Poor Teaching
It is not immediately clear whether the problem is that the instruction is inadequate, of the wrong kind or just badly taught (vv 6-8). Possibly a mixture of all three. What is clear, however, is the seriousness of the offence, as demonstrated by the strong language. ‘Curse’ and rebuke’ carry their own force even in English, but ‘rebuke’ is the word used to describe God’s action in controlling the oceans or driving back the locusts. ‘Offspring’ (lit. seed) may refer to their children or to their crops, and the dung refers to the offal of the animal sacrifices which was regarded as unclean and was going to blow up in their faces. Such is the damnation of the faithless ‘faithful’.
It used not to be like this (vv 4-6). Religious people used to have a sense of awe in the presence of God and a deep respect for his creation. Their principles, especially their reverence for life, made them the de facto guardians of moral responsibility, and if today things seem to be falling apart should we be looking at the world or looking in a mirror? (vv 7-9).
One way of dealing with ‘feeling low’ is to get up and do something, but once you have identified what makes you feel as you do it is often better to try tackling the underlying problems. Changing what you believe (‘the teaching’) is not easy and will not transform the situation overnight — but it may establish a goal, inspire a mission, restore purpose to life and with it the power to change.
In our society there are many issues on which thought and instruction are called for and the potential for student take-up is wide. Ecology and the conservation of the planet is one. The moral implications of a global economy another. Personal relationships, human suffering and the giving or withholding of life, whether it be at birth or death, are of universal concern and interest. Could one of our problems be not that our gospel is inadequate but that we are unclear what it is, unaware of the issues that trouble our world, and insensitive to the people most in need of help?