Israel's lament and the discernment of divine revelation

This book examines the lament prayers in the narratives of the Old Testament as models for approaching God in life crises. Selecting passages from the three sections of the Hebrew canon (Torah, Prophets, Writings)it investigates the possible relationship between lament and the discernment of divine revelation. In each section there is a focus on one person whose discernment is correct (according to the text) and who stands against a person or group who does not discern correctly (according to the text). The narratives of Moses, Jeremiah and Job point to a significant connection between lament and discernment; a willingness to engage in lament seems sometimes to be a crucial springboard for the discernment of God’s presence and activity. In contrast, the avoidance of lament (taking various forms) seems to cripple the ability to discern divine response. The patterns of lament and lament-avoidance discovered in the biblical text have important implications for contemporary discernment and relate to such things as leadership, decision-making, pastoral care and worship, as well as personal prayer.