The Suffering of God: An Old Testament Perspective (Overtures to Biblical Theology) Paper back - 1984

Augsburg Fortress Publishers, October 1984. Paper Back. New. Old Testament images of a vindictive, wrathful God not only diminish its relevance to Christian life and faith, but also obscure its revelation of the God who suffers--because of, with, and for his creation. Fretheim begins by exploring God's relationship to the world: passages such as 'I am with you, says the Lord of Hosts' illustrate not God-at-a-distance, but a fundamental continuity between God and his people. In many Old Testament theophanies--when God appears, speaks, or sanctifies--divinity often assumes a 'vulnerable' human form instead of appearing in 'overwhelming power.' By choosing weakness, God risks rejection--which leads in turn to divine grief, a form of suffering readily apparent in Genesis, Exodus, and the laments of Psalms and the prophets. God also suffers with his people: he responds to Israel's judgment by 'taking up the cry of a mourner...[he] does not view Israel's fate with detached objectivity . . .or satisfaction.' Finally, God suffers for others, as his life is in some sense expended for his people. He provides the living beings whose blood is shed in sacrifice, he 'wearies' himself by bearing Israel's sins rather than meting out strict justice, and he endures humiliation with his chosen prophets. Focusing on many overlooked passages, Fretheim succeeds in constructing a much-needed bridge between Old and New testaments, and affirms that 'metaphors matter' in scripture and faith alike. While leaving aside the classical theological concept of God's impassibility, this study provides much biblical data for an authentic grappling with that issue.