The Suffering of God Who Is This Old

The Suffering of God Who Is This Old Testament God?

The Suffering of God – Session 7 Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God *Titles & Subtitles for all slides are from THE SUFFERING OF GOD

Opening Prayer – 2 nd Sunday Advent Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP, p. 211

Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God Prophet and Messenger

Prophet and Messenger In early Israel, word of God is given by messenger (angel) Later, prophets proclaim the Word of God Even later, angels once again carry God’s word, but are more inferior beings

Prophet and Messenger Main differences Messenger No name Has brief & limited earthly “life” Exists within God Brings joyful announcement Prophet Has a name Work and life are that of a human being Independent existence Announces coming judgment

Prophet and Messenger Then Micaiah said, Similarities “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven Both have human appearance of him. standing beside him to the right and to the left Both called “man of God”LORD of hosts, how long Then the angel of the LORD said, “O (Judg. 13: 8 -9; 1 will you 2: 27) Sam. withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years? ” Both bring the Word of God, using firstpray, Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, “O, LORD, I let the man of God whom person singular you sent come to us again and teach us what we are to do concerning the boy who will be born. ” God Biblical Manoah, in both cases intermix to the listened to texts and the angel of God came again God’s woman as with that of but her husband or speech she sat in the field; the prophet. Manoah was not with her. messenger A man of God came their presence at the divine Both allude to to Eli and said to him, “Thus the LORD has said, ‘I revealed myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt council (1 Kings to the house of Pharaoh. ’” 22: 19; Zech. 1: 12) when they were slaves

Prophet and Messenger Moses has such a close relationship with God that God is in some sense present in Moses’ words and actions (Exod. 4: 16 & 7: 1) Descent indeed shall speak of you to the people; prophet is He [Aaron] of the Spirit for God on the he shall serve as a mouth as being clothed (Judg. 6: 34) pictured for you, and you shall serve as God for him. In prophetic call, God’shave made you like God to the The spirit ofsaid LORD enveloped Gideon; he sounded the horn, and The LORD the to Moses, “See, I word remains with the Abiezrites your brother Aaron (JPS) to function Pharaoh, and rallied behind him. shall prophet; prophet “is calledbe your prophet. ” as an ongoing theophany” (p. 151) Prophet represents God’s immanence “Collapse of office and person” (p. 152) “Union of person and word” (p. 152) “Word/person becoming event” (p. 152)

Prophet and Messenger Person and Office Hosea and Isaiah give their children names that are a prophetic word (Hosea 1; Isa. 8: 1 -4) Hosea’s marriage is commanded by God. Lo-ruhamah or Hosea names his children Jezreel or “God sows”, “Not Pitied”, & Lo-ammi even before he Jeremiah a prophetor “Not My People” was born (Jer. 1: 5) Then the LORD said you in Take a large tablet and write on in “Before I formed to Person and Word me, the womb I knew you, and beforeityou common born I consecrated you; to appointed you a prophet to the were characters, “Belonging I Maher-shalal-hash-baz, ” and Words that Jeremiah proclaims are placed in his have it attested for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and nations. ” mouth son of Jeberechiah. Zechariah by God (Jer. 1: 9) And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived andput out. Word. Then the LORD said to me, and Ezekiel ingests thea his hand touched my mouth; Name Then the LORD bore son. of God (Ezek. 3: 1 -3) him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for have put my words in your mouth. ” the giving the me, “Now I before the child knows how to call “In LORD said toword in such a way that it passes over “My father” or “My mother, ”eat what is offered to you; and the spoil He said to me, O mortal, the wealth of Damascus eat this into the will be being of the prophet, God must be said ofscroll, and very carriedthe housethe Israel. So I opened my Samaria go, speak to away by of king of Assyria. (Maher to go with that word, scroll speeds, He said to me, Mortal, -shalal-hash-bazgave me theso that eat. some sense God is mouth, and he means “The spoil to in the prey hastens”) absorbed into the very and fill your stomach with it. Then I eat this scroll that I give you life of the prophet. ” (p. 153) ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.

