We also need the book of lamentations to understand the rest of the Bible.

So we don't characterize the Christian life is all victory in Jesus, sweetness and light.

Dr. Reed Lessing, author of The Issues that Set are a Book of the Month for January,

the new Concordia Commentary on Lamentations.

The book of Lamentations is a hard stop against such a perversion of the Christian life.

Learn more about the Concordia Commentary on Lamentations at IssuesetC.org. It's sometimes confusing when you're reading through the Old Testament especially.

There are a lot of emotions that are ascribed to God.

Now, some people say, well, that just can't be.

God doesn't change, therefore he doesn't have emotions because as we experience them, emotions are constantly changing. It might make God seem a little fickle if he had emotions. But the book of lamentations is a very emotional book, not only emotional for the people of God, but for God himself.

Welcome back to Issues, etc. I'm Todd Wilkin, joining us for part two of our series on the Old

Testament Book of Lamentations, Dr. Reed Lessing. He's the Edwin F. and Esther Lash chair of

Old Testament Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, and author of the

Issues, Et cetera, Book of the Month for January, the new Concordia commentary on Lamentations.

Dr. Lessing, welcome back.

Good to be here, Todd.

Let's jump back into it. What is the role of poetry in the Book of Lamentations?

Yes, so a lot of times, I think, are theological instincts when a disaster happens, such as

what's taking place now in Southern California, is to come across with theological

ideas, biblical truth, how, for example, maybe St. Paul might face disasters,

what Jesus has to say, and all that is good. That's good. We need a good doctrine and good teaching,

good preaching. So then the question comes, well then why write poetry in the midst of a disaster?

So poetry does something obviously that straight theological truths don't do.

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