In-Class Listening
Week of 11 March 2008
JEREMIAH
The book of Jeremiah contains some of the greatest poetry in the Bible. Hebrew poetry is built mainly on parallel structure (repeating ideas in different words) and concrete images, making us see things vividly. Poetry must be heard to be appreciated.
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Week of 11 March 2008
JEREMIAH
The book of Jeremiah contains some of the greatest poetry in the Bible. Hebrew poetry is built mainly on parallel structure (repeating ideas in different words) and concrete images, making us see things vividly. Poetry must be heard to be appreciated.
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The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah in the land of Benjamin: 4: Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6: Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7: But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8: Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9: Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put words in thy mouth. 10: See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. 17: Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. 18: For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 19: And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
72: Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. 3: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4: Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. 5: For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; 6: If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: 7: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
91: Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2: Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 3: And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD. 4: Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. 5: And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6: Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD. 7: Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? 8: Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait. 9: Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? 10: For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beasts are fled; they are gone. 11: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
132: Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 3: And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD. 4: Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. 5: And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6: Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD. 7: Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? 8: Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait. 9: Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? 10: For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beasts are fled; they are gone. 11: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
1: Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it on thy loins, and put it not in water. 2: So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. 3: And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 4: Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 5: So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. 6: And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said to me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 7: Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. 8: Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 9: Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10: This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11: For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
141: The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth. 2: Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 3: And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
4: Because the ground is chapped, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5: Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. 6: And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass. 7: O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. 8: O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? 9: Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied [astonished], as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
184: Because the ground is chapped, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5: Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. 6: And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass. 7: O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. 8: O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? 9: Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied [astonished], as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
1: The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2: Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3: Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4: And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so that he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6: O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
3131: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33: But this shall be a covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34: And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8
"'Ah, Sovereign Lord,' I said. "I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." JEREMIAH 1:6-8
Here I am, oh, Lord, send me. Yes, Master, if you need me. I'll stop what I'm doing, go out for your cause. I knew you would call me if you did need me. Yes Lord If you want somebody you can count on them, rest my bones, I'll go. Won't somebody, O Lord, won't somebody, O Lord, send me. If I've polio I'll go, I'm cripple I'll go, I want you to know if I'm blind I'll go,if I'm paralyzed I'll go. Though paralyzed, I'll go just the same. I'll go, won't somebody here go. Send me!
The Blackwood Brothers, who recorded this song, was one of the most popular white Gospel groups of the 20th century and the favorite of Elvis Presley's mother, at whose funeral they performed at Elvis' request. Elvis shared his mother's love for the Blackwood Brothers and also had a deep love of bass voices. J. D. Sumner, who sang bass for the Blackwood Brothers, later sang on several of Elvis pop hits, including his last, "Way Down" (1977).
Peace like a river so gently is flowing, how sweet to my soul is this marvelous peace, sweeter and sweeter each day it is growing like billows of glory it never shall cease. Spirit, the Spirit, I am so glad (I am so happy), happy and glad, Jesus has given, Jesus has given wonderful peace, wonderful peace.
"Go up to Gilead and get balm, O Virgin Daughter ofEgypt, but you multiply remedies in vain; there is no healing for you." Jeremiah 46:11
Is there -- is there balm in Gilead? -- tell me -- tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
Although an embarrassment to some biblical scholars, hence read allegorically, God pictured with human emotions has been justified by scholars such as Abraham Heschel, who argues that God's "divine pathos" (including anger and love) is a model for how humans must behave to insure justice on earth. In other words, by showing concern, God becomes a model of concern. This song is typical of the "divine pathos" (that is, feeling), common throughout the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament). In many ways, Jesus is a development of this theme, since God not only behaves like man, but actually becomes man, thus realizing to the full the "divine pathos." Jesus then becomes an even more visible model to follow in one's daily conduct. This would include (righteous) anger as well as love:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known; Join in a song with sweet accord, Join in a song with sweet accord And thus surround the throne, And thus surround the throne.