Prophet and Messenger Word, Person, and Event Prophets used “symbolic acts” to convey God’s message (Isa. 20) Suffering Servant of Isaiah is the epitome of the merging of word with person and event Suffering of the prophet reflects the suffering of God

Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God Prophet’s Suffering Because of Being Rejected

O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have Prophet’s Suffering Because of overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I Being Rejected speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the suffered because they were Prophets LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I will not rejected say, “Ime theremention him, or speak any moreshut up in by the people like a burning fire in his name, ” then within is something my bones; I am weary with Thiswhispering: “Terror isholding it in, and I cannot. For I hear personal rejection led to additional many all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” All my close it implied the suffering becausefriends are watching for me to stumble. “Perhaps he can be prophet’s him. ”enticed, and was prevail against him, and take message we can also rejected our revenge on Result: God’s judgment would fall on the people (Jer. 20: 7 -10) Hosea and Jeremiah exemplify this type of prophetic suffering

The LORD said to me again, “Go, love a woman who Prophet’s Suffering Because LORD loves of has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and Being Rejected love raisin cakes. ” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of Hosea silver and a homer of barley and a measure of wine. And I said to her, “You must remain as life Hosea’s prophetic work reflects God’s mine for many days; you shall not play the whore, you shall not have Both are rejected by the people intercourse with a man, nor I with you. ” For the Israelites Hosea 4: 10 & 9: 7 -8 shall remain many days without king or prince, without Both ask shall eat, but not beephod or teraphim. Afterward They rhetorical without satisfied; they shall play the sacrifice or pillar, questions out of their grief Hosea but not multiply; because they LORD their God, whore, 6: 4 & 9: 14 return and seek thehave forsaken the Israelites shall LORD to devoteking; they portrayalin awe themselves to come and marriage with you, O Ephraim? of God’s Hosea’s David their is a livingshall whoredom. to the. I do What shall LORD and. O Judah? relationship to Israel Your love is like a days. with you, to his goodness in the latter morning The days of punishment have come, the days ofcloud, Marital conflict ofgoes away early. intermingle with like the dew that Hosea appears to “The prophet is a recompense have come; Israel cries, God’s complaint against the people ( Hosea 3: 1 -5) fool, the man of the spirit is mad!” Because of your “God does not simply give the prophet a word to great iniquity, your hostility is great. Give them, O LORD—what will you give? Give them a speak to the people; God dry breasts. him to be an commands miscarrying womb and embodiment of the divine life in the totality of his own life. ” (p. 155 -156) Purpose of Hosea’s “reflective” life is to move the people to repentance

Prophet’s Suffering Because of Being Rejected The word of the LORD came to me: You shall not take a wife, nor shall you. Jeremiah have sons or daughters in this place. For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and Heal me, O LORD, and I filled with biographical Book of Jeremiahshall be healed; save me, and I shall be concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who beget them saved; for you are my praise. “Where materialof the LORD? : Let. See how They say tonot be away and insightsitinto they Ishall me, run in this land: They shall die of deadly diseases. Jeremiah’s is the word come!” But have not lamented, nor shall life be buried; they shall become like dung on they interior a shepherd in your service, nor have I desired the from being surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and fatal day. You know what came from my lips; it was before your Jeremiah’sbecome food for the birds of the air and for their dead bodies shall isolation from the normal face. Do not become a terror to me; you are my refuge in the wild animals of the earth. cultural comforts portrayed in Jer. 16: 1 -9 me day of disaster; Let my persecutors by shamed, but do not let For thusbe shamed; let them be dismayed, house of mourning, or go to says the LORD: Do comes to reflect “God’s Jeremiah’s life not enter the but do not let me be dismayed; them; for I have taken away my peace from this lament, or bemoan bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction! people, homelessness” (Jer. love and mercy. Both great and says the LORD, my steadfast 12: 7) small shall die in this found in Jeremiah aremy heritage; I have forsaken my house, I not be buried, and no one shall Laments land; they shall have abandoned like God’s lament for them; there shall be no gashing, the shaving of the head for given the over of my heart into no hands of her enemies. lament beloved the people (Jer. 17: 14 -18) them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to offer comfort for dead; nor shall anyonelaments foundconsolation to drink for their Similar to give them the cup of in the Psalms (Ps. fathers or their mothers. You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit 4) with them, to eat and drink. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your eyes, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

