JERUSALEM, THE FORGOTTEN WIDOW In the book of Jeremiah, as well as in his lamentations, the prophet reveals what he feels, not as an outside watcher of the events, but as a member of those people, what dwell upon them of troubles, dwell upon him personally, regardless of his continuous warnings to them. Hence, no wonder that, in the first half of the first lamentation, we see how the prophet’s heart moans, while describing what dwelt upon his city and people; While, in the second half, he proclaims the bitterness that dwelt upon him personally, another face of the same calamity. It is as though two persons are speaking: one of them the poet who writes as an outside watcher talking about the calamity into which Jerusalem has fallen; likening her to a widow living in bitterness; And the second is as though Jerusalem speaks about what dwelt upon her, as a sad woman, with no one to comfort her. It is one author, and it is one lamentation; yet in a dynamic movement, that invites the reader to stand at first watching the events from outside; then entering into the depth of the problem, to find out that what dwelt upon the city, dwelt upon him personally. The poem presents a description of him who watches from outside, beside what it proclaims on the inside. The lamentation starts with a talk by the prophet, the author of the poem, who looks at his beloved city with a bitter soul, to see it turning into what is like a widow who faced serious problems (1-11); This is followed by a talk by Jerusalem herself, as a sad woman who moans in her inner depths (12-22). Having become like a widow, Jerusalem, the great among the nations, used to be called “the city of the Great King” (Psalm 48: 2); lost her independence and freedom, came to be under taxation, mourning, and deserted because no one come anymore, through her gates to ascend to the temple to celebrate the feasts; Through those same gates the armies of Nebudchadnezar entered and burned the city. The kings of the earth and the whole world could not believe that such hated enemy would enter through the gates of Jerusalem (Lamentations 4: 12). The lamentation ends by a cry-out, in which the prophet, in the name of his people, confesses that they deserve what dwelt upon them (18); yet the chastisement was too bitter. And the prophet seeks from God to bring upon Babylon, as a symbol of the devil, his hosts, and angels, what it has done to the believers during their chastisement (22). This lamentation portrays all categories in the following ways: The city, in a widowhood condition, has lost her heavenly Groom, was deserted by her friends and her allies; and was counted like a harlot in reproach. The priests, sigh; instead of lifting their hearts up in heavenly joy. The rulers, are like deer with no pastures, that helplessly run before their chasers, instead of leading the people to conquest. The virgins, who used to be exultant by the Lord, are in bitterness. The children, who used to play cheerfully, go, together with the virgins and young men, into captivity. The whole people sigh seeking the bread; the priests and the elders die of hunger. All that dwelt upon Jerusalem because of her sins and evil. God is righteous in all His dealings. The enemies scoff and laugh at Jerusalem because of her perdition; rejoice and exult to hear about her tribulation. In short, the key to this lamentation is clear in the following points: a- It is the Lord who allows for the humiliation for the sake of fatherly chastisement (5) b- What dwelt upon Jerusalem is well deserved, for it is the fruit of her disobedience (18) c- If God used Babylon to chasten Jerusalem; Yet Babylon herself is evil, and deserves punishment (22) (1) Jerusalem the forgotten widow 1 – 11 (2) Jerusalem cries out for help 12 – 22 (1) JERUSALEM, THE FORGOTTEN WIDOW: The book does not start by an introduction to explain the cause of all those lamentations; For man, in his intense grief finds no time, nor ability to talk about the details of a specific event; but attempts to express what goes on in his heart; although all the human tongues often stand helpless to do even that. Not mentioning the details of the events, would probably make man refer the lamentation to his person; when he finds out that he, himself, has denied the heavenly Groom, because of a temporary enjoyment of sin. a- A widowed city with no authority: “How lonely sits the city, that was full of people! How like a widow is she, who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces has become a slave!” (1) The first, the second, and the fourth lamentations, all start by the word “How” (eikha), to express the horror of the calamity; the same way it came in (Amos 5: 2; Ezekiel 26: 17-18; 1 Samuel 1: 19; Isaiah 21; Jeremiah 4: 17). The prophet portrays the city as a queen with authority, or a princess surrounded by friends; who, all of a sudden became deprived even of her own man; and of her friends who turned into opposing enemies. When the Roman ‘Titus’ invaded Jerusalem, to commemorate the incident, he issued a coin with the image of a woman sitting under a palm tree, like a harlot waiting for someone to take her to his tent to fall together in sin; And on it he inscribed the words: “a Jewess in captivity”. In bitterness, the Lord admonishes His people, saying: “How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers; … Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves” (Isaiah 1: 21, 23). God chose this people to be His holy bride who preaches to the world the true light, to gather all together; so that humanity would be the lighted city of God, and the eternal bride. But, instead of preaching the Savior, she denied Him, and intended to get rid of Him, to come to be like a harlot who rejects her Groom. On the tongue of the Lord. The prophet Isaiah portrayed what dwelt upon Judah, saying: “I was angry with My people;… And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever’; So that you did not take these things to heart, nor remember the latter end of them. Therefore, hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else beside me: I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children’; But these two things shall come to you, in a moment, in one day: the loss of children and widowhood” (Isaiah 47: 6-9). Attached to God – the King of