Refrain: We’re marching to Zion, Beautiful, beautiful Zion; We’re marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God. The hill of Zion yields A thousand sacred sweets Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Or walk the golden streets, Or walk the golden streets. Then let our songs abound, And every tear be dry; We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, To fairer worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high. (Refrain)
What a beautiful thought I am thinking, Concerning a great speckled bird. And to know that my name is recorded on the pages of God's Holy Word. Desiring to lower her standard, They watch every move that she makes They long to find fault with her teachings, But really she makes no mistakes. I am glad I have learned of her meekness.I am proud that my name is on her book, For I want to be one never fearing the face of my Savior to look. When He cometh descending from heaven, On a cloud like He writes in His Word, I'll be joyfully carried to meet Him On the wings of that great speckled bird.
HERE AM I
From Moses on, the commisioning (calling) of the reluctant or fearful prophet is a key moment in the life of prophecy. Here too Jesus fulfills the "old" Testament; he is ready and eager when his time comes. In the words of the Gospel song, he "has confidence."
"But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'" EXODUS 3:12From Moses on, the commisioning (calling) of the reluctant or fearful prophet is a key moment in the life of prophecy. Here too Jesus fulfills the "old" Testament; he is ready and eager when his time comes. In the words of the Gospel song, he "has confidence."
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8
"'Ah, Sovereign Lord,' I said. "I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." JEREMIAH 1:6-8
Here I am, oh, Lord, send me. Yes, Master, if you need me. I'll stop what I'm doing, go out for your cause. I knew you would call me if you did need me. Yes Lord If you want somebody you can count on them, rest my bones, I'll go. Won't somebody, O Lord, won't somebody, O Lord, send me. If I've polio I'll go, I'm cripple I'll go, I want you to know if I'm blind I'll go,if I'm paralyzed I'll go. Though paralyzed, I'll go just the same. I'll go, won't somebody here go. Send me!
Jeremiah's take on GENESIS
The Bible, among its many other distinctions, is the first truly intertextual book; verses constantly refer to other verses. This becomes increasingly so by the time of the early Jewish-Christians who seem to have written every verse with an eye to another verse in their Scriptures (at that time, only the Jewish Bible). For example, John, in the famous incipit (beginning) of his Gospel obviously has his own take on the incipit of Genesis; almost every verse in the Gospels seems to refer to a verse in the Hebrew scriptures (the Sermon on the Mount refers to Moses' law-giving on the mountain; Luke's Sermon the Plain refers to Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, etc.). In these verses of Jeremiah, he parodies the creation of the world with its destruction, using similar language as in the opening verses of Genesis to make his point stronger:
I beheld the earth and lo it was without form and void. And the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains and lo they trembled. And all the hills moved lightly. I beheld and lo there was no man and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld And lo the fruitful place was a wilderness and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord and by his fierce anger.The Bible, among its many other distinctions, is the first truly intertextual book; verses constantly refer to other verses. This becomes increasingly so by the time of the early Jewish-Christians who seem to have written every verse with an eye to another verse in their Scriptures (at that time, only the Jewish Bible). For example, John, in the famous incipit (beginning) of his Gospel obviously has his own take on the incipit of Genesis; almost every verse in the Gospels seems to refer to a verse in the Hebrew scriptures (the Sermon on the Mount refers to Moses' law-giving on the mountain; Luke's Sermon the Plain refers to Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, etc.). In these verses of Jeremiah, he parodies the creation of the world with its destruction, using similar language as in the opening verses of Genesis to make his point stronger:
PEACE LIKE A RIVER
Gospel songs too keep both Testaments in mind. Christianity depends on showing that all verses in the Old Testament refer to the life of Jesus. This, as we know, is called a typological reading (Jesus is the fulfillment of the old law). Here a verse from Isaiah is made to refer to Jesus:
"For this is what the Lord says: 'I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream.'" Isaiah 66:12Gospel songs too keep both Testaments in mind. Christianity depends on showing that all verses in the Old Testament refer to the life of Jesus. This, as we know, is called a typological reading (Jesus is the fulfillment of the old law). Here a verse from Isaiah is made to refer to Jesus:
Peace like a river so gently is flowing, how sweet to my soul is this marvelous peace, sweeter and sweeter each day it is growing like billows of glory it never shall cease. Spirit, the Spirit, I am so glad (I am so happy), happy and glad, Jesus has given, Jesus has given wonderful peace, wonderful peace.
