By Dr. Linda Caples – June 19, 2020 A simple internet search will teach you many things widely discussed about Juneteenth. You’ll learn that Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation made slave-holding illegal in the US and went into effect on January 1, 1863. Yet, it wasn’t until June 19th of 1865 and one last harvest that enslaved people in Texas were freed. To commemorate the day, freed men and women created the holiday known as Juneteenth.
But why was Texas determined to hold on to slavery? In short, this was the third time Texas had fought to enslave people. Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821 and abolished slavery in 1829; 34 years before the US. Texas was a Mexican territory at the time and struggled to continue enslaving human beings. Thus for this reason and others, Texas fought and won its independence from Mexico in 1836 which was the first time they fought to preserve among other things, the retention of enslaved people. Texas then became a US state in 1845. The Mexican-American War in 1846 had the goal of doubling the size of the US and making the territory a slaveholding territory to ensure the institution of slavery continued. Therefore, the Mexican-American war was the second time Texas fought to retain enslaved people. The Great Compromise of 1850 lays out how California would be a free state and Texas would be a slave-holding state. However, Texas was the test. Win Texas and expand slavery in the US. During these tumultuous years, underground railroad routes south to Mexico were active across Texas. With the US Civil War as the third time Texas was embattled to retain enslaved people, and the uncertainty as to if or when enslaved people in Texas could be freed, fleeing south to Mexico was the only hope for many until June 19, 1865.
Consider the timeline. Slavery in the US was first abolished in 1777 in Vermont, 88 years before Texas, and only one year after the Declaration of Independence. Spain began to abolish slavery in its colonies in 1811, Sweden in 1813, Britain in 1833 including Canada in 1834, Danish in 1846, France in 1848, and Netherlands in 1861. This means that all of North, Central, and South America had ended slavery before the US (1863 & Texas 1865) with the exception of Cuba (1886) and Brazil (1888). Therefore, Juneteenth isn’t just about the end of slavery in Texas, it represents some of the last people in the Western Hemisphere to be freed from bondage—in a legal sense…but not really.
Slavery continued under different names after June 19, 1865. The 13th Amendment only made enslavement a criminal offense if charged and prosecuted. It was illegal for Black people to testify in court against White people therefore, much of the illegal slavery went unchecked. It was illegal for Black people to seek the services of sheriffs. Yes, there was a time in American history when it was illegal for Black people to seek help from law enforcement. This law was part of a series of laws called the Black Codes (aka, Negro Codes, see also Pig Laws). In many states, it continued to be illegal for Black children to attend school. It was illegal for Black people to have certain jobs and at the same time, it was a crime for Black people to be unemployed. This form of slavery evolved into Jim Crow laws, segregation laws, and then the prison-industrial complex of today.
Let’s not forget Mississippi ratified its state constitution in 1995 to make slavery illegal and did not submit the required documentation to abolish slavery within its borders as required by the 13th Amendment until 2013. The state government claimed it was a clerical oversight. Making slavery illegal did not change people’s hearts towards Black people. Slavery was not just a legal issue, but a spiritual issue. Ever since the fall of man, people have been trying to take God’s place and rule over others and every time, there have been serious consequences.
The Bible says in Isaiah 10:1-3
“Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widow may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on that day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?”
Juneteenth may commemorate the day news regarding the end of slavery reached the state of Texas. But the continued celebration is about the undying spirit and faith of a people created in God’s image and their enduring hope as they are subjected to the iniquitous decrees of slavery, the writing and enforcing of oppressive laws, and police brutality and other forms of injustice. It is a celebration of the unrelenting perseverance of those who continue to be systematically robbed of rights and opportunity, the strength of subjugated women, and the determination of many who became fatherless due to the criminalization of Black skin.
A tradition on Juneteenth and at many Black community events is the singing of all three verses of the Black National Anthem.
I leave you with the last verse:
“God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who hast by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, True to our native land.”
How Hebrew Poetry Works
Rhyming Thoughts
While Western poetry often relies on metered rhyme (similar-sounding words), ancient Israelite poetry doesn’t follow a master system of meter or sound. Instead, its primary organizing principle is the parallelism of lines—essentially, biblical poets “rhyme” thoughts and ideas rather than sounds.
- The Heartbeat: Parallelism Parallelism is an “associative mode of thought” where two things are placed next to each other to show their relation. It assumes that to truly understand an idea, you need to grasp another idea that is both similar and distinct. There are three main types:
- Synonymous: The second line repeats the first using different words (e.g., “The heavens declare the glory of God; / the skies proclaim the work of his hands”).