kings – God will set man a king of authority, bearing inside him the reflection of God’s splendor; But being attached to sin, he would be like a maidservant, with no splendor nor authority. When the glory of God departs from man or congregation, man’s heart comes to be like a deserted harlot city, on which desolation, grief, reproach, and bondage, dwell. This is the work of sin in the life of man or the congregation; on account of that it stirs up in them the spirit of pride and haughtiness; “Saying in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen, and not a widow; I shall not know sorrow”. For this reason, and in one day, there will come on her the strikes of death, sorrow, hunger, and burning with fire; “For strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18: 7-8). b- Sorrow with no comfort, and friends dealing treacherously with her: “She weeps bitterly in the night; Her tears were on her cheeks; Among all her lovers, she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her” (2) The kingdom of Judah entered into friendship with the surrounding nations, and loved their idols (Jeremiah 2: 20-25); yet they became her enemies in the time of affliction (2 kings 24: 2; Psalms 137: 7). After portraying her as a queen, he reveals how she became a widow surrounded by oppressors on all sides; and what dwelt upon her of humiliation. After being free with authority, she became a captive, a maidservant in the house of her mistress; with no place of her own to live in and to practice her freedom. By “her lovers” he means the surrounding nations with which Jerusalem was allied, to enjoy some sort of security and protection, like Egypt at that time. But her days turned into nights full of darkness with no light; all of a sudden desolation dwell upon her, with none to comfort her; and with no other way to be cured except by repentance. Not weeping on his sin, and on his loss of sanctification, God allows for man to have his closest friends depart from him, to suffer a feeling of isolation; in order return to God, and to enter into a fellowship with Him, and with the heavenlies. + Perceiving that remorse is a great remedy, Jeremiah resorted to it for Jerusalem’s sake in his lamentations; and presented her as `repentant; saying: “She weeps bitterly in the night her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers, she has none to comfort her; … The roads to Zion mourn” (1: 2, 4). He even adds: “For these things I weep. My eye, my eye overflow with water, because the comforter who should restore my life is far from me; my children are desolate” (16). Feeling that He who comforts the sorrowful is far from him, Jeremiah adds this bitter phrase; For how could man have comfort if he rejects repentance, the hope for forgiveness?! But I wish those who repent, know how to present repentance; with what zeal, and with what feelings; How to make it swallow his whole mind, shake his inner depths, and pierce the depths of his heart; as the prophet Jeremiah says: “See, O Lord, that I am in distress; My soul is troubled; my heart is overturned within me” (20)… And he says: “The elders of the daughter of Zion, sit on the ground and keep silence; they throw dust on their heads, and gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground. My eyes fail with tears; my heart is troubled; My bile is poured on the ground” (2: 10, 11). So did the people of Nineveh, feeling grief and presenting repentance, they fled from the desolation of their city (Jonah 3: 5). How powerful is this medication of repentance, that so seem to alter the intention of God! Fleeing is, therefore, within your hands; The Lord, intending to be compassionate toward men; wishes for them to seek His help…. If, being man, you wish that the others seek your forgiveness, Do you assume that God will forgive you, without asking Him to do so?! The Lord Himself wept on Jerusalem; when she did not intend to weep on herself… He wishes for us to weep in order to flee; As according to the gospel, He said: “Daughter of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23: 28). … By weeping, David got the divine mercies to take death away from the people who were close to perdition. And when he was offered to choose between three things (as chastisements), he chose the one in which he would be in the hands of the divine mercies. And Ezekiel was commanded to weep on Jerusalem; And took the scroll of a book on which were written “lamentations and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2: 10). Why then do you cease to weep on your sins, if God commanded even His prophets to weep for the sake of the people?! He who weeps more often in this world, will be saved in the future; because “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of the fools is in the house of mirth” (Ecclesiastes 7: 4); And the Lord Himself said: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6: 21). … Let us then weep for some time, to rejoice forever. Let us fear and wait on the Lord, confess our sins, and return from our evil; lest we hear the words: “Woe to me!.... The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men” (Micah 7: 1, 2). (St. Ambrose) c- Falling into captivity: “Judah has gone into captivity, under affliction and hard servitude. She dwells among the nations; she finds no rest; All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits” (3) The people were carried into captivity in two batches in the year 605, and 597 B/C. The wicked who is captivated by sin, falling under the yoke of servitude, becomes as though driven out of his house, to lose his feeling of security, peace and balance of his mind, and the comfort of his heart. According to St. Arsanius, man would better have one Master (God) rather than have several masters (the diverse sins). Servitude to God is freedom itself; for God did not create man a slave; and rejoices to grant him the perfection of free will, and the spirit of royalty. Whereas he who is enslaved by the devil or by the sin or lust, will never find inner peace nor comfort, but distress will prevail upon him, and will experience neither love nor conquest. + You wound your heart … And the Lord bandages your wounds … Whereas, concerning the non-repentant, the Book says that as a slave of sin, his wounds will not be bandaged, and he will never find comfort. (St. Jerome) d- Loss of the true joy: “The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh; Her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness” (4) The city that counted herself the mistress of the world, in the eyes of God; to which the people of God come from all nations during the major feasts, and, being an icon of heaven, or of the life to come; on which joy, praise, and exultation prevail, has become desolate, and no one comes to her, nor practice the celebration of feasts in her temple. Yes, there are still priests in her, and virgins who used to practice an important role in praise, and the proclamation of joy of the feasts (Judges 21: 19-21; Jeremiah 31: 13; Psalms 68: 25). But now, none of them has any role, except to weep and mourn, particularly in the time of feasts. As God’s wrath and captivation came upon them, they turned into a curse among the nations. The sign of that curse was the desolation of Jerusalem, even during the days of the feasts. Bringing to memory how the roads to Jerusalem rejoiced in those heading to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts, when the sound of praise and joy were heard; he now see those roads in horrible silence and grief; on account of that no one comes to celebrate any feast. + How could the roads to Zion be but mourning, when no one comes to ascend them to Jerusalem to gather together to celebrate a feast?! (St. Dedymus the blind) + Now, beloved brethren, I write all this to you, on account of that the churches are damaged; Blasphemies fill all our public places; Every iniquity and evil prevail upon our cities; No fear of God prevail upon our souls; Many of us have gone astray and followed the perversion of Arius; We cannot go here or there, nor can we avoid tears in any way; For there are no ministers in the house of God, and no congregation to worship Him. People departed to the wilderness, to set out of it a holy church, where they hold prayers, in an attempt to treat the sorrow of the church by changing its location.The churches are mourning, and their walls are crying out for help; the holy places are still deserted, as though weeping on themselves; “The roads to Zion mourn, because no comes to the set feasts” (4)… Hence I write this, so that hearing all that, you will resort to God with prayer; I am sure that we shall ultimately find favor in the sight of god, and that he will put an end to this situation that took place because of our sins; and will receive the intercessions of the prayers of saints. (St. Serapion, bishop of Temmy) But by the coming of the incarnate Word of God the church of the new covenant drew a multitude of peoples to herself, to enjoy the feast and to rejoice in the Lord; according to the words of the prophet Zechariah: “Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8: 22). And as the word ‘Jerusalem’ means (vision of peace), the sign of blessing will be drawing the multitudes to come to enjoy that spiritual vision of reconciliation on the cross, and of getting peace with God. + Today, the Lord, Life and Savior of mankind, is born. Today, there is reconciliation between God and man; between Divinity and humanity; Today, the whole creation are shaken; the heavenlies approached toward the earthlies, and the earthlies approached toward the heavenlies. Today, the darkness is scatted, and the (true) life of man begins; Today, the way to God opens before man, and toward the human soul; In the old it was said: “The road to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the set feasts” (4), referring by that to the deserted and sick soul; For there was no other way that leads God to the soul and mind of man; And the soul, as well, could not approach more toward God. (St. Abba Maccari) e- She becomes a tail for her enemies: “Her adversaries have become the (head), her enemies prosper; for the Lord has afflicted her, because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy” (5) The multitude of transgressions is the cause of that divine verdict (Jeremiah 40: 3; Daniel 9: 7, 16). “Her adversaries have become the (head)”; namely, masters who drive the people like helpless slaves. If he who listens to the voice of the Lord will gain the promise saying: “The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath” (Deuteronomy 28: 13); On him who does not listen to the voice of the Lord, the curse will dwell, saying: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come lower and lower… he shall be the head and you shall be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28: 43, 44). Children going into captivity humiliates man, and turns his life into bitterness, when he feels that what he did has been reflected upon his children. On another aspect, enslaving the children bears a kind of despair concerning the future. That is how he who bows, by his own free will, before the sin, for the sake of a carnal covetousness, a temporal honor, or a desire for material profits; will have the sin take the leading position upon him, to drive all his energies, talents, and possibilities, according to its will, to make man helpless, as though having no will of his own. Submitted to sin and its pleasures, the soul becomes helplessly in bondage to the devil, who frives her as he wishes. Whereas, attached to her Savior, and set free from covetousness, the enemy will come to be underneath her feet, with no authority over her. It is within her hands to be one of authority, or to submit helplessly in humility. f- Loss of splendor and strength: “And from the daughter of Zion, all her splendor has departed. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture, that flee without strength before the pursuer” (6) Losing her greatness, the princes of Jerusalem become like deer, hungry with no pasture, and without strength before their pursuer. When the glory of the Lord departed from the temple and from the whole city (Ezekiel 11: 22-24), the daughter of Zion lost all her splendor, and her princes were scattered in weakness and reproach before their pursuers; … On the soul attached to her Savior, He pours His splendor, and make her hear the joyful voice, saying: “You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 16: 13-14). The “princes” refer to the mind, heart, and will. He who is sanctified by the Spirit of God will bear a holy will, capable of work, a pure heart to behold God, and emotions that kindle the being of man with the love of God and goodness. Whereas he who falls under the authority of sin, all those princes inside him will be without strength, will become as though with no will; his senses and emotions would be corrupted; and will moan with the excuse that he is emotional. In other words, his princes within his depths., will either raise him up to heaven, or bring him down as though to the pit. g- Robbing all her possessions: “In the days of her affliction and roaming, Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, with no one to help her; and adversaries saw her and mocked at her downfall” (7) Jerusalem became like the prodigal son who departed from his father’s house with all its blessings, corrupted his inheritance with prodigal living and almost perished of hunger, coveting to eat of the food of swine. In great misery, Jerusalem remembered the multitude of pleasant things she used to have in the days of old; the temple with all its beauty, the furniture, the holy vessels; and the joy of worship and feasts … All of which are actually the fruit of the encounter and fellowship with God. As to the desires of the soul and all her treasures, they are the enjoyment of the fellowship with the Lord Christ “The desire of nations”, the treasure of the soul, the secret of her riches, her heavenly food, her life-giving drink, her heavenly joy, her eternal glory, her righteousness, her life, and her honor. The enemy shall not stop his attempts to rob the soul of that fellowship, to make her lose everything! … Yet, the wise soul will never seek anything, other than her Groom, her whole desire; for whom she sings, saying: “His mouth is most sweet. Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem” (Songs 5: 16). h- She became vile: “Jerusalem has sinned grievously; therefore she has become vile. All who honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness. Yes, she sighs and turn away” (8) The fruit of sin is reproach and shame. “They have seen her nakedness”, and heard her sighs and her bitterness. By falling into sin, Jerusalem lost her holiness in the Lord, and vile dwelt in her; she lost her honor, and came to be in reproach and shame; a naked woman, the way Adam and Eve were. Instead of the joy in the Lord, sighs, grief, and bitterness never departed from her; “She turned away”, namely, collapsed day after day in continuous defeat before the enemies; and thus she earned the despise of all who used to honor her. + Let us assume that Jerusalem here – as she is the one meant in the literal sense – is the one who sinned grievously toward the Lord Christ, to be worthy to hear His words, saying: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See, your home is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23: 37). … Let us assume that that Jerusalem was the one forsaken by God, and that the angels who did not cease to help her, through whom the law was delivered to the prophet Moses, have forsaken her, for “She has sinned grievously”; her people have killed the Lord Christ, and put their hands on Him. When her sins were less grievous, we could intercede for her, and seek for her sake; we could have compassion upon her; But now, having killed the Savior, Who can have compassion upon Jerusalem?!, “She sinned grievously, therefore she has become vile” (8). Yes, Let us assume that this Jerusalem is the one about whom is said: “Who could have compassion on her? Who could comfort her?” We, as well, should not have compassion upon Jerusalem, nor grieve on what dwelt upon her people; for “Through their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles (to us)” (Romans 11: 11). Now, let us move from the literal to the spiritual interpretation; to apply all what is said about Jerusalem to the human soul, who after having the divine teachings, she has become “Jerusalem”, that was previously called Jebus, before her name was changed later on to “Jerusalem”. As the name Jebus is translated as (trodden under feet), therefore the ‘soul’, trodden under the feet of the enemy hosts, has changed and became “Jerusalem”, namely (the vision of peace); … before she ultimately fell into sin. Having trodden the precious blood of the Lord Christ of the new covenant, under feet, and having grievously sinned, you are worthy to hear the words: “Who will have compassion upon you, O Jerusalem, and who will comfort you?”; … having reached the extent of betraying your Christ?! When any of us grievously sins, he sins against the Lord Christ Himself. “Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy, who has trampled the Son of God under foot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?!” (Hebrew 10: 29). If you trample the Son of God, and insult the Spirit of grace, Who will have compassion upon you?! Who will comfort you?!; and who will care for your welfare?! He is the Son of God, who was betrayed by the sinners, who cared to pay attention to our welfare! … Who else could intercede for the sake of our welfare?! Let us then perceive that “It is impossible for those who once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the power of the age to come; if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrew 6: 4-6). If we perceive and understand the meaning of these words, we are committed to do our best, lest it would be said about us, as well: “Who will have compassion upon you, O Jerusalem; Who will comfort you, and who will care for your welfare?!”. (The scholar Origen) I- She had no comforter: “Her uncleanness is in her skirts; She did not consider her destiny; therefore her collapse was awesome. She had no comforter. O Lord, behold my affliction; for the enemy has magnified himself” (9) “Her uncleanness is in her skirts” is an expression that the uncleanness has reached down to the hem of her skirts (Leviticus 15: 19-35). Of the worst situations in which man will find no comfort, is that of a great king of authority and name among the nations and peoples, who finds himself bound by chains, barefoot, almost naked, led by a foreign slave, hear words of reproach, and fallen under scourges; surrounded by his state men, rulers, and people; all in bitter humiliation. That is the situation of the captives; particularly by the Assyrians who used to cut off the noses of the captives, or a member of their bodies, mock them, and deal with them in a way not even worthy of animals (although the Babylonians were a little less vicious). That is exactly how sin does when it enslaves man; It bends his back to make him crawl on the ground like an animal, which cannot raise its head up toward heaven, nor experience the joy and peace of the heavenly creatures, but is always submerged in the dust and mire of the world. That is how the prophet portrays the captivation of Jerusalem, that bears an image of the captivation of the human soul. Like the hem of the skirt that pick up dirt from the ground, so will Jerusalem (the human soul), attached to the ground, corrupt herself with the temporal things, and would not be able to enjoy the heavenly things. “She did not consider her destiny”. She did not put her eternal destiny before her eyes; did not hope for the eternal life; and did not fear the eternal perdition. “Her collapse was awesome” . Collapsed, and gone down perpetually and continuously, with no one to support, nor to comfort, but with many who gloat in how it ended up. For “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays away in vain” (Psalm 127: 1); and unless the Lord comforts man, who else could comfort him?! Yes indeed! Only the Savior alone can comfort her. Even if He brings forth sorrow through chastisement, He will eventually have compassion, according to the abundance of His mercies Lamentations 33). By our Lord Jesus Christ, the frail soul and the dry bones will turn into an exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37: 10). “Jerusalem be awesome as an army with banners” (Song 6: 4), whom the devil, with all his hosts and deceptions would not be able to acquire for himself; And will be like many mighty horses that lead the divine chariot in the procession of victory; hence her Groom says to her: “I have compared you my love to my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots” (Song 1: 9). J- She lost her sanctuaries: “The adversary had spread his hand over all her pleasant things; for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom You commanded, not to enter Your congregation” (10) If the Ammonites and the Moabites were not allowed to enter into the temple to worship (Deuteronomy 23: 3; Nehemiah 12: 1-2), how much more if they enter into it to rob and to destroy?! … But the time will come when the Gentiles will be sanctified and become a temple for the Lord (Zechariah 14: 16). Attached to the Lord, man will enjoy an abundance of divine grace, all his talents, energies, senses, and emotions will be sanctified; God will set His paradise inside him, that the soul will sing, saying: “Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its pleasant fruits” (Song 4: 16); To which the Lord will respond, saying: “I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey. I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones” (Song 5: 1). But if man persist upon giving his back, and not his face, to God; Instead of having the paradise of the kingdom of God set inside him, and of calling the heavenlies to rejoice and exult in his work, and the fruit of his Spirit in his soul; Man’s heart will turn into a barren and dry wilderness, a dwelling place for the devil, who corrupts all the pleasant and good things; the way it was said about king Saul: “The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him” (1 Samuel 16: 14). That is how the devil forces his way into the inner Jerusalem, and crawls to defile the temple of the soul; and how it happened in the old with the temple of Jerusalem. If God has commanded that no stranger would be allowed into His sanctuary there, yet as the people persisted on idolworship and on abominations, God, not only allowed the nations to enter into the temple, but even to destroy it and rob its treasures. Being members in the body of Christ, it is befitting of us to say what the Lord Christ Himself said: “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14: 30). K- A famine and scorn: “All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their valuables for food to restore life. See, O Lord, and consider, for I am scorned” (11) In the name of the whole people, the prophet Jeremiah cries out: “See, O Lord, the bitterness we suffer, and consider how we are scorned by the gloating enemy”. Assuming that in the sin he has pleasure and an enjoyment of satisfaction, man will lose his peace, and the devil will captivates all his valuables, even the bread necessary for his life; that hunger will dwell upon him like it has dwelt upon the prodigal son. Sin will destroy our talents, our energies, and all what we were given of divine gifts; which we give up for the sake of temporary pleasure, the way Esau did when he sold his firstborn status for the sake of a meal of lentils. (2) JERUSALEM CRIES OUT FOR HELP: a- Begging for the compassion of the passers by: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see, if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which has been brought on me, which the Lord has inflicted on me in the day of His fierce anger”(12) In the midst of the divine chastisement, man, in his weakness, thinking that he is the most miserable of all creation, cries out, saying: “Behold and see, if there is any sorrow like my sorrow!”. As the calamity came to be unbearable, Jerusalem sought, even from those who pass by, to see and to have compassion on her. In the midst of intense affliction, the church (Jerusalem) recognizes her weaknesses, and seeks the hand and righteousness of God. Looking around, and finding no comfort from the strong allies and friends; Jerusalem in bitterness, cried out to all who passed by, who were actually, either not capable of helping her, or gloat on her calamity, proclaiming that what have dwelt upon her was not because of the strength of the enemy who captivated and destroyed her, but is allowed by God for her humiliation, on account of that, instead of returning to Him to enjoy the divine mercies , she persisted on evil, not endured by God. In her bitterness she seeks their compassion, although she is sure of their inability to support her; and of that the only way for her salvation is to return to God with repentance. This saying bears a spiritual concept; as the Savior Messiah, being the Lamb of God, came forward to carry the sins of the world, to become, for the sake of His love of the sinful humanity, “an iniquity offering”; according to the words of the prophet Isaiah, saying: “All we, like sheep, have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way. And the Lord had laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53: 6); and according to the apostle Paul: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5: 21). A heathen Indian Poet once said: [I wonder how the Christians could sleep at night, knowing that they have such a God who went through all those passion for their own sake!]