Lamentations chapter 2

vs 1

So God is really angry with Israel. Not sure about the footstool thing. There are other passages of Scripture that describe God as using the evil nations as his footstool, I believe. So it could be that God is angry, but instead of taking it out on the evil nations, like he would normally, he is taking it out on Israel. The problem with this picture of course is it makes God sound like a drunk father. Unless the kids deserve it, of course.

vs 2

He has really gone to town. This isn't one of those times when you threaten your kids that they aren't going to get dessert if they don't clean their room. This is where you've warned them three times, and you throw all their toys away.

vs 3

God has left them with no mighty leaders or great warriors. God has lifted his shield from the nation and told the enemy nations to 'go to town'. He has set a fire that has destroyed everything around them.

vs 4

God has acted in every way to show that he is the enemy of his people. But he isn't - he has just treated them as such in punishment for their actions. This is what it is like to be the enemy of God. They are learning a lesson - that God is much better as a friend than an enemy.

vs 5

Heh, what I said. They have so much to mourn and lament - the loss of their wealth, their power, their position... but mostly, you would hope, their God.

vs 6

Two institutions set up by God - a political leader and spiritual leaders for his people, and God has trashed them both. Now yes, I know the delineation isn't has strict as all that. My point being God has taken away those relationships that he gave. He's really stripping Israel of everything.

vs 7

Now enemies are where Israel thought they would never, ever be. They thought, "Surely God will protect his people and his temple - he would never let it be disgraced by pagans." But God is bigger than that. It's Israel who gets the sucky end of the stick, not God. He remains awesome.

vs 8

Walls were not Jerusalem's defence anyway - God was. And this is how they write it, as if they only now realise that that's how it works. God didn't uphold their walls, because he wanted them to fall.

vs 9

No walls, no nobility, not even any prophets. The silence, after generations of prophets yelling at them to not let this happen, must be deafening. "Give us another prophet, we'll listen this time!" Yes, too late now.

vs 10

Because now they realise. They weren't the ones being killed in the battles, so they had time instead to watch the carnage, watch the fall, and mourn. But they do more than mourn, it seems. Many of them are acknowledging that they've screwed up.

vs 11

It is such a sad picture. Poor Jeremiah. He had to watch all this, after knowing it was going to happen, and having to preach it beforehand. He looks around and sees his beloved city, God's beloved city, laid waste, and he knew it, and he tried to stop it, sort of. Even if he really really knew that it was going to happen, that God wouldn't save them at the last minute, it's still sad to see the awful reality.