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Judging the Usefulness of Lament in Contemporary Christianity
Of all Old Testament genres, lament is
perhaps one of the least understood and misrepresented. A lament, while surely
a complaint, possesses a deeper root of understanding about God and his
sovereign power. One who laments should have in mind not a mere complaint about
undesired external circumstances but the purpose of God’s action to allow such
circumstances. The book of Lamentations is perhaps the most striking example of
biblical lament; yet, numerous other examples are also present. As an
overarching model for lament, the book of Lamentations grants contemporary
Christians insight into the unchanging character of God and their own
connection with the people of God in the Old Testament.
The
book of Lamentations is made up of five poems, each an expression of grief over
the fall of Jerusalem. Like a eulogy at a funeral, these laments are intended
to mourn a loss—in this case, the loss of a nation. The latter half of chapter
3 implies that the purpose behind the book’s graphic depictions of sorrow and
suffering was to produce hope in the God whose compassion is “new every
morning” (v. 23) and whose faithfulness is great even to a people who have been
condemned for their own unfaithfulness. The author, while not identified in the
book itself, may have been the prophet Jeremiah, who was said to have “uttered
a lament for Josiah.” (2 Chron 35:25) Lamentations was probably written shortly
after Jerusalem’s fall in 586 b.c. (ESV,
2016)
This post will determine the usefulness of lament in a contemporary Christian context. In doing so, three truths will be conveyed: 1) the truth of New Testament parallels of Old Testament lament, 2) the truth of lament’s vitality to right doxology, and 3) the truth that nothing new exists in this world. Upon examining these truths, it should be concluded that lament is not only good for contemporary Christianity but also necessary.
New
Testament Parallels of Old Testament Lament
Lament
is certainly not unique to the Old Testament; New Testament parallels exist. While
the Old Testament contains considerably more texts in the genre of lament,
several New Testament texts proceed from the genre of lament. Believers should
understand that lament is good for contemporary Christianity and is present in
the entirety of the Bible.
The author of
Lamentations passionately laments over the Lord’s anger with Judah. (ch. 2)
Such is not to suggest that the author does not understand the justice in
Judah’s destruction but rather that he laments over not only what God has done
but also the underlying reason for such destruction: namely the people’s
wickedness and rebellion. The author writes, “How the Lord in his anger has set
the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the
splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his
anger.” (Lam 2:1)[1]
Similar language is offered in Matthew’s Gospel. When Jesus proclaims a woe to
unrepentant cities, he declares, “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to
heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you
had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” (Matt 11:23)
The foundation of lament, in both cases, should not be neglected. While the
lament in Lamentations reveals sorrow over God’s wrath employed through
destruction, the core issue is wickedness and unrepentance, which still
subsists today. One might not consider laments over Judah’s destruction or even
Jesus’ woe over Capernaum beneficial to contemporary Christianity; yet, beneath
the surface level of geographical location is the underpinning of lament:
namely grief over people’s wickedness.
The Apostle
Paul presents a lament in his letter to the Romans. (Rom 7:7-25) The Apostle’s
focus is on the Mosaic law and the futility of people’s attempt to uphold it.
In a striking sense, Paul’s lament here resembles the model presented in Old
Testament laments. The pattern of Old Testament laments includes three primary
participants: the I (the lamenter whether singular or plural), you (God), and
them (enemies). (Crisler, 2020, p. 67) “The movements of the “I” tend to
dominate lament and
include (1) prior promise, (2) suffering, (3) cry of distress,
(4) deliverance, and
(5) praise.” (Crisler, 2020, p. 67) Paul’s words, in Romans 7, hold an evident
resemblance of these movements and participants. Paul, a learned Jew, likely
knew the laments of old and their relevance to his contemporary circumstances.
Additionally, like the heart of Matthew’s text (11:23), Paul understood and was
broken by persistent evil among his people. The Apostle writes:
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do
what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I
agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do
it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in
me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not
the ability to carry it out. (Rom 7:15-18)
For those who might disregard the Old Testament and consider the New Testament superior, texts such as these reveal a deeper foundation than mere complaint. To rightly lament is to understand the underpinning reason for destruction and wrath, i.e. the foundational issue for the biblical lamenter is not destruction itself but rather the reason for destruction. Remembering such a foundation would be advantageous for contemporary Christianity. When God’s people move beyond the surface level visibility of destruction to the reason for such destruction, repentance and, therefore, God’s mercy is possible. God does not employ wrath unjustly; yet, his purpose in doing so is never destruction itself but rather the repentance of his people, which is desperately needed in contemporary Christianity.
