In my Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible course, we’ve been reading Abraham Heschel’s The Prophets, Volume 2. I recommend, completely.
As the course winds down (final on Monday!), I’m reading his Conclusions, and found this passage to be of particular note:
“He whose thinking is guided by the prophets would say: God’s presence is my first thought; His unity and transcendence, my second; His concern and involvement (justice and compassion), my third. Upon deeper reflection, however, he will realize that all three thoughts are one. God’s presence in the world is, in essence, His concern for the world. One word stands for both. And both are expressions of His unity. Divine unity implies concern. For unity means love…
“Sympathy opens man to the living God. Unless we share His concern, we know nothing about the living God.”
May He continue to teach us that last bit. Unless I share in His concern and compassion (for the hurting, for the earth, etc.), I simply know nothing about Him.
