Wounded Lover

Wounded Lover
by Philip Yancey

God is the betrayed one.







God's restraint marks an interlude of mercy.  He restrains himself for our benefit.

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Philip Yancey

The most amazing feature of the prophets is not their "modern" outlook or their passionate cry of disappointment.  The reason these seventeen books merit a close look is that they include God's own reply to the prophets' bracing questions.
God talked back, defending the way he ran the world.  He lashed out, stormed, and wept.  And this is what he said:
We tend to rank God's revelations by their dramatic effect, with spectacular personal appearances at the top, supernatural miracles just below, and the words of the prophets at the bottom.  The fireball on Mount Carmel, for example, seems more convincing than one of Jeremiah's doleful sermons.  But God acknowledged no such rating.  In an ironic twist, he pointed to the prophets themselves — the very people who were questioning his silence — as proof of his concern.  How can a nation complain about the silence of God when they have the likes of Ezekiel and Jeremiah and Daniel and Isaiah?
God did not consider "mere words" an inferior form of proof.  Miracles, after all, had never had much lasting impact on the Israelites' faith; but the prophets would inscribe a permanent record, to be passed down over generations, of God's overtures toward his people.  Sometimes God pointed to past miracles as proofs of his love, but more often he said something like this, in the familiar tone of an exasperated parent:  "From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets.  But you did not listen to them or pay attention."  God concluded that the people did not really want a word from the Lord, and they proved him right, warning Isaiah, "Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.... and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel."

I have indeed withdrawn my presence.

When the prophets complined loudly about God's hiddenness, God didn't argue.  He agreed with them, and then explained why he was keeping his distance.
To Jeremiah, God expressed his disgust with what he saw in Israel: dishonest gain, the shedding of innocent blood, oppression, extortion.  He covered his eyes, he said, refusing even to see hands spread out in a posture of prayer, for those hands were covered with blood.
To Ezekiel, God explained that once Israel's rebellions had passed a certain point, he simply "gave them over" to their sins.  He withdrew, letting the people choose their own way and bear the consequences.
To Zechariah, he said, "When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen."
(see link)
http://www.rogershermansociety.org/wounded.htm

Most excellent ~ thank you for posting, Tyo!

I've read some of Yancy's work previously, though it's been some time since I've seen/read his articles.

Agree, love to know how much God loves us, each one!