. And the Lord Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane, while drinking the cup of passion for our sake, said: “Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 23: 42).. The first Adam disobeyed the commandment, and the second Adam came to drink the cup of passion in obedience to the Father, with whom He is one in the same essence. b- Nets and snares: “From above, He has sent fire into my bones, and it overpowered them. He has spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He has made me desolate and faint all the day” (13) A bitter portrait of what dwelt upon Jerusalem; as though God sent fire from above, which all the water of the world could not quench, to burn her bones, namely, her very being; Spread a net for her feet, from which she could not escape; And pushed her back to fall and never to stand up. By that she came to be desolate, with no one to give her comfort. If what dwelt upon Jerusalem was because of her sins, our Christ as the Savior of the world consented to carry passions and sufferings by the cross to save us from our sins. According to the apostle, “For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross despising the shame” (Hebrew 12: 2). With pleasure, He endured the fire which we kindled by our disobedience, and descended to Hades, as though into the net, which we set for ourselves, to destroy it and set us free from it. By saying: “From above He has sent fire into my bones” (13), He probably means that their wounds became so serious that no pain killers, nor soothing oil would be enough to cure them, but may need to be burned with fire; according to what came in Isaiah: “From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed or bound up or soothed with ointment; Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire” (Isaiah 1: 6-7). + Some wounds could be cured with pain killers, and some others with soothing ointments, and others need to be bandaged; Yet there are wounds about which it is said: “They have not been closed or bound up or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire” (Isaiah 1: 6-7). So there are sins that defile the soul, and need the cleansing water, and the soap of the divine Word; And there are sins that would not be so washed. (The scholar Origen) “The yoke of my transgressions was bound; They were woven together by His hand, and thrust upon my neck. He made my strength fail; The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand” (14) God has previously warned those who persist on their disobedience, saying: “You shall serve your enemies ,whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of all things; and he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28: 48). The chords of this yoke are not made of fibers nor of iron, but of the sins committed by the wicked, of which he would not be able to rid himself, except by repentance, and through the mercies of the Lord. According to Solomon the Sage: “His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5: 22). Whereas the Lord Christ, being our Savior, counted the yoke we set for our selves by our iniquities, as His own yoke, to carry for our sake, to present to us instead the sweet yoke of His love (Matthew 11: 30). The way the farmer puts a yoke over the neck of a bull, to be able to direct it wherever he chooses, So God allows for us to carry a yoke to direct us toward our salvation. It is befitting of man who assumes that the yoke of bondage is destroying him, not to murmur against God who allowed it for him; nor against the enemy who put it over his neck; and tied it by double chains; but to put the blame over himself, and count what dwelt upon him as the product of his own iniquities. And it is befitting of the wicked to perceive that the Lord Christ has come to proclaim the freedom, to offer the chains of divine love, and its sweet yoke, which set us free from the yoke of bondage to the letter, to live by His joyful gospel, and not according to the literality of the law. God has probably so commanded, to let them, through humiliation under the Babylonian yoke, discover the inner yoke under which they have fallen, namely the yoke of sin. For by the humiliation of the body, the harsh circumstances of life, and their deprivation of their country, their holy city, and the temple of the Lord; they would come to perceive what the yoke of sin does to them; and to say together with the prophet Jeremiah: “He has made me desolate and faint all day. The yoke of my transgressions were bound; they were woven together by His hands, and thrust upon my neck. He made my strength fail. The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand” (1:14). When they came to put the Lord Christ under arrest, they bound Him (Matthew 27: 2), as though they had conquest on Him; probably for fear that He might perform a miracle and flee away from their hands; They bounded His hands behind His back so tightly, that blood came out from His finger tips; they put iron collar around his neck, and dragged Him along. So started the chain of sufferings and insults in every way possible; the way only the slaves are subjected to. They arrested Jesus and bound Him, not because of weakness or helplessness on His part, nor of His inability to flee from their hands, but because He intended it so to be for our salvation through the cross. They could never be able to bind Him, if He did not bind Himself to the horns of the altar by the chords of exalted love, as a lamb offered as a sacrifice for the sake of the whole world. They did not perceive that He was bound in our place, we, who are bound by our