When God Chooses to Act Like an Enemy, He Can Inflict Suffering
Lamentations 2:1–8
Jerusalem is getting wrecked because God is ticked off. The fruits of prolonged rebellion against him are injustice and immorality, which are now rampant. It was at the footstool where the king rested his feet. The Lord was so mad that he even forgot about his footstool (2:1). The king’s not gracing the city with his presence anymore.
The Lord has swallowed up and has not pitied all the habitations of Jacob. And these are the actions of an angry person. He has cut off (2:3). Drawn back, blazed (2:3). He has slain (2:4). He has poured out his fury like fire (2:4). Has destroyed (2:5). Just note those “He has.”
The habitations are for both humans and their animals. Jacob means the same thing as Judah. Nobody’s got a place to hide, not even the animals. The poet paints a picture of Judah and its rulers being stripped of their power and humiliated, like a lion with its roar silenced and a tree with its roots torn out (2:2).
He has cut off in fierce anger every horn of Israel. Have you seen charging bulls? They use their horns to attack. So basically, Israel’s horn being cut off means they’ve lost all their power and strength. That’s the first metaphor. The second is this: He has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy. The duty assigned…
