1 Maccabees 4:34-41: a reflection

34They joined in battle; and about five thousand men of Lysias’ army fell. They fell down near them. 35But when Lysias saw that his troops were put to flight, and the boldness that had come upon those who were with Judas, and how they were ready either to live or to die nobly, he withdrew to Antioch, and gathered together hired soldiers, that he might come again into Judea with an even greater army. 36But Judas and his kindred said, “Behold, our enemies are defeated. Let’s go up to cleanse the holy place and to rededicate it.” 37All the army was gathered together, and they went up to mount Zion. 38They saw the sanctuary laid desolate, the altar profaned, the gates burned up, shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest or as on one of the mountains, and the priests’ chambers pulled down; 39and they tore their clothes, made great lamentation, put ashes upon their heads, 40fell on their faces to the ground, blew with the solemn trumpets,and cried toward heaven. 41Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those who were in the citadel until he had cleansed the holy place.

After a hard-won reprieve from their enemies, Judas and his companions go up to Mount Zion, and what they find breaks their hearts. The sanctuary lies desolate, the altar profaned, the gates burned, shrubs growing wild in the courts where worship once flourished. Confronted with the ruin of the holy place, they tear their clothes, put ashes on their heads, fall on their faces, and cry out to heaven. Before they rebuild, they grieve.

Their response is worth noticing. They do not rush past the desolation to fix it efficiently; they mourn it first, feeling the full weight of what has been lost and defiled. And then, out of that grief, they set to work to cleanse and rededicate the sanctuary to God. Lament and restoration go together here. They let themselves feel the sorrow of the ruined holy place, and that sorrow fueled their determination to make it holy again.

There is a pattern here for anything precious that has fallen into ruin, whether a place, a relationship, or your own walk with God. It is right to grieve what has been damaged or defiled, to feel it honestly rather than shrug it off, and then to set about the work of restoration. Do not skip the lament, and do not stop at it either. Let sorrow over what has been lost move you, as it moved Judas, to the holy work of rebuilding and rededicating to God.

Lord, when Judas saw your sanctuary in ruins, he wept before he rebuilt, and his grief fueled his work of restoration. Where something precious in my life has fallen into ruin, teach me to grieve it honestly and then to set about rebuilding. Let sorrow over what has been defiled move me toward the holy work of restoration, and rededicate my life to you. Amen.