iniquities (Proverbs 5: 22), and by the yoke of our disobedience (Lamentations 1: 14). Evil is the bonds of the soul that draw us before the court of God, and that lead us to the kingdom of the devil. Having become sin for our sake, our Christ consented to be bound by chords to set us free from our chains; He came to be so chained, in order for us to enjoy freedom. + The Jews bear the yoke of the law by their material works … Whereas we have taken up the yoke of Christ, who has put over our necks the yoke of His divine love, and not that of the five pairs of bulls (the animal sacrifices); namely the five books of the law; according to the words said by the Lord to the Samaritan woman: “You had five husbands …” (John 5: 18) (St. Ambrose) c- Trampled as in a winepress: “The Lord has trampled underfoot all my mighty men in my midst; He has called an assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord trampled as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah” (15) What is this assembly that crushed the young men of Jerusalem, but the armies of the Chaldeans formed of soldiers from diverse nations. Jerusalem did not lack the military might, as there were mighty young men in her midst; Yet sin sent them forth to be trampled under the feet of the pagans as in a winepress. They did not fall in a battle, but in the midst of the city, in her heart, as a sign of God’s wrath on them. With pride and haughtiness, the wicked practice sin, counts themselves capable, and boasts their disobedience; Yet God in His love, allows for them to be trampled under foot by the enemy, as grapes are trampled in a winepress; where they would lose their talents and energies, with the hope that they may eventually return to God and seek Him…. God did not assemble them as He used to do to celebrate a joyful feast, but to encounter the Babylonian army, to be trampled underfoot, and their blood would be poured like the juice of grapes in a winepress. Jerusalem used to receive assemblies coming from all over the world to celebrate the feasts with great joy. But now it receives an assembly pf pagans to trample her young men underfoot, and to defile her temple and sanctuaries. d- The enemy prevailed: “For these things I weep. My eye, my eye overflow with water; because the comforter who should restore my life is far from me. My children are desolate because the enemy prevailed” (16) Jerusalem did not cease to weep for the following reasons: * No one comes to comfort her in the midst of her sufferings, or even to approach her to utter few words of encouragement. * Her children lost hope in resurrection, even in the future, * The enemy proclaimed that they prevailed on her. Who are the children of Jerusalem but the high priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, and other rulers, who, instead of offering help and comfort, they perished, and provoked the people to deny the Savior, the source of every heavenly comfort. “Zion spreads out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob, that those around him become his adversaries. Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them” (17) After speaking in the name of Jerusalem as a whole, Now the prophet Jeremiah speaks in his own name to reveal the cause of what dwelt upon his people. He calls his people “Jacob”, to exhort them to follow the lead of their father “Jacob” who wrestled with God and men, and prevailed, hoping they will purify themselves of the uncleanness into which they have fallen. Spreading the hands here does not refer to embracing those who come to her to be filled with joy and comfort, but to seek their comfort.. It was befitting of Zion, having received the prophecies, the divine promises, and the symbols referring to the Savior, to spread her hands to preach Him,; But, instead of spreading her hands to support the world, she became in need of someone to comfort her; In despair, she seeks help from the world – from Pilate and his men. She was exposed before the nations, and came to be unclean among them. “The Lord is righteous, for I rebelled against His commandments. Hear now, all peoples, and behold my sorrow; My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity” (18) After exhorting her people to follow the lead of their father Jacob, the striving man of God, Jerusalem loudly confessed before all, that what dwelt upon her is the fruit of her own disobedience to the Lord. She now blames herself and not the Lord (2 Chronicles 12: 5-6; Proverbs 5: 22). The hope of Jerusalem was set upon her young men to defend the city of God; but having been defiled, and have gone into captivity, she now confesses that she is disobedient and is worthy of chastisement. … Has she actually did return to the Lord her Savior? The disobedient Jerusalem started to confess her sins, and to justify God who allowed for her to be chastised for the sake of her salvation; as though she cries out together with the Psalmist, saying: “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight – that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51: 4); And together with the prophet Daniel, saying: “O Lord, righteousness belongs to You; but to us shame of face” (Daniel 9: 7). e- Death of the rulers: “I called for my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders breathed their last in the city, while they sought food to restore their life” (19) The prophet portrays the condition of Judah who was sometimes allied with Egypt, and other times with Assyria, and with others; But such alliances, proved to be like mirage, for once affliction came; none of them moved to support her. As to within, the priests and elders, the religious and the civil rulers, have all forsaken the Lord, and spiritually died; having sought what are for the pleasure of their hearts, and not what is for the glory of God and the edification of their people. Now Jerusalem confesses that, instead of returning to the Lord with repentance, she resorted to her allies and lovers to support her; to come to discover that they deceived her for so long; and that they only sought what was for their own benefit, not caring for the perdition that dwelt even upon the priests and the elders. f- Distress inside and outside: “See, O lord, that I am in distress; My soul is troubled; My heart is overturned within me; for I