EXEGETICAL NOTES.—
(א) Lamentations 4:1. How is the gold dimmed. Not a mere diminution of its brightness, but a tarnishing which lowered the estimate of the ore. The most pure gold changed; something more than an alteration in the appearance of the purified metal is observed. The alteration is not in its substance, but in its depreciated value. The stones of the sanctuary—not only were precious stones worn on the garments of the High Priest, but the Temple also was garnished for beauty with them—are poured out at the head of every street. If this is regarded as having reference to the costly stones of the House of the Lord, the objection naturally arises that no enemy would be so reckless as to strew such precious material all over the city. Rather the whole verse is to be considered as a figurative representation of the sad lot of Jerusalem, not of its buildings but of its inhabitants, which will be told of in some verses following. A similar comparison is made by the prophet Zechariah, who foretells that the sons of Zion shall he as the stones of a crown, only not cast down, as here, but lifted on high (Zechariah 9:16).
(ב). Lamentations 4:2 defines the objects of which the preceding verse was an illustration. The precious sous of Zion, grouping all the people together, a kingdom of priests, an holy nation, comparable to, weighed in one scale against fine gold in the other, he is astonished to see as in utter contrast with what they were. Three varieties of gold are mentioned—gold, pure gold, fine gold—as if the sons of Zion were precious beyond the most precious things; but the contrast between the high estimate and the degraded reality, between what the Lord formed them to be and foes had reduced them to, forces out the cry, How are they reckoned as earthen pitchers, made from ignoble materials by human hands, and easily broken to pieces (Jeremiah 19:11).
Their humiliating condition is evidenced in children, adults, nobles, and mothers.
HOMILETICS
MORAL DEGRADATION
The destruction of Jerusalem was an event so unexpected, so unparalleled, so astounding, that it seemed as if it could not be sufficiently lamented. The grief of the prophet is not yet exhausted. Once more he looks upon the fated city as it gradually but inevitably collapses in the tightening grasp of the relentless besiegers, and as he sees the miseries of his countrymen in their direful extremity, he renews his doleful elegy. He reiterates the doctrine that the sufferings of Judah are the just punishment of her sins, and not until the chastisement has had its proper effect is there any hope of her restoration. These verses describe the moral degradation and wretchedness of the sufferers, and suggest the following reflections.
I. That moral degradation is the more evident when compared with a former condition of superior excellence. The people of God are called “the precious sons of Zion,” and their moral excellence is compared to “the most fine gold,” and to the hallowed “stones of the sanctuary.” Judah was a chosen and consecrated nation, and enjoyed unexampled privileges. She was raised not only into temporal affluence and splendour, but was intended to represent the lofty type of a moral and spiritual commonwealth. She was the custodian and teacher of spiritual blessings that were to enrich the world. She was the medium through which Jehovah sought to express His gracious purpose of salvation to the whole human race. No nation had been so exalted and so honoured. While she remained faithful to her calling, Judah was supreme and invulnerable among the nations. She shone with the lustre of the most fine gold, and her position was as secure as that of an impregnable fortress. But when she sinned she fell, and her fall was the more notable when contrasted with her former greatness and grandeur.
II. That moral degradation is a loss of character and stability. The moral reputation of Judah was tarnished—the gold was dimmed, the most fine gold changed. Three kinds of gold are mentioned in these verses—gold, most fine gold, and fine (or solid) gold. The precious metal not only lost its brilliancy but also its massiveness: it became thin and hollow. The religious character of God’s people, which was compact and strong as the solid building of the sanctuary, is shattered, and lies in a heap of ruins, like the stones of the demolished Temple that now block the streets of Jerusalem. Its moral value is destroyed. It is now of no more worth than a piece of brittle earthenware, which the swift hands of the potter can easily put together and as easily break. Sin is a great disintegrator of character. The external form may appear unchanged long after decay has set in; but the mischief is slowly and surely working, and the final collapse is inevitable. Nothing is safe where righteousness is ignored, whether in individuals or in nations.
