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Commentary on Lamentations 3 verses 1–20
The title of the 102nd Psalm might very fitly be prefixed to this chapter - The prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his complaint before the Lord; for it is very feelingly and fluently that the complaint is here poured out. Let us observe the particulars of it. The prophet complains, 1. That God is angry. This gives both birth and bitterness to the affliction (Lam 3:1): I am the man, the remarkable man, that has seen affliction, and has felt it sensibly, by the rod of his wrath. Note, God is sometimes angry with his own people; yet it is to be complained of, not as a sword to cut off, by only as a rod to correct; it is to them the rod of his wrath, a chastening which, though grievous for the present, will in the issue be advantageous. By this rod we must expect to see affliction, and, if we be made to see more than ordinary affliction by that rod, we must not quarrel, for we are sure that the anger is just and affliction mild and mixed with mercy. 2. That he is at a loss and altogether in the dark. Darkness is put for great trouble and perplexity, the want both of comfort and of direction; this was the case of the complainant (Lam 3:2): "He has led me by his providence, and an unaccountable chain of events, into darkness and not into light, the darkness I feared and not into the light I hoped for." And (Lam 3:6), He has set me in dark places, dark as the grave, like those that are dead of old, that are quite forgotten, nobody knows who or what they were. Note, The Israel of God, though children of light, sometimes walk in darkness. 3. That God appears against him as an enemy, as a professed enemy. God had been for him, but no "Surely against me is he turned (Lam 3:3), as far as I can discern; for his hand is turned against me all the day. I am chastened every morning," Psa 73:14. And, when God's hand is continually turned against us, we are tempted to think that his heart is turned against us too. God had said once (Hos 5:14), I will be as a lion to the house of Judah, and now he has made his word good (Lam 3:10): "He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, surprising me with his judgments, and as a lion in secret places; so that which way soever I went I was in continual fear of being set upon and could never think myself safe." Do men shoot at those thy are enemies to? He has bent his bow, the bow that was ordained against the church's prosecutors, that is bent against her sons, Lam 3:12. He has set me as a mark for his arrow, which he aims at, and will be sure to hit, and then the arrows of his quiver enter into my reins, give me a mortal wound, an inward wound, Lam 3:13. Note, God has many arrows in his quiver, and they fly swiftly and pierce deeply. 4. That he is as one sorely afflicted both in body and mind. The Jewish state may now be fitly compared to a man wrinkled with age, for which there is no remedy (Lam 3:4): "My flesh and my skin has he made old; they are wasted and withered, and I look like one that is ready to drop into the grave; nay, he has broken my bones, and so disabled me to help myself, Lam 3:15. He has filled me with bitterness, a bitter sense of his calamities." God has access to the spirit, and can so embitter that as thereby to embitter all the enjoyments; as, when the stomach is foul, whatever is eaten sours in it: "He has made me drunk with wormwood, so intoxicated me with the sense of my afflictions that I know not what to say or do. He has mingled gravel with my bread, so that my teeth are broken with it (Lam 3:16) and what I eat is neither pleasant nor nourishing. He has covered me with ashes, as mourners used to be, or (as some read it) he has fed me with ashes. I have eaten ashes like bread," Psa 102:9. 