have been very rebellious, Outside the sword bereaves, At home it is like death” (20) Here, the prophet raises a prayer in the name of Jerusalem as a whole, seeking from the Lord to see the distress that dwelt upon the people because of their rebellion against Him. She confesses that, because she is rebellious, desolation came over from outside as well as inside. In the name of the people, the prophet proclaims that his soul is troubled because of the rebellion against God, and the disobedience of His commandments; In the inside, there was bitterness, and on the outside there was perdition and desolation;… In the inside there were plagues and famine; and on the outside there was the sword of the enemy. The prophet’s soul was filled with deep bitterness, as he proclaimed in the book of Jeremiah 4:19. + I wish those who intend to repent, know how to present it; with what zeal, with what feelings, and how it should swallow all his mind, shake his inner being, pierce the depths of his heart; according to the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “See, O Lord, that I am in distress; My soul is troubled; My heart is overturned within me” (20). (St. Ambrose) g- Punishing the haughty enemy: “They have heard that I sigh, with no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my troubles. They are glad that You have done it. Bring on the day that You have announced, that they may become like me” (21) When the nations around Judah, like Edom, Ammon, and Moab, whose hearts anticipate the day of the desolation of Jerusalem, heard what dwelt upon her, they not only gloated, but they even helped the enemy in every possible way; in order to see Jerusalem lose her greatness and sanctity, to become like them. But what dwelt upon Jerusalem to chastise her because of her sins, will eventually dwell upon the gloating heathen nations, in the assigned and proper time; as it was said about Babylon and the nations oppressing the divine truth: “The cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath” (Revelation 16: 19). Those enemies refer to the devil and all the hosts of darkness. Despite what they have of power and authority; yet, anticipating the day of the Lord in bitterness and great horror, they desire that all mankind would become like them, to partake of their eternal perdition. “Let all their wickedness come before You, and do to them as You have done to me; for all my transgressions, for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint” (22) The prophet ends his lamentation by confessing all his transgressions, counting what is done by his people and their rulers, as though he, himself has done, and seeks from God to bring His judgment upon the enemy, namely the devil and his hosts; as well as, on the day of judgment, upon the wicked who insisted on not repenting until their last breath. + No one will stand beside them, No one will save them; And the face of Christ (for them) will not be gentle and compassionate. (St. John Chrysostom) ------------------------- - AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF LAMENTATION (Chapter 1) DO NOT SURRENDER TO WIDOWHOOD + How amazing! The city of God, the joy of the whole earth; Has become a lonely forgotten widow! Her priests became filled with bitterness, instead of with the joy of the feasts; They unceasingly weep; Her rulers lost their strength and wisdom; They wonder around like deer with no pasture nor fountains of water; The young men and children were led like sheep; They became humble slaves; The virgins lost the spirit of amiability; The bitterness became their food and drink; The streets of the city became filled with the corpses of the dead, because of hunger and plagues. The enemies found the chance to mock them, and to deal harshly with them. + My soul is widowed by sin, by separating me from You, O the amazing Groom; It took away from me the enjoyment of the splendor of your beauty; Bring me back to Yourself, and pour Your splendor on me; To become an icon of You, O My Creator. + Sin has isolated me from all my friends; I suffer the feeling of isolation and wanting; Your precious blood brings me back to attach to You, O my unique Friend; To become for You, and You for me, O my amazing Savior! + My sins became a heavy yoke on me; Who can liberate me from it but You; You who carried the yoke of the cross for my sake; For my sake, You became a slave! When You are the only begotten Son of the Father! Grant me to practice my sonhood to Your Father; To enjoy the liberty of the glory of the children of God. + My heart became an unceasing mourning place; Bring back to me the gladness of salvation; To become, Yourself, my perpetual feast; And my soul would unceasingly exult. + The enemy has humiliated me, and became my leader; I lost the freedom of will; My will lost its sanctity; I became a tail and not a head; The enemy drives me according to his whims; Let the devil fall down from Your heavens in my hearts, Bring him down to underneath my feet; I shall fear him no more, because Your kingdom is in me; And Your Holy Spirit is the Leader of my whole life; For You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. + Sin has robbed all my treasures; It denied me the holiness of my mind, heart, emotions, and energies; You are my treasure; Let me acquire You, so as not be in need of anyone else; You are the Bread that comes down from heaven; You are the Groom of my soul, and my amazing companion; You are my riches and all my treasures; You are my eternal joy and exalted peace; You are my satisfaction and glory; You are my life and my resurrection. + Sin turned me as though into an “abomination of desolation” (spoken of by Daniel); Yet, Your Spirit sets out of me a holy temple; Where You dwell together with Your Father and Your Holy Spirit; + Let the devil and all his hosts stir up; Let him plan all his deceptive ways; I shall not fear him, as long as You are in me; Let him set all his snares; For You lift me up above all the snares of the world; You raise me up as though to heaven. + The enemy comes against me with his whole might; He intends to trample me by his feet, as though in a winepress; You are my Savior from all afflictions; Let me be crucified together with You, to be risen together with You.
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