Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. – Lamentations 4:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 26, 2020): Lamentations 4

Victor Hugo in “Les Misérables,” writes, “It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.” Or maybe we could phrase it this way; it is not the presence of death that scares us, it is the absence of life. That moment of death is one that we will all have to stare in the face at some point during our existence. It does not matter what you believe death will be; we know that it will come and demand something from us.

I think the question that I really want to ask is whether or not you have a way you would like to die. Do you want death to come fast, or would you rather that life linger, for at least a while, as you deal with the reality of what comes next? No one wants our death to be a long, drawn-out affair. Or even worse, as seems to happen to so many in our society, we do not wish that the absence of life would dawn long before the body is ready to die, but I think there is an attractive middle ground toward which we can aspire. When death finally comes knocking at our door, it would be good to have a little time to say what has been left unsaid to the ones who we are leaving behind.

The middle ground is not a place that occupies Jeremiah’s mind as he sheds his tears for the city of Jerusalem. He only sees two possibilities. The first is the death that comes quickly and unexpectedly in battle. It is death that is the result of a sword destroying what is vital for life in our bodies. According to the Prophet, these deaths come quickly and suddenly. There is no time to mourn the passing of life and no time to say our goodbyes. Death comes, and promptly life is over.

The second manner of death is the one that awaited the survivors of the war. Left behind in a land that has been destroyed by the enemy, life ebbs away as the survivors are unable to find enough to eat to sustain the strength and health of their bodies. Every day becomes a struggle and a battle to stay alive. And deep down, the survivors knew that the situation is hopeless. Survival is impossible. The absence of life is on its way, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop its exit. But as life leaves, it creates no end of pain to the ones that were watching it go.

Given that choice, most of us would choose a death that comes quickly amid the battle. But then again, I am not convinced that, even after the fall of Jerusalem, the choice was really that stark. Given this choice, we would choose to die quickly. But in the back of our minds, we also understand that as long as life lingers, there is at least a possibility for a better tomorrow.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 5