119. Internal Meaning of Lamentations (11)

Chapter 1(1)

1-3 The church and its doctrine from the Word, which had been dominant, but now enslaved and laid waste. (3)

4-5 All of its truths and goods are perverted. (3, 16)

6 There is no power against the hells. (3)

7-11 All things of the church have been devastated, and hence it is in evils and falsities. (3)

12-16 Its grief on account of the devastation. (3)

17-22 There is no help from heaven. (3)

These days we tend to think of "roads" as smooth swaths of pavement and judge them by how fast we can drive cars on them. A "path" is something different, suitable only for walking or maybe bicycles, and a "way" has more to do with giving directions than any physical reality. When we get "lost" it usually means we're in a car on an unfamiliar road -- a far cry from being in the middle of a trackless wilderness with no idea which direction to go. The ancient world was very different, with isolated towns and endless square miles of trackless wilderness. Then a "way" was a set of landmarks to follow to get from one place to another through the wilderness. A "path" was a way used enough to leave a visible trace on the ground, and a "road" was a heavily used path, easily followed and walkable. So it makes sense that when used in the Bible, all three terms represent guiding truth, ideas that lead us where we want to go. This is pictured in the modern use of "way" -- when we talk about the "way" to do something or the "way" to get somewhere. We're talking about the correct, best, most efficient method of doing something or getting somewhere. And it's good information -- truth -- that helps us find that best way.