Woe#*.?!

Woe #*.?!

Good Morning Friends,

Last night we celebrated my mother’s 92 birthday! She was in some physical pain. Part of it was sad, part of it joyous. I am searching for the right word that matches with the convergence of emotional extremes. I am searching for scripture that has the right emphasis and meaning that resonates with my voice. But the Bible is not written like we talk today…and we do not talk like we write and text. Abbreviated words shared for emphasis, like LOL! And like OMG! And words such as like and even bring emphasis. They take on a meaning of their own….sometimes as polite alternatives for the profane expletives we might blurt out in frustration when we hit our thumb with a hammer. And then sometimes the salt just loses flavor. Maybe that is closer to the essence of the feeling… the wound I have… Something with an exclamation mark, that is also a question mark in search of a period. So I researched it on line and apparently, though I have not counted them myself, in and the King James Bible there are 313 exclamation points. The first is found in Genesis 17:18 about well-being, and the last is found in Revelation 18:19 about woe. Maybe we are getting at it… So today I choose a word and
whether declaration, interrogative or exclamation today’s word is Woe#*.?!

Scripture: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

John 14:1 (NRSV)

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin…

Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”

Micah 2:1 Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand.

Isaiah 5:18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;

Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Isaiah 5:11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!

Isaiah 5:22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink…

Habakkuk 2:15 ” Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness!

Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, You will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, They will deal treacherously with you.

Isaiah 45:9 ” Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

Jeremiah 22:13 ” Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work…

Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

Luke 21:23 …woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

Amos 6:3 Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat of violence to come near;

Habakkuk 2:6 ‘ Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?

Habakkuk 2:9 ” Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!

Habakkuk 2:12 ” Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity!

Habakkuk 2:19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

Zechariah 11:17 ” Woe to the worthless shepherd, Who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm And against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”

Matthew 23:13 “…woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Luke 11:42 “…woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. 

Luke 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

Luke 11:44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

Matthew 23:14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Luke 11:47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Ezekiel 13:3 …Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

Luke 6:24  …woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.

Luke 6:25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.

Lamentations 3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?

Message: As I look at the word within the context of its many uses in today’s scripture I have to believe it can mean many things. Here emphasizing words and expressions highlight lines of reasoning. That is why reading scripture out loud is so important. Here emphasis and pacing involves feeling and a voice that conveys the nuance of the situation. It is so important to emphasize the right word with the right tone to discriminate it from all the other clutter in our heads. So today we use the tool of repetition to covey the importance of the word woe in understanding the emotional extremes of the Bible and of life. Jesus used the word woe a lot and I would have to say it must have been a lot like John the Baptist saying “repent.” Today I have the mixed emotions of joy and sadness, depression and elation. Today, as I think about my mother’s birthday, I am looking for the opposite of the word woe and may have to agree with the Texan that decided that the words would have to be “giddy up.” Attempts at humor aside, Webster’s dictionary says that woe is “used to express grief, regret, or distress.” It denotes a condition to be dreaded, possibly signifying impending doom, condemnation and/or the wrath of God. I want to stop that kind of stuff in my life, turn around and giddy up in the other direction.

Pray no more woeful widows would be left to bow to sad disgrace! Pray our hearts are no longer troubled by all the woe. Pray we believe in the victory in Jesus. Pray we understand that Jesus spoke about woe to get us to change direction. Pray we stop galloping into sin. Pray we prepare for the coming of Christ. Pray we experience new mercies each day.

Blessings,

John Lawson