The Ridicule of Neighbors Lamentations 2:15

As Jeremiah recounted the reasons for Jerusalem being overtaken by their enemies, he included the false prophets who were among them as a cause for their problems. In addition to them, in chapter two and verse fifteen we see that the ridicule of their neighbors added to their grief. We read:

All that pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

The verse begins, “All that pass by clap their hands at you;” Those who were outside of the city of Jerusalem were excited and happy that Jerusalem was overthrown. One of the ways they demonstrated their joy was to “clap their hands” in a vigorous manner toward the people who remained in the city. As though they were applauding the devastation that occurred, “all that pass” joined into this celebratory measure.

The verse continues, “they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem,...” Not only did their obstinate neighbors “clap their hands” but they added “hiss” sounds and they “wag their head” which means to violently throw their heads around in a reckless manner to demonstrate their jubilant and taunting satisfaction with their demise.

Finally the verse says, “...saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?” In addition to the clapping of hands, making hissing noises, and wagging their heads, these revengeful neighbors jeer at them with mocking statements. If we use our imaginations, we can almost hear them sneeringly say “Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty” which was a name for the city when prosperity and blessing was seen from all around. They add “The joy of the whole earth?” which was the phrase used by King David of Israel in the book of Psalms chapter forty-eight and verse two:

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

Oh how horrible it must have been for the people of Jerusalem to know of this title which represented the city at one time but now they sat in ruin and despair.

When we go through difficulties, the troubles are difficult enough to endure without having our enemies rejoice in our tribulations. As we ponder this verse perhaps we will be able to imagine what this must have been like for those who saw and heard these taunting people. The interesting part about it is that God allowed it, and He did so only after the people rejected His warnings over and over again. What is God warning us about today that should we be judged for it, our neighbors would laugh and make fun of us? Are their areas of conviction which would be fodder for their joy? May the Lord bring us to obey Him and His word before we become the objects of taunting and ridicule that the people of Jerusalem were.

Next time we will look at more of the ridicule of Jerusalem's neighbors, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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