In Lamentations 2:6 it is stated that God destroyed the temple, the worship, and the religious institutions in Jerusalem. First the destruction of the temple is mentioned (He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins his meeting place
); then the cessation of the festivals and Sabbath celebrations at the temple (the LORD has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath
). Included in God’s judgment is the rejection of the religious leaders responsible for the temple worship (king and priest
). Lamentations 2:7 continues in God’s judgment, with focus on the temple worship. The statement that the Lord has scorned his altar
indicates that his appointed means of reconciliation has been removed, while the whole temple complex with its religious activity was given into enemy hands. It is to be noted that all of this is the act of God, who uses the nations to accomplish his sovereign purposes.
6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins his meeting place; the LORD has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.