“Rejoice and be glad, o daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz;
But to you also the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.
The punishment of your iniquity, o daughter of Zion, is accomplished; He will keep you in exile no longer;
But your iniquity, o daughter of Edom, He will punish; He will uncover your sins.”
- Lamentations 4:21-22
By this point in Lamentations, you may have noticed just how bleak it gets. The author does not hold back on describing the atrocities that occurred during and after the siege by Babylon. It gets incredibly honest and incredibly dark, on levels that are not for the faint of heart. So like always, I encourage you to read the full chapter, just know you will encounter things that seem so twisted you may wonder how this is even in our Bible!
What’s Up with Edom?
Edom at this point has also been mentioned a few times. What have they done? Who are they? Why is the cup of suffering going to get passed to them?
The Edomites are the descendants of Esau. Esau’s name can also be rendered at Edom because it's simply the Ancient Hebrew word for Red, for when he was born, he is described as being covered in red. Some go so far as to say he was the world’s first recorded redhead, but that’s beside the point.
Esau’s brother though was Jacob, the heel-grabbing deceiver who lied his way to receiving the blessing that should have been Esau’s. Esau and Jacob would later get over this, as Esau was still blessed with becoming a great nation, but they still were not the people of the promise. Jacob’s descendants became Israel and Judah, and Esau’s descendants became Edom.
Edom were close neighbors to Israel/Judah as well, they dwelled in the lands along the Northeast shores of the Dead Sea and further into the desert. Israel would not be allowed to take this land from them, but only to pass through, which was also denied to them, and throughout 1-2 Kings Edom and Israel would be enemies, locked frequently in battle. This would culminate in Edom’s frequent raids in the land of Israel after the siege of Babylon. These long-lost brother nations pursued violence over peace with one another, which results in both of their destructions.
Fast forward to 70AD, Jews and Idumeans (Edomites who were kicked out of their land by the Nabateans changed) would ally together in revolt against Rome. Enemies united against a common enemy resulting in the scattering of the Jews and the destruction of the Idumeans. Resulting in no known people group that claims descent from Esau. Their sins would be their downfall. Their injustices would be their demise. Their raiding parties are why here in lamentations the author prophetically writes about the cup being passed on to them.
Accomplished Suffering:
As for the people of Israel, they have endured dark days. What they went through is described as worse than what Sodom went through. For Sodom was taken out by God like a snap of His fingers, but Israel was being crushed under the weight of judgment but never taken out by it. People were scattered, some were taken captive to Babylon, and others spread out throughout Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Egypt. Those who remained alive in the land of Israel endured the raiding parties of their neighbors and famine in the land. Spiraling into deeper and darker tragedies that you can read in the chapter.
I think you get it at this point, they suffered greatly for their sins! While we are not sure when exactly this poem was written, its author had caught wind that this will not last much longer. For the judgment against Israel had been completed, the judgment is ending, the exile into all the nations will be no more, and God would make a way for all His people to return. Their cup of suffering is going to be passed from them to the Edomites.
We see the symbolism in one other place, Jesus in the garden east of the temple, praying to the Father for this cup to be passed, if there is another way. Yet the price of sin is death. Jesus had to suffer and drink of the cup of suffering, drink in full the judgment of God to all of humanity. On the cross, we would see His suffering accomplished, the debt of our sins paid in full, and then some.
God’s love in the exile meant that the exile would one day end and He would gather up all His people to re-establish them in the promised land. God’s love in Jesus means that all the sinners in this world are forgiven and being extended an invitation to the Kingdom of God where the required punishment has been accomplished.
So why then do we act as if others still need to suffer and endure pain for their sins? Justice has already been decided and accomplished. Mercy is already at hand. Rather than perpetuating suffering, let us go around and graciously preach what Jesus did, “repent and believe.” Acknowledge what you have done wrong and acknowledge that its debt has been paid by Jesus. His suffering accomplished everything.
Final Blessing:
This is why being centered on the Gospel is so critical. We can read passages like this and get overwhelmed by what it describes, but when we are centered on the Gospel, we can find what it's all trying to point to, “the punishment for your iniquity is accomplished, He will keep you in exile no longer.” Jesus paid and forgave every single iniquity, no longer are we stuck in our sins, but can be found in His Kingdom.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey!
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