Daily Prophets
Day 130
“Why do you glory in strength? Your strength is drained, rebellious daughter you who relied on your treasures. I am bringing terror upon you…Afterword, I will restore your fortunes. Your horrible nature, your arrogant heart has seduced you.”(Jeremiah 49:4,5,6,16).
Jeremiah is continuing his prophecy regarding the nations around Judea. The first 4 verses above are for the Ammonites and the last is spoken to Edom. Jeremiah is railing against all the injustice and stupidity practiced by these people of power, wealth and education, I believe.
His first question resounds to this day. God and modern prophets ask the same question, yet ‘strongpeople’ seem unable to hear this question, or ponder this question or respond in any other manner than ‘strongpeople’ have for the ages: ‘I am powerful and I am Sovereign/god over you’. This is plain stupid when we view what has happened throughout history to these ‘strongpeople’ and their countries, lives, etc. Yet, people still worship strength, real or imaginary as we see in our world today.
When these ‘strongpeople’ are overthrown, the people taking their place (more often than not) are the ones who were abused and they then buy into the lie of: ‘now I am the strong one and I am Sovereign/god over you’. It has been a vicious cycle throughout the millennia. None of the people in power realize that their strength will drain and their treasures will not protect them. It is a truth that history has borne out, yet we refuse to learn this story.
Ammon is called a “rebellious daughter” because she could/would not follow God’s ways and paths. Instead they kept moving farther and farther away from justice and kindness and love till they became suspicious of everyone. The paranoia that must have been present, in my reading of these verses, was gigantic. When one is suspicious of everyone else, when this suspicion leads to paranoia, the only result for the individual and the country is terror. Living in the terror of their paranoia, their injustice, their stupidity must have been unbearable. AND, they would not turn back to God because they were too stuck in their strength, power, treasures, and stupidity.
Even with all of this, God promises Ammon that it will be restored one day. This is not, however, a blanket promise with no effort by Ammon, as I understand Jeremiah’s words. Ammon has to do t’shuvah and call to God, renew its own covenant with God and, then their fortunes will be restored.
Edom is told that their horrible nature and arrogant heart has seduced them and led them to ruin and total destruction. Unlike their cousins, Edom’s problem is not their reliance on strength and wealth, although they did that too; Edom’s sin was/is their horrible nature-a nature where suspicion, hatred, judgmental thinking, disregard for all of God’s ways so they have no claim or hold on them, and their arrogant heart-believing they were above God’s laws and paths-above everyone else with their power and strength. Their hubris was beyond the beyond. They were to be destroyed because of the depth of their arrogance and horrible nature-a deadly combination as the world has seen over and over again. Sound familiar today?
Rabbi Heschel teaches: “Justice may be properly described as “the active process of remedying or preventing what should arouse the sense of injustice.”(The Prophets pg.204). Jeremiah is telling us that the nations did not engage in this process. As I am writing this today, I am appalled at how often our country does not engage in this active process. I am saddened at how often “good people”, “holy people” engage in unjust actions while trying to wrap themselves in the cloak of righteousness. “On the advice of Counsel” has become a catchphrase for people to do unjust, unkind actions towards another, while living within “the letter of the law” that was made by humans, not God. This is happening on a macro and micro scale today.
In recovery, we know that our only dependence can be on God. We know the insanity of depending on strength, riches, power, etc. We tried and failed miserably. We came to God in supplication, in remorse, in t’shuvah and God raised us back up, as Jeremiah says about Ammon today. In recovery, we practice justice, kindness, righteousness and gratitude each day so we can enhance our spiritual connection and enhance our standard of living well.
I have been destroyed a few times and God has restored me when I saw my part. I have made errors and these errors have resulted in great pain for people around me and close to me. For this pain, I am truly remorseful and have done t’shuvah. The people who participated in these errors, however, remind me of Ammon and Edom-never wanting to own their part, blaming everything on the bad one and living arrogantly, relying on their status, strength and wealth. I pray for them to realize the errors of their ways before the families, organizations, communities suffer for their lack of heeding the prophet Jeremiah’s words. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark