During study of the Old Testament writing prophets, one of the things which has impressed me has been the embodiment of the Lord’s message in the lives of the prophets. They incarnated the word. It cut jagged edges into their lives—they groaned, ranted, cried. The task of proclaiming the word of the Lord was not confined to the prophets’ vocal cords, but affected their whole being. Their lives were a seamless garment: God’s message was their message, their message was God’s message, and they themselves were the message!
Just a few examples… The name of Isaiah’s son (quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil) had grave significance for Israel’s neighbor, Syria (8:1-4). Jeremiah was thrown into a pit (38:1-6) because of his unpopular message about Jerusalem’s downfall; he spent his money on a piece of property that was worthless at the time (32:1-44). Ezekiel ate a scroll (3:1-11); he shaved his head and beard, and burned the hair (5:1-4); his wife died and he did not mourn (24:15-17). Daniel embodied the wisdom of God in a strange land. Hosea married an adulterous woman and bought her back after she was unfaithful to him (3:1-5). Amos was accused of conspiracy against the king (7:10-16). Jonah preached on the streets of Nineveh. Malachi's very name means "my messenger".
Connie Befus has described the seamless nature of things in The Sacred Mundane. She says that in God’s economy everything is holy—washing dishes, changing diapers, cleaning toilets, filing income tax—the whole earth is full of his glory. In fact…
God was holy when he made polar bears, and ants and mountains; holy when he made dirt, fire—and cockroaches; holy when he made the leviathan and mealy bugs. He was holy when born of the virgin and when messing his diaper as a baby; holy healing the blind and holy drinking with the publicans. He was holy on the cross and holy washing muddy feet. He was, and is, always holy—and so can we be. So must we be. [The Sacred Mundane, Kindle edition]
The prophets understood this truth and lived it. But we compartmentalize. We become, in my pastor’s words, the “schizophrenics of Jesus.” As a result, we become largely irrelevant to the world.
What is the embodied message of the prophets? Dr. David Howard suggests that the prophets were traditionalists as much, or more, than they were radicals. They hitched their anchor to the heart of the Mosaic law: love for God and neighbor. It’s that simple (and that challenging).
