"The Message of Lamentations" by Christopher J. H. Wright. A Review
The Message of Lamentations
The Bible Speaks Today series
Christopher J. H. Wright
IVP Academic
ISBN: 978-0-8308-2441-0; June 2015;
$12.80
Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael
Philliber
5 out of 5 stars
Serious and Simple
It’s an odd assertion, but it clearly appears to me that lament and grief have been escorted out of the Church Sanctuary, and in many
cases, forced to the leave the premises altogether. Their absence brings many American churches to
look plastic, and leaves an emotional hole in the soul of a congregation. If
everything must be upbeat in a church, then after a while, only the enthused,
and those who can fake enthusiasm, feel they have a place. All others are
forced to weep and sorrow in the silence of their empty homes, or in the vacant
quietness of their hurting hearts. Yet lamenting is a full partner in the
Christian life. This is evidenced by the vocalized grief that courses through
the Psalms, the Prophets and all the way to Revelation; where the compounding voices
and cries join together, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long…”
(Revelation 6.10)? Restoring the balanced placing of lament in the Christian
life and worship is one of the aims of Christopher J. H. Wright, international
ministries director of the Langham Partnership, in his new 170 page paperback commentary,
“The Message of Lamentations.” This
small volume is the most recent installment in “The Bible Speaks Today” series.
Wright clearly sees Lamentations
as having a valuable spot in Scripture as well as in the sacred society. As he
notes, “the book assigns to us, as Christian readers, the missional task of
hearing the voice of the oppressed and persecuted, bearing witness to their
suffering, and advocating on their behalf – which is part of the purpose and
power of lament” (55). To listen intently to the tears and terror of
Lamentations tunes Christians to remember that real people have suffered, do
suffer still (21); and it trains us to use these words for ourselves and on
behalf of others.
The author correctly observes that there are several voices
being heard in this biblical book; the voice of the Poet, the voice of Lady
Zion, the voice of the people. But there is one voice missing, one person who
doesn’t speak for himself in all of the five chapters; “There is one voice we
never hear. God does not speak in the whole book of Lamentations. Heaven is
silent” (33). His silence honors the grieved and ground down because it makes
room for honesty in the hurt, candor in the thickest catastrophe. Yet, because
Lamentations is part of the whole of Scripture, because it is in the sacred
story, the voiceless one has turned “the whole book into a part of the
scriptural word through which God’s voice is heard” (43).
Wright skillfully teases out the various textures in
Lamentations, pointing out its particularities and peculiarities. His approach
is scholarly enough to delight Seminarians and academics, while being simple
enough to benefit busy pastors and Bible Study leaders. The book can be used
for personal study, and is geared to facilitate group study. Not only is it affordable,
but it affords Christian readers a wealth of deep, thought-provoking substance
that will likely bring them to fall on their knees and lift their faces in
astonishment and worshipful wonder. I strongly recommend the book!
My sincere thanks to IVP Academic for the free copy of “The
Message of Lamentations” used for this review.
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