Day 24
The book of Lamentations is just as the title suggests. Other impressions are that it is grief-laden, bereft of hope, or even jeremiad — a word derived from the supposed author of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah. I could feel the pain in these verses. Despite this, Lamentations also has some of the most beautiful lines I’ve read in the Bible thus far. Woven into the text are glimmers of hope — which really stand out. I can feel the resilience of the Israelites returning even amongst their tears.
The Wisdom of Solomon, another apocryphal book, feels like it took the hope of Lamentations and ran with it. It’s another one of those “I can see why this is apocryphal” texts. It mentions obviously Hellenistic concepts and even uses the word “devil.” Surprise, the devil/Satan is hardly the figure people think he is in these texts. In fact, the devil is barely a character at all…more of a stand in. The Wisdom of Solomon has glorious chunks of text that just uplift and inspire. They make me want to spend my days soaking up knowledge for that is the highest pursuit in life if you take this book at face value.
It felt right to read these two together. Despair and hope.
One Word for Lamentations: Jeremiad
One Word for Wisdom of Solomon: Erudite
Parts of the Text That Stayed With Me
- Lam 1:1-2, Haunting Beauty. “How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was princess among the provinces has become a vassal. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks…” I was immediately pulled in with that first line. I felt the longing and it stayed with me.
- Lam 2:7, I Don’t Want That Tabernacle. God disowns and rejects his sanctuary here. A verse before he rejects his tabernacle. Not only is the city lost, but God is flat out removing all connection to Israel. You could feel the abandonment.
- Lam 5, But Maybe Hope. A summary of the grief of Israel and what has befallen her followed by a small glimmer of hope. Perhaps the will return? One day? One day.
- Wis 1:13, Origins of Death. This is fascinating. God did not create death according to this verse and a few following it. Well now. How’s about that?
- Wis 7:6, Existentialism. “There is for all one entrance into life, and one way out…” Thanks for the reminder.
- Wis 10, Redemptive Power of Wisdom. This chapter has “wisdom” (referred to as a woman again) redeeming the righteous. It’s sort of a recap of major Biblical events: Adam, Noah, Moses, etc.
- Wis 14, Those Damn Giants. Lots of giants in the apocrypha. Here we’re reminded how ridiculous they are again and how it’s their fault the all died out. I need to read a study of giants in the Bible some day.
This post is part of a lager series where I read the entirety of Hebrew & Christian scriptures in 45 days. Take a look a the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.