Learning to Lament With the Spirituals: A Six-Day DevotionalExemplo

Nobody Knows De Trouble I've Seen

Focus: Suffering the Consequences of Sin 

“Her adversaries have become her masters, her enemies prosper; 

For the LORD has caused her grief

Because of the multitude of her transgressions; 

Her little ones have gone away

As captives before the adversary”(Lam. 1:5). 

The first lament in the Book of Lamentations invites readers into the eyes and ears of the prophet Jeremiah as he describes the desperate circumstances of Jerusalem. The people of God once dwelled within the city's beautiful gates, but before Jeremiah's eyes the city lies in ruins, its constituents either dead or in exile. Jeremiah personifies the city as a destitute widow—abandoned, humiliated, and inconsolable—and himself along with it. 

Why has such deplorable misfortune overcome God’s people, including his prophet? Jeremiah knows the reason full well: the Lord has allowed this because of the multitude of [Jerusalem’s] transgressions (1:5). Simply put: sin. Sin is any divergence from the moral law of God,  and humans are culpable in relation to both personal and corporate sin. The pervasive presence of unrighteousness among His beloved people has invoked the Lord’s wrath. Jeremiah foretold of such an outcome, hoping his hearers might return to the Lord. Yet Israel persisted in transgression. So, the Lord’s unfaithful people suffer the consequences of their corporate sin. Jeremiah writes, “See O, Lord, and look, for I am despised. Is it nothing to all you who pass this way? Look and see if there is any pain like my pain which was severely dealt out to me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger” (1:11–12). 

Although Jeremiah himself refused to participate in covenant unfaithfulness to Yahweh, he was still affected by the transgression of his community. Just as the sinful consequences of the first man and woman are far reaching, even affecting the present, so it is with all sin. Transgression against God is communal; it will always affect one’s neighbor. 

In likeness to Jeremiah’s lament, the “Sorrow Songs” give voice to the trauma of destitution. The slaves in the Americas—who once enjoyed their own sense of identity, dignity, and independence—suffered as a result of the corporate sin of others. Whereas the slaves’ lives were simply that— their own—they found themselves in a parallel position to that of Jeremiah, examining the ruin caused by others and eager for the LORD’s intervention. Taken captive in a foreign land and stripped of their significance, they, too, had become like widows. So, they sang songs that gave voice to their sorrows: 

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows but Jesus. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” 

Yet, the shock lies with the closing line that follows: “Glory, Hallelujah.” 

Somehow, a most pitiful people offer profound praise, even from their hollowed state. As they wallow in their sorrows, they string hope through each stanza of their song as they take refuge in being known by the Savior. Whether others validated their suffering was of no importance. The Lord knew.  

“If you get there before I do—oh, yes, Lord. Tell all my friends, I’m coming too—oh, yes, Lord.” 

Their hope could not be in the present world, as this world was too harsh and unfulfilling. Rather, the world’s cruelty caused them to ache for the life to come, life in the Lord’s presence. 

Whether we suffer the consequences of our own sin or from ramifications of the sin of others, the spirituals, and the scriptures in which they found their roots, invite us into this same hope. As Christian slaves took solace in being known by their Savior, all who believe in Christ may also embrace this same refuge. 

THIN SPACE:  After completing today’s reading, take a moment for contemplation. Recount your “troubles” to the Lord. If some areas of your life lie in shambles, schedule a time to deal with them.  When ready, take a moment to reflect on the questions below: 

LISTEN: “Nobody Knows de Trouble I’ve Seen.”  

 As you listen, ask yourself the following: 

(1) Do I have areas of unconfessed sin in my life? 

(2) Am I or are others experiencing the consequences of my sin? 

(3) Is my current predicament the result of another person’s sin? 

(4) What is my eternal hope? How can I evidence such hope even amidst times of trouble? 

Photo by Sam Burriss on Unsplash