I read Heath A. Thomas's essay "A Neglected Witness to "Holy War" in the Writings" (in Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and an Old Testament Problem) this morning. Reading this essay coincided with a sermon I heard this past Sunday on God and the problem of suffering and evil. The message was excellent, biblically rich, and theological sound; however, it was like most responses to God and the problem of evil because it sought to defend or offer justification for God. Thomas, however, focuses upon lament in the essay as an often neglected response to "Holy War" in the Scriptures. I completely agree. Theodicy can numb the soul if it is not tempered with lament. Thomas notes the function of lament as a way to "engage" God as enemy.
"Liturgically, the complaint/lament function provides the community a means to engage the divine warrior in the way they have experienced him: as enemy. This is not a theodicy--either an explanation of why this disaster occurred or a justification of the activity of God--but rather lament prayer" (80).
Thomas further notes that the mode by which lament prayer questions God over matters, such as, suffering and violence is from "the realm of faith" (81). This is helpful because it gives a way for humans, who are admittedly finite, to express their fears, doubts, and questions in a faithful way to God when faced with profound suffering. This is no mere act of catharsis, but rather one of profound faith and worship.
BD
"Liturgically, the complaint/lament function provides the community a means to engage the divine warrior in the way they have experienced him: as enemy. This is not a theodicy--either an explanation of why this disaster occurred or a justification of the activity of God--but rather lament prayer" (80).
Thomas further notes that the mode by which lament prayer questions God over matters, such as, suffering and violence is from "the realm of faith" (81). This is helpful because it gives a way for humans, who are admittedly finite, to express their fears, doubts, and questions in a faithful way to God when faced with profound suffering. This is no mere act of catharsis, but rather one of profound faith and worship.
BD