Lesson 138:
Lamentations
Jeremiah
lamented the destruction of Jerusalem and the affliction of its people. But
even in his grief, Jeremiah testified of the Lord’s compassion. Jeremiah
compared the lives of the people when they were righteous to their lives when
they were wicked. Jeremiah pled with the Lord to forgive the people of Judah
and turn them back to Him.
---Imagine
that a young man has some friends who try to convince him to break a
commandment.
---What might this young man’s peers say to
convince him to break a commandment? (on board)
---What would you tell your friends to
convince them that they should not commit sin?
---Remember
that because the people of Judah chose to ignore the warnings of Jeremiah and
other prophets and disobey their teachings, choosing wickedness instead, the
Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. Sometime after Jerusalem was destroyed,
Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. The term lamentation refers to words
that express deep sorrow or grief.
---The terms she and her in these verses
refer to ?Jerusalem.
---Notice
the phrases “how is she become as a widow” in verse 1 and “she hath none to comfort
her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her” in verse 2.
---What do these phrases mean?
(If
necessary, explain that these phrases imply that Jerusalem was abandoned and
alone.)
---Review Lamentations 1:1–5, looking for words or phrases that
help us identify some of the consequences of sin.
---Mark
these words or phrases.
---Report what you find. (on board)
Lamentations 1:3. Bondage that
results from sin
Elder
Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we can
avoid the grief and sorrow that comes as a consequence of sin if we keep the
commandments and rely upon the merits of the Savior:
“The prophecies
and lamentations of Jeremiah are important to Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah and
the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to the beginning chapters in the Book of Mormon. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet
Lehi [see 1 Nephi 5:13; 7:14]. …
“We learn
valuable lessons from this tragic period. We should do everything within our
power to avoid the sin and rebellion that lead to bondage [see D&C 84:49–50]. …
“Bondage,
subjugation, addictions, and servitude come in many forms. They can be literal
physical enslavement but can also be loss or impairment of moral agency that
can impede our progress. Jeremiah is clear that unrighteousness and rebellion
were the main reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in
Babylon. …
“Our
challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and
sacrifice for the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not
save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of
the Savior. … If we are true to His light, follow His commandments, and rely on
His merits, we will avoid spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage as well
as the lamentation of wandering in our own wilderness, for He is mighty to save
---In Lamentations 1:6–11 we read that Jeremiah continued
to lament the destruction of Jerusalem. Lamentations 1:12–22 includes lamentations written
from Jerusalem’s perspective, as though the city itself were speaking.
---Notice
that the phrase “my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity” in verse 18 refers to the loss of the rising
generation. The phrase “my bowels are troubled” in verse 20 refers to the mental and
spiritual anguish we experience when we commit sin.
---What words or phrases from verses 16, 18,
20, and 22 can help us
understand what can happen when we commit sin?
---Add
students’ responses to the list on the board.
---Mark these words or phrases.
---Refer to
the list on the board.
---Use what you
learned from Lamentations 1 to write a principle that
summarizes the results of committing sin.
---Share what
you wrote with one of their classmates. Report to the class what you wrote.
---After
they report, write the following principle on the board:
When we sin,
we will feel troubled.
---Why do you think we feel troubled
or distressed when we commit sin?
---Read
aloud the following statement by President Ezra Taft Benson:
“You cannot
do wrong and feel right. It is impossible! Years of happiness can be lost in
the foolish gratification of a momentary desire for pleasure. Satan would have you
believe that happiness comes only as you surrender to his enticements, but one
only needs to look at the shattered lives of those who violate God’s laws to
know why Satan is called the Father of Lies” (“A Message to the
Rising Generation,” Ensign,
Nov. 1977, 30).
---How might this truth help someone who is
tempted to commit sin?
---Ponder a
time when you have felt troubled after committing a sin.
---How do we avoid experiencing
the consequences of sin? ---Avoid sin!
---Look as you
study Lamentations 2–3 for principles that can help us
when we feel troubled or distressed after committing sin.
---In Lamentations 2 we read Jeremiah’s record of the
misery and sorrow that the people of Jerusalem felt after their city was
destroyed. Lamentations 3 records that Jeremiah lamented
the destruction of Jerusalem from the perspective of the people of Judah. Lamentations 3:1–18 describes the wicked people of
Judah and their relationship with God.
---Read Lamentations
3:1, 3, 7–9, 11, and 18 looking for how the people’s sins had
affected their relationship with God.
---How had the people’s sins affected their
relationship with God?
(in their
sinful state the people felt that the Lord had abandoned them. In reality, the
people had moved away from God.)
---Because
the people had damaged their relationship with God, they felt deep despair.
---What reasons did Jeremiah give to explain
why the people could still have hope even after they had experienced great
despair?
---What principle can we learn from these
verses about why we can have hope even after we have sinned?
(Because the Lord is compassionate, we
can find hope in knowing He will help us if we seek Him. on the board.)
---Underline
the following words in the statement on the board: compassionate, hope, and help.
---What do you think each of these words
means?
---How might understanding this principle
help someone who feels despair or is troubled because of his or her sins?
---Lamentations 3:31–39 says that Jeremiah explained
that the Lord does not take pleasure in punishing people.
---Read Lamentations
3:40–41 aloud
looking for what the afflictions we experience as a result of sin might inspire
us to do.
