Meandering Through the Writings of Others as a Practice of Lament: Hebrew Scriptures, Zechariah

“Low Tide, Ambleside” Phone Photo, DS

Zechariah

Messages from the Lord

Were given to Zechariah

The Lord of Hosts was very

Angry with your fathers

But he will turn again

And favor you if only you

Return to him

Come return to me

But they will not listen

God’s Word endures

I saw a Man sitting on a red

Horse that was standing among 

The myrtle trees beside a river

I have returned to Jerusalem

Filled with mercy

The angel who was talking

To me went over to meet

Another angel coming

Toward him

Jerusalem will one day be

So full of people that

There won’t be room enough

for all

the Lord will be a wall

of fire protecting them

I see a golden lampstand

Holding seven lamps

Olive oil flowing into them

Not by might

Nor by power

But by my Spirit

You will succeed

Though you are few 

And weak

Two olive trees on

Each side of the lampstand

Two anointed ones

A flying scroll

Four chariots coming

Red horses

Black horses

White horses

And dappled-greys

Four heavenly spirits

Going out to do

God’s work

Judgment and then

Quieted anger

Bring gifts of

Gold and silver

The Branch will come

Rule as King and Priest 

Both

Harmony

Tell them to be honest 

And fair and do not

Take bribes

Jerusalem will have

Peace and prosperity so 

Long that there will once

Again be aged men and

Women hobbling through her 

Streets on canes and the

Streets will be filled

With boys and girls

At play

Tell the truth

Be fair

I will repay you two mercies

For each of your woes

The Lord their God will save

His people in that day

As a Shepherd caring

For his sheep

They shall shine in his land

As glittering jewels

In a crown

Fortune-tellers predictions

Are all a bunch of silly lies

What comfort is there in

Promises that don’t come true

God says

I will make my people strong

With power from me

They will go where they wish

And wherever they go

They will be under

My protection

Life-giving waters will flow

Out from Jerusalem

Half toward the Dead Sea

And half toward the 

Mediterranean flowing 

Continuously both in

Winter and in summer.

. . .

Meandering Through the Writings of Others as a Practice of Lament: Hebrew Scriptures, Jonah – Nahum

“Summer Day Behind the Ferry Building Gallery” Phone Photo, DS

The formation of soul habits keeps me on track toward healing and reorienting post pandemic. Bible reading can be done creatively, meditatively. Here are my explorations:

Jonah to Naham

A great storm came

What do you mean by

Sleeping at a time like

This

Get up and cry to your god

See if he will save us

Jonah drew the short straw

He told them he was running

Away

Throw me into the sea

And it will become calm again

The men stood in awe

Before Jehovah

Go to Nineveh and tell them

To stop

When they stopped

God stopped

That is why I ran away

I knew you were a gracious God

Full of mercy and kindness

Please kill me

Is it right to be angry about

This

Jonah went out and sat

Sulking

Why God said

Should I not feel sorry for

A great city

People in spiritual darkness

And all its cattle

Micah tell Samaria

The entire city will become 

Rubble

Visions of Micah

To both Samaria and Judah

Listen

The Lord is in his Temple

Sees idolatry and oppression

In capital cities Samaria and 

Jerusalem

Woe to the cities

Shave your heads in sorrow

You have driven widows from

Their homes

And stripped children of

Their rights

Yor prophets are drunk

Darkness will cover you

But in the last days

Mount Zion will be the most

Renowned

People from all over the world

Will make pilgrimages there

The Lord will arbitrate among 

Nations

In that day

Everyone will live quietly

For there is nothing to fear

He will bring back

The punished people

Many will lay siege to Jerusalem

Until the time of Israel’s

Rebirth

Remember your history

This is what he wants

To be fair and just and

Merciful

And to walk humbly with

Your God

I will do miracles for you

Where is there another God

Like you who pardons

With compassion

God gave Nahum a vision

Impending doom for

Ninevah

God is jealous over those he loves

Takes vengeance on those who hurt

Them

The Lord is good

When trouble comes he is the 

Place to go.

