1. The destruction of Jerusalem was part of God’s sovereign plan (Lam. 2:17).
2. God’s compassions are new every morning (Lam. 3:22–23).
3. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him (Lam. 3:25).
4. Jeremiah emphasized the Lord’s sovereignty when he asked rhetorically, “Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it?” (Lam. 3:37).
5. During the siege of Jerusalem, food became so scarce that women were cooking their own children (Lam. 4:10).

In Lamentations, God is glorifying Himself through grief, so that He might demonstrate His superior goodness in the salvation sinners, the damnation of the wicked, and for the preservation of His people for His eternal glory, and their eternal joy.

While Lamentations makes no claim about its authorship, both the Septuagint and Jewish tradition attribute the book to Jeremiah.

Lamentations provides eyewitness testimony of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Chaldeans (586 B.C.). Lamentations was probably written before Cyrus’ decree to return and build the temple (538 B.C.), since this event is not mentioned or alluded to in the text.

“How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave!
“She weeps bitterly in the night,
Her tears are on her cheeks;
Among all her lovers
She has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.”

Lamentations 1:1–2

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22–23

“You, O Lord, remain forever;
Your throne from generation to generation.
Why do You forget us forever,
And forsake us for so long a time?
Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored;
Renew our days as of old,
Unless You have utterly rejected us,
And are very angry with us!”

Lamentations 5:19–22

1. Calamities sometimes come as a result of national sin.
2. If a nation refuses to listen to God’s prophets, they are heading for judgment. 
3. In times of calamity, pour out your heart to the Lord.

Jeremiah is a type of Christ. Throughout the book of Lamentations, we see Jeremiah interceding on behalf of a sinful people. That is what Christ does for us.

1. A Broken City (Lam. 1)
2. A Broken People (Lam. 2)
3. A Suffering Prophet (Lam. 3)
4. A Broken Kingdom (Lam. 4)
5. A Praying/Repentant Nation (Lam. 5)