Marilynne Robinson's Lila In The Book Of Ezekiel

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were seen as people who failed to listen to God’s commandments. Despite knowing beforehand that they would be punished for their disobedience, they still continued to commit sin. God tried to deter their misbehavior by promising them many blessings, but it worked to no avail. Due to the insubordination of the Israelites, He made sure that the promises He made to them would be withheld and that they would face consequences.

every character has its reference to a character in the Bible. Ruth May comes from the book of

God of the Old Testament is a God of election. Throughout the Old Testament we see God choosing whether to bless or curse people. Youngblood explains this through Jacob and Esau. Both were from the same father yet he chooses to bless Jacob who was younger than Esau. Election removes pride and boastfulness in humans and puts all of us on the same level waiting for God’s will in different ways. Youngblood than brings out the aspect of the covenant. Since the beginning of the time, God made covenants with the people. Through these covenants, God portrays that he always keeps his promise, and he is fair, and trustworthy to all who honor God.

From the time people are born to their last moments of childhood, they invest in an object of security, something to keep them safe, something to always be there. The true mark of adulthood comes from abandoning this security item to walk forward without any weight. Just like all people, Leah in Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Poisonwood Bible” was no different. Leah spent her whole life clinging on to her father, Nathan, and as a result, she was blinded to what truly mattered to her. The loving presence of a family could not be seen behind his controlling ways. Her dependence on him kept herself from realizing whom she actually cared about. Moreover, the reliance on Nathan meant her actions were truly not her own. Rather

In the book ‘Night’, Elie’s mother and sister got burned alive during the cruel selection. Wiesel says, “I didn’t know… I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever” (Night, 29). Elie will no longer experience what a normal kid will, the love of a mother, the smile of a smile, and the care that a mother gives to her own kid. Elie’s family is forever broken, without his mother and sister, his family won’t be a whole anymore, this traumatic experience will change Elie’s life forever. These experiences can also change someone’s character, some changes are permanently, but some only at the moment. Elie was faithful to God before, but after all the tragedies that he’s been through, he questions himself, asking “why would I bless him” (Night, 67)? Elie’s religious belief and faith in God is going away as he experience these traumatic experiences, but for him, these were only temporary. Traumatic experience can change someone’s life and their character, in horrible

God gives and He takes away, and in the book of Ruth we see God taking away Naomi’s husband and both her sons, but that is not the end of her story. The book of Ruth is a story of God providing for the widow. In Ruth, God supports Naomi by providing a loyal companion in her daughter-in-law, with substantial food, and a husband for her daughter-in-law.

The first question that Lamb raises is if God’s anger in the Old Testament is justifiable. In other words, can God be concerned with Love and still kill people in his anger? Lamb argues that God 's anger, although sometimes extreme is justified and necessary. To prove his point, Lamb uses the story of Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:1-8). In this story, King David recovered the Ark of The Covenant and paraded it throughout Israel in the back of an ox cart. In front of a large crowd of Israelites the Ark became unstable and Uzzah reached out to steady it, because of this God killed Uzzah instantly. At first this seems completely unjustified, it looks as though Uzzah was just protecting the Ark. But, the more we look into God’s motives, the more it makes sense. First, God commanded the Israelites to carry the Ark by two long poles that attach to the side of the Ark, and he was very clear about this. Second, by killing Uzzah in front of all of these people, God sent a message that said his laws shall not be disobeyed. It

In Marilyn Robinson’s Lila the titled character goes through many difficult experiences in her life that relates to varies biblical texts, such as Ezekiel, as she reflects on the purpose of life; specifically, Ezekiel 16:4-6 which highlights, for Lila, the hope she withstands amongst her fear of abandonment.

Mariam’s mother tells her: “Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have.” Discuss how this sentiment informs Mariam’s life and how it relates to the larger themes of the novel.

In Marilynne Robinsons Lila, Lila sees herself as the people of Jerusalem. She is abandoned as a child and left to die. The people of Jerusalem were also abandoned and left to die. Throughout the passage, both Lila and the people of Jerusalem try to forget their past and start a new beginning and a better future. They reflect on their past which helps them move forward.

Phoebe is not a well-known character of the Bible but actually held a high position in the New Testament. Phoebe is a first century woman who became a Christian. She was born in Kechries, Greece, also known as Cenchrea, which is municipality at an unknown date. She is mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Christians of Rome. In Romans 16:1-2 Paul says, “1 I commend Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea. 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.” A defining moment to be considered in Phoebe’s life was when she became deaconess at the church of

Although, Solomon loved God, he did not follow the Ten Commandments because he lusted after woman. Therefore, his commitments unto God were not without flaws but a bit tarnished due to his vulnerability. He would lust after

By being the chosen people, to the Hebrews it meant that they had reasons to serve God. When God first appeared before them and annihilated the Egyptian army, Moses explained that god “put the fear of him” (Exodus 20, line 20) upon the Hebrews so that they would not sin. The Hebrews out of fear would then serve God. God then made a contract-like condition, where if they obeyed his rules “blessings shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28, line 2). On the other hand, if they disobeyed his rules, “curses shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28, line 15). Knowing his true might through the destruction of the Egyptian army, they had reason to believe punishment was absolute. Thus they would obey this simple merit system,

God develops many special relationships with His people throughout the Old Testament. Another word to describe the relationship between God and his people is covenant. The word covenant goes into the details of the relationship. Within the five books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), Historical books, Poetical books, and the Prophet books, one may pick up on the relationships being developed between God and humanity. God has an unconditional love for His people; He is always faithful to them. On the other hand, humanity has more of a conditional relationship with God. Humanity continuously falls short, making the love seem “conditional,” but are given a choice to either follow God into a relationship and receive love and benefits of the covenant or not. “No child of the covenant who presents to Him a faithless and insincere heart shall be included in its blessings.” Going off the idea of love being unconditional and conditional, this paper focuses on how the Old Testament is about God, humanity and their relationship.

In Ezekiel’s vision, God ordered Ezekiel to preach to the Valley of Dry Bones and command them to hear the word of the Lord, unite, breathe, and come back to life (Tullock & McEntire, 2006, p. 265). Upon following God’s command Ezekiel witnessed the bones adhere to God’s commands, stand, and come to life. Thus, representing how God would unite Israel once again, free it from the shackles of exile, breathe life back into his people as a nation, and allow them to return to Palestine. Moreover, this vision along with several other prophetic proclamations in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 33 – 39, focused on the restoration of Israel marks a shift in the book of Ezekiel towards more positive messages (Tullock & McEntire, 2006, p. 253).