The Prophets and Our Resources

Review of the previous post.

The previous post, post number 6 of 13, continued introducing the topic and discusses some modern concerns in the field of ecology.

Preview of this post.

This post, post number 7 of 13, begins the discussion of what the prophets said.

1. What the prophets said^[1]

A.The teaching of the prophets is applicable and relevant to modern society

The prophets often spoke in metaphors in which they told a tale in one form so the listener could become involved while teaching something to that listener. Since the metaphors are figures of speech which speak about one thing in terms which are seen to suggest another, this creates the possibility that the metaphors had one meaning for the Biblical audience, but could be applied to contemporary perceptions of today. If one looks at many of the teachings of the prophets as rebukes for our wasting of our natural resources, these teachings might be applied to today. In place of idols, we could be said to worship financial gain and “progress,” in place of the widow and the orphan, we can place our natural resources and our environment. Thus, while the prophets may have rebuked the people for worshiping gods of place instead of the god of history, and abusing widows and orphans, we worship the false idols of financial gain and personal convenience at the expense of the defenseless earth and our defenseless environment; we strike at these elements with “wicked fists and oppress and abuse them.” Instead of Isaiah rebuking the people for “Because on your fast day, You oppress your laborers, and strike with a wicked fist, “Is 58:3-4), or “No, this is the fast I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke, To let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home and you see the naked, to clothe him, And not to ignore your own kin” (Is 58: 5-7), we might view Isaiah using the same words to rebuke people for abusing the environment, especially for personal gain.  With only slight variations, these rebukes can be referring to our treatment of the earth and its natural resources. “Do not ignore your own kin” could this mean not to ignore the needs of our Mother Earth? Maybe, the prophets of the Hebrew Bible can speak to us across the eons, and the messages of the prophets are still very pertinent to today.

Preview of the next post.

The next post, post number 8 of 13, continues the discussion of what the prophets said and provides examples of what they said.

[1] Environmental awareness is an aspect of the mitzvah known as Bal Tashchit–Do Not Destroy.