Strohschein: Plodding through the prophets
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- Published on Thursday, February 7, 2013
By: Neil Strohschein
myWestman.ca
Charlie Farquharson is almost as old as I am. Farquharson, of course, is a character who was conceived and performed by Canadian actor, writer, radio and TV host Don Harron.
Farquharson first appeared in 1952 on the CBC series The Big Revue. But he gained international fame as part of the US country music television show Hee Haw. After Hee Haw wrapped up, Farquharson did personal appearances until another Canadian Steve Smith asked him to appear on the Red Green Show.
In addition to appearing as Farquharson, Harron has written nine books in Farquharson’s unique style. One of them is Olde Charlie Farquharson’s Testament: From Jennysez to Jobe and After Words.
Harron never intended this book to be an accurate translation of the Old Testament. His intent was to retell some of the OT stories in Farquharson’s style—and the 60,000+ people who bought the book would say he did it quite well.
I was most intrigued by his summary of the OT prophets. After naming them all, Farquharson summarizes their content this way: “These guys all said the same thing: ‘Yer doin’ it all wrong!!’”
Farquharson’s take on the Old Testament is accurate; as far as it goes. It is true that the OT prophets were highly critical of the people because of their sins. It is also true that they warned the people that they would be punished unless they turned from their sins and returned to God. But they didn’t stop there.
For the past few weeks, I have been plodding through the OT book of Isaiah. I say plodding because a detailed study of any OT prophet’s writings is tough. It requires the student to sift through pages and pages of visions, dreams and stories in order to arrive at the one truth that links each book to the others.
That one truth, I would suggest, is this—the status quo isn’t working. It’s time for something new.
For OT Israel, the status quo was a life that was governed by the Law of Moses as interpreted by the writings of their rabbis. Every facet of life—physical, mental, emotional, social, economic and spiritual—was highly regulated. Deviations from the law or the regulations of the elders were severely punished. The people obeyed the law because they had to—not because they wanted to. And that was the problem the prophets identified.
What’s true then is also true today. Governments pass tougher laws with increased fines and jail terms for offenders; arguing that these will be effective deterrents to criminal activity. And they are—but those they deter are those who are already obeying the laws as they are currently written.
Others argue that we can curb criminal activity by offering people alternatives—like recreation programs, community services, improved housing, a guaranteed income, etc. And while these measures certainly help some people, they do not address the real issue in society. People break the law because they don’t want to keep it—the law isn’t the problem—the people are the problem, and that’s the problem society must address.
No organization—government, charitable or religious—will ever be able to address this problem effectively.
We who have put our faith in Jesus and whose lives, as a result, have been transformed by the power of God’s Spirit, are the key to changing society. The solution we offer is faith in the one God sent to give his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Our strategy is a simple one. Mother Theresa said it best: “Let Jesus love others through you.”
