Hebetude

Hebetude

O Lord,

Protect me from

Succumbing

to hebetude

dulling forces

Surround me

from without

a barrage of lethargic thoughts

Entice me

from within

Where can I

Turn?

To whom shall I

Go?

You, O Lord, are my Lord

I turn to you for refuge

I run to your solitude

I wait

I listen

I trust

Elizabeth and Zechariah

Elizabeth and Zechariah

I am Elizabeth

I am Zechariah

Elizabeth and Zechariah “were righteous before God”, yet, from the perspective of others, they were regarded with disgrace (lack of favor) because Elizabeth was barren.

I can’t really say about myself that I am righteous before God. I know the sins of my own heart too well. But like Elizabeth and Zechariah, I strive to live my life before God, in obedience.

As Elizabeth I feel out of sync with what others deem ‘favor’ when it comes to accomplishments. My life might be viewed as comfortable and easy, but in terms of personal accomplishments I am barren. What do I have to show for my life? If measured in the lives of others, such as my children, then it is no longer mine, but theirs. If measured in the lives of those I have in some way touched, it is the same, and it belongs to them. So, by what measure do I see my life? Wrong question. By whose measure do I view my life, and if it is truly by God’s then it is measured by faith and by faith, I live in peace and joy. Can I abide such living? Will I? It is a daily struggle.

As Zechariah, of late, I’ve lost my voice. I am mute due to my lack of faith. I get the truth that I am to live in the light of an audience of One, but the voices of the culture around me clamor for attention in my own heart. I struggle to live in the Presence. (“I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God.”) Can I live as if all that matters is what God is speaking? Zechariah’s silence communicated to others that something of extreme, God-given importance had taken place while he was in the Presence of God. His silence defined the period of waiting (Advent) for the birth of his son, John. And John had the privilege of announcing, voicing, not silent, shout it from the rooftop; the Kingdom of God is come!

I am mute because my attention is fixed on me. What is there to say? I am embarrassed by my lack of apparent favor (accomplishments) as I allow myself to judge myself by what I think others think (such a conundrum!) Like Zechariah, I question the validity of what God speaks, demanding instead, that God bolster my fragile ego/identity. Unable to wait, unable to listen that the news is immensely greater than anything to do with me! It is news the entire world longs to hear. It is the news that God has already been spoken, in a Son. “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

Waiting in silence for the word of God’s truth—the love of God incarnate in his son, I too, once again, am free to speak. (Truth bears repeating.) With Elizabeth I know God’s favor. With Zechariah I become a herald of advent!

(See: Luke 1:5-25; Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, Dec. 15; Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre)

Thoughts on 2 Kings 17--Part 1

It's been a long time since I read the Bible beginning in Genesis straight on through to Revelation. In August, with a new spiritual formation "Life with God Bible" (NRSV) in hand, I began what have become fresh encounters with God and God's word.

Following on the heels of a discouraging litany of the reigns of various kings, most of whom "did evil in the sight of the Lord," Israel is now carried off into captivity (to Assyria). Chapter 17 of 2 Kings, makes it very clear this is a result of sin against the Lord. Despite the covenant God made with Israel through Moses when He led them out of captivity in Egypt, they have despised the covenant and chosen evil. They "secretly did things that were not right against the Lord their God." The Lord repeatedly warned them, "by every prophet and seer" of the consequences of such choices, yet "they would not listen". Verse 15, "They went after false idols and became false".

"The Hebrew for 'false idols' and 'false' (hebel) means 'vapor' or 'breath.' It is the word in Ecclesiastes that is translated 'vanity' (e.g., 1:2). Hebel is not the breath that gives life and that inspires Elijah and Elisha (ruah). It is what is what is insubstantial and momentary." Ephemeral. "1 & 2 Kings assert that those who worship what is insubstantial become insubstantial." (p. 557)

God's warnings to Israel and Judah came largely through Elijah and Elisha--two prophets of amazing stature. Both prophets called upon the Lord to bring a child back to life. The juxtaposition of listening and breath (life) is paramount in these two biblical accounts. Interestingly, Elijah cries out to the Lord (1 Kings 17) and "the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah and the life of the child came into him again". God listens to those who cry out to him. When her son is restored to her, alive, the woman says to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord is in your mouth". In the presence of someone who knows God's heart and calls upon God as life-giver, the woman recognizes Elijah as a truth speaker (a true prophet).

The Shema, the daily prayer of Israel, reverberates: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." Oh Israel, listen to the One you worship. Don't listen to these insatiable idols to whom you literally sacrifice your own children (16:3). Listen to your God, the God who by the very breath (ruah=Spirit) of His (allegorical) mouth created the world. Here is the opportunity for creative life. God's covenant promises blessing, fullness, life overflowing with substance. Instead, Israel chooses to follow the local gods, which may give pleasure for a moment (if even that) rather than going after the richness of life lived toward the Lord, who listens, and restores.

How do I listen to the clamoring voices around me--voices that promise shallow satisfaction in products I consume or status that is quickly acquired, and easily lost? O Lord, teach me to listen for your voice. You don't stoop to clamoring for attention, yet you are always speaking--through your word, through contemporary prophets--be they friend or stranger, and through your very creation.