Old Testament Calllings

[yrieithydd]

It struck me whilst meditating on Isaiah 6:1-11 that (at least?) three of the famous callings in the OT are wonderful stories of call, but that what they have to say afterwards is less palatable.

The three I was thinking of were Samuel (tell Eli that his sons are evil and he's going to be punished for not controlling them), Isaiah (`Go and tell this people:
"Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving."
Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.) and Jeremiah (Doom and Destruction are coming!). The Isaiah quote in particularly bugs me especially as it is quoted in (one of) the gospels as a reason for Jesus teaching in parables. Why should a loving God (whose nature is always to have mercy, and whose love endures for ever) want people not to repent? I remember a discussion of this at MethSoc in my first term (both at small group and then at a mid-term Coffeeeeeeee in Chris' room (with Chuckie Egg and Peter Graves) set aside for talking about things which had come up at Small Groups. I'm still not sure we came up with a satisfactory answer.

I did think of a slight counter-example in that Moses doesn't have quite such a bad message (Set my people free) but you do get the plagues.

Comments

[curig.livejournal.com]

Ezekiel is another one to compare, and less unpalatable than your examples. God tells Ezekiel to go and preach his message to the Israelites whatever their reaction, and that he (God) will make Ezekiel just as "unyielding and hardened" as the Israelites are (Ezekiel 3:8).

I wonder if it's a perception of God's omnipotence/free will thing. If you believe that what occurs occurs because God wills it, then if people fail to repent it's because God didn't want them to (or wanted them not to). I think we have to be aware of prevailing theology of the writers at the time. I'm no expert on Israelite theology at that time, so I'm just speculating.

[yrieithydd.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it's a perception of God's omnipotence/free will thing.

That's basically what we came up with at Coffeeeeeee that time. I'd forgotten the specifics of it, so that helps. I'm not sure how it links in with the parables though (I think I got that bit in my SG notes)

Is the Ezekiel one the vision of the wheels?

Can you remember what Tanya's actual theme was, I remember doing Ezekiel (and trying to draw it) and we must have done Isaiah for it to come up at that coffee. I also have memories of you saying that one week the notes were `Jesus. Discuss', though I think that's the one which lost out to the St Delphine's day party and the burning of jelly heretics. I can't remember what we studied after we were able to laugh in God's presence!

[curig.livejournal.com]

Yes, Ezekiel was the one with the wheels. It was the Old Testament for Sunday evening (and I was preaching) over here (I assume not in the CinW as you have a different lectionary).

I can't remember Tanya's theme nor the "Jesus. Discuss." notes.

[yrieithydd.livejournal.com]

(I assume not in the CinW as you have a different lectionary).

It depends. Some parts use RCL and that is provided for by the 2004 books, but the 1984 is different. I'd probably have got Ezekiel had I gone to Dewi Sant in the evening, but as it was I rang and went to Compline where we got the second in a series on 1 Cor 15 and that was the only reading. But they'd done the Evensong lections at 3:30. It was as well I went ringing as there were only 5 of us! I'm now tempted to go to St Germans some evenings too as then I'd get a Benediction fix.