Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope

Preaching the Word

by Philip Graham Ryken, R. Kent Hughes (Series Editor)

The "Weeping Prophet," the rabbis said, began wailing the moment he was born. Jeremiah had reason to weep—he witnessed the devastating consequences of life without God. Sadly, the relativism Jeremiah saw in ancient Israel predominates in America today. That's why his words are so relevant for our lives. Better than anyone else, Jeremiah exemplifies through his courage, passion, even his sufferings, how believers can live for God in a society that has turned against Him. While the book of Jeremiah shared the last, desperate days of the Jerusalem he loved, Lamentations expresses the cries of his heart. Yet they reveal more than the prophet's grief—they are an attempt to reflect on the meaning of human suffering. Lamentations gives voice to the deepest agonies, with the hope that some comfort may come from crying out to God for mercy. Together the two books illustrate the eternal principle that man reaps what he sows. It is a lesson the world—and the church—needs to hear. With the heart of a pastor and the knowledge of a scholar, Philip Graham Ryken applies these words of life to us today. His commentary will not only help you understand and teach from these spiritually relevant books, but inspire you with the courage and passion of God's personal call for you to live in these times. Part of the Preaching the Word series.

Genres: Christian, Theology

832 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2001

About the author

Philip Graham Ryken is Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he has preached since 1995. He is Bible Teacher for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, speaking nationally on the radio program Every Last Word. Dr. Ryken was educated at Wheaton College (IL), Westminster Theological Seminary (PA) and the University of Oxford (UK), from which he received his doctorate in historical theology. He lives with his wife (Lisa) and children (Joshua, Kirsten, Jack, Kathryn, and Karoline) in Center City, Philadelphia. When he is not preaching or spending time with his family, he likes to read books, play sports, and ponder the relationship between Christian faith and American culture. He has written or edited more than twenty books, including Bible commentaries on Exodus, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Galatians.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are plenty of good insights in this volume for sermons, but I do not consider it a particularly good commentary. It also feels very bloated and could probably have been much shorter than 800+ pages without losing anything of significance. In all honesty, I wish that I had read Matthew Henry instead.

[Peter Krol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I read only the single chapter on Lamentations (as that's the book I'm studying right now). The commentary on Jeremiah may be far more engaging than that on Lamentations.

[Bob O'Bannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryken strikes a healthy balance between practical application and scholarly commentary and shows in many instances how relevant the book of Jeremiah is for us today. Our culture has changed so much in the 20 years since this commentary was written, and sometimes it shows in the observations made, but this is an excellent volume for anyone wanting to read devotionally through Jeremiah (as I did) or wanting to preach the inspired words of the “weeping prophet.”

[Bill McCarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Graham Ryken has a written a very thorough ( with one exception ) commentary that I think both clergy and lay people will get a lot out of. My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that his commentary on Lamentations was just too brief.

[Wassenario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Jeremiah. A hard message at times but helped me get a more complete view of Gods justice