The One Year Bible: Prophecy as Performance Art

 This week my reading has been primarily in the book of Ezekiel.  When we think of books of the Bible filled with fantastic beasts, mind-blowing imagery, and mystifying prophecy, we look to Daniel and Revelation.  But Ezekiel holds its own with terrifying descriptions of angels, vivid visions of the Divine coupled with the same prophecies of doom we've come to expect from Jeremiah.

One artist's rendering of Ezekiel's fantastic vision of the cherubim with their four faces (that of a human, a lion, an ox and an eagle) and wings covered in eyes, the wheels (and the wheels within each wheel), and the surface above which sits the throne of God.  After growing up with images of golden haired Ken-doll angels, Ezekiel's eye-popping description  of angels is a bracing reminder that God is bigger, higher, and stranger than we can begin to imagine.

While Jeremiah was holding it down back in Jerusalem, Ezekiel is embedded with exiles in Babylon.  These early arrivals to captivity are, according to both prophets, are the lucky ones.  The unrepentant people of Judah left in Jerusalem are as doomed as doomed can be.

One of the things that really sets Ezekiel apart is the way he delivers his prophecies.  Ezekiel is a performance artist. He shows rather than tells the impending disaster facing Israel. He does crazy things like lie on his left side for over a year and eating food cooked over human feces (Ezekiel 4:4-12).  The human feces was too much for Ezekiel and God relented and allowed him to cook his food over cow poop instead. In Ezekiel 12, the prophet is instructed to publicly pack a bag and pretend he was going on a long journey into exile. He would conclude his little one-act play by digging a hole through a wall with his hands.  

When Ezekiel wasn't putting on performances, he was prophesying through parables.  He tells the story of the useless vine (Ezekiel 15), the two eagles (Ezekiel 17) and somewhat icky parable of the unfaithful wife--a story replete with rather lurid imagery (Ezekiel 16).

I've often said that Ezekiel is my least favorite book in the Bible--I have found it at various times to be confusing, disturbing and boring. But this time around, I'm coming around to Ezekiel and his bizarro performance art, perplexing parables, and surreal visions. 

The One for Mr. Viar

 

Few teachers have had a bigger impact on me personally and professionally than Dr. Paul Viar. Much of the teacher I am today, I owe to him.

I had no idea of that impact when I slunk into his 7:00 AM Biology I class on the first day of my sophomore year of high school at Forest Lake Academy.  Not only did I have no intention of becoming a teacher, I lacked the skills I needed to be even be a good student!  

I had always earned top grades.  School had been easy for me. I had never really had to "study."  I read the book, took the test, got an A. Simple.  Well, all that was about to change.

I was stunned when the first F on a test came back.  What happened?  I was doing what I'd always done--I read the book, I took the test.  Granted, the test had not seemed as familiar as I was used to but an F? I continued to struggle, barely scraping by the first semester with a D- in the class. It took me that first semester to figure out how to really be a student and it was Mr. Viar with his high standards and rigorous instruction that taught me.  I learned to listen in class (not just read the book) and take detailed notes. I learned the value of finishing work on time--even early---but never late.   And I learned how to study.  All of this, I learned from Mr. Viar along with so much more.  The secrets of biology and anatomy and physiology came alive to me in his classroom.  We went bird watching at his direction and followed him on an adventurous rain-soaked trip to the Keys our junior year.  By senior year, I was in good shape in Mr. Viar's class and was even able to indulge in talking all through class to my friend and lab partner Chandra. Well, for a little while anyway, until Mr. Viar pulled us aside for a stern talking to--after that we limited our communication to writing notes.  We weren't mad at Mr. Viar for reprimanding us though--we both had a deep respect and admiration for him and we wanted to make him proud.

I carried the lessons Mr. Viar taught into college where I sailed through A & P.  And when I entered my own classroom only a few years later, I leaned heavily on his example.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew what a good teacher looked like. While I found my footing, I simply mimicked the best teacher I'd ever had.  No-nonsense, high standards, serious business. Even today, now that I've been teaching as long as Mr. Viar had been during our senior year, he remains my role model.

At the end of my 2007 tribute to Mr. Viar as one the most influential people in my life, I noted that I needed to write another letter to him letting him know of his impact on my teaching (I'd written a thank you note to him in college).  I wish now that I'd actually done it. 

For now I look forward to the day when I'll see him again and I'll tell him all about it then.  Until then, rest well Mr. Viar. Your legacy lives on in my classroom, in my students, and in countless others too.

From the Colorado ski trip our senior year: From L to R: Geri Haupt, Dr. Paul E. Viar, and Chandra Maloney. Hard to believe two of the three in this photo are gone. When I first heard that Mr. Viar had passed, the first person I wanted to call was Chandra.  If there are ski slopes in heaven we'll have to have the three of them recreate this classic pic when we all get there.

