1 Maccabees 1:16-28: a reflection

16The kingdom was established in the sight of Antiochus, and he planned to reign over Egypt, that he might reign over both kingdoms. 17He entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, with elephants, with cavalry, and with a great navy. 18He made war against Ptolemy king of Egypt. Ptolemy was put to shame before him, and fled; and many fell wounded to death. 19They took possession of the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils of Egypt. 20Antiochus, after he had defeated Egypt, returned in the one hundred forty third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude, 21and entered presumptuously into the sanctuary, and took the golden altar, the lampstand for the light, and all its utensils. 22He took the table of the show bread, the cups for the drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censers, the veil, the crowns, and the gold decoration on the front of the temple. He peeled it all off. 23He took the silver, the gold, and the precious vessels. He took the hidden treasures which he found. 24When he had taken all of these, he went away into his own land. He made a great slaughter, and spoke very arrogantly. 25Great mourning came upon Israel, in every place where they were. 26The rulers and elders groaned. The virgins and young men were made feeble. The beauty of the women was changed. 27Every bridegroom took up lamentation. She who sat in the marriage chamber was mourning. 28The land was moved for its inhabitants, and all the house of Jacob was clothed with shame.

This passage tells of a bitter day for God's people, when Antiochus plundered the temple, stripping away its holy things, and great mourning fell upon Israel. Great mourning came upon Israel, in every place where they were, the account says; the rulers and elders groaned, and the whole house of Jacob was clothed with shame. The desecration of what was holy, the plundering of the temple, brought deep and honest grief to the people; they mourned, groaned, lamented the profaning of the sacred. Their mourning was a fitting response to a real and terrible loss, the violation of the holy. This shows that deep grief and lament are a fitting response to profound loss and the profaning of what is sacred. Deep loss rightly brings honest grief and lament. The people mourned the desecration of what was holy. Lament is a fitting response to real and terrible loss. Honest grief before God is right when the sacred is violated.

Notice that the people's response to this desecration was open, honest mourning. When the temple was plundered and the holy things stripped away, they did not pretend it was a small thing or suppress their grief; they mourned deeply, in every place, groaning and lamenting the profaning of what was sacred. Their lament was not a failure of faith but a fitting response to a real and grievous loss. This gives us permission, in our own profound losses and griefs, to mourn honestly, to lament before God what is truly grievous, rather than suppressing our grief or pretending it does not hurt. When we suffer real loss, when what is precious is violated or taken, honest grief and lament are fitting, and God does not despise them. Scripture is full of lament, and the God who receives it is not offended by our honest grief. We can bring our real mourning to God, as his people did, trusting that he receives our lament. Honest lament in profound loss is fitting, not faithless. God receives our honest grief; we may mourn before him. Deep loss may be deeply and honestly mourned before God. Lament is a fitting response God does not despise.

That is worth taking to heart, for deep grief and honest lament are a fitting response to profound loss and the profaning of what is sacred, as God's people mourned deeply when the temple was plundered. We can feel we must suppress our grief, pretend a real loss does not hurt, or that mourning is a failure of faith; but when what was holy was desecrated, the whole house of Jacob mourned openly and honestly, and this lament was fitting, not faithless. God receives our honest grief. When you suffer profound loss, do not suppress your grief; mourn honestly before God, who receives your lament. Bring your honest grief and lament to God in your profound losses, as God's people, when Antiochus plundered the temple and stripped away its holy things, mourned deeply in every place, groaning and lamenting the profaning of the sacred, the whole house of Jacob clothed with shame; for we can feel we must suppress our grief, pretend a real loss does not hurt, or imagine that mourning is a failure of faith, but honest lament in the face of profound loss and the violation of what is precious is fitting and not faithless, and Scripture is full of such lament, which the God who receives it does not despise, so that when we suffer real loss we may mourn honestly and deeply before God, bringing him our grief as his people did, trusting that he receives our lament.

Lord, this passage tells of a bitter day for your people, when Antiochus plundered the temple, stripping away its holy things, and great mourning fell upon Israel. Great mourning came upon Israel, in every place where they were, the account says; the rulers and elders groaned, and the whole house of Jacob was clothed with shame. The desecration of what was holy, the plundering of the temple, brought deep and honest grief to the people; they mourned, groaned, lamented the profaning of the sacred. Their mourning was a fitting response to a real and terrible loss. This shows that deep grief and lament are a fitting response to profound loss and the profaning of what is sacred. Show me that the people's response to this desecration was open, honest mourning. When the temple was plundered, they did not pretend it was a small thing or suppress their grief; they mourned deeply, groaning and lamenting the profaning of what was sacred. Their lament was not a failure of faith but a fitting response to a real and grievous loss. This gives me permission, in my own profound losses and griefs, to mourn honestly, to lament before you what is truly grievous, rather than suppressing my grief or pretending it does not hurt. When I suffer real loss, when what is precious is violated or taken, honest grief and lament are fitting, and you do not despise them. Take that to my heart, for deep grief and honest lament are a fitting response to profound loss. Keep me from feeling I must suppress my grief, pretend a real loss does not hurt, or imagine that mourning is a failure of faith; when I suffer profound loss, help me mourn honestly before you, Lord, who receive my lament and do not despise my honest grief, as your people mourned when the temple was plundered.