WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.200 Welcome to another deep dive. We're going deep 00:00:02.200 --> 00:00:05.740 today. We've got some fascinating ancient texts 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:08.859 you guys sent in, excerpts from Tobit and Sarah, 00:00:09.580 --> 00:00:12.380 Prayers in Distress. Think of this as your shortcut 00:00:12.380 --> 00:00:16.039 to understanding these ancient prayers, really 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:21.300 powerful stuff, deeply human expressions of suffering 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:23.859 and hope. And so what we're gonna try to do is 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:26.679 unpack what these prayers reveal about the nature 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:29.550 of distress itself. You know the act of praying 00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:31.890 when you're in these moments of suffering and 00:00:31.890 --> 00:00:34.090 of course the glimmers of hope. Yeah, because 00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:36.659 even in the midst of suffering there's always 00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:38.539 some hope. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we have 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:41.520 here two individual prayers offered in very different 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:43.979 circumstances, but offered up by Tobit and Sarah. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:46.979 Okay. And so our goal is to really delve into 00:00:46.979 --> 00:00:49.140 the heart of their anguish, how they communicate 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:52.399 that to God, and ultimately what we can learn 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:54.679 from their experiences. Okay, so let's start 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:57.820 by looking at Tobit's situation. Right. The text 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:01.619 tells us that he was sad at heart, overcome with 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:04.519 groaning and weeping, Even before he says a word 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:07.040 of prayer, like you can feel it, the depth of 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.140 his despair. What's your initial reaction to 00:01:10.140 --> 00:01:13.099 that? Like this raw outpouring of emotion, even 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:15.500 before the prayer begins? Well, I think it immediately 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:18.599 sets the stage for a very honest and vulnerable 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:21.659 prayer. There's no pretense here. He's not approaching 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:23.840 the divine from a position of strength. He's 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:26.019 coming at it from a place of utter brokenness. 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:29.459 And what follows is fascinating. He begins by 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:32.939 acknowledging God's righteousness, his justice, 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.260 God's mercy and fidelity. Why do you think he 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:39.599 starts there in such a state of distress? Hmm. 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:43.060 That's a good question. I mean, it almost feels 00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:45.599 like he's reminding himself. Yeah. And perhaps 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:47.760 reminding God as well of like the fundamental 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.200 nature of the divine. Right. Even as he's about 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:54.040 to express his own very personal and very real 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:56.299 pain. Exactly. Like a grounding principle. Yeah. 00:01:56.420 --> 00:01:58.180 It's a way of sort of setting the stage. Yeah. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.560 And then he transitions into his plea. Yes. Asking 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.500 not to be punished for his own sins or unintentional 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:08.099 mistakes or even the wrongdoings of his ancestors. 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:10.879 Right. There's this weight of history that he's 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.080 carrying. Exactly. I mean, he's living within 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:16.879 a tradition where communal and ancestral responsibility 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:20.139 were significant. Right. He recognizes that their 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.819 current suffering, the plunder, the captivity 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:28.599 being made into an object lesson, a byword, and 00:02:28.599 --> 00:02:30.939 a reproach, all of these things are not happening 00:02:30.939 --> 00:02:33.800 in a vacuum. He connects it to a larger narrative 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:36.520 of disobedience. So what does that tell us about 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.500 how they understood their place in the world 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:42.219 and their relationship to the divine? It suggests 00:02:42.219 --> 00:02:44.789 this huge sense of accountability. Yes. Like 00:02:44.789 --> 00:02:46.990 both personal and collective. Exactly. And there's 00:02:46.990 --> 00:02:49.509 this stark acceptance of God's judgment. He actually 00:02:49.509 --> 00:02:52.789 says, yes, your many judgments are right in dealing 00:02:52.789 --> 00:02:55.370 with me as my sins and those of my ancestors 00:02:55.370 --> 00:02:58.870 deserve. Wow. Yeah. So heavy. Like talk about 00:02:58.870 --> 00:03:01.669 acceptance. Yeah. It speaks to a belief in divine 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:04.030 justice. Even when that justice brings hardship. 00:03:04.270 --> 00:03:06.949 Yeah. But what's so powerful is that even within 00:03:06.949 --> 00:03:09.409 this acceptance, there's this intense cry for 00:03:09.409 --> 00:03:12.270 release. Yeah. He actually longs for death. He 00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:15.560 says, It is better for me to die than to live 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:17.840 because I have listened to undeserved reproaches 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.560 and great is the grief within me. That word reproaches. 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:24.520 While the text doesn't tell us exactly what they 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:27.500 were, what kind of social stigma or accusations 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:29.360 might he have been facing that would lead to 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:32.219 such despair? That is a crucial point. It could 00:03:32.219 --> 00:03:33.900 have been anything from like public ridicule 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:38.740 to accusations related to his community's misfortunes 00:03:38.740 --> 00:03:42.620 in a society that's so tightly knit. Those kind 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:44.659 of reproaches could be unbelievably damaging 00:03:44.659 --> 00:03:47.680 to one sense of self absolutely belong you know 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.020 all those things right and he goes on to repeat 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:52.340 his desire He says for it is better for me to 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:54.919 die than to endure so much misery in life and 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:57.439 to listen to such reproaches It's a powerful 00:03:57.439 --> 00:03:59.520 expression of just wanting his suffering to end 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.139 even if that means death Yeah, it's almost like 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:04.639 he sees death as a refuge. Yeah from the pain 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.379 of these reproaches What resonates so strongly 00:04:07.379 --> 00:04:09.400 is the raw vulnerability. He's not trying to 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:11.439 be pious or stoic. He's laying bare his utter 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.860 despair. It makes his prayer feel incredibly 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:16.639 human, even across millennia. Okay, so we have 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:20.980 Topit in his distress. Now the narrative shifts 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:23.079 to Sarah, and it's striking that this happens 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:25.660 on that very day. The text is very specific about 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:27.980 this, but in a completely different location 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:31.910 at Ekpatana. So this simultaneous timing feels 00:04:31.910 --> 00:04:34.290 significant. Absolutely. It creates an immediate 00:04:34.290 --> 00:04:36.069 parallel between their experiences. And while 00:04:36.069 --> 00:04:38.709 Tobit's suffering seems tied to broader societal 00:04:38.709 --> 00:04:41.970 issues and personal grief, Sarah's distress stems 00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:45.029 from a very specific and traumatic source. Sorry. 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:47.230 The accusations of one of her father's maids. 00:04:47.470 --> 00:04:49.870 And the accusation itself is just brutal. Basically 00:04:49.870 --> 00:04:52.019 the maid blames her. for the deaths of her seven 00:04:52.019 --> 00:04:55.620 husbands. We know that a demon, as Modeus, is 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:57.560 responsible for killing them before the marriages 00:04:57.560 --> 00:04:59.939 could even be consummated. Can you imagine the 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:02.600 emotional and social fallout for Sarah? It's 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:05.480 just a horrific situation to have seven failed 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:07.720 marriages in that culture, regardless of the 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:09.339 cause that would have carried immense social 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:12.500 stigma. And then to be directly accused of their 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:14.420 deaths. I mean, the maid's words are just brutal. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:16.860 You are the one who kills your husbands. Go, 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:19.060 join them. May we never see son or daughter of 00:05:19.060 --> 00