Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 18:1 (Spring 2021)
Article: Lament In Worship In An Evil World
Author: Jessica McMillan

JBTM 18:1 (Spring 2021) p. 27

Lament In Worship In An Evil World

Jessica McMillan

and

Ed Steele

Jessica McMillan is Director of Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Ed Steele is Professor of Music at Leavell College in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Introduction

The problem of evil transcends all time and has left humanity in the throes of chaos and brokenness since the very beginning. People of all cultures throughout time have experienced suffering and have found methods for expressing their deep pain and overwhelming feelings of despair. Ancient Near Eastern religious expressions were adopted and adapted into other cultural expressions, including the worship of Yahweh. Biblical writers used a recognizable literary form as a basis upon which to share the hope they found in God with the hurting people around them.

Biblical lament and the lament of ancient Near Eastern societies share some strikingly common features, but their functions are remarkably different. The role of ancient ritual lament was to look backward at events and people while biblical lament was (and is) a function of worship which points toward the hope of rescue. Therefore, a proper understanding of the role of lament is important because the truth found in biblical lament is the same truth available for suffering humanity today. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of lament from examples found in both Old and New Testament passages as well as to present practical applications for incorporating lament into modern corporate worship gatherings.

Historical Background

Lament In The Old Testament

Throughout the Old Testament, Israel knew Yahweh as the one who could deliver them from affliction. Israel’s relationship with him was based on his saving acts when they cried out to him

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in distress.1 According to Amos 5:16, mourning was dramatic and loud. Jeremiah 32:9–12 and 41:5–6b allude to some physical aspects, such as the beating of one’s breast and the removal one certain types of clothing. The theological significance of the lament genre only can be found in the proper distinction of the lament of affliction from that of lament for the dead. Funerary laments look backward at the life of someone deceased, and the lament born from affliction gives a voice to suffering while looking forward to the hope of rescue.