---What could the afflictions we experience
as a result of sin inspire us to do?
(the afflictions we experience as a result of
sin can help motivate us to turn again to the Lord. on the board.)
---In what ways do you think the afflictions
we experience as a result of sin can help inspire us to turn to the Lord?
---In Lamentations 3:42–66 we learn that Jeremiah continued
to lament the state of Judah but again recognized that the Lord will draw near
to those who call upon Him.
III. Lamentations 4
Jeremiah compares the lives of
the people when they were righteous to their lives in captivity
---Have you ever wondered how your lives might
be different if you chose to be wicked instead of righteous?
---How do you think your life would be
different?
---In Lamentations 4 we read that Jeremiah compared
the lives of the righteous people who had lived in Judah in the past to the
lives of the wicked people of Judah who lived during his own time.
---Read Lamentations
4:1–2 aloud
looking for how Jeremiah described the people when they were righteous as
opposed to when they were wicked.
---How did Jeremiah describe the people when
they were righteous and when they were wicked?
---In Lamentations 4:3–10, Jeremiah made more statements
comparing the state of the people when they were righteous to their state when
they were wicked. For example, he said that when they were righteous they had
had enough to eat, lived comfortably, and enjoyed good health. Jeremiah said
that when they were wicked they faced starvation, did not have homes to live
in, and were sickly.
---What had caused these changes in the lives
of the people?
(The
people’s wickedness, which had resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem.)
---What principle can we learn from these
verses about what happens when we live righteously instead of choosing to
commit sin?
(when we live righteously, our lives will be
better than they would be if we chose to sin.)
---How do you think people’s lives will be
better when they live righteously?
---Name some examples
of people from the scriptures whose lives were better because they chose to
live righteously.
---Being
righteous does not mean that we will not experience trials and sorrow in our
lives. It also does not mean that all who experience trials somehow deserve
those trials because of unrighteousness. However, when we are righteous the
Lord gives us strength, peace, and blessings to help us both temporally and
spiritually (see Mosiah 2:41).
---In the
rest of Lamentations 4 Jeremiah continued to describe
the pitiful condition of those who chose to be wicked.
---Lamentations 5 records one of Jeremiah’s
prayers to the Lord. Lamentations 5:1–18 records Jeremiah’s prayer where he
acknowledged the sins of the people and the consequences they had suffered
because of their sins.
---What stands out to you about Jeremiah’s
prayer?
---Notice the
phrase “renew our days as of old” (verse 21). Jeremiah pled that the Lord
would forgive the people and make them clean, as they had been in former times.
---Think
about what you can do to turn yourselves more fully to the Lord so you can be
renewed.
VIDEO CLIP
“Good Things to Come” by Elder Holland 4:55
Lamentations
1:3. Bondage that results from sin
Elder
Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we can
avoid the grief and sorrow that comes as a consequence of sin if we keep the
commandments and rely upon the merits of the Savior:
“The prophecies
and lamentations of Jeremiah are important to Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah and
the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to the beginning chapters in the Book of Mormon. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet
Lehi [see 1 Nephi 5:13; 7:14]. …
“We learn
valuable lessons from this tragic period. We should do everything within our
power to avoid the sin and rebellion that lead to bondage [see D&C 84:49–50]. …
“Bondage,
subjugation, addictions, and servitude come in many forms. They can be literal
physical enslavement but can also be loss or impairment of moral agency that
can impede our progress. Jeremiah is clear that unrighteousness and rebellion
were the main reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in
Babylon. …
“Our
challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and
sacrifice for the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not
save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of
the Savior. … If we are true to His light, follow His commandments, and rely on
His merits, we will avoid spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage as well
as the lamentation of wandering in our own wilderness, for He is mighty to save”
(“Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013,
88, 89, 91).
President
Ezra Taft Benson:
“You cannot
do wrong and feel right. It is impossible! Years of happiness can be lost in
the foolish gratification of a momentary desire for pleasure. Satan would have you
believe that happiness comes only as you surrender to his enticements, but one
only needs to look at the shattered lives of those who violate God’s laws to
know why Satan is called the Father of Lies.
Being
righteous does not mean that we will not experience trials and sorrow in our
lives. It also does not mean that all who experience trials somehow deserve
those trials because of unrighteousness. However, when we are righteous the
Lord gives us strength, peace, and blessings to help us both temporally and
spiritually.
Elder
Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we can
avoid the grief and sorrow that comes as a consequence of sin if we keep the
commandments and rely upon the merits of the Savior:
“The prophecies
and lamentations of Jeremiah are important to Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah and
the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to the beginning chapters in the Book of Mormon. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet
Lehi [see 1 Nephi 5:13; 7:14]. …
“We learn
valuable lessons from this tragic period. We should do everything within our
power to avoid the sin and rebellion that lead to bondage [see D&C 84:49–50]. …
“Bondage,
subjugation, addictions, and servitude come in many forms. They can be literal
physical enslavement but can also be loss or impairment of moral agency that
can impede our progress. Jeremiah is clear that unrighteousness and rebellion
were the main reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in
Babylon. …
“Our
challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and
sacrifice for the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not
save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of
the Savior. … If we are true to His light, follow His commandments, and rely on
His merits, we will avoid spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage as well
as the lamentation of wandering in our own wilderness, for He is mighty to save.”
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