Awestruck Heroes: The Prophets
Awestruck Heroes: The Prophets.
“Lord Yahweh, there is no God like You! You are wondrously great, and Your name is mighty in power. You are unrivalled in Your greatness! Who can fail to be impressed by You, King of the nations. It is completely proper to reverence You, for who could fail to stand in awe before You! It is in Your very nature to be worshipped. Among all the elite of the world, there is still no one as magnificent as You, no one who could compare with you.” (Jeremiah 10:7).
AWE: To encounter vastness, something beyond one’s frame of reference, outside of one’s mental grasp; inspires a profound curiosity, a desire to stretch into and explore the source of the awe; surrendering reverently to something greater than oneself; an outward-focused sense of wonder and astonishment; not just a momentary feeling, but a spiritual way of life; is a measurable neurological event that gradually rewires the human brain.
Awesome? Is there a word that has been more trivialized these days than the word “awesome?” I confess that I have unthinkingly become a culprit in this misuse of what is a wonder-full word. Awesome seems to be in the air and ready to escape the lips of practically everyone, describing everything from a hamburger to a TV show, from a dollar store to a restaurant, from a celebrity to a superstar. But the word itself means something vast that is worthy of awe and wonder and astonishment. So let’s get picky here… Really now, isn’t the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, the only one who could be worthy of awesome? In our common experience here on planet earth, it would seem wise to leave a reserved seat for awesome, front row, center aisle, in the worship section. Maybe we could think up some reasonable synonyms for awesome, like tremendous, terrific, superb, fantastic, spectacular, extraordinary, or even sublime or really cool. But I propose that we reserve the word awesome for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Aspects of Awe will be studied in this blog series as we consider the biblical quality of awe to be a diamond with a lot of facets. We’ll be looking at awesomeness in the Hebrew Bible, in the Gospels, and how the experience of awe affects our brain. Yes, to be in awe is a neurological event as well as a spiritual one.
Awe in the Hebrew Bible. Awe turned out to be a rather common experience in ancient Judaism and the Old Testament. The Hebrew word most used for awe is “yare,” which is often translated as “fear” and has a wide spectrum of meanings. Yare could be used for extreme terror when facing danger, or for reverent awe before the Lord; for withdrawing in fear from something vastly superior, or approaching God in adoration and wonder; an experience that leads to fleeing in dread or worshipping in reverence. Yare could signify escape from danger or obedience out of profound respect. Yare is used almost 400 times in the Hebrew Bible, and its meaning depends on the context. Awe in the OT could be a temporary emotional experience or a more permanent attitude in one’s walk with God. For the most part though, apparently starting with Abraham, yare and the fear of God came to mean awestruck adoration, reverent devotion, profound respect, fearful honor, and loyal obedience as a result of such awe of God. Biblical awe will be studied in the lives of many faithful heroes in the Hebrew Bible who were happy to be awed and to use the word awesome… from Abraham to Jacob; from Moses to David; from Solomon to Isaiah; from Habakkuk to Malachi. As we’ll see, these stalwarts knew how to use the word “awesome!”
Prophets and their Listeners who were Awestruck:
(1.) Isaiah…
God’s Want Ad: WANTED: An imaginative scribe who can write exquisite poetry. A faithful, articulate believer in Yahweh who can switch from one extreme to another at the Lord’s command… from a sublime vision of God’s glory, to a ridiculous demonstration of shameful nakedness; from confronting the people over their sinfulness, to comforting people with hopefulness; from being an outspoken messenger one minute, to a living object lesson the next; from having one foot in the immediate surroundings one minute, to one foot in the future messianic realm the next. Must be adaptable, thick-skinned, and extraordinarily brave. Person who answers, “Here I am. Send me!” will be especially considered. (from The Jerusalem Post, posted 740 BC).
“It is Yahweh, the Lord of Hosts, whom you should sanctify and set apart as holy. Let Him be your only fear (“yare“), only He should make you tremble in reverent awe (“yare“).” (8:13);
“Then a Shoot will spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of extraordinary wisdom and perfect understanding, the Spirit of shrewd counsel and a mighty warrior, the Spirit of inspired knowledge and reverent awe (“yare“) for the Lord. He will find delight in awestruck reverence (“yare“) for the Lord…” (Isaiah 11:1-3);
“The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; awestruck adoration (“yare“) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” (Isaiah 33:5-6).
(2.) Jeremiah…
God’s Want Ad: WANTED: A young man who can speak to everyone from the royalty to street people, who will be My messenger for the long haul, maybe even forty years! Someone tough enough to endure whippings, prison stocks, and being thrown into deep dry wells; someone who is willing to look extremely foolish for My sake, including performing such street theater as walking around in public wearing nothing but unwashed underwear; going to the town dump and smashing a perfectly good clay jar; casually strolling around for a few months wearing a heavy wooden oxen yoke attached to his neck; writing down on a long scroll every word of God’s judgments against Babylon only to have it tied to a rock in Babylon and thrown into the river. This emotional man must be willing to weep at a moment’s notice, especially after seeing Babylon destroy Jerusalem. Being able to sing the blues while being ignored is mandatory. (from The Israel Gazette, posted 627 BC).
“Lord Yahweh, there is no God like You! You are wondrously great, and Your name is mighty in power. You are unrivalled in Your greatness! Who can fail to be impressed by You, King of the nations. It is completely proper to reverence You, for who could fail to stand in awe (“yare“) before You! It is in Your very nature to be worshipped. Among all the elite of the world, there is still no one as magnificent as You, no one who could compare with you.” (Jeremiah 10:7).
(3.) Habakkuk…
God’s Want Ad: WANTED: A man willing to frankly ask Me difficult questions while still holding unto a faithful trust in Me. Will be a spiritual watchman interrogating Me and looking earnestly for my answers to his questions, such as, ‘Why do the evil people prosper while the innocent are suffering,’ and ‘Why aren’t You punishing Judah for their horrendous sins,’ and then ‘Why are You using bad people to punish Your chosen people?’ My special messenger must be a person who is able to listen and patiently wait for my answers while in his spiritual lookout tower. Someone who will be awestruck in his adoration of Me, of great faith who will believe in Me even when everything seems to be falling apart. (from The Judah News Wire, posted 612 BC).
“Lord, I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you, and I’m awestruck (“yare“), stopped in my tracks, down on my knees. Do among us what you did among them. Revive us now, O Lord. Work among us as you worked among them. And as you bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2);
(4.) Haggai…
God’s Want Ad: WANTED: A cheerleader prophet, someone who can inspire My people returning from exile to pick up their construction tools and rebuild My Temple in Jerusalem. This messenger must be effective at encouraging and motivating my people after many years of ignoring the importance of My dwelling place of worship for My people. Must be able to work alongside another prophet, Zechariah, in this construction project. A crucial quality must be endurance and stamina, since the rebuilding of the Temple will take almost five years to complete. Should be comfortable letting others take the credit when the job is done, and even agree to the new Temple to be credited to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah at the time. Must also be able to strengthen the work of Joshua the high priest and enable his leadership in the Worship of the Most High. Must be able to clearly point to My new Temple in the future that will be filled with glory and splendor and peace. (from The Jewish Times, posted 520 BC).
“Then Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, the chief priest Joshua, and the faithful few who returned from Babylon listened carefully and obeyed the LORD their God. They also obeyed the words of the prophet Haggai because the LORD their God had sent him, and so the people began to stand in reverent awe (“yare“) in the LORD’s presence.” (Haggai 1:12);
(5.) Malachi…
God’s Want Ad: WANTED: My spokesman who will be the bridge between the Hebrew Bible and the New Covenant with Jesus. Able to effectively address the many ways My people are once again slipping into many of the same sins that had them exiled in the first place, such as arrogance, apathy in worship, an empty and meaningless faith life, welcoming paganism into their marriages and homes. Willing to confront the Temple priests who are leading this spiritual disintegration through their laziness, unfaithfulness, and unwillingness to follow the Torah with worthy sacrifices and worship of Me. Also skilled at infusing hope in God, pointing to the coming Messiah who will appear with healing in His wings. (from The Hebrew Journal, posted 460 BC).
“Then all those who feared the LORD with awe-filled reverence (“yare“) spoke with one another; and the LORD paid attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written in His presence recording those who stand in awestruck reverence before the LORD and who honor His Name.” (Malachi 3:16).