Lament:
A Theology Vital to Doxology
A
proper theology of lament is a crucial forerunner to proper doxology. Without
an understanding of one’s sin, he or she may not realize the necessity of
repentance and, thus, the justice in God’s discipline and wrath. Lament then is
essential to right doxology. Both praise and lament must stand stalwartly
linked together in contemporary Christianity. Dan Wilt writes:
If a theology of resurrection (the
empty tomb, renewal, personal transformation, healing, miracles) does not stand
together in worship with a theology of suffering (the full cross,
intercession, trouble, sorrow, struggle), then I contend our worship is out of
accord with both the Scriptures and the daily news. (Wilt)
Lament then should not be neglected but
should stand in union with praise; only then will theology lead to right
doxology.
A
seemingly lost aspect of corporate worship is lament. While many consider
lament a private matter, God’s people publicly lamented in the Old Testament.
The Psalms have been called the hymnal of Israel; hints of Lamentations are found
then in Israel’s hymnal. The author of Lamentations, amidst his complaint,
takes time to praise God for his faithfulness, evidence that the writer’s
focus, even in lament, is on the Lord who is ultimately gracious to his people.
After a lengthy complaint, the author writes, “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 your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:21-22)
Further, the lamenter here acknowledges God’s sorrow in destruction and his
will to have compassion in accordance with his steadfast love. (Lam 3:32-33) Christian
hope is rooted in Christ; therefore, it is good for contemporary Christianity
to understand the hope of the Lord even amidst plaguing anguish.
David offers
a lament for Jonathan and Saul (2 Sam 1:17-27), which he intended to be taught
to the people of Judah, (2 Sam 1:18) i.e. David’s private lament was intended
for public use. Furthermore, David also presents a deeper purpose in lament
than mere inconvenience. “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen,” writes David. (2 Sam 1:19) David’s lament here
should be understood as being both heard and overheard. (Linafelt, 2008, p.
500) The purpose of lament here is not only a personal plea but public worship
of God. The author (David) cries privately while also becoming a voice of God’s
people collectively. In Christian worship, lament realizes the imperfection of
the world and laments over injustice and that which God hates. Surely,
destruction is worthy of lament; yet, a right focus on the need for repentance
conceives the natural result of right (corporate) worship.
Lamenting
psalms are also present in the Old Testament text. The same concepts should be
employed by God’s people even today. “…the very real
experiences of those petitioning the psalms of lament are often a catalyst
for expressed feelings of abandonment and desertion which warrant prayer
intended to rouse God into action.” (Waltman, 2018, p. 209) When lament and
praise stand together, the reality of pain is acknowledged by God’s people as
well as the realization that he alone may heal. With such a realization, believers
may appropriately worship God. Rather than a mere complaint based on
inconvenience or discomfort, God’s people should understand the vitality of
lament to contemporary Christian worship.
There
Is Nothing New under the Sun: That for Which Humanity Has Lamented for Ages Has
Not Changed
Lament,
specifically utilizing the Old Testament model, is also useful for contemporary
Christian audiences because nothing has changed. Solomon declared that there
exists nothing new under the sun, (Eccl 1:9) i.e. the issues God’s people
encountered in the Old Testament are the same issues that persist today. Therefore,
that for which humankind has lamented for ages has not changed. To list several
examples, racism is not new, murder is not new, war is not new, oppression is
not new, division is not new, and indeed, child sacrifice (abortion in Western
society’s case) is not new. Thus, lament should not be neglected in
contemporary Christianity.
