bad things

November 24, 2017

To preach or not to preach (Mic 2:6-2:7)

“‘Do not preach!’

This is what they preach.

‘One should not preach

Of such things.

Disgrace will not

Overtake us.’

Should this be said?

O house of Jacob!

Is Yahweh’s patience

Exhausted?

Are these his doings?

Do not my words

Do good

To him

Who walks uprightly?’”

Micah indicated the difference between false preaching and true preaching.  Was Micah to preach or not?  Did he only have to say good things in order to preach?  Should he be careful about what he said?  Is it disgraceful to speak about bad things?  Has Yahweh exhausted all his patience?  However, Micah believed that his harsh words from Yahweh would help those who were upright.  The evil ones would not like to hear about their evil ways.

March 25, 2017

The great cloud (Ezek 1:4-1:4)

“As I looked,

A stormy wind

Came out

Of the north.

A great cloud,

With brightness,

Was around it.

Fire

Was flashing forth

Continually.

In the middle of it

Was something

Like gleaming amber.”

Ezekiel continued in the first person singular explaining what his vision looked like. He said that this vision was like a great cloud with a stormy wind that came from the north. Generally powerful but bad things came from the north. This cloud, however, was very bright and seemed to have fire flashes continually around it. In the middle of this cloud there was something like a glowing amber color. Thus this vision of Ezekiel was very stormy, colorful, and powerful.

February 27, 2017

The care of Yahweh (Lam 3:34-3:36)

Lamed

“When all

The prisoners

Of the land

Are crushed

Under foot,

Does Yahweh not see it?

When human rights

Are perverted

In the presence

Of the Most High,

Does Yahweh not see it?

When one’s case

Is subverted,

Does Yahweh not see it?”

In a strange way, this author seems to say that Yahweh sees bad things and lets them happen. Prisoners are being crushed. Human rights are perverted. Cases are subverted. The basic question is why doesn’t Yahweh do something, since he sees all this going on? These three verses start with the Hebrew consonant letter Lamed in this acrostic poem.

November 15, 2016

The questioning people (Jer 16:10-16: 10)

“When you tell this people

All these words,

They will say to you.

‘Why has Yahweh pronounced

All this great evil against us?

What is our iniquity?

What is the sin

That we have committed

Against Yahweh our God?’”

Yahweh reminds Jeremiah that the people might not like what he tells them. They will then begin to question him. Why were all these bad things happening to them? What had they done? What sin had they committed against Yahweh, their God?