Lamentations 5
Ezekiel 5 is a chapter that follows the symbolic actions performed by the prophet Ezekiel to portray Israel’s coming judgment, along with God’s interpretation of those acts. It tells how Jerusalem will be destroyed, how God’s people in Israel will be scattered as a result, and what causes and outcomes accompany the judgment.
1verseRemember, LORD, what has come on us. Look, and see our reproach.
2verseOur inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3verseWe are orphans and fatherless. Our mothers are as widows.
4verseWe must pay for water to drink. Our wood is sold to us.
5verseOur pursuers are on our necks. We are weary, and have no rest.
6verseWe have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
7verseOur fathers sinned, and are no more. We have borne their iniquities.
8verseServants rule over us. There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.
9verseWe get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
10verseOur skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.
11verseThey ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12versePrinces were hanged up by their hands. The faces of elders were not honored.
13verseThe young men carry millstones. The children stumbled under loads of wood.
14verseThe elders have ceased from the gate, and the young men from their music.
15verseThe joy of our heart has ceased. Our dance is turned into mourning.
16verseThe crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17verseFor this our heart is faint. For these things our eyes are dim:
18versefor the mountain of Zion, which is desolate. The foxes walk on it.
19verseYou, LORD, remain forever. Your throne is from generation to generation.
20verseWhy do you forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?
21verseTurn us to yourself, LORD, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.
22verseBut you have utterly rejected us. You are very angry against us.
Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-4: The act of cutting hair and beard - Ezekiel must cut his hair and beard, divide them into three parts, burn them with fire, cut them with a knife, and scatter them to the wind. He is to leave behind only a very small amount of hair wrapped in the hem of his clothing, and he throws some of even that into the fire. This symbolizes that the judgment coming upon Jerusalem will be carried out in various ways.
- Verses 5-12: Interpretation and warning - God points out that Jerusalem (Israel) committed sins more seriously than the surrounding Gentile nations, and warns that because of this, severe judgment will come, including plague, famine, the sword, and scattering.
- Verses 13-17: The purpose of judgment - He explains that the purpose of all these judgments is to ensure that God’s wrath and jealousy, and God’s holy name, are never mocked again, and He declares firmly that the judgment will be carried out.
Overall Meaning
Ezekiel 5 calls us back again to the fundamental theme of God’s holiness and justice, and the people’s disobedience along with the judgment that follows. Jerusalem is at the center of the world and the object of God’s special attention, yet because they experienced countless blessings but showed even more serious disobedience, they could not escape judgment’s severity. God’s wrath is not senseless; it reveals that it is an unavoidable choice made for holiness and justice.
Points for Reflection
- We should reflect on the blessings and expectations God has placed at the center of our lives, and whether I am responding to those expectations in the right way.
- Let us reflect that God’s judgment is not merely punishment, but is based on the holy purpose regarding God’s name and character.
Applying It to Myself
- I come to realize that I need to respond with gratitude for the mission and place entrusted to me, and also look back on even small disobedience, standing humbly before God.
- Keeping the center of faith always, listening to God’s word and living it out—this is the true distinction, and we can make the decision again to live accordingly.
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This is the last chapter of Lamentations.