The One Year Bible: "The Bad News of the Gospel"

 

"Hey guys, letter from the prophet Jeremiah back in Jerusalem and. . .oooh, looks like there's some good news and some bad news."

It's probably one of my favorite Bible texts, an oft-quoted promise of comfort and encouragement found in Jeremiah 29:11-13:  

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord.  'They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.' "

We tend to take this as just a general promise of goodwill towards any seeker of God, and I don't think it's wrong to read the Scripture that way. But I do think that it's important to know the actual context of this promise. It doesn't mean it can't be applied generally--but knowing the specific application matters. 

God's plan for good and not disaster are part of a letter written to the Jewish exiles in Babylon.  Judah had been effectively conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar, and the king of Judah, members of his family and royal court had already been shipped off to Babylon.  Among them were Daniel and his three friends who would make their own mark in the Biblical canon.  But Jerusalem was not yet destroyed and there was still a good number of people still living in Judah.  

God's message to the exiles in Babylon was essentially "I've got bad news and I've got good news." The bad news was that they were going to be in Babylon for awhile.  This was no temporary blip before they got to go back to "regular life" in Judah.  God instructed the exiles to settle down in Babylon, get married, have kids--make a life there.  Furthermore God warned them not to listen to false prophets among them who might suggest that they'd be freed from Babylon in short order.  In vs. 10 (right before the big verse 11): "This is what the LORD says: 'You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. . ." and well you know the rest.

This is not just a general promise of favor.  God is letting his people know that they are going to be in this season of captivity for quite some time, but they should never think that God has forgotten them--it may take awhile, but God's playing the long game and He knows what His ultimate plan is for His people--and it's a good plan, a plan for restoration.

Just is fascinating: to the people in Babylon this promise was not seen as good news.  There were other prophets directly opposing this message and advocating for Jeremiah's arrest and torture for suggesting that God wasn't going to free his people anytime soon.  While God counsels patience and offers encouragement for those already in captivity, Jeremiah 29 concludes with a severe message of certain destruction for those still "free" in Jerusalem, with specific dire consequences for the false prophet Shemaiah.

We tend to like to hear good news, and we balk at bad tidings. But God's plans are long term and may include bad news in the near future.  In another pragmatic promise, Jesus put it this way: "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world." 

The One Year Bible: "Bad Things, 'I May Destroy You', and Something Beautiful: A Review of my Summer Bible Reading"

"Bad things
It's a lot of bad things
That they wishin' and wishin' and wishin' and wishin'
They wishin' on me" 

                                 --Drake, "God's Plan"

Take out the odd cuss word here and there and Drake's "God's Plan" could easily be a psalm of David. Heresy, you say?  Take some time and read the Psalms that are attributed to David and you'll find that most of them are consumed with David's enemies.  Yes there's the famous Psalm 23 and David's beautiful confessional Psalms 51.  There's the wonderful comfort to be found in Psalm 139 and my personal favorite, Psalm 40:1-3, which U2 put to modern music.  But beyond these and a number of other uplifting Psalms, David is focused on his haters.  And even in many of these "positive psalms" David just can't seem to help returning to his favorite theme. Note Psalm 40: 14-15, Psalm 139:19-22, and of course we all know the line from the twenty-third Psalm: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies."  He just can't let it go!

Well, wait. . .that doesn't seem quite right.  Yet, that, more often than not was David's prayer. (Image credit: This comes from the cover of tattoo and graffiti artist Michael Sweater's comic book. I'm not familiar with his work but the image was too good to pass up).

David's psalms are a window into an internal struggle that we don't see in David's outward behavior. When it came to his conduct, David was all about letting God fight his battles for him.  He did not seek vengeance and resisted acting dishonorably even when his enemies weren't playing by those rules.  Inside though, it would appear David was seething.  He was eager for God to lay waste to all those who were wishing bad things on him.

Other psalmists found in the book of Psalms include Asaph, Solomon, and the "descendants of Korah".  Many of the psalms we tend to think of when we think of the psalms--songs of praise and glory to God are among those with no author listed.

Here's some highlights from my summer in the Bible:

The Reign of Solomon and The Kingdom Divided: 

The tribes of Israel were only united through the first three monarchs: Saul, David, and Solomon. After that they were divided into two rival kingdoms: Judah (along with Benjamin) headquartered in Jerusalem and Israel, compromised of the remaining ten tribes, and headquartered in what would become known as Samaria. My reading from the remainder  of May through June, July and the first few days have August have focused on this period.  The readings bounced between the parallel historical accounts found in the 1st & 2nd Kings and Chronicles (check out this helpful article on why both sets of books are included in the Bible even though they seem to tell mostly the same stories).  Also included were readings from the Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah and several of the minor prophets including Amos, Micah and Hosea.  Also mixed into the period of the reign of Solomon were Ecclesiastes and oft-ignored sensual gem, the Song of Solomon.

