Lamentations , livre ebook

Upon seeing all the devastation brought by Typhoon Yolanda, our five-year-old daughter asked a theological question which we were not able to answer: “Why did God allow the storm to happen?” This was exactly the lament of our hearts, “Why, O God?” This commentary on the book of Lamentations affirmed the validity of our very human grief in the midst of losses, but at the same time, it pointed out biblical resources to draw upon to strengthen us in our journey of faith. I find it a very rich reflection to help us deepen our Christian faith in our own Asian context.
Charlie E. Labarda, MD
Survivor of Typhoon Yolanda,
Church Council Chairperson (2013–2015), UCCP Tacloban City,
Founding Chair, BUHAT Tacloban, Philippines
When terrible natural disasters such as the Asian Tsunami and the fierce winds and storm surge of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan internationally) happen, the inevitable question arises: “Where was God?” “How could a just God allow this?” Federico G. Villanueva takes us through an engaged reading of the poetry of the book of Lamentations against the specific context of Typhoon Yolanda’s devastation and anguished “Why” question. Villanueva’s sensitive interpretation succeeds in demonstrating that to read Lamentations “in a detached, objective, uninvolved manner is to be like the ‘friends’ and ‘lovers’ of Lady Zion who showed her no comfort when she most needed it.”
Helen R. Graham, MM, PhD
Institute of Formation and Religious Studies, and Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila, Philippines
This simply written study on lament (the central theme of Lamentations), though scholarly, is deeply devotional and warmly applied to the inexplicably tragic destruction of lives and property particularly wrought by the world’s worst typhoon, Haiyan (Yolanda), that swept the central section of the Philippines. As brought out in the book, God’s dealings can be puzzlingly mysterious – but “his compassions never fail.”
Rodrigo Tano, PhD
First Area Dean, AGST–Philippines
Senior Professor, Alliance Graduate School, Philippines

LAMENTATIONS
Asia Bible Commentary Series
Federico G. Villanueva
General Editor
Federico G. Villanueva
Old Testament Consulting Editors
Yohanna Katanacho, Tim Meadowcroft, Joseph Shao
New Testament Consulting Editors
Steve Chang, Andrew Spurgeon, Brian Wintle

© 2016 by Federico G. Villanueva
Published 2016 by Langham Global Library
An imprint of Langham Publishing
www.langhampublishing.org
Langham Publishing and its imprints are a ministry of Langham Partnership
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Published in partnership with Asia Theological Association
ATA
QCC PO Box 1454 – 1154, Manila, Philippines
www.atasia.com
ISBNs:
978-1-78368-191-4 Print
978-1-78368-193-8 Mobi
978-1-78368-192-1 ePub
978-1-78368-194-5 PDF
Federico G. Villanueva has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-78368-191-4
Cover & Book Design: projectluz.com
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To the victims and survivors of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan
Contents

Cover


Series Preface


Author’s Preface


Acknowledgments


List of Abbreviations


Introduction


Reading Lamentations from the Context of Disaster


Why We Do Not Know How to Lament


It Is Okay to Lament


Background to the Book of Lamentations


Three Resources


Lamentations as Poetry


Summary of the Chapters


Where Is God in Lamentations?


Importance of Lamentations In The Asian Context


Lamentations 1


1:1–2 The Importance of Mourning


1:3–4, 6–7 The Agony of Exile and the Desolation of the City of Jerusalem


1:5, 8–9b Meaning-Making


1:9c–17 Beyond Confession


1:18–22 Never Letting Go of God


Lamentations 2


2:1–8 The Narrator Identifies with Lady Zion


2:9–13 The Effect of God’s Actions on Zion


2:14–17 “Who Can Heal You?”


2:18–22 “Pour Out Your Heart Like Water in the Presence of the Lord”


Lamentations 3


3:1–16 “I Am the Man Who Has Seen Affliction”


3:17–24 Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness


3:25–42 Words of Advice from the “Man”


3:48–66 The Lament of the Man/Poet


Lamentations 4


4:1–11 The Poet Mourns Again the Fall of Jerusalem


4:12–18 “Our End Had Come”


4:21–22 Sudden Change of Mood


Lamentations 5


5:1 Petition: “Remember, Lord, What Has Happened to Us”


5:2–18 “What Has Happened to Us”


5:19–22 “Restore Us to Yourself, Lord”


Bibliography

Endnotes
Series Preface
In recent years, we have witnessed one of the greatest shifts in the history of world Christianity. It used to be that the majority of Christians lived in the West. But now the face of world Christianity has changed beyond recognition. Christians are now evenly distributed around the globe. This has implications for the interpretation of the Bible. In our case, we are faced with the task of interpreting the Bible from within our respective contexts. This is in line with the growing realization that every theology is contextual. Our understanding of the Bible is influenced by our historical and social locations. Thus, even the questions that we bring into our reading of the Bible will be shaped by our present realities. There is a need therefore to interpret the Bible for our own contexts.
The Asia Bible Commentary (ABC) series addresses this need. In line with the mission of the Asia Theological Association Publications, we have gathered Asian evangelical Bible scholars in Asia to write commentaries on each book of the Bible. The mission is to “produce resources for pastors, Christian leaders, cross-cultural workers, and students in Asia that are biblical, pastoral, contextual, missional, and prophetic.” Although the Bible can be studied for different reasons, we believe that it is given primarily for the edification of the Body of Christ (2 Tim 3:16–17). The ABC series is designed to help pastors in their sermon preparation, cell group leaders or lay leaders in their Bible study groups, Christian students in their study of the Bible, and Christians in general in their efforts to apply the Bible in their respective contexts.
Each commentary begins with an introduction that provides general information about the book’s author and original context, summarizes the main message or theme of the book, and outlines its potential relevance to a particular Asian context. The introduction is followed by an exposition that combines exegesis and application. Here, we seek to speak to and empower Christians in Asia by using our own stories, parables, poems, and other cultural resources as we expound the Bible.
The Bible is actually Asian in that it comes from ancient West Asia and there are many similarities between the world of the Bible and traditional Asian cultures. But there are also many differences that we need to explore in some depth. That is why the commentaries also include articles or topics in which we bring specific issues in Asian church, social, and religious contexts into dialogue with relevant issues in the Bible. We do not seek to resolve every tension but rather to allow the text to illumine the context and vice versa, acknowledging that in the end we do not have all the answers to every mystery.
May the Holy Spirit who inspired the writers of the Bible bring light to the hearts and minds of all who use these materials, to the glory of God and to the building up of the churches!
Federico G. Villanueva
General Editor
Author’s Preface
Bible commentators do not usually share their own experiences in their interpretation of the text. However, I am firmly convinced that until we see our own experiences in the light of the biblical text and vice versa, we have not yet understood the text. This applies to any book of the Bible, but it has a particular relevance to the book of Lamentations. This book cannot be understood apart from the experience of suffering and the agony that goes with tragic experiences. So in this commentary I have tried to relate my people’s experience of the devastation of the city and region of Tacloban by Typhoon Yolanda to the experience of the Jewish people who mourned the destruction of Judah and the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Together we will read Lamentations in “collective solidarity with a suffering people.” [1]
There is historical precedent for this. The Jewish people themselves do not restrict the relevance of this book to their ancestors’ experiences when Jerusalem was destroyed. They recognize that it speaks to all their other experiences of destruction. As Asian believers who accept that the Old Testament is part of the Word of God that comes from Yahweh, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we too believe that the book speaks t