To
neglect lamenting is to ignore the reality of evil when truly Christians are
called to do justice and love mercy; (Mic 6:8) to do justice and love mercy
then is to hate evil. The author of Lamentations writes, “This was for the sins
of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her
the blood of the righteous.” (Lam 4:13) The sins with which the author dealt
are the same sins that subsist in contemporary Christian culture. Lament,
therefore, is necessary for healing, for without first lamenting, God’s mercy
will not be afforded. Lament gives a voice to sorrow. Those who remain silent
remain complacent. Regarding contemporary issues, which surely existed in the
Old Testament, silence is “the weaponized tool of preference for ignoring the
three-part plights of sexism, racism, and classism within the majority
of…Christian communities.” (Landfair, 2016, p. 25) Corporate lament is useful
in contemporary Christianity because it affords God’s people the opportunity to
acknowledge both the wickedness that exists and the power of God to heal such
evil.
The evil of
racism, murder, debauchery, and more was present in the time Lamentations was
written; it is also present today. Modern lament, therefore, connects today’s
church with the people of God in the Old Testament. Lament could certainly
happen in stages; nonetheless, the first stage must be vocality. (Dickie, 2019,
p. 146) The book of lamentations, although likely composed by one person, is
offered as the collective lament of Israel. When the lament was offered, a
voice was given to the people of God and, therefore, sorrow over their
destruction and the cause thereof. In a similar manner, God’s people today must
have a voice to offer God in lament. Injustices that exist today are not new
but must continually be fought by the church. God’s people today experience the
same feelings of abandonment and sadness as did God’s people in the Old
Testament. The book of Lamentations could mirror the church’s cry today. Lament
then is not only useful in contemporary Christianity but also necessary.
God’s work in the lives of his people should stir such conviction that produces lament. The church is surely linked to those of whom Lamentations speaks and confront the same issues and sins. Nothing new exists under the sun; therefore, while the Old Testament offers striking laments, it is profitable, in contemporary Christianity, to lament over the same items.
Lament:
A Useful and Necessary Device
God’s people have offered laments since the beginning of their existence. The book of lamentations might be considered the most prominent example of lament; yet, it is certainly not unique in its genre. Moreover, lament is not exclusive to the Old Testament. Not only does the Old Testament model of lament exist in New Testament texts, the employment of lament is useful for contemporary Christianity in that God’s people need it to rightly worship since they face the same issues as did God’s people of old. To judge the usefulness of lament in contemporary Christianity, it is good to understand the connection God’s people today have with God’s people during the time of Lamentations. Jesus promised trouble in the world. (John 16:33) To ignore the reality of pain and the presence of evil is to live a lie. Lament then is certainly useful for contemporary Christianity and should be executed with wisdom, understanding, and a realization that the one true God remains on the throne and extends matchless grace to his people.
References
Baker,
Robin (2019). Jeremiah and the Balag-Lamet? Jeremiah 8:18-23 Reconsidered. Journal
of Biblical Literature, Vol. 138 (No. 3), 587-604.
Crisler,
Channing L. (2020). The “I’ Who Laments: Echoes of Old Testament Lament in
Romans 7:7-25 and the Identity of the ἐγώ. Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol.
82 (No. 1), 64-83.
Dickie,
June F. (2019). Lament as a Contributor to the Healing of Trauma: An
Application of Poetry in the Form of Biblical Lament. Pastoral Psychology,
Vol. 68 (No. 2), 145-156.
(2016).
Introduction to Lamentations: The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
Crossway.
Landfair,
Valerie Ranee (2020). Complicity and Silence: How Lament Could Lead Us toward a
Better Place. Mutuality, Vol. 27 (No. 3), 24-28.
Linafelt,
Tod (2008). Private Poetry and Public Eloquence in 2 Samuel 1:17-27: Hearing
and Overhearing David’s Lament for Jonathan and Saul. Journal of Religion,
Vol. 88 (No. 4), 497-526.
Waltman,
Joshua C. (2018). Psalms of Lament and God’s Silence: Features of Petition Not
Yet Answered. Evangelical Quarterly, Vol. 89 (No. 3), 209-221.
Wilt,
Dan. 5 Reasons lament and praise must stand together in worship. Danwilt.com.
https://www.danwilt.com/5-reasons-lament-and-praise-must-stand-together-in-worship/
Waltke,
Bruce K. (2007). An Old Testament Theology. Zondervan.
[1]
All biblical references are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) of
the Bible unless otherwise noted.
