Lamentations

The Lamentations of Jeremiah is the heart cry of a man that loved his nation, his holy city, and his brethren as he watches the ruin resulting from their sin.  The occasion was the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC.  The book is written in acrostic form.  In the Hebrew text, each of the 22 verses in chapters l, 2, and 4 begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order.  The third chapter has 66 verses (3 x 22) and in every 3 verses each verse begins with a different Hebrew letter in order.  Order gives way to emotions in prayer and the acrostic is not found in the last chapter.  This book looks ahead to the sorrow of Christ (Lam 1:12, 3:30) and the Jews during the Great Tribulation.