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August 18, 2025

What Do Sad Songs and the Bible Have in Common?

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: 2 Kings 21-25 and Lamentations 3

I recently visited my favorite search engine and looked up “top sad songs” to see what I would find. The first one that came up was Eric Clapton’s hit, “Tears in Heaven.” The context of the song is in response to Clapton’s four-year-old son’s tragic death after he fell out of a window. It was a truly sad incident.

Another sad song, one I’ve used in therapy with clients, is “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. While I was in graduate school, I had to complete two internship courses which involved me serving as a therapist at a psychiatric hospital in Dallas, Texas, specifically on the Trauma Unit. One of my favorite groups to run on Saturdays was the music therapy group. It consisted of playing sad songs and helping patients process the feelings that arose during those songs. “Everybody Hurts” was one of my favorites to play. Thinking about the power of these sad songs also makes me think of an entire book of the Bible that functions in a similar way.

Lamentations is also a collection of sad songs, formerly called a “dirge.” All five chapters are songs that express sorrow following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed, along with the Ark of the Covenant – most likely. As much as I enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark of the Covenant is not in some secret government warehouse.

Jeremiah did his best to warn the people of Judah and Jerusalem that judgment was coming, but they refused to listen to God’s prophet (see Jeremiah 7:25-26; 25:3-4). Instead, they followed false prophets telling the people what they wanted to hear; namely, since they lived in the city with God’s Temple in their midst nothing bad would happen to them (see Jeremiah 6:13-14; 7:1-4, 8-11; 23:16-17). They were untouchable, or so they thought. They were treating God’s Temple as nothing more than a lucky charm; their hearts were far from loving and obeying God (see Jeremiah 4:4; 5:21-23; 7:1-4, 8-11). This was a recurring mistake in their history, as they had previously treated the Ark of the Covenant as a talisman (see 1 Samuel 4:1-11). Lamentations is Jeremiah's journal of grief, detailing the tragic outcome of what happened because the nation continued to trust in the Temple and not in God.

To appreciate the context of Lamentations, read 2 Kings 21-25, 2 Chronicles 33-36, and Jeremiah 39 and 52.

Authorship and Date: Although the author is not explicitly mentioned, Jeremiah is considered the author. Given its content, the book was likely composed after the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.  

Jesus in Lamentations & Its Application: There are several parallels between Jesus of Nazareth and Jeremiah.

  • Both men had a message for Israel and the entire world.
  • Both foretold the destruction of the Temple (see Jeremiah 7:14; Mark 13:2).
  • Both wept over Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 9:1; Luke 19:41).
  • Both experienced rejection by their own family (see Jeremiah 12:6; John 1:11).
  • Both were charged with political treason (see Jeremiah 37:11-16; Luke 23:2).

We all experience pain and suffering. This is an inevitable part of life. What gives me hope is knowing I don’t have to hide my emotional pain from God. Since he already knows all things, Lamentations is an example for us in how to approach God with our pain, tears, lonely days, to be utterly honest with our creator. The ray of sunshine in the middle of such sad songs is Lamentations 3:22-24: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’” (ESV). I bet if you and I were to sit down over a cup of coffee, we could swap stories of God’s faithfulness. When we experienced hardship but didn’t think we would make it, God was faithful. He brought you through it; he brought me through it. Take time this week to dwell on the faithfulness of God, then tell him in prayer how grateful you are that he’s never abandoned you!