 |
| Jeremiah by Rembrandt |
'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your Faithfulness.' Lamentations 3:22-23
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, described this painting by Rembrandt of the lament of the prophet Jeremiah as 'The crestfallen Prophet Jeremiah rests his weary, old head on his hand. He laments Jerusalem going up in flames - in the background - whose destruction he had prophesied. Rembrandt heightened the sense of drama with powerful contrasts of light and dark.' (Ref 1)
A truly dramatic portrayal of the Lamentations of Jeremiah.
Equally artistic but lost in English translation, is the Biblical Book of Lamentations. It is a collection of poems attributed to the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonian Conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar. Rev (Dr) Gordon Wong, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore, pointed out the intricate Alphabet Acrostic Songs of the first four chapters of Lamentations.
An acrostic is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. An alphabet acrostic spells out the letters of the alphabet e.g. ABCDEF. Since the Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, Lamentations 1,2 and 4 have 22 verses whereas Lamentations 3 has 66 verses, with a triplet of 3 verses beginning with one letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Whatever the artistic rendering, we should not miss the Bishop's message in which he contrasted two opposing realities especially apt in these times; where there seems to be hopelessness, God renders hope by His faithfulness.
The Bishop contrasted Lamentations 1-3
'I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His wrath; He has driven and brought me without any light; surely against me he turns His hand again and again the whole day long.'
with Lamentations 3:21-23
'But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.'
The Hebrew name of the Book of Lamentations is Ekah which can be translated as alas or how. Chuck Swindoll wrote, 'Lamentations pictures a man of God over the results of evil and suffering in the world. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord. This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness....' (Ref 2)
These are bleak times too. The delta variant of the Covid-19 virus is raging unrelentingly worldwide and Singapore is no exception, notwithstanding the high vaccination rates. During such times, we are wont to ask of God, in the Singlish vernacular of Singaporeans "How Ah?" as the Hebrew title of Lamentations suggested. But rather than wallow in despair at the apparent staying of God's hands, it may do us well to read and re-read Lamentations Chapter 3. Then, between adversity and hope, we will be encouraged by the faithfulness of God which has been showered on us time and time again and renewed every morning.
- Lost in Suffering - 'I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His affliction.' Lamentations 3:1
- Hope in Silence - 'Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust - there may yet be hope.' Lamentations 3:28-29
- Found by Love - 'For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He causes grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast Love.' Lamentations 3:31-32
- Refreshed by Faithfulness - 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness.' Lamentations 3:22-23
