Lamentations: Corruption Leads to Pain, Regret, Sorrow

 

The Local Church Connects the Community 

Most people think Jerimiah wrote Lamentations as a poetic retelling of the fall of Jerusalem. In it, he compares the once great city to a virgin being ravaged by her captors and the shame that comes with uncovered nakedness. It’s not all metaphor though. Some of the scenes he describes come from direct accounts of the destruction. We have to use our imagination with some of the history. What’s known is that Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians right around 575 BC.

Chaotic Beginning

The book of Lamentations reminds the reader that destruction comes swiftly but never accidentally. Sin and selfishness over time create hardening in hearts. Collectively, that rejection of God’s law and plan for His people open the door to attacks. Not all at once but after a time, the Heavenly Father gives us over to destruction if we continually ignore His demand for repentance.

“Jerusalem has sinned gravely, therefore she has become vile.” (Chapter 1:8)

It's common to treat Lamentations as a kind of metaphor for our individual lives. When we reject God our world turns to chaos. Divorce, addiction, poverty, disease and unforgiveness destroy us eventually. Disobedience leads to chaos; chaos leads to exile. But there is a practical, even direct, application to our world here in the US. We’ve ignored the corruption in our midst just like Jerusalem in Jerimiah’s time.

Corruption is the Root

 Who can say that the United States isn’t the jewel of the rest of the world, wealthy, free, democratic, powerful? It’s still a destination for foreigners hoping to start businesses and worship without harassment and death.

I’m critical of what America has become in the last 50 years, but it’s still a blessed country where we worship freely. Beyond that there are major problems of our own making through corruption. Corruption is the currency that feeds business, government and religion. It’s not just the politician taking bribes and giving favorable treatment to their cronies. Corruption means looking the other way and compromising principles. It prioritizes money or status at the expense of God’s plan for His people.

How many national Christian churches have dropped their objections to homosexual marriage or cleaned up their statements to include positive language on social justice issues? Translation, they aren't doing their jobs. Lamentations has some thoughts.

"Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; They have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions." (Chapter 2:14)

It's Our Fault

We love to talk about how Washington DC ‘ain’t lookin out for us’. But we hardly examine our own lives for rot. We avoid tearing up the linoleum where the floor is soft, lest we have to replace it. It’s comfortable to point fingers at the wickedness in entertainment and media, it’s a clear and present danger. But mostly it provides us a convenient foil for looking closely at our hearts lest we find damage in need of attention. 

The wickedness in the culture is an outgrowth of decades of avoidance. How so?

Two things happen when you ignore problems. First they get bigger and tougher to deal with, then they destroy you.

 One person’s drug addiction affects their family and their circle. Every relationship eventually feels the strain, from siblings and partners to his/her kids and their friends. But in a healthy society, the behavior is limited to the addict’s world. Churches used to fill the role of arbiter, counselor and friend to the broken soul. They largely still do, but the connection between the individual and the church is tentative and often nonexistent.

 For all their mistakes over the years, churches work best when connected to the local area. Their flock consists of generations (often) of family and friends with an interest in the welfare of each other. This is a perfect scenario, when relationships are healthy. It’s never perfect. We hurt each. But the community aspect of church provides a bulwark against a lonely world. It’s a stabilizing force for the addict who would be otherwise lost.

Healthy Groups

Satan tries to pick us off by separating us from the group dynamic. It’s why Paul tells us to “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ”. Ever seen one of those nature shows where lions chase a herd of bison? They run long distances until the slowest member, usually the youngest, falls back and gets eaten by the pack. The first action that happens is the wolves stir up fear among the bison. Once the herd is fearful it starts running to avoid trouble. After the animals are moving it’s only a matter of time till one succumbs to the predator’s bite.

I’ve seen groups of bison in a circle fighting off an attack and even killing a wolf or two in the process. It works when they stand their ground. The group dynamic is designed to protect the weaker. But fear creates an irrational sense of panic.

We aren’t in a society that turns first to the community church. Weekly church attendance has dropped consistently over the last 20 years or so. It’s a reliable metric of the spiritual health of the nation. Depending on how you slice it the number of regular church goers’ hovers around 1 in 3. In the year 2020 it was closer to 1 in 2 for “Practicing Christians”.

This has repercussions for community. Will we lose another 25% in 2040? Eventually the idea of an active church that works together for its members begins to look like an aberration. Practicing Christians might look more like a Star Trek fan club with their infrequent conferences and esoteric musings on scripture.

Conclusion

The national church gets some blame here, but so do the rest of us. We’ve all collectively decided the mission of God is less important than…fill in the blank. That’s corruption as well. Lamentations is a warning of not cleaning up sin in the good times. No one thinks they will be an exile until it’s too late. Wealth and freedom lull us into a sense of security that’s as false as the invincibility of an ocean border. The author sums up that feeling like this.

"The joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!" (Chapter 5: 15-16)

The United States is close to breaking down as a workable idea. This might seem alarmist, we’ve had tough economic times and even political upheaval before. The Civil War nearly broke up the Union and the Great Depression destroyed livelihoods everywhere. But spiritually we’re bankrupt. We’re not quite like the addict with nowhere to turn but in 10 years we might be.

Lamentations is a poetic warning to turn back to God. It’s also a practical example of corruption leading to sin, and the resulting destruction over time.