Jeremiah. The Weeping Prophet.
I have to ask: Does anyone actually enjoy reading Jeremiah? It is sooo dark and sooo long. I'm glad that I'm done with Jeremiah. The next book (as I Read Through The Bible in alphabetical order) is Job -- then I'll be done with the long, difficult books. (Remember, I happen to like Leviticus and Numbers!)
I'm always struck by the persecution inflicted on the man by the kings and priests of Jerusalem.
But he always seemed to be even more troubled that no one listened to his warnings of imminent demise.
Jeremiah eventually preached that the people of Judah should capitulate to Babylon. Can anyone even imagine someone today telling America to capitulate to an adversary? We can sort of see why Jeremiah was persecuted so vigorously.
I don't like to watch or listen to much hyperbolic TV or radio. It just upsets me. I suppose there are some talking heads out there claiming to be Jeremiahs; I just don't know. If you're reading this and you've encountered one, let me know. The next question, however, would be, is this "Jeremiah" sincere, or just grand-standing? Sorry for my cynicism.
As awful and dolorous as Jeremiah is, the prophecy also contains some of the most hopeful passages in the Bible: Chapters 29-31 talk about God's eternal and abiding love, and His promises to restore Judah. Often, I find myself wondering if those promises really do apply to times past the restoration following the Exile. But the passages about God's faithfulness are so compelling and so adamant, I have to believe they do.
A few faves:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 -- "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and fine me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 31:3 -- "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."
Jeremiah 31:33-34 -- "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
I guess the bottom line of Jeremiah--all the doom and gloom notwithstanding--is that God promises again and again that even though He punishes Judah and Israel for their infidelity, He will restore them and never, never, never stop loving them. That's pretty good news from a pretty sad prophet.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
James: Perfectly practical
Okay, I know I just wrote that Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible, but so is James.
It's just so practical and down to earth. There's hardly anything in James that I have to puzzle over. Other books in the New Testament are filled with thoughtful theology. James just has good advice about how to live a godly life as a Christian believer, especially in community. He insists that true faith is demonstrated in good works and godly living. Faith and works go hand in hand. I believe that, too.
I wish more so-called Christians would take to heart James 2:12-13. "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." I chafe at the words of holy people who are so quick to condemn or disdain others. I just don't think that's how Jesus would be.
Many scholars believe this book was written by the brother of Jesus. Presumably he was the head of the Christian church in Jerusalem. Certainly, if he was Jesus' brother, he would have had a special place of esteem among the disciples. He is mentioned in Acts and by Paul in 1 Corinthians and Galatians (maybe other places, too). I have heard that "tradition" says he was such a devout and pious man, always at prayer, that he was called "Camel-Knees" because of the calluses he developed.
Side note: The issue of "who actually wrote the books of the Bible" is a perennial hot topic among scholarly types. The controversy keeps guys (and a few gals) supplied with material for papers, theses, and dissertations. I went to a conservative seminary that tends to support more traditional views of who wrote what. And that's fine with me. I don't think that the message in the Bible is significantly affected by different views of who the actual authors were. I'm just saying that I'm aware that not everyone would agree that James wrote James or that James was a sibling of Jesus. Not my issue.
I saw something new when I read James this time. James 2:8-10 reads, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are covicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." I always thought the main thrust of this passage (i.e., breaking one part of the law is breaking all of it) was support for the tenet that observing the Law will not bring you to salvation. That's true, I think.
Yet, the focus may be more on the issue of loving your neighbor as yourself. Maybe it's trying to say that if we break that law (the royal law) in any way, we break that whole law. And don't we do that about a million times every day? Who among us really really really loves his neighbor as much as he loves himself--and acts accordingly?
Every time I read James, I end up doing a lot of soul-searching, and finding myself coming up short in virtue. It's almost like James reads my mind--and my dirty little secrets.
Here are a couple of verses that I want to characterize my life:
3:13 -- Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
3:17 -- But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
5:16b -- The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
It's just so practical and down to earth. There's hardly anything in James that I have to puzzle over. Other books in the New Testament are filled with thoughtful theology. James just has good advice about how to live a godly life as a Christian believer, especially in community. He insists that true faith is demonstrated in good works and godly living. Faith and works go hand in hand. I believe that, too.
I wish more so-called Christians would take to heart James 2:12-13. "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." I chafe at the words of holy people who are so quick to condemn or disdain others. I just don't think that's how Jesus would be.
Many scholars believe this book was written by the brother of Jesus. Presumably he was the head of the Christian church in Jerusalem. Certainly, if he was Jesus' brother, he would have had a special place of esteem among the disciples. He is mentioned in Acts and by Paul in 1 Corinthians and Galatians (maybe other places, too). I have heard that "tradition" says he was such a devout and pious man, always at prayer, that he was called "Camel-Knees" because of the calluses he developed.
Side note: The issue of "who actually wrote the books of the Bible" is a perennial hot topic among scholarly types. The controversy keeps guys (and a few gals) supplied with material for papers, theses, and dissertations. I went to a conservative seminary that tends to support more traditional views of who wrote what. And that's fine with me. I don't think that the message in the Bible is significantly affected by different views of who the actual authors were. I'm just saying that I'm aware that not everyone would agree that James wrote James or that James was a sibling of Jesus. Not my issue.
I saw something new when I read James this time. James 2:8-10 reads, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are covicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." I always thought the main thrust of this passage (i.e., breaking one part of the law is breaking all of it) was support for the tenet that observing the Law will not bring you to salvation. That's true, I think.
Yet, the focus may be more on the issue of loving your neighbor as yourself. Maybe it's trying to say that if we break that law (the royal law) in any way, we break that whole law. And don't we do that about a million times every day? Who among us really really really loves his neighbor as much as he loves himself--and acts accordingly?