5. That he is not able to discern any way of escape or deliverance (Lam 3:5): "He has built against me, as forts and batteries are built against a besieged city. Where there was a way open it is now quite made up: He has compassed me on ever side with gall and travel; I vex, and fret, and tire myself, to find a way of escape, but can find none, Lam 3:7. He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out." When Jerusalem was besieged it was said to be compassed in on every side, Luk 19:43. "I am chained; and as some notorious malefactors are double-fettered, and loaded with irons, so he has made my chain heavy. He has also (Lam 3:9) enclosed my ways with hewn stone, not only hedged up my way with thorns (Hos 2:6), but stopped it up with a stone wall, which cannot be broken through, so that my paths are made crooked; I traverse to and fro, to the right hand, to the left, to try to get forward, but am still turned back." It is just with God to make those who walk in the crooked paths of sin, crossing God's laws, walk in the crooked paths of affliction, crossing their designs and breaking their measures. So (Lam 3:11), "He has turned aside my ways; he has blasted all my counsels, ruined my projects, so that I am necessitated to yield to my own ruin. He has pulled me in pieces; he has torn and is gone away (Hos 5:14), and has made me desolate, has deprived me of all society and all comfort in my own soul." 6. That God turns a deaf ear to his prayers (Lam 3:8): "When I cry and shout, as one in earnest, as one that would make him hear, yet he shuts out my prayer and will not suffer it to have access to him." God's ear is wont to be open to the prayers of his people, and his door of mercy to those that knock at it; but now both are shut, even to one that cries and shouts. Thus sometimes God seems to be angry even against the prayers of his people (Psa 80:4), and their case is deplorable indeed when they are denied not only the benefit of an answer, but the comfort of acceptance. 7. That his neighbours make a laughing matter of his troubles (Lam 3:14): I was a derision to all my people, to all the wicked among them, who made themselves an one another merry with the public judgments, and particularly the prophet Jeremiah's griefs. I am their song, their neginath, or hand-instrument of music, their tabret (Job 17:6), that they play upon, as Nero on his harp when Rome was on fire. 8. That he was ready to despair of relief and deliverance: "Thou hast not only taken peace from me, but hast removed my soul far off from peace (v. 17), so that it is not only not within reach, but no within view. I forget prosperity; it is so long since I had it, and so unlikely that I should ever recover it, that I have lost the idea of it. I have been so inured to sorrow and servitude that I know not what joy and liberty mean. I have even given up all for gone, concluding, My strength and my hope have perished from the Lord (Lam 3:18); I can no longer stay myself upon God as my support, for I do not find that he gives me encouragement to do so; nor can I look for his appearing in my behalf, so as to put an end to my troubles, for the case seems remediless, and even my God inexorable." Without doubt it was his infirmity to say this (Psa 77:10), for with God there is everlasting strength, and he is his people's never-failing hope, whatever they may think. 9. That grief returned upon every remembrance of his troubles, and his reflections were as melancholy as his prospects, Lam 3:19, Lam 3:20. Did he endeavour as Job did (Job 9:27), to forget his complaint? Alas! it was to no purpose; he remembers, upon all occasions, the affliction and the misery, the wormwood and the gall. Thus emphatically does he speak of his affliction, for thus did he think of it, thus heavily did it lie when he reviewed it! It was an affliction that was misery itself. My affliction and my transgression (so some read it), my trouble and my sin that brought it upon me; this was the wormwood and the gall in the affliction and the misery. It is sin that makes the cup of affliction a bitter cup. My soul has them still in remembrance. The captives in Babylon had all the miseries of the siege in their mind continually and the flames and ruins of Jerusalem still before their eyes, and wept when they remembered Zion; nay, they could never forget Jerusalem, Psa 137:1, Psa 137:5. My soul, having them in remembrance, is humbled in me, not only oppressed with a sense of the trouble, but in bitterness for sin. Note, It becomes us to have humble hearts under humbling providences, and to renew our penitent humiliations for sin upon every remembrance of our afflictions and miseries. Thus we may get good by former corrections and prevent further.
