Jeremiah is so identified with God and his contemporaries that he experiences extraordinary grief. On the one hand, the prophet is pained to see that the nation has fallen into disgrace. Lost its inheritance to aliens, and forfeited its homes to foreigners. He laments over the poverty and enslavement of the people. Egypt and Assyria, heathen powers, dominate the scene.
Music is silent, joy departs, and dancing becomes mourning as sin is punished.
The heart of Jeremiah is also broken with the things that break the heart of God-the faithlessness and lostness of the people. Yet the final note is one of hope. The prophet looks to the Lord for renewal and restoration.