Every time I read James, I end up doing a lot of soul-searching, and finding myself coming up short in virtue. It's almost like James reads my mind--and my dirty little secrets.
Here are a couple of verses that I want to characterize my life:
3:13 -- Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
3:17 -- But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
5:16b -- The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Isaiah: A view to the future
Finally catching up on my Read Through The Bible (RTTB) in one year, alphabetically. I've been staying current with my schedule, but lagging in writing the blog. Sigh. I finished Isaiah more than a week ago. Here are some of the notes I made to myself as I read it.
For starters, Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It is one of the most-quoted in the New Testament, so those writers must have read and re-read it, too. I love its poetry and its scope. I actually read through it slowly last year along with a 700-page commentary. I also have fond memories of studying it in Hebrew while I was in seminary.
So many passages of Isaiah are stunning and memorable. Chapter 6, Isaiah's call, is way up there. I also love chapter 7, where the arrogant King Ahaz refuses to accept God's offered sign. Ahaz intimates that he's too pious to want a sign from God; in truth, he had made up his mind to do what he wanted (forge an alliance with Assyria) rather than trust in God for deliverance. He gets his sign anyway, "The virgin shall conceive..." I wonder if he'd been more humble, would God have changed the history of Judah by not allowing Assyria to conquer Israel and then oppress Judah?
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14) is one of numerous passages that are viewed as Messianic prophecies, foretelling Jesus Christ. I wish I had a Jewish commentary on Isaiah--and on other OT texts that Christians see as prophecies about Jesus. The "suffering servant" passages in particular are intriguing. I wish I knew how ancient Jews viewed these passages. And how have Jewish scholarly views evolved on these passages, in the time of Jesus, in modern times?
Here's another example of wondering what the timeframe of the prophecy might be: On the day that I read Isaiah 19, a prophecy about Egypt, the nation of Egypt was holding a democratic election following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak (who is dying at the time that I write this). Mostly, the passage talks about disaster for Egypt, but it ends with a promise of restoration. "The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying 'Blessed by Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork and Israel my inheritance.'"
I was once told that these ancient biblical prophecies could be compared to someone looking at a range of mountains. Some mountains appear closer, but there can be peaks farther away. It's difficult to judge how far they are; similarly, it's difficult to judge when the prophecies would take place.
In Isaiah and elsewhere, the image of a prostitute is used to portray the wicked ways of Israel and Judah as they turned away from Yahweh to foreign gods. Prostitution is universally condemned in the Bible. But in these days, we are realizing that many, if not most, prostitutes are forced into their circumstances. I guess we need to be more careful in our use of language. Perhaps instead of "prostitute," we should use a term like "adulteress" or "harlot," a woman who deliberately chooses to be unfaithful.
Two last thoughts on Isaiah.
1. I'm so glad I have a good study Bible, and that it has subheads. Otherwise, I'd be completely confused on the beautiful poetry in Isaiah (and elsewhere).
2. I never noticed this little passage before: Isaiah 28:8. "All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth." I fear he was prophesying about my house that has three cats that barf all over the place.
For starters, Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It is one of the most-quoted in the New Testament, so those writers must have read and re-read it, too. I love its poetry and its scope. I actually read through it slowly last year along with a 700-page commentary. I also have fond memories of studying it in Hebrew while I was in seminary.
So many passages of Isaiah are stunning and memorable. Chapter 6, Isaiah's call, is way up there. I also love chapter 7, where the arrogant King Ahaz refuses to accept God's offered sign. Ahaz intimates that he's too pious to want a sign from God; in truth, he had made up his mind to do what he wanted (forge an alliance with Assyria) rather than trust in God for deliverance. He gets his sign anyway, "The virgin shall conceive..." I wonder if he'd been more humble, would God have changed the history of Judah by not allowing Assyria to conquer Israel and then oppress Judah?
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14) is one of numerous passages that are viewed as Messianic prophecies, foretelling Jesus Christ. I wish I had a Jewish commentary on Isaiah--and on other OT texts that Christians see as prophecies about Jesus. The "suffering servant" passages in particular are intriguing. I wish I knew how ancient Jews viewed these passages. And how have Jewish scholarly views evolved on these passages, in the time of Jesus, in modern times?
Here's another example of wondering what the timeframe of the prophecy might be: On the day that I read Isaiah 19, a prophecy about Egypt, the nation of Egypt was holding a democratic election following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak (who is dying at the time that I write this). Mostly, the passage talks about disaster for Egypt, but it ends with a promise of restoration. "The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying 'Blessed by Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork and Israel my inheritance.'"
I was once told that these ancient biblical prophecies could be compared to someone looking at a range of mountains. Some mountains appear closer, but there can be peaks farther away. It's difficult to judge how far they are; similarly, it's difficult to judge when the prophecies would take place.
In Isaiah and elsewhere, the image of a prostitute is used to portray the wicked ways of Israel and Judah as they turned away from Yahweh to foreign gods. Prostitution is universally condemned in the Bible. But in these days, we are realizing that many, if not most, prostitutes are forced into their circumstances. I guess we need to be more careful in our use of language. Perhaps instead of "prostitute," we should use a term like "adulteress" or "harlot," a woman who deliberately chooses to be unfaithful.
Two last thoughts on Isaiah.
1. I'm so glad I have a good study Bible, and that it has subheads. Otherwise, I'd be completely confused on the beautiful poetry in Isaiah (and elsewhere).
2. I never noticed this little passage before: Isaiah 28:8. "All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth." I fear he was prophesying about my house that has three cats that barf all over the place.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)