Saturday, December 22, 2012

"Oracle"

Understand, the Fear sees everything, even you. His anger is not turned away, and His hand remains outstretched. How can we, the sons of the prophets, not speak when His words burn in our bones like fire?

Yet we glimpse something beyond wrath. A green shoot from dry ground. A valley where graves give up their dead. A man marred beyond reckoning, yet dividing the spoil with the strong.

So we prophesy woe and weal, setting our faces as flint before your scourgings, your stones, your swords. The Fear sees, and we will bear these burdens even though we cannot.



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7 comments:

Loren Eaton said...

Marginal Notes

Understand, the Fear sees ... A name for God used only twice in the biblical text; see Genesis 31:42, 53.

... and we will bear these burdens ... One of the more interesting wordplays in the text of the Hebrew scriptures is how מַשָּׂא means both "oracle" and "burden."

Elizabeth Gaucher said...

Thank you for this. I will be re-reading this and pondering it for some time.

Anonymous said...

It's good to remember the primal awe that should be the foundation of faith. This is a potent reminder for in a mere 100 words.

Phil W said...

Moving. Thanks for explaining the wordplay.

S.D. Smith said...

I love your stories, Loren. Wow.

ollwen said...

Weighty in a good way. The true ghosts of Advent.

Loren Eaton said...

@ Elizabeth: I'll take that as a compliment! Love to hear what you think at a later date.

@ James: Thanks, James. This one was a struggle to get it to fit into the space.

@ Phil: Gracias. If I didn't, I'd worry that no one would understand what I'm doing!

@ S.D.: I'm pretty fond of yours also, sir.

@ Ollwen: You got it. You got it, indeed.