Readings for today: 2 Samuel 1-3, Psalms 87
Lament is a powerful spiritual practice. It breaks down the barriers that exist between us and our enemies. It tears down the dividing walls of hostility that separate us from our opponents. It creates common ground for us and those with whom we disagree. For example, imagine how different things might be if our political leaders could all step back and lament the many things going wrong in our country rather than spend so much energy casting blame? Imagine what could happen if families or neighbors or co-workers would lament together rather than so quickly rush to judgment or act on false assumptions? Imagine what would happen if social media became a space for common lament rather than act as a catalyst for outrage?
Lament is not weakness. It is not an implicit acknowledgement of guilt. It is not passive. It is an active, strong, gracious way to deal with hardship and suffering and the pain that results from the power of sin in our world. David laments over the death of Saul not because Saul was godly or deserving or had earned it. David weeps over him because Saul’s failure breaks the heart of God and tragically impacts the people of God. David weeps over Jonathan because of the death of a dear friend who was also a rival for the throne. David weeps over Abner because of the injustice of his death due to the ravenous violence of his subordinates. David weeps because the divisions and fractures and fights among God’s covenant people are the consequences of generations of sinful choices. He weeps because they are reaping what they’ve sown through the time of the Judges where each person did what was right in their own eyes. David sees all of this and more and longs to set a different tone. He longs to take Israel in a new direction. It’s why he stayed his hand over and over again when he could easily have struck Saul down. It’s why he made peace with Abner rather than fighting to the bitter end. David understands God’s heart and how God laments over the violence and divisions among his people.
Lament is a challenge for us. We struggle to step back and weep together over the state of things. Instead, we seem far more focused on blaming others. Far more focused on attacking others. Far more focused on absolving ourselves and protecting ourselves from any sense that we have contributed to the brokenness of our world. I think about some of the business that will come before our denomination this summer. One of the major issues will be the presentation of a “lament” over the history of racial strife in our nation. A group of pastors and elders have been working hard to put it together and already there are some who are rising against it. Before they’ve even seen it! They are afraid it will serve as an implicit acknowledgement of guilt. They are afraid it will stir up even more strife and dissension. They are afraid it will cast blame. Why we cannot simply sit in the dust and ashes of our sinful condition and lament the brokenness of our history and our world is beyond me. It is yet another sign of how far we have to go to really understand the heart of God. How can you begin to practice lament in your life today?
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 4-8, Psalms 88