RWBY Through Worlds

139: Far From Home

Ruby fell asleep on the train ride, and the others fell into silence.

Oscar decided to read more.

His other books didn't hold his attention very long, so finally he pulled out the holy one--he still didn't fully understand what that word meant. Shine had said it meant "set apart for good".

He looked at the table of contents; he hadn't gone in order--Shine had made him swear he wouldn't read this one book that was Song of Songs, until he was older...whatever that meant.

Oscar noted one book called Lamentations, which was one of the few words he actually knew the meaning of in the whole list.

"That sounds cheerful," he said.

"Hmm...that book is not cheerful," Ozpin remarked. "I remember that one. Very short... If I recall, this prophet laments the fall of his people, caused by this god... I suppose it seems small compared to what happened to Remnant, but apparently all gods inflict punishment."

Curious, Oscar opened it. It was very short.

Ozpin was right; the whole book was pretty sad--actually he could relate to the prophet in question, who was very upset about the fall of his people.

"I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath, He has led me and made me walk in darkness and not in light..." he read. [That is Lamentations 3:1. My favorite chapter of Lamentations.]

But reading another of the prophets--Jeremiah's--account of his suffering, it sounded pretty stiff, even to Oscar.

Then he reached the middle of the chapter, and the tone changed--something he'd noticed happened a lot in the Psalm books also:

"21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.

"22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul,
'Therefore I hope in Him!'

"25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.

"28 Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—
There may yet be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.

"31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
33 For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men...

"37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That woe and well-being proceed?
39 Why should a living man complain,
A man for the punishment of his sins?

"40 Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the Lord;
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven." [Lam. 3]

"The many oddities of their creed have never made sense to me," Ozpin remarked. "He grieves, but He doesn't want to grieve?"

"Isn't it just like how you don't want to hurt someone, but sometimes you have to to stop them?" Oscar said. "I wonder what they did that was so bad?"