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SUMMARY
Lamentations 3:8 powerfully articulates the profound spiritual desolation experienced by the prophet, who represents the suffering nation of Judah. It conveys the agonizing sensation that, despite fervent and desperate cries for divine intervention, God has actively and intentionally blocked or "shut out" his prayers. This verse captures a moment of intense perceived divine abandonment, highlighting the prophet's raw and honest struggle with faith in the face of overwhelming judgment and suffering, where communication with the Almighty seems to be met not with silence, but with an active closure.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Lamentations 3:8 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of spiritual anguish. The most prominent is Hyperbole, as the prophet's feeling that God "shutteth out" his prayer is an exaggerated expression of his deep despair and perceived divine unresponsiveness, rather than a literal assertion that God is incapable of hearing. This serves to emphasize the intensity of his emotional and spiritual pain and the overwhelming nature of his lament. There is also strong Personification of God, depicted as an active agent deliberately blocking communication, rather than a passive or distant deity. This makes the perceived rejection more personal and agonizing, attributing human-like action to the divine. Furthermore, the verse uses Juxtaposition between the fervent "cry and shout" of the prophet and the active "shutting out" by God, creating a stark contrast that highlights the futility and frustration of the speaker's efforts. This dramatic tension underscores the depth of the prophet's spiritual crisis and the profound sense of hopelessness he experiences.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Lamentations 3:8 speaks to the deeply unsettling experience of perceived divine silence or even active opposition, a theme not uncommon in biblical literature. It challenges the simplistic notion that God always answers prayers in the way or time we expect, particularly during periods of divine judgment or discipline. The prophet's raw honesty validates the human experience of profound spiritual struggle, demonstrating that even those in covenant relationship with God can feel utterly abandoned. This verse serves as a theological anchor for understanding that faith is not merely adherence to doctrine but a wrestling with the realities of suffering and God's mysterious ways, often leading to a deeper, more resilient trust as seen in the later verses of Lamentations 3. It reminds us that God's ways are higher than our ways, and His purposes, even in apparent silence, are always redemptive.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Lamentations 3:8 offers a profound validation for anyone who has experienced the agonizing feeling of being unheard by God. It assures us that expressing such raw, honest spiritual pain is not a sign of weak faith, but rather a deeply human and biblically attested response to suffering. In seasons of intense trial, when our fervent prayers seem to hit a wall, this verse reminds us that it is permissible, even necessary, to voice our lament directly to God without pretense or spiritual censorship. It encourages us to persist in prayer, even when the heavens seem brass, trusting that God's purposes, though inscrutable in the moment, are ultimately redemptive. The prophet's journey from this profound despair to a renewed declaration of God's faithfulness within the same chapter serves as a powerful testament to the enduring nature of God's character and the transformative power of honest lament that ultimately finds its way back to hope.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does God truly "shut out" prayers, or is this a human perception of divine unresponsiveness?
Answer: Lamentations 3:8 expresses the prophet's deeply felt perception and experience during a time of intense national judgment and personal suffering. From a theological perspective, God is omniscient and omnipresent, meaning He hears all prayers (Psalm 65:2). However, the Bible also teaches that sin can create a barrier between humanity and God, hindering the effectiveness of prayer (Isaiah 59:2). Furthermore, God's "silence" or apparent unresponsiveness can be part of His sovereign plan—to test faith, to discipline, to refine character, or to await His perfect timing. So, while God doesn't literally cease to hear, His active intervention or immediate response might be withheld for specific, often redemptive, purposes, leading the one praying to feel "shut out" or abandoned. This verse powerfully validates the human experience of such profound spiritual anguish.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Lamentations 3:8, with its raw cry of perceived divine abandonment, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, became sin for us, bearing the full weight of humanity's rebellion and the Father's righteous judgment. His agonizing cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34), echoes the prophet's lament in Lamentations 3:8 with unparalleled depth. In that moment, the perfect communion between the Father and the Son was, for the sake of our salvation, momentarily broken. Jesus truly experienced what it meant for prayer to be "shut out," for the Father to "turn away" from the sin He abhorred, even though it was His beloved Son bearing it. This ultimate act of identification with human suffering, particularly the spiritual agony of separation from God, ensures that believers, even in their deepest despair and feelings of abandonment, are never truly alone. Christ has walked that path, enduring the ultimate "shutting out" so that the way to the Father might be forever opened for us through His sacrifice (Hebrews 10:19-20). His suffering transforms our lament into a confident appeal to a God who understands our pain, having experienced it fully in His Son, making Him our sympathetic High Priest (Hebrews 4:15).