The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they raised a clamor in the house of the LORD as on the day of festival.
God cast off His altar and sanctuary, not merely the buildings, but the sacred things themselves. Had the sun fallen from the sky, the confusion could hardly be worse; yet the people, unless utterly stupid, must have seen how terribly they had provoked His wrath by defiling what they held most dear. The Temple had been polluted long by their iniquities.
AI summary
The weight of these verses falls entirely on God's hand in the affliction. What cuts deepest is not that Jerusalem suffered, but that God made her suffer in His anger as an enemy. To those who prize His favor, His wrath is the true bitterness; His corrections in love wound most deeply because they come from Him.
AI summary
Commenting on Lamentations 2:1-9
He abhorred His sanctuary by suffering it to be profaned, pulled down, and burnt, as He must abhor all worship performed without faith in Christ, love to Him, or any view to His glory. The Chaldeans made a noise in the Temple blaspheming God, insulting His people, and reveling in victory where once the priests sang the songs of Zion.
AI summary