2 Chronicles 35:25
"Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations."
The book of Lamentations consists of five poems. The first four poems (corresponding to our chapters) are acrostic (in the Hebrew), meaning the first verse begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second verse with the second letter, and so forth. A short sentence about each poem might be as follows:
1. The destruction of Jerusalem
2. The anger of the Lord (at the sin of Jerusalem)
3. The prayer for mercy
4. The siege of Jerusalem
5. The prayer for restoration
What is the reason for Jerusalem's fall?
Lamentations 1:5 - "because of the multitude of her transgressions"
Lamentations 1:8 - "Jerusalem sinned greatly"
Lamentations 1:9 - "She did not consider her future" (talk about a practical application!)
Lamentations 1:18 - "I have rebelled against His [the Lord's] command"
Lamentations 1:20 - "I have been very rebellious"