How can you move from the closure of Cadbury’s (last week’s column) to Jewish history (this week’s)? That might suggest a very random sort of weekly column where any issue goes. That is not the case, however. Let me explain.
The weekly column is intended as a feature which comments on the substance of the articles on the website (link at the top of this page if you need it). The majority of those articles have a clear orientation; they all come out of a study of the Old Testament prophets. And this study of the Old Testament prophets is centred on one theme or question – what have they to say to us in our generation? The articles are there because I believe the prophets have very critical lessons for our generation.
The predominant theme of the prophets is one of judgement, judgement on Israel and on its contemporary neighbours. That is a critical theme indeed to apply to our generation and has a predominance on the website. Greed brings judgement, hence the depiction of economic greed surrounding Cadbury
But the prophets are not all judgement. They are actually messengers of hope and restoration. The supreme hope they offer is in the person of Jesus, the Messiah (wonderfully portrayed and foretold), and through him a restoration of the nations, and in particular of the Jewish nation. Exploration of this hope and restoration is not neglected on the website. Hence talk of the Jews.
The Jews have a fascinating history, one that increases in fascination when put alongside the very considerable prophetic statements about them that occur in the prophets. Those statements have to be grappled with, and so does Jewish history. It is in our times that they have come back to their Promised Land, a critical fact in the light of what the prophets had to say. That may well be a major sign of the times.
I focus on the Jews because I have just added to the website three articles on this whole issue of the significance of Jewish history. These three articles attempt to find a divine hand in the historical processes of 19th and 20thC Jewish history, looking at the broad historical trends that brought them to Palestine and established them in the State of Israel. They form a sequence to two articles already published on the Jewish Dispersion.
Finding God in history could be thought of as a somewhat dangerous journey, so this week an introductory article will appear reflecting on the whole issue of finding God in history – a subject with which I have been wrestling.
Bob
To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue
The weekly column is intended as a feature which comments on the substance of the articles on the website (link at the top of this page if you need it). The majority of those articles have a clear orientation; they all come out of a study of the Old Testament prophets. And this study of the Old Testament prophets is centred on one theme or question – what have they to say to us in our generation? The articles are there because I believe the prophets have very critical lessons for our generation.
The predominant theme of the prophets is one of judgement, judgement on Israel and on its contemporary neighbours. That is a critical theme indeed to apply to our generation and has a predominance on the website. Greed brings judgement, hence the depiction of economic greed surrounding Cadbury
But the prophets are not all judgement. They are actually messengers of hope and restoration. The supreme hope they offer is in the person of Jesus, the Messiah (wonderfully portrayed and foretold), and through him a restoration of the nations, and in particular of the Jewish nation. Exploration of this hope and restoration is not neglected on the website. Hence talk of the Jews.
The Jews have a fascinating history, one that increases in fascination when put alongside the very considerable prophetic statements about them that occur in the prophets. Those statements have to be grappled with, and so does Jewish history. It is in our times that they have come back to their Promised Land, a critical fact in the light of what the prophets had to say. That may well be a major sign of the times.
I focus on the Jews because I have just added to the website three articles on this whole issue of the significance of Jewish history. These three articles attempt to find a divine hand in the historical processes of 19th and 20thC Jewish history, looking at the broad historical trends that brought them to Palestine and established them in the State of Israel. They form a sequence to two articles already published on the Jewish Dispersion.
Finding God in history could be thought of as a somewhat dangerous journey, so this week an introductory article will appear reflecting on the whole issue of finding God in history – a subject with which I have been wrestling.
Bob
To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue
Posts
