted to sit in silence, bury their faces in the dust, wait for salvation, and trust that though darkness is real, God’s rescue and redemption are coming. There is always hope, even - especially - in the middle of lament.

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S2 57: Lamentations — Lament and Hope

Lamentations [25:48]