Lamentations 1:9 lamenting the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon 587 or 586 BC depending of the view of the scholar.

Chapter 1 of Lamentations is written as an acrostic poem. This means that in the original Hebrew, each of the 22 verses begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, going in order from the first letter (aleph) to the last (tav).

Reminded me of Psalms 73 (apparently a chiastic poem) where the Psalmist discoveres the answer to his dilemma in God’s house concerning the pain of evil men flourishing:

“When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.” – Psalm 73:16,17

In the New Testament—somewhere in Romans, I believe—God says, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” Because of this, we don’t need to respond to the evil in the world with sinful anger. We can trust that God has it under control. This frees us to love instead of hate. Perhaps some of the wicked will even repent and change, but if they don’t, God will deal with them justly.
It’s our responsibility to pray for our enemies and to love those who hate us. In the end, God will thoroughly and rightly address all evil.

“For as you drank on My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been.” – Obadiah 1:16

In fact, this lamentation itself is a result of God dealing with the evil sins of Jerusalem whose charge in part is concerning the sin of infanticide of their own children (Jeremiah 7:30,31,19:4-5, 32:35)…and the lamenter here is confessing the reason God has thus dealt with Jerusalem.

“Her adversaries have become the master, 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.” – Lamentations 1:5

So, God will take care of it in His timing but He gives windows of ample opportunity to turn to Him in faith:

“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:7-9

Just as he did before this judgment on Jerusalem at the hands of Babylon in 586 or 587 AD:

“From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did even worse than their ancestors.” – Jeremiah 7:25-26

“And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.” – Jeremiah 25:4

“…and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened)…” – Jeremiah 26:5

“For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 29:19

Etc etc etc…

We are free to love and pray for sinners like ourselves knowing that God will right all the wrongs. Is He not omnipotent!?

And does He not give ample opportunity to usward to trust Him over whatever it is that we are tempted to trust over Him?

Trust Jesus over whatever you are trusting over Him and God bless 🙌

Let us consider the end of our sinful ways and not be like the rebellious in Jerusalem but be like Jeremiah and turn to Jesus who alone saves us from our sinful ways!