Elders and Young Men Altered Lamentations 5:14

One of the ways to really understand the Bible is to picture ourselves in the position of the characters. When we attempt this approach with Jeremiah as he overlooks the conquered city of Jerusalem, we cannot help but feel his sadness and despair at the sight of those who remained there. In Lamentations chapter five and verse fourteen we learn about two more groups of people who were affected by the conquest of the Babylonians– the elders and the young men where we read:

The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.

The verse begins, “The elders have ceased from the gate,” “The gate” mentioned by Jeremiah was like the court and business area of a city, and “the elders” or “the older ones or ones with authority” usually conducted affairs of the people there. Because the city of Jerusalem was overrun by the Babylonians, the business and court proceedings “have ceased” which means “caused to desist, put an end to, destroyed, exterminated, removed or caused to fail”, and “the elders” who supervised these operations were no longer there.

The verse goes on to say, “the young men from their music.” In addition to the elders and their normal course of activity being interrupted, “the young men” or the “youths or teenagers” “were removed “from their music”. Where it was normal for the young people to be playing, singing and dancing to music, the tones were all quiet now, and no youths were found enjoying their tunes. Rather than savoring joyful sounds, the young people were slaves for the enemy who conquered them.

As we ponder the events which occurred to these two groups, perhaps we might picture what it would be like if our courtrooms and legislative halls were empty. What if those who were proficient in business were conducting none, and what if those who were used to functioning in the world of music were suddenly stopped. What if there was to be no justice, no business and no music at all allowed in our nation? We might suppose that the people of the nation of Judah had no idea about the judgment that was to come upon them, and as Jeremiah tells us what happened to them, maybe we will think about why this result came – rebellion against God and His ways. May the Lord help us to use our imaginations to think of what life would be like for our elders and young people if the same judgment would fall upon us, and as we do, may our prayer be that we align with the Lord before it's too late.

Next time we learn what happened to the people's joy and dance, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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