What connections exist between Lamentations 1:17 and Deuteronomy 28's blessings and curses? Text Under the Microscope “Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The LORD has commanded against Jacob that his adversaries surround him; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.” Quick Reminder of Deuteronomy 28 • vv. 1–14 – Overflowing blessings promised for obedience. • vv. 15–68 – Mounting curses promised for rebellion, climaxing in siege, exile, and public disgrace. Side-by-Side Parallels 1. “No one to comfort her” • Deuteronomy 28:29—“You will be oppressed and plundered continually, with no one to save you.” • Deuteronomy 28:65—“Among those nations you will find no repose… the LORD will give you a trembling heart.” ➔ The predicted absence of relief stands fulfilled in Zion’s lonely outstretched hands. 2. “Adversaries surround him” • Deuteronomy 28:25—“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies… you will become a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.” • Deuteronomy 28:52—“They will besiege you in all your cities until your high fortified walls come down.” ➔ Jeremiah witnesses the very siege and encirclement Moses warned about centuries earlier. 3. “Jerusalem has become an unclean thing” • Deuteronomy 28:37—“You will become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the nations.” • Deuteronomy 28:45—“All these curses will come upon you… until you are destroyed.” ➔ Ritual impurity and social disgrace merge: the city once called holy is now treated like filth. Lost Blessings on Full Display • Deuteronomy 28:7 promised victory—enemy routed. Lamentations shows defeat—enemy camped all around. • Deuteronomy 28:10 promised nations would “fear you.” In Lamentations the nations mock and defile. • Deuteronomy 28:12 promised open heavens and overflowing storehouses. In Lamentations food is so scarce mothers mourn their starving children (Lamentations 2:11–12). Why the Connection Matters • Authenticity of God’s Word—The calamity of 586 BC validates the covenant warnings verbatim. • Covenant Continuity—Blessing and curse are not random events; they are the outworking of a binding relationship (Leviticus 26; 2 Chron 36:14–17). • Moral Clarity—Sin is never merely personal; it carries communal, even national repercussions (Proverbs 14:34). Hope on the Horizon Even within a chapter of lament, the covenant still holds the potential of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–3; Lamentations 3:21–23). The same God who executed the curse also extends mercy to repentant hearts (Jeremiah 31:31–34). |
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