"His compassions fail not"

Eugene Peterson gives an eloquent introduction to the book of Lamentations. He writes of the "two polar events in the history of the Hebrew people: the Exodus from Egypt and the Exile into Babylon" (The Message, p, 1477). The Exodus is the story of freedom and joy. It takes place around 1200BC. The Exile is "the definitive story of judgment accompanied by immense suffering" with the destruction of Jerusalem, its people removed to Babylon in 587BC. 

Some seventy years of exile in Babylon followed, until the great Persian king Cyrus overthrows Babylon and releases the Hebrews. But that is another story.

Second Kings 25 and Jeremiah 52 provide background on the fall of Jerusalem. The account in Second Kings explains that the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, set fire to the whole city of Jerusalem, starting with the temple, from which they first looted everything made of bronze, silver and gold. There was a lot. We recall the splendour and wealth of the temple built by Solomon. The account in Jeremiah recounts a 19-month siege of Jerusalem, devastating famine, and the final overthrow of king Zedekiah's army by the Babylonians.

Lamentations, written out of the Exile, provides a language in which to process the horror, shock, suffering and sadness of that horrific experience. The Message paraphrases (Lamentations 1): "Oh, oh, oh ... / How empty the city, once teeming with people."

As I read the first chapters of Lamentations, it reminded me of a sorrowful song in a minor key. For example, hear the grief and anger in the author's processing of events as the narrator reasons with God in Lamentations 2: 21 (KJV): "The young and old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied."

But suddenly, midway through chapter 3, there is a switch to an optimistic major key. Lamentations 3: 17-23:

[Plaintive minor key]:

And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

[Transitional passage]:

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. 

[Hopeful]:

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

[Joyous major key]:

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Two hymns come to mind: 97 and 487.

Composer Frank Isley (1831-1887) and author Thomas Hastings (1784-1872) provide an excellent example of a change of mood in hymn 97, which has an explicit key change from a minor to A major –

[Minor key]:

He that goeth forth with weeping, Bearing still the precious seed, Never tiring, never sleeping, Soon shall see his toil succeed;

[Major key]:

Showers of rain will fall from heaven, Then the cheering sun will shine; So shall plenteous fruit be given, Through an influence all divine.

Hymn 487 (words by Thomas Chisholm, music by William Runyan) offers a splendid assurance of God’s “morning by morning” enduring and reliable faithfulness and unfailing compassion. This is surely what we need to hear in the world right now. Shall we sing it today?

Julie Swannell