Daily Prophets
Day 83
“The word of the Lord came to me. Arise and speak to them all that I command you. Do not break down before them… I make you this day a fortified city…against Judah’s kings and officers, and against its priests and citizens. They will attack you, but they shall not overcome you; for I am with you, God declares, to save you.”(Jeremiah 1:4,17,18,19).
Having finished 1st Isaiah and on the recommendation of my Rabbi, Ed Feinstein, I am moving on to Jeremiah. This first verse is so amazing to me, yet so unremarkable. It is amazing that Jeremiah heard and knew it was the word of God coming to him, not some concoction of his ego, emotions, etc. It is unremarkable because the word of God is implanted in us and comes to us often, through prayer, study, meditation, interaction with another(s), connections with people. Yet, for most of us we don’t pay attention to God’s call. Jeremiah, as with the other prophets, not only heard the call, paid attention to God’s call; they also acted on it.
In verses 17-19, God is telling Jeremiah what is in store for him. This is not going to be an easy task, people are not going to enjoy hearing the truth spoken to them. Even though they know the truth, they do not want to face it and this is Jeremiah’s job-speak truth to power and try and save the people from themselves. A very difficult task. So God makes him a “fortified city” the strength it will take to withstand the onslaught of the priests, the kings, the officers and the people is the strength it takes to withstand the attacks of enemy armies. I wonder if the attacks and Jeremiah’s ability to withstand them are a lesson for the people to withstand the attacks of their enemies, to become fortified cities in and of themselves so they can survive?
Verse 19 is the promise to Jeremiah the makes everything he will go through worth it. God lets him know that his spirit will not be defeated, no matter how hard they try because God is with him and will save him. This is the promise God makes to him and keeps for him.
Rabbi Heschel writes: “Revelation is not a voice crying in the wilderness, but an act of received communication… Unlike the voice, bath kol, spoken of in old rabbinic literature, the voice the prophet hears is calling upon him.”(The Prophets, pg 437-438). He also says: “Having been enabled to withstand like a fortress all the attacks that came from without, Jeremiah’s inner life never turned to bronze or iron.”(ibid. 123). These teachings are to show us that Jeremiah was not, by nature, the lunatic the people made him out to be, he wasn’t a traitor or a charlatan, he was a messenger with a message the people did not want to hear. The voice of God was thrust upon him, not sought out, he did not submit a resume for the job, God called and Jeremiah, like all prophets, answered. The teaching Rabbi Heschel gives us about Jeremiah’s inner life is so crucial to learn. When we know that God is guiding us, when we know we are responding to God’s call, the attacks on us do not turn us negative, rather they invoke more Divine Pathos from us. Our inner life gets more connected to God and we can have compassion instead of anger. This was Rabbi Heschel’s way as well. He withstood all the attacks because God saved him, God strengthened him and he was responding to God’s call to him.
If only our politicians would do the same. Much like the kings, officers, priests and people of Judah, our politicians are not willing to hear the word of God nor respond to God’s call. They want the power and will wield it to their own destruction and ours. Matt Gaetz, the legislatures of Georgia, Texas, et al, the Senate Republicans and some Democrats who believe the tradition of the filibuster is more important than voting rights and gun safety? Who believe partisan politics is more important than the lives of their constituents? God will save William Barber, Joe Biden, and all who support life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, from the inner death that these charlatans have experienced. They could come back to life, it will take hearing and responding to the call of God, not their ego, their power-hungry, prestige-seeking selves.
In recovery, we heard and continue to hear the call of God. For most of us, the voice of God was thrust upon us to move into recovery NOW. While God’s voice is always calling, we knew that if we didn’t move NOW, when we heard the call loud and clear, we might not hear it again. Like the prophets, it overpowered us, it caught us by surprise and we continue to seek out God’s call, God’s demand, God’s saving power each and every day.
I am guilty of not staying true to my inner life, my soul when attacked. I have given in to despair, anger, hurt and acted out from those places inappropriately. I also have come back to hearing God each and every time. I have watched my attackers “win” and, now, realize that what they “won” was a hollow victory. I “win” every time I allow God to save my inner life, to strengthen me from the onslaught and to pay attention, as my wife Harriet Rossetto teaches, to what is good, my mission and to the call of and saving power of God that is within me. How are you responding or not to God’s call? Stay safe, God Bless and Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mark