Meandering Through the Writings of Others as a Lament Practice: Hebrew Scriptures, Joel

“Lions Gate Bridge from the Ferry Building Gallery” Phone Photo DS

Before I began the deconstruction process of my old Bible, to decommission it in a respectful way, I was reading Scripture on a starvation diet of a verse here and a verse there throughout the week. Through this seemingly negative process of gleaning what is underlined and shredding the pages, I notice my inner life populated with words of hope. These words echo back in the midst of the challenges of the day. They ring in me when good things happen and play over me when I glimpse the ubiquitous beauty that surrounds and permeates life even in uncertainty.

Here are the explorations today:

Joel

Wake up and weep you drunkards

For all the grapes are ruined and

All your wine is gone

Weep with sorrow as a

Virgin weeps whose fiance

Is dead

The fields are bare of crops

The pomegranates wither

The apples shrivel on the trees

All joy has withered with them

O priests robe ourselves in sackcloth

Lie all night before the altar weeping

Turn to me now while there is

Still time

Let your remorse tear at your hearts not

Your garments

Return to the Lord your God

For he is gracious and merciful

Gather all the people together

For a solemn meeting 

I will give you back the crops

The locusts ate

After I have poured out my

Rains again I will

Pour out my Holy Spirit upon

All of you

Your sons and daughters will 

Prophesy

I will pour out my Spirit even

On the slaves

Men and women alike

You have sold the people of

Judea and Jerusalem

Took them far from their 

Own land

Let the weak be strong

Multitudes waiting in the valley

For the verdict of their

Doom

For I will avenge

The earth and sky begin to shake

Sweet wine will flow from

The mountains the hills

Will flow with milk

Jerusalem will thrive as

Generations pass.

Meandering Through the Writings of Others as lament Practice: Hebrew Scriptures, Lamentations

“Beautiful Grief”

Phone Photo by DS, Flower Artist Unknown but rumoured to have lost his daughter

Here are the explorations:

Lamentations:

Jerusalem’s streets once thronged

With people are silent now

For all these things I weep

Tears flow down my cheeks

My Comforter is far away

He who alone could help me

My children have not future

We are a conquered land

My own people laugh at me

All day long they sing their ribald songs

Yet there is one ray of hope

His compassion never ends

All our enemies have spoken out

Against us my eyes flow with never-

Ending streams of tears because

Of the destruction of my people

My enemies whom I have never harmed

Chased me as though I were a bird

O Lord you are my lawyer

God permitted it because of the

Sins of her prophets and priests

O Lord remember all that has befallen us

We are orphans

Turn us around and bring us

Back to you again.

. . .

Meandering Through the Writings of Others as lament Practice: Hebrew Scriptures, Jeremiah 27-52

“Pylons at Shipyards Waterfront, North Vancouver”

photo by DS

Here are my explorations:

Jeremiah 27-52

When Jeremiah had finished his message

Saying everything the Lord had told him to

The priests and false prophets and all

The people in the Temple mobbed him

The pillars of bronze standing before the temple

And the great bronze basin in the Temple court

And the metal stands and all the other ceremonial

Articles left here by Nebuchadnezzar king of 

Babylon when he exiled all the important people

Will all yet be carried away to Babylon and

Will stay there until I send for them then

I will bring them all back to Jerusalem again

To all the captives he has exiled from Jerusalem

To Babylon

Build homes and plan to stay

Plant vineyards

Work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon

Pray for her for if Babylon has peace so will you

I know the plans I have for you says the Lord

Plans for good and not for evil

In those days when you pray I will listen

You will find me if you look for me in earnest

God will rescue them

I will give you back your health again

And heal your wounds

Thank you God

I have loved you oh my people with an

Everlasting love

With lovingkindness I have drawn you to me

I will make a new contract with the people of

Israel and Judah

And I will forgive and forget their sins

You have made the heavens and the earth is

Anything too hard for you

Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable

Secrets about what is going to happen here

As a reward for trusting me

I will  preserve your life and keep you safe

I will save you from far away and

Bring your children from a distant land

My people have been lost sheep

Their shepherds have led them astray

Lead my people home again

Their Redeemer is strong His name is

The Lord of Hosts he will plead for

Them and see that they are freed to live

Again in quietness in Israel

Idols are nothing they are lies

I will be your lawyer

I will plead you case

I will avenge you

There were ninety-six pomegranates

On the sides and on the network

Around about there were a hundred more.

