This archive Sunday post originally appeared on October 22, 2012. To see the original post and comments, go here.
I was privileged to attend a Q&A session with Fiona and Terryl Givens where they talked about their new book, The God Who Weeps. One of the points they brought up was what it means to be God-like, and how Moses chapter 7 teaches a critical lesson.
The Weeping God Wiracocha
And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?…The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy bretheren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them, and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency. And unto thy bretheren have I said, and also given commandment that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood…And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity..
Eugene England wrote an essay titled The Weeping God where he writes about Enoch’s incredulity that an all-powerful God could weep, after all, can’t he just fix the bad things?
God patiently responds with an explanation of his own limitations: These people in the vision are “thy brethren” who have “agency” (Moses 7:32). I gave them a commandment “that they should love one another,” but “they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.” As a result “misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them. . . ; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?”. In other words, agency is real and cannot be abrogated.
It is in this interaction between Enoch and God, that the Givens’ find what it means to be God, and to become god-like. It isn’t through becoming infinitely powerful, but through the ability to be infinitely vulnerable, to feel the sorrow of others, to be empathetic, and to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn.
Some may think that feminism is not compatible with seeking vulnerability, but God-like vulnerability means opening ourselves up to possible pain and suffering. If we are vulnerable, we are able to see the pain of those around us. We would not pass them by, pretending that their pain is not our pain. We would not justify their pain as a consequence of bad behavior. Being vulnerable means that we allow ourselves to feel for those around us. I think of children forced into war or prostitution, or starving with distended bellies, and my heart weeps. I think of the unknown neighbor who is quietly suffering. My heart aches for so much pain in the world, and I begin to understand how Enoch felt.
After Enoch saw all the wicked and terrible in the world, and wept with God at the heartbreak, Enoch:
had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethren, and said unto the heavens: I will refuse to be comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch: Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look…And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy;
It is through accepting our own vulnerability that we are able to receive the fullness of joy. Our vulnerability, our ability to see the pain of others, and act on it, should be like the good samaritan who saw the pain of the stranger, and cared for him, or Ruth who saw the loneliness of Naomi and stayed with her. It is the action response to our vulnerability that precedes the hour of our own redemption, and our own fullness of joy.