Prophet’s Suffering Because of Being Rejected Like the Psalmist, Jeremiah asks God to grant him vengeance on his false accusers Even this reflects God’s complaint against the people What is different Jeremiah complains to God expresses his complaint to the people Even Jeremiah’s “Confessions” occupy a position in the text that is meant to call attention to God’s word to the people “The lamenting Jeremiah mirrors before the people the lamenting God. ” (p. 158)

Prophet’s Suffering Because of Being Rejected Purpose of this life of mirrored suffering is to confront the people with the effects of their rejection of God Goal is to move the people to repentance, not to pity Prophet’s life of suffering adds visual information to the spoken words of the prophet says the LORD: If you turn back, I will take you back, Therefore thus and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not Life of suffering serve as my mouth. for they who will what is worthless, you shall is difficult It is Jeremiah turn to 15: 17 -18) (Jer. you, not you who will turn to them, I did not sit in the company of also what it rejoice; under This way of life ismerrymakers, nor did I means to the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with be a prophet (Jer. 15: 19)wound incurable, refusing indignation. Why is my pain unceasing, my to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.

Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God Prophet’s Suffering with the People

Prophet’s Suffering with the People Suffering of the prophets anticipates the future suffering of the people My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. Hark, the cry The prophet mourns as God mourns of my poor people from far and wide in the land: “Is the LORD not in Jer. her King Zion? Is 4: 19 not in her? ” (“Why have they provoked me to anger images, foreign “Thiswith their anguish! with theirin pain!more walls of my heart! speechended, writhewe are not saved. ”than hisis expresses idols? ”) “The harvest of My anguish, my is I and Oh, the For the hurt past, the summer My heart is beating wildly; cannot keep dismayfor I hear hold of my poor people I mourn, owntrumpet, theam hurt, IIwar. the destroyedthe sound empathy with and silent; has taken of the Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why alarm of me. peoplethe healthland; the prophet is an O that then has and of my poor people not been restored? my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, enfleshment of the emotions of God so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people! over what is about to occur. ” (p. 160) Jer. 8: 18 -9: 1

Prophet’s Suffering with the People Ezekiel mourns publicly at God’s command (Ezek. 21: 6) Moan therefore, mortal; moan for Babylon (Isa. 21: 3 -4) Isaiah even mourns with breaking heart and bitter grief before their eyes. “The my loins embodies anguish; pangs have seized me, Thereforeprophetare filled with the grief of God over what happens of any sufferer, whoever or wherever like the pangs to a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I they might be. ” (p. 162) cannot hear, I am dismayed so that I cannot see. My mind reels, horror has appalled me; the twilight longed for has been turned for This public mourning by Ithe prophets is me into trembling. intended to move the people to repentance before it is too late God’s failure with Israel (Jer. 45) is echoed in the life of Jeremiah, who dies in exile in Egypt

Prophet, Theophany, and the Suffering of God Prophet’s Suffering For the People

Prophet’s Suffering For the People Now, let meof the LORD came wrath may. Mortal, speak to your people The word alone, so that my to me: bearingagainst them and I Jeremiah’s long-term O burn hot of suffering may consume them; Iand of the swordmake a great nation. ” people of and say to them, If bring you I will upon a land, and the But Moses up his life & resembles the life of God implored the LORD of their number as their sentinel; and if the wrath the land take one his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your in this respect burn hot against your people, whom you brought out blows the of sentinel sees the sword coming upon the land of the land Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? hear the sound of the trumpet and warns the people; then if any who Why should the Jeremiah’s suffering should not be Egyptiansdo not take warning, and the swordbrought and takesto kill trumpet say, ‘It was with evil intent that he comes them out them understood as effecting salvation for them in the mountains, and upon their own heads. They heard the away, their blood shall be to consume, them from the face of the earth’? Turn from yourand did not take warning; their blood do not bring sound of the trumpet fierce wrath; change your mind and shall be people disaster on your people. if. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your upon themselves. But they had taken warning, they would have Ezekiel you But if to be responsible for and servants, how is held the sentinelyour own self, saying to the ‘I will saved their lives. swore to them by sees the sword coming them, people (Ezek. 33: 1 -9) multiply your descendants like the stars people are not warned, land that does not blow the trumpet, so that the of heaven, and all this and I have. Similar toand takesyour of them, they are taken shall inherit it promised I will give to intercession and the people the sword comes Moses’ any descendants, for they away in forever. ’” And the LORD changed require at the sentinel’s hand. So theirafter their bloodcalf incident (Exod. 32: 10 -14) iniquity, but golden I will his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people. you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; Text (Ezekiel) also calls on the shall give to whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you prophetthembear the sins of I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, to warning from me. Ifthe people if he doesn’t act you shall them surely die, ” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their. Like thewicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will ways, the scapegoat in Leviticus require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Prophet’s Suffering For the People Moses is also pictured as suffering for the Here is my people’sservant, my spirituphold, my he will bringwhom justice to sins; whom I prohibited fromforth my soul he is upon him; chosen, in entering delights; I have put thenations. He willland (Deut. his voice, & 4: 21) heard in the promised not cry or lift up 1: 37 or make it the street; a bruised of waswill noton for” a dimly burning Best with me the LORD“sufferingyourandtexts is found Even example reed he angry break, account, saying, “You wick shall not enter there. ” will faithfully bring forth justice. He will also he Suffering he in the will not quench; Servant passages of Isaiah not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the (Isa. and the coastlands wait for his teaching. and he vowed that I earth; 42: 1 -7) The LORD was angry with me because of you, Thus says God, the. Servant chooses the heavens I should not enter the good LORD, who the Jordan and that should not crosscreated suffering and stretched them out, who spread out the earthyour God is people your possession. Servant suffers for the giving for land that the LORD and what comes from it, who gives breath to the. Echoes the it and spirit to those who servant (Isa. 43: 24) people upon suffering of God as walk in it: I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by “While God boughtnot sweet. God experiences in a You have not does me die, cane with money, or satisfied the hand kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the profound way what death is. But you have burdened me me with the fat of your sacrifices. like in and through the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to servant. sins; so participating inwith your iniquities. the with your By you have wearied me the depths of bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those death-dealing forces of this world, God transforms who sit in darkness. the world from within; and a new creation thereby begins to be born. ” (p. 165)

Prophet’s Suffering For the People Through the life of the prophet, God is present in an especially intense way Conformity of the prophet’s life to the life of God, gives the people visual as well as audible access to God Since God expresses his Word in an embodied form, there is the implication that the people’s lives are also to embody God’s word Suggests that God desires a relationship as intimate as that between husband wife Aspect of suffering means that God identifies with the weak of the world

Prophet’s Suffering For the People “The prophet’s life as embodied Word of God is partial and broken…. The Word of God enfleshed in an unbroken way in the totality of a human life must await a new day. Yet, in the prophet we see decisive continuities with what occurs in the Christ-event. God’s act in Jesus Christ is the culmination of a longstanding relationship of God with the world that is much more widespread in the OT than is commonly recognized. ” (p. 166)

Bibliography The Book of Common Prayer (1979). The Seabury Press. Fretheim, Terence E. (1984). The Suffering of God. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. Slide design template. Microsoft Office Online. http: //office. microsoft. com/en -us/templates/CT 011377381033. aspx (18 Sep. 2005)