As we posted a couple of days ago; see A LESSON FROM LAMENTATIONS, the book of Lamentations gets its name from the first word in the book. Although this Hebrew word means “laments” or “dirges,” it can be translated “how.” Lamentations is five laments or dirges, funeral songs or poems, sung or recited by its author, Jeremiah, over the judgment and destruction of his beloved city, Jerusalem. The question on the weeping prophet’s heart as he mourns over his beloved Jerusalem is: “How could such a thing happen to the people and city of God?”

The inhabitants of Jerusalem felt invulnerable to destruction, because they were the people of God, lived in the city of God, and attended the temple of God. Even in their sin against God, they felt secure with God and safe from the judgment of God. However, in Jeremiah chapter seven, the prophet stands at the entrance to Jerusalem’s temple and preaches to those entering, his famous temple sermon, within which he warns the worshipers that there is no such thing as security in sin. Regardless of who you are and where you are, in Jerusalem or the temple, security with God is only found in submission to God!

How many people today, like the Jews of Jeremiah’s day, feel secure in their sin and safe from God's judgment? They feel invulnerable from the judgment of God, despite their sin against God, simply because they’re a professed Christian, an American citizen, or a churchgoer. However, as Jeremiah preached and Lamentations proves, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Christian, live in Jerusalem or America, or go to the temple or to church, there is no such thing as security in sin, neither for us nor for our country.