Jeremiah 7:21-34 - Jeremiah tells them that God’s message
to him is that when He brought them out of Egypt, He did not give them any commands concerning “holocausts or sacrifices”
(7:22). But what about Leviticus? There were incredibly detailed rules there
for the various offerings and sacrifices they were instructed to make. I think
what Jeremiah is trying to convey is that at the HEART of all God laid out for
them was the command to obey God, to “live the way [He] commanded them” (7:23).
Their hearts were HARD then and they continued to be for Jeremiah’s message:
“they will not listen to you; you will call them, but they will not answer . .
. Faithfulness is dead. No longer is it even talked about” (7:27-28).
The people
of Judah have placed idols in the Lord’s Temple, and they have even adopted the
practice of child sacrifice in Hinnom Valley [location of this disputed
according to Wikipedia]. All of this is so far from what God wants. Jeremiah says, “This rather is what I
commanded them: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my
people. Walk in all the ways that
I command you, so that you may prosper” (7:23).
This is a terribly important line of
prophecy, one Catholics especially should think about; for we more than any other church
point to particular promises we rely upon, sometimes perhaps over-rely on. We say our church was founded on a
special commission and that it carries a special promise – that the gates of
hell will never prevail against it – but we have not been better than the
Jews. We too have been corrupt,
unfaithful. We too have forgotten
the mandate to be servants, to walk humbly, to be not of the world. If we
neglect the truth, if we presume upon God’s favor and go off and violate the
trust God placed in us, we too can be set aside as Shiloh was. Probably a good many Protestants think
we already have been. But I
continue to hope our repentance and at least partial reform may have saved us
from that.
Also, the theme of
this chapter is a Quaker theme: Listen to God’s voice – this line appears
so often in scripture, you would think people would take it seriously, but I
don’t find that people really take the idea seriously, as if the idea of
listening to God’s voice is really something only mentally ill people ever
claim they can do. Here is some
more Isaac Penington and Howgill, my hero saints, on the voice of God: “There
is no raising of a dead soul to life, but by the immediate voice of Christ. Outward preaching, reading the
Scriptures, &c.[and I would add sacraments] may direct and encourage
men to hearken after and wait for the voice; but it is the immediate voice of
Christ in the soul, which alone can quicken the soul to God: and till the light
of life shine immediately from Christ in the heart, the true knowledge is never
given. 2 Cor. 4:6.” (241, Penington, Works)
Another
Penington quote: “All, therefore, that see the darkness that you live in,
return home, that which is low mind, the meek spirit; and be not forward nor
rash, but stand still in quietness and meekness, that the still voice you may hear, which till you come down within, you
cannot hear. . .So be low and still, if you will hear his voice, and wait
to hear that speak which separates between the precious and the vile, now that
which you must wait in is near you, yes, in you” (Howgill, EQW, 176).
Jeremiah 8 - The destruction the
Lord will bring is terrible. The
bones of the dead will lie out “before the sun and the moon and the whole army
of heaven, which they loved and served, which they followed, consulted, and
worshiped” (8:2). Some of the gods they worshiped were the stars and other
heavenly bodies. God cannot fathom why the people who have so obviously gone
astray refuse so obstinately to right themselves. “Why do they cling to
deceptive idols, refuse to turn back. . .Everyone keeps on running his course,
like a steed dashing into battle?” (8:6) This is like modern man who is so
caught up in scientific reductionism and psycho-babble that you wonder why it
is they simply cannot turn away from it. In the case of the Jews, apparently
the mis-interpretation of the scribal leaders provides some excuse—the people
are being actively misled. “’Peace, peace!’ they say, though there is no peace”
(8:11). Yahweh would like to gather their fruit but there are no grapes on the
vine, no figs on the fig tree. . .” (8:13).
This
one is important in understanding Jesus
and the poor little fig tree. He
is not just withering the tree. He
is referring to the fruit he hoped to find among his people and didn’t. Similarly the previous chapter – on the
tendency of Israel to presume on God’s favor toward them – even when everything
in daily life is far from what it should be – I think this is the image behind
Jesus’ anger in the temple and his threats to tear the Temple down. These are just similar indications that
He is come expecting to find faithfulness
and responsiveness among his people; but is not finding it. His words about the Temple and his
actions with the fig tree are symbolic acts that say God is very unhappy with
the Jews and will punish them – withdraw his favor.
The prophet’s “grief
is incurable, my heart within me is faint” (8:18). The
suffering of his people fills him with sadness “Is there no balm in Gilead, no
physician there?” (8:22).
Jeremiah 9 - Jeremiah wishes that he had in this wilderness he is in a place to lodge, a place
he might go to be separate from his people, but there is not. [The is the true prophet’s
situation. He is a faithful man in
the midst of an unfaithful people.
But he is still part of them; and I think both “covers” them with his
faithfulness and “suffers” with them even in his innocence. This is the great disappointment of the
reformation prophets—that they found a lodge in the desert provided by the
nation-builders of Holy Roman Empire and did, to some extent, manage to
separate from the people]. The
marks of the idolatry the people engage in are lying tongues, evil-doing, being
untrustworthy, deception, perversity, violence and inability to repent. Therefore God must “smelt them and test
them” (9:6) “I will turn Jerusalem into a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals;
The cities of Judah I will make into a waste, where no one dwells.” (9:10).
They follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts. “Let
the sage boast no more of his wisdom. . . But if anyone wants to boast let him
boast of this: of understanding and knowing me. For I am Yahweh, I rule with kindness, justice and integrity
on earth; “ (9:23) “I am going to punish all who are circumcised only in the
flesh:. . .” [Many echoes of Paul here – the boasting theme—see 2 Cor—and the idea of fleshly circumcision]
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
- He
addresses the problem of factions among
them. When they meet together it
ought not to be for simple eating and drinking but rather to all be equal
before God and to share in the sacred memorial of Christ’s Last Supper with
them. He warns them that communion is not just eating. It involves “discerning” Christ’s
presence in the bread (11:29). Ordinary eating should be done at home.
1 Corinthians 12 – Paul addresses the
question of spiritual gifts. Among those he mentions are wisdom,
knowledge, faith, healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits,
tongues, interpretation of tongues; but as long as they all serve the body,
they are of the same Spirit. The
parts of the Body cannot be in competition with each other. One cannot lord it over another and
have the body remain coherent and sound.
We take cognizance of the less “distinguished” parts by granting them
honors that compensate for whatever “worldly” humiliations they may have to
endure (12:24). The parts of the
body of Christ, his Church, are apostles, prophets, teachers, doers of might
deeds, healers, assistants, administrators, speakers in tongues—and this list
is not a completely exhaustive one.
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