"And Joash Lived. . .Miserably ever after and was murdered in his own bed."

My summer readings included the famous stories of Elijah and Elisha as well as other lesser known prophets.  Ahab and Jezebel make their appearance as do the good kings Asa and Josiah.  One shocking "Did You Know" was the horrible end of Joash. I was familiar with Joash's early life from the Etta B. Degering Bible story of my childhood--the boy king hidden away by his Uncle Jehoida and then placed on the throne at the tender age of seven. I read how as a young adult King Joash crowdfunded the money needed to restore the Temple which had fallen into disrepair under previous wicked kings.  What dear Mrs. Degering failed to mention was that Joash would end up becoming one of those wicked kings himself, even going so far as to murder his dear Uncle Jehoida's own son.  There was no happy ending for Joash--he was assassinated in his own bed. I suppose I understand why Degering chose to end Joash's story on a high note.  The rest of it isn't exactly a good bedtime story.

"I May Destroy You"

This entire period can be summed up as a cycle of God's people (in both Israel and Judah) abandoning God, chasing after the local gods, being dominated by their enemies as a result, and God then coming to their rescue and taking them back.  The prophets carry this theme as well, lambasting the people for their idol worship and warning them of the dire consequences of rejecting God.  These consequences are not vague, or "spiritual."  The nature of their destruction is described in graphic detail--scenes of lurid suffering and agony.  I found some of the prophetic passages a bit disturbing--and not because I wanted to have my ears tickled with positive prophecies of "peace and safety" when there was none to be had (Okay, maybe I wanted my ears tickled a little bit).  But mainly, the whole dynamic of "Love me or I will destroy you" just feels a little. . .toxic to me.  Especially, in the book of Hosea--a book that in past seemed kind of redemptive (especially after Francine Rivers gave it the Old West romance novel update)--the image of God as spurned lover who will torment you if you don't love Him was a bit hard to take.  Certainly the lover/destroyer model would not be acceptable at all in a relationship between two humans. But again, it's important to remember that the original authors and audience did not share our modern sensibilities on what constitutes a loving relationship between humans and their Creator. 

What Makes God Mad 

One thing that is clear from reading the Old Testament prophets is exactly what sins God was angry about.  Yes, there's the above mentioned idol worship.  But beyond that, God was also infuriated by injustice towards the poor, the widow and the orphan. God was enraged by the shedding of innocent blood especially as a means of selfish gain. God's wrath was unleashed on those who engaged in greedy fraud and deceitful business practices.   It's also interesting to note what sins go unaddressed--a lot of the ones modern believers tend to get in a twist about--the sexual "sins" (premarital sex, homosexuality etc) and abortion among them.  The OT prophets give these modern hot button issues nary a mention. 

I also find it interesting how little reference God makes to the afterlife and eternal punishment in this part of the Bible. All of the punishments (and rewards) God threatens in these Scriptures are very much temporal.  God doesn't warn of consequences in the afterlife, but in this life.  And the things that anger God? Well, he wouldn't be a very good God if those things didn't make him mad.  They should anger us too.

What Stood Out to Me

• Ecclesiastes:  This is probably one of my favorite books in the Bible.  I love it's contrarian spirit and how it seems to go against all the ways we believers sometimes try to make sense out of what is often the senseless nature of life.  Solomon looks back and says, "Listen, most stuff doesn't matter--enjoy your life while you can and don't worry too much."  I love it.  Perhaps later on, after the end of the year, I'll go back and reread Ecclesiastes and blog on it.  

• The Last Third or So of Isaiah (Ch.40 to the end):  I had begun to wonder about this whole Bible thing.  I was growing so weary of the numbing cycle of "I will destroy you/I will heal you."  I'd heard  about this or that spiritual seeker (usually the type that becomes an Adventist) sitting down with the Bible, reading for hours and hours for days and days at a time, like a thirsty traveler coming upon water in the desert, and emerging transformed by what they'd read.  What are they reading that I am not, I wondered. Are we reading the same Bible?   I already knew that you have to "ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance" before reading and all that.  I'd faithfully been doing that but I didn't feel I was having the transformative experience that I was supposed to.  Was there something in me, some sort of bad attitude on my part that was preventing me from being blessed? 

And then I hit Isaiah 40 and it was like water in the desert. Something--Someone--outside of that tiresome cycle of  judgement and conditional acceptance enters the scene. There is a change in tone and themes appear that we've never seen before--themes of salvation, of grace, of permanent restoration and heart change.  Jesus is present in these chapters, perhaps more than at any time in the Old Testament so far.  Through Isaiah, we get a glimpse of what's coming. It's beautiful.