Over the next several chapters in Lamentations, Jeremiah lives up to his reputation as a “weeping prophet”. He is weeping over the fall of Jerusalem.  Many of Jeremiah's lamentations literally happened in Jerusalem, such as the starving of the infants in the city and parents eating their children. 

The phrase "appointed feasts" is listed several times in today's reading in Lamentations 1-2 always followed by a message about destruction.  In Lamentations we read, "The Lord has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and her Sabbaths;" Could this be because the Spirit of God had already left the temple?  While these words may not resonate with us, they surely did with the people then.  These appointed feasts and Sabbaths were commanded by God to be observed.  This was not a suggestion.  When the people no longer were able to go to the temple to worship, they also were unable to participate in the rejoicing in the feast days.  There would no longer be priests in place to make atonement for their sins through the animal sacrifices and there was no longer any rest for them on the weekly  Sabbath. They now had to spend all their time and energy searching for food, or growing their food.  Because of their continual disobedience, God handed over to their enemy the sanctuary and the palaces in Jerusalem.  Now the joyful noise at the temple area was not for their God appointed joyous feast days but for the worship of the pagan gods. 

The book of Lamentations is a perfect example of prophetic foreshadowing. In the last days, and even beginning now, the apostate and false church can be substituted for Jerusalem. Read today’s reading again and see how it sounds with that substitution placed. 

Lamentations 2:14
The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.

The people of Jeremiah’s day listened to the false prophets who did not expose their sins. As a result the people went into captivity. If we are listening to prophets, pastors, and teachers who do not expose sin, what happens to us?  Many people in churches today are not being taught about sin and the consequences of sin.  Many are only told what they want to hear in a country club or theater atmosphere they call a house of worship.  

Lamentations 1:17
Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.

This verse is just another foreshadowing of the apostate and false church.  Ezekiel was given this vision of the idolatry in the temple.

We as Believers in Jesus have a responsibility to listen to God’s Word and the teaching of the Holy Spirit and not words of false prophets or false teachers. How do we know if we are hearing words from false prophets and false teachers? Just as we can be easily deceived by a counterfeit $50 bill if we are not familiar with the characteristics of a genuine $50 bill.  How can we spot a counterfeit bill? How can we know if we are hearing words from false prophets and false teachers? Easy...be very familiar with God's Word, the Monument of Truth!