- Antithetical: The second line contrasts the first, often using the word “but” (e.g., “The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, / but the way of the wicked leads to destruction”).
- Synthetic (Progressive): The lines build on each other to tell a developing story or narrative.
- The Color: Imagery & Metaphor Biblical poems are “terseness” personified—they use fewer words than normal speech to communicate rich, imaginative experiences. To understand them, we must understand the ancient Israelite worldview. Common metaphors include:
- The Shepherd: Signifying God’s care, provision, and leadership.
- The Rock/Fortress: Representing stability, safety, and refuge.
- Unsafe Landscapes: Using deserts, storms, or waves to signify fear or tests of faith.
The Architecture: Structural Glue
The psalmists didn’t just write individual lines; they used sophisticated “structural glue” to organize their prayers into larger units.
- Stanzas: Groups of lines that form a distinct “paragraph” or unit of thought.
- Refrains: A phrase repeated at intervals, like a musical chorus, grounding the reader in a recurring truth during shifts in mood.
- Inclusio (The Envelope): This is when a poem begins and ends with the same phrase. These “bookends” signal that everything in the middle should be interpreted through that specific frame.
- Chiasm (Symmetry): A pattern where themes are repeated in reverse order (A-B-C-B-A). In a Chiasm, the “C” (the center) is the “hinge”—it is the most important point the author wants to make.
Our Language of Faith
Themes to Look For
As we dive into the Psalms together, use your reading guide to look for these six specific themes. These aren’t just categories; they are the “language of faith” that helps us trust in Jesus, become like Jesus, and do as Jesus did.
- Praise & Hymns (The Language of Adoration) These are songs of “orientation”—they recognize the right order of the world with God at the center. This language is used to express direct worship for who God is, not just what He has done. When we pray these, we align our hearts with the truth of His character.
- Lament (The Language of Raw Honesty) About one-third of the Psalms are laments—cries of pain, protest, and confusion. This is the language of “disorientation.” These psalms give us permission to bring our grief and anger to God. They remind us that God welcomes our honesty, and bringing our pain to Him is actually a profound act of faith because it assumes He is listening and He is the only one who can help.
- Petition (The Language of Asking) Petition often goes hand-in-hand with lament. It is the specific cry for help, protection, or intervention. Whether asking God to “wake up” or to “be a shield,” this theme gives us the words to express our total dependence on Him when we are in distress or facing injustice.
- Thanksgiving (The Language of Rescue) This is the language of “new orientation.” These psalms are the “before and after” stories of the Bible. They are prayed after God has delivered or rescued the psalmist. They move beyond general praise to specific gratitude for a concrete act of God’s faithfulness in time and space.
- Wisdom (The Language of Reflection) Wisdom psalms (like Psalm 1 or 119) invite us to reflect on how to live life well. They often contrast “two ways” of living—the way of the righteous who meditate (hagah) on God’s Word and the way of those who ignore it. This language helps us navigate the complexities of life in light of God’s instructions.
- Royal (The Language of Hope) Royal psalms focus on the King or the promised “Anointed One.” While they originally spoke of the Davidic kings, they point us toward the ultimate King, Jesus. This is the language of waiting and hope, looking forward to the day when God’s Kingdom fully arrives on earth as it is in heaven.
Reflect & Apply:
The 150-Day Challenge
Our challenge to you is to read one Psalm a day over the next 150 days.
Choose Your Journey
- The 150-Day Challenge: Read one Psalm a day for a steady, transformative experience.
As you read, use these three questions from your bookmark to guide your meditation:
- How should this psalm make you feel? Notice the psalmist’s raw honesty. What emotion is it designed to help you express to God right now?
- Where is Jesus? Many psalms come from someone waiting on God. What is this psalm waiting for? Does Jesus answer that wait, or did He experience that same wait Himself?
- Can you use this psalm to talk to God right now? If so, pray it! If not, “hide it in your heart”—you may need it soon.
Happy meditating (hagah-ing)!
Dive Deeper
Recommended Resources
If you want to go even further in your study of biblical poetry and the Psalms, here are some excellent resources compiled from our class:
Watch & Learn
The BibleProject has created several incredible video series that bring these concepts to life. We highly recommend checking out:
How to Read the Bible series: Includes specific videos on Poetry, Poetic Metaphor, and The Book of Psalms.
Read & Explore