. . .

Two Targums of Love

The photo above is from the ‘Commons’ free images of the Celsus Library 117 AD in ancient Ephesus, a gift of love to honour his late father, Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, Roman Senator of the Province of Asia, from his son Gaius Julius Aquila.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Celsus

Targum:

It was probably the Apostle Paul who writes the book of Ephesians in 70-80 AD as a beautiful Hebrew style poem about how God has chosen to bless his covenant people.  In Jesus, Messiah, now everyone can join that family and find that grace.

After the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem twice in 597 BC and again in 70 AD and the subsequent exile of the Israelites, rabbis had to translate the texts of the Jewish Scriptures as they read.  Few understood Hebrew then.  The rabbis also updated the text into current contemporary idioms and contexts.  These non-literal translations were called targums.

Below are my two different attempts to follow this practice using a text from Ephesians 3 on God’s love – to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day week.  The first one is my wild artist effort to be outside of the box after watching the 61^stGrammy Awards, the second, a calmer version for the more studious among us.  Which do you prefer?

Targum #1

Whether God is a black woman like in “The Shack”

Or Jesus of Nazareth, the embodiment of

Old Testament wisdom literature

God is real and willing to give a course,

A whole series of courses in real practical

Wisdom, in fact the cosmic wisdom God wants us

To have is a new wave of wisdom programs

That permeate universities, corporations, hospitals

Care homes, the prison system and immigration

God not only provides a Tutor, the Spirit

But will program our software

Powered by the user’s faith

To end up with an A+ doctorate degree

In powerful world leaders and spiritual

Gurus and demons destroying type

Of Matrix surprising power

We have a personal Benefactor

A Patron who has paid for us to

Achieve success

All we have to do is register

And stick with the program

Out of love for our Handmaker

In these individualized 2.0 programs

For kindness ME to WE work

We can contact the Handmaker’s

Helpdesk 24/7

We do not work alone

A state-of-the-art studio

Awaits us each day with regular

Field trips offered and practicums

Provided for real-life hands-on

Career impressive callings

The work is messy, filled with chemicals

And hot and cold suffering, crying

Masks, gloves are provided

In metanarrative wisdom

The Handmaker gives us free reign

To create landscapes and portraits

Sculptures and installations

That show Whose love-rooted and

Love-conquering

Program we are in

In fact, in the Wisdom art school

We find ourselves, by faith beloved

Becoming

The painting, the Hand-pulled

Original print

The sculptures ourselves

The handmade Spirit-living art

Donated to gallery visitors

Installed in the Grand Grammy Awards

Art Show.

 

Targum #2

11. God did this as part of his forever plan. Thank you to Jesus for this in all he did on the Cross.
12. As a result, Jesus allows us the chutzpah to come closer to God trusting.
13. Please do not be down when you see me having a hard time on your behalf. Others will see and give you perks.
14. I fold my body before Abba.
15. The One whose vast array of creatures owe him life.
16. God is awesome and magnificent. I offer you to God for powerful modelling.
17. And so Christ will hang out with you and in you trust. Stay there grounded in deep affection and don’t run off.
18. I lay you and all Jesus mentees in his imagination to see the great dimensions of this affection.
19. This care is actually immeasurable in its excellence and scope. Then all that you are will be God-coloured.
20. I ask God to make our New Covenant community do God justice in word and deed fulfilling God’s blueprint for humanity and showing the very nature of God to all.
21. God is capable of doing in us more than we can request of dream up. May it be so.