In the course of Fundamental Theology taught by Fr. Peter Choy, we have come to the problem of the "Inspiration of the Bible". The Bible contains God's revelation, in particular the truth concerning our salvation. Moreover, God is the author of this Bible. Every Christian agrees to these two Church teachings. However, since the Bible is unable to explain itself to us, we can only figure out, from the little evidence we can gather from within the Bible, how the books were written. Other sacred texts have their origins in a more easily acceptable ways. For example, the Book of Mormon was given by Angel Gabriel in golden plates to Joseph Smith Jr. to translate into English. Quran was revealed to Muhammad by Angel Jibril (Gabriel) and was written down after each revelation. Muhammad dictated the revelations to his companions.
Nobody can challenge the authority of these sacred texts because of their supernatural origins. But the Christian Bible is a different story because the canon of the Bible was defined by the Church. Around the fourth century, the Church decided which books should go into the Bible and which should not. Therefore, the Christian Bible is more difficult case to handle because its catalogue was defined by men. What happened in Reformation was instructive. Martin Luther objected to the doctrine of purgatory and struck 7 books off from the Catholic Bible to form the Protestant Bible. Moreover, the Christian Bible is a collection of books which are obviously historical-cultural products. The human elements in the Bible cannot be denied. So, how God inspired these "human instruments" to write down the Bible is a very crucial question for Christianity. Did God dictate the books, words for words, to the human authors? Impossible. If it were the case, we should not find contradictory messages and inconsistent details in the Bible, but we do. Did God plant a general idea in the minds of the human authors and allow them freedom to write according to their personal styles, reflecting their cultural situations? Impossible. If it were the case, how could we determine which ideas came from God and which came from man? In fact, Marcion (85-160) rejected the Old Testament; pruned the 4 canonical gospels into one and kept only Paul's epistles. He was excommunicated from the Church. Thus, the inspiration of the Bible is a thorny issue.
I have no intention to enter into this problem. Today, I will only look at the prayers of Jeremiah to illustrate a simple point.
Nobody can challenge the authority of these sacred texts because of their supernatural origins. But the Christian Bible is a different story because the canon of the Bible was defined by the Church. Around the fourth century, the Church decided which books should go into the Bible and which should not. Therefore, the Christian Bible is more difficult case to handle because its catalogue was defined by men. What happened in Reformation was instructive. Martin Luther objected to the doctrine of purgatory and struck 7 books off from the Catholic Bible to form the Protestant Bible. Moreover, the Christian Bible is a collection of books which are obviously historical-cultural products. The human elements in the Bible cannot be denied. So, how God inspired these "human instruments" to write down the Bible is a very crucial question for Christianity. Did God dictate the books, words for words, to the human authors? Impossible. If it were the case, we should not find contradictory messages and inconsistent details in the Bible, but we do. Did God plant a general idea in the minds of the human authors and allow them freedom to write according to their personal styles, reflecting their cultural situations? Impossible. If it were the case, how could we determine which ideas came from God and which came from man? In fact, Marcion (85-160) rejected the Old Testament; pruned the 4 canonical gospels into one and kept only Paul's epistles. He was excommunicated from the Church. Thus, the inspiration of the Bible is a thorny issue.
I have no intention to enter into this problem. Today, I will only look at the prayers of Jeremiah to illustrate a simple point.
In the book of Jeremiah, we find many places where Jeremiah wrote that the word of the Lord came to him. The messages God told Jeremiah to proclaim were unpopular. Nobody listened to him. Still, Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed God's words. Sometimes, he prayed to divert the wrath of God towards the Jews.
As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I do not hear you (Jeremiah 7:16).
Sometimes, Jeremiah lamented his situation.
Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, "Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it." (Jeremiah 10:25)
Sometimes, Jeremiah concurred with the Lord.
Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man who does not heed the words of this covenant
which I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God,
that I may perform the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day." Then I answered, "So be it, LORD."(Jeremiah 11:2-5)
Sometimes, like many other major prophets, Jeremiah confessed the sins for the people and begged God for mercy for the sake of His name.
Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee.
O thou hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be like a stranger in the land, like a wayfarer who turns aside to tarry for a night?
Why shouldst thou be like a man confused, like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not (Jeremiah 14:7-9)
Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? Does thy soul loathe Zion? Why hast thou smitten us so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against thee.
Do not spurn us, for thy name's sake; do not dishonor thy glorious throne; remember and do not break thy covenant with us.
Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art thou not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on thee, for thou doest all these things (Jeremiah 14:19-22).
Sometimes, Jeremiah cried in despair. He found all his efforts wasted. The mission was impossible. He could not break iron and bronze.
Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.
So let it be, O LORD, if I have not entreated thee for their good, if I have not pleaded with thee on behalf of the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress!
Can one break iron, iron from the north, and bronze? (Jeremiah 15:10-12)
After all, Jeremiah was a only a man. He found sweetness in God's word. Yet, he was consumed by the power of God's word. He was exhausted as illustrated by this collection of Jeremiah's prayers. I will end with part of his prayer when people attacked his integrity and plotted against his life.
As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I do not hear you (Jeremiah 7:16).
Sometimes, Jeremiah lamented his situation.
Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, "Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it." (Jeremiah 10:25)
Sometimes, Jeremiah concurred with the Lord.
Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man who does not heed the words of this covenant
which I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God,
that I may perform the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day." Then I answered, "So be it, LORD."(Jeremiah 11:2-5)
Sometimes, like many other major prophets, Jeremiah confessed the sins for the people and begged God for mercy for the sake of His name.
Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee.
O thou hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be like a stranger in the land, like a wayfarer who turns aside to tarry for a night?
Why shouldst thou be like a man confused, like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not (Jeremiah 14:7-9)
Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? Does thy soul loathe Zion? Why hast thou smitten us so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against thee.
Do not spurn us, for thy name's sake; do not dishonor thy glorious throne; remember and do not break thy covenant with us.
Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art thou not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on thee, for thou doest all these things (Jeremiah 14:19-22).
Sometimes, Jeremiah cried in despair. He found all his efforts wasted. The mission was impossible. He could not break iron and bronze.
Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.
So let it be, O LORD, if I have not entreated thee for their good, if I have not pleaded with thee on behalf of the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress!
Can one break iron, iron from the north, and bronze? (Jeremiah 15:10-12)
After all, Jeremiah was a only a man. He found sweetness in God's word. Yet, he was consumed by the power of God's word. He was exhausted as illustrated by this collection of Jeremiah's prayers. I will end with part of his prayer when people attacked his integrity and plotted against his life.
Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to my plea.
Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them (Jeremiah 18:19-20). Amen.
Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them (Jeremiah 18:19-20). Amen.
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