Joel

As I read from the book of Joel while sitting beside the lake, I was able to take in much more of the passage. I enjoyed the contrast of the peaceful ambience that I was surrounded by and the chaos of the passages I was reading. Many of the verses were dark and full of lament. The way nature is described in Joel is beautifully panoramic in a dire sense. I could picture the calm lake turning into something dreadful, but I could not imagine how that would be possible. For all the more reason, it made the passages in Joel more impacting.

My favorite part of the passage is in chapter 2, where the Lord calls to repentance. He says, “And rend your hearts not your garments.” Before, offerings to the Lord were mostly sacrificial/material objects. The Lord, however in this verse is asking for the heart, not the sacrifice. It’s a very poetic and romantic notion. He is not asking for a people that will follow a set of rules or tradition. He is seeking a people that will search Him with a sincere heart. It goes in accordance with what we have been talking about in class: the type of Christian that just walks the walk and the type that asks the hard questions. I think rending our heart is also being honest, real with God, real with our doubts and feelings. He already knows what is in our hearts, but many times we don’t. In chapter 3 of A Grief Observed, Lewis speaks about God putting us through things so that we will know our true character and heart better.

In conclusion, I do believe that the Bible can be literature, and IS the greatest piece of literature ever written. It has so many stories, both good and bad. It gives a realistic view of humanity and its faults. It leaves room for self-examination and helps us with our quality of life. The Bible is not all black and white, we have made it that way. On the contrary, it leaves one with plenty theological ignorance, to which we can rack our brains… like a good book.