This author said that they should not refuse the one speaking to them from heaven. His voice shock heaven and earth. What cannot be shaken will remain. Our heavenly kingdom is not a shaky earthly kingdom. We must give thanks to God with an acceptable worship, reverence, and awe because our God is a consuming fire. Do you respect God?
the voice of God
The voice of God (Acts 12:22)
“The people kept shouting.
‘The voice of God!
Not of a mortal!’”
ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἐπεφώνει Θεοῦ φωνὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου.
The author of Acts indicated that the people (ὁ δὲ δῆμος) kept shouting (ἐπεφώνει) that King Herod Agrippa I was the voice of God (Θεοῦ φωνὴ) and not a human mortal (καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου). Acts was the only Greek biblical writing that used this word δῆμος, that means a district or country, the common people, the people assembled, a multitude, or a rabble. Acts was also the only Greek biblical writing that used this word ἐπεφώνει, that means to call out, shout, or clamor. The people from Tyre and Sidon liked the speech of King Herod so that they thought he was a god and not a mere mortal. Have you ever liked a speech that you heard?
The dying Israelites (Bar 3:1-3:4)
“O Lord Almighty!
God of Israel!
The soul in anguish
Cries out to you!
The wearied spirit
Cries out to you!
Hear!
O Lord!
Have mercy!
We have sinned
Before you!
You are enthroned forever!
We are perishing forever!
O Lord Almighty!
God of Israel!
Hear now
The prayer
Of the people
Of Israel,
The children
Of those who sinned
Before you.
They did not heed
The voice
Of the Lord
Their God.
Thus calamities
Have clung to us.”
Baruch addressed God as the Lord Almighty, not simply Yahweh, the Lord, God of Israel. The anguished soul and the weary spirit cried out to God. Baruch wanted God to hear their cries and have mercy on them because they had sinned. The Lord Almighty was enthroned forever, while the Israelites were perishing forever because of their finitude. God should listen to the prayer of his people, the children of those who sinned. Their ancestors had not listened to the voice of God, so that their calamities have clung to them as fellow sinners who are the sons and daughters of sinners.
The failure to serve the king of Babylon (Bar 2:21-2:23)
“Thus says the Lord.
‘Bend your shoulders!
Serve
The king of Babylon!
You will then
Remain in the land
That I gave
To your ancestors.
But if you will not obey
The voice of the Lord,
If you will not serve
The king of Babylon,
I will cease
The voice of mirth,
The voice of gladness,
The voice of the bridegroom,
The voice of the bride,
From the towns of Judah,
As well as from the region
Around Jerusalem.
The whole land
Will be a desolation
Without inhabitants.’”
The Lord via the prophets had told the Judeans to bend their shoulders and serve the king of Babylon. If they did that, they would remain in the land that the Lord had given to their ancestors. However, if they did not obey the voice of God, and not serve the king of Babylon, then God would cease to have any sounds of mirth or gladness from the brides or the bridegrooms from the towns of Judah as well as the region around Jerusalem. The whole land would become a desolation without inhabitants. They had a clear choice, obey the Lord and the king of Babylon, or suffer the consequences. They were already in exile, because they had not obeyed the king of Babylon. As usual, Jeremiah and Baruch were pro-Babylonian.
The shameful sinful behavior (Bar 2:3-2:5)
“Some of us
Ate the flesh
Of their sons.
Others
Ate the flesh
Of their daughters.
He made us subject
To all the kingdoms
Around us.
We were
An object of scorn.
We were a desolation among
All the surrounding people,
Where the Lord
Has scattered us.
We were brought down.
We were not raised up.
Because our nation
Sinned
Against the Lord,
Our God,
In not heeding
His voice.”
Once again, there is allusion to the cannibalism of people, eating their sons and daughters as food because of the famine in Jerusalem, as was mentioned in Lamentations, chapters 2 and 4, as well as Jeremiah, chapter 19. They were no longer a nation, because now they obeyed all the other countries around them. They had become an object of scorn and a desolation among all the people and the countries where they were scattered into. They were brought down, not raised up. They had sinned as a nation. Thus they were punished as a nation. They had not listened to the voice of God, their Lord.
Jeremiah defends himself (Jer 26:12-26:15)
“Then Jeremiah spoke
To all the officials,
To all the people.
Saying.
‘Yahweh sent me
To prophesy
Against this house,
Against this city,
All the words you have heard.
Now therefore
Amend your ways!
Amend your doings!
Obey the voice of Yahweh!
Your God!
Then maybe
Yahweh will change his mind
About the desolation
That he has pronounced against you.
But as for me,
Here I am in your hands.
Do with me
As it seems good
And right to you!
Only know for certain
That if you put me to death,
You will be bringing
Innocent blood
Upon yourselves,
Upon this city,
Upon its inhabitants.
In truth,
Yahweh sent me to you
To speak all these words
In your ears.’”
Jeremiah defended himself, as he spoke to the royal officials and all the people. Yahweh had sent him to prophesy against this Temple and this city. They should amend their ways and actions. They should obey the voice of God, Yahweh. Perhaps Yahweh would change his mind about the coming disaster that he had proclaimed. Jeremiah was willing to put his own fate in their hands. However, he reminded them that if they hurt him, they would have innocent blood on their hands, upon the city, and its inhabitants. Yahweh had sent him to speak all these words to them. They were not his words, but the words of Yahweh, their God.
Sing to the Lord a new song (Jdt 16:13-16:17)
“I will sing to my God a new song!
O Lord, you are great and glorious!
Wonderful in strength!
Invincible!
Let all your creatures serve you!
You spoke, and they were made.
You send forth your Spirit.
It formed them.
There is none that can resist your voice.
The mountains shall be shaken to their foundations with the waters.
Before your glance,
The rocks shall melt like wax.
But to those who fear you,
You show mercy.
Every sacrifice as a fragrant offering is a small thing.
The fat of all whole burnt offerings to you is a very little thing.
But who ever fears the Lord is great forever.
Woe to the nations that rise up against my people!
The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them
In the Day of Judgment.
He will send fire and worms into their flesh.
They shall weep in pain forever.”
Now this canticle switched back to Judith praising God. Judith was going to sing a new song to the great and glorious God who has invincible strength. Once again there was an illusion to creation as she said that all creatures got their life from God. Therefore, they should praise God, who sent forth his Spirit to form the world. No one can resist the voice of God. He controls the mountains and the rocks. Sacrifices are trifling matters before God. The most important thing is to fear God. The Lord almighty will take vengeance on anyone who rises up against his people. The Day of Judgment is coming where there will be eternal weeping as fire and worms will eat flesh and cause eternal pain. Here we see the eschatological sense of a final judgment day, a post-exilic theme.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 