| Today we will add on to what Brueggemann wrote about the partnership between Israel and YHWH.
In the testimony of the Old Testament, Israel becomes the key partner to YHWH and the subject of the testimony. In these ancient texts and in its ongoing life in the world. Israel is indeed an oddity and a mystery, because Israel is a theological phenomenon that has concrete sociopolitical embodiment and is expected to live differently in a world of power. this odd combination of the theological and political realms is definitional for Israel, and therefore Israel is an inassimilable public entity in the world. Whatever else may be said of Israel, in the end Israel in these texts must regard itself Yahwistically. that is, in some impenetrable way, Israel's existence is referred to and derived from YHWH. Israel will not be discerned in these texts without reference to YHWH. But it is equally odd and noteworthy that YHWH will not be discerned in these texts without reference to Israel.
We are talking about incarnation. The people are the living witness to the one who is the foundation of their life together. We cannot see God - but there are God's people. What shall we thus say about this God based on what is observable with these people. Having said that, it is quite important to remember that as followers of Jesus, the same thing needs to be said about us. How will God be seen and be known through us?! In our bible study on Revelation, we have been talking about how the church of John's day was becoming accommodating to the religious notions of the day that were so tied to empire. And yet, the revelation of Jesus shows that no matter how powerful the empire may be - we do not live like that. We have another life that follows the way of the slaughtered Lamb and become truly identified with this Lamb action.
Connection: We are always invited into the life that looks like the one who created all of life. We are invited to be fully human - in God' image. That doesn't always look like the way we would want to go - because it is not always the way of the world around us. O God, who is the partner of life and hope and promise, walk with us so that we pick up on what that walk looks like and feels like when we step into that stride. Amen. |
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