THE RAVEN
(Edgar Allan Poe)
"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?" Jeremiah 8:22(Edgar Allan Poe)
"Go up to Gilead and get balm, O Virgin Daughter ofEgypt, but you multiply remedies in vain; there is no healing for you." Jeremiah 46:11
Is there -- is there balm in Gilead? -- tell me -- tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
THERE IS A BALM IN GILEAD
Two diffiferent vocal styles in Afro-American performance of spirituals: one from the concert tradition, the other from Gospel:
There is a balm to make the wounded whole, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.Two diffiferent vocal styles in Afro-American performance of spirituals: one from the concert tradition, the other from Gospel:
CHRISTIAN TESTIMONIALS
This song, from a Christian perspective, has the same message as Jeremiah's verse:
Nothing, nothing, nothing like serving the Lord. I've tried everything but I couldn't find nothing, nothing like serving the Lord. I've tried everything but I couldn't find nothing like serving the Lord. I tried gambling (gambling), lying (lying), midnight riding, and back-sliding but I couldn't find nothing, no, no, no, nothing, nothing like serving the Lord. I prayed one and the Lord from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet. Ever since that day I've been working mighty hard for I know I'll never find nothing, nothing like, nothing like serving the Lord. O, like serving the Lord (serving the Lord).This song, from a Christian perspective, has the same message as Jeremiah's verse:
BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
"He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth." Jeremiah 25:30Although an embarrassment to some biblical scholars, hence read allegorically, God pictured with human emotions has been justified by scholars such as Abraham Heschel, who argues that God's "divine pathos" (including anger and love) is a model for how humans must behave to insure justice on earth. In other words, by showing concern, God becomes a model of concern. This song is typical of the "divine pathos" (that is, feeling), common throughout the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament). In many ways, Jesus is a development of this theme, since God not only behaves like man, but actually becomes man, thus realizing to the full the "divine pathos." Jesus then becomes an even more visible model to follow in one's daily conduct. This would include (righteous) anger as well as love:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
MARCHING TO ZION
"There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.'" Jeremiah 31.6Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known; Join in a song with sweet accord, Join in a song with sweet accord And thus surround the throne, And thus surround the throne.
Refrain: We’re marching to Zion, Beautiful, beautiful Zion; We’re marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God. The hill of Zion yields A thousand sacred sweets Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Or walk the golden streets, Or walk the golden streets. Then let our songs abound, And every tear be dry; We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, To fairer worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high. (Refrain)
MARCHING TO ZION
We’re marching, marching on to Zion, That beautiful, beautiful city of Zion; We’re marching upward to Zion, That beautiful (wonderful, glorious, victorious) city of God. (2)THE GREAT SPECKLED BIRD
"Has not my inheritance [Israel; the Church] become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other bids of prey surround and attack? Jeremiah 12:9The "Great Speckled Bird" refers, in Jeremiah, to Israel; but to Christians it refers to the "new" Israel, or the Christian community (the church).
What a beautiful thought I am thinking, Concerning a great speckled bird. And to know that my name is recorded on the pages of God's Holy Word. Desiring to lower her standard, They watch every move that she makes They long to find fault with her teachings, But really she makes no mistakes. I am glad I have learned of her meekness.I am proud that my name is on her book, For I want to be one never fearing the face of my Savior to look. When He cometh descending from heaven, On a cloud like He writes in His Word, I'll be joyfully carried to meet Him On the wings of that great speckled bird.
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