III. That moral degradation is the occasion of painful lamentation. “How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers” (Lamentations 4:1-2). Even the most callous are sometimes moved to pity as they witness the downfall of excellence which they often envied and could not reach. Misfortune softens the hard-hearted. But who can sound the depths of anguish of the soul that realises the greatness of the disaster occasioned by the fall of morality and religion! It is the loss of personal righteousness, happiness, and peace; the loss of national prestige; the loss of all the safeguards of social life; the loss of untold blessing to the world; and, greatest of all, the loss of the favour and smile of God! In the midst of moral wreckage and ruin, it is a hopeful sign when even one is left who sincerely mourns and laments the catastrophe. The tears of such an one shine with the lustre of the goodness whose loss he deplores.
LESSONS.—
1. Religion only can make a nation truly illustrious.
2. When religion declines, the glory of the nation is obscured.
3. The loss of religion should be not only lamented, but should lead to diligent search after its recovery.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
Lamentations 4:1-2. Moral character: I. Is the basis of individual worth. II. Gives reputation and stability to individual life. III. Needs to be carefully guarded.
ILLUSTRATIONS.—Lack of moral sense. It is no exaggeration to assert that Napoleon I., strangely called the Great, had no moral sense. Carlyle tells the story of a German emperor who, when corrected for a mistake he made in Latin, replied, “I am King of the Romans, and above grammar.” Napoleon’s arrogance was infinitely greater. He thought himself above morality, and really seems to have believed that he had a perfect right to commit any crime, political or personal, that would advance his interests by an iota; and indeed he did commit so many it is almost impossible to recount them.
Moral degradation affects work. The corrupted Papacy of the fifteenth century so injuriously affected the art world, that from that time there was a serious decline in all the arts of painting. sculpture, and architecture. The degradation of religion first touched public morality, and then spread to all the arts. Character tells on skill. Where the heart declines, the hand will soon disclose it. The “work of our hands” is only established as “the beauty of the Lord is upon us.”—Ruskin.
Degeneration. In the Central Park Museum, at New York, there is the skeleton of a huge bird, now extinct. It is 14 feet in height; and by its side is a stuffed specimen of another bird not more than 14 inches. The latter is the nearest living representative of the former, which once abounded in New Zealand.
Degeneration of character. Rarely does a successful merchant who comes to New Orleans as a young man from the cooler latitudes leave a son who inherits the father’s energy. One generation is enough to change character. A city that lies below the level of the river which washes its wharves, and only a few feet above the poisonous swamps surrounding it, and which has six sweltering summer months, must always continue to draw upon the north for new men to carry on its larger business activities.—Smalley.
Moral degradation of drink. It is in the spiritual realm that the ravages of strong drink are most terrible. Many a mother observes, with a heart that grows heavier day by day, the signs of moral decay in the character of her son. It is not the flushed face and heavy eyes that trouble her the most; it is the evidence that his mind is becoming duller and fouler, his sensibilities less acute, his sense of honour less commanding. She discovers that his loyalty to truth is somewhat impaired, that he deceives her frequently without compunction. Coupled with this loss of truthfulness is the weakening of the will, which always accompanies chronic alcoholism. Then comes the loss of self-respect, the lowering of ambition, and the fading out of hope. It is a mournful spectacle—that of the brave, the ingenuous, high-spirited man sinking steadily down to the degradation of inebriety; but how many such spectacles are visible all over the land!
A good character a blessing. “When Peter Cooper, the New York Philanthropist, held a reception at the Women’s Art School shortly before his death, a most impressive testimony was given of the high regard in which his character was held. It was interesting to note the various manners of the crowd who approached him. “Mr. Cooper, we must put our little boy’s hand in yours,” said a young couple, with a child five or six years old at their side. Then a group of boys would come along and stand curiously regarding him from a short distance. “That’s Mr. Cooper,” they whispered in an undertone. And so the evening wore away, and ten thousand people had come and gone through the great bright halls and schoolrooms, and Mr. Cooper’s presence had put a good thought or feeling into everybody’s heart. I can see him now, with his smiling face and interested look, and his soft white hair waving over his shoulders, amid flowers, lights, and cheerful music, whilst his presence brooded like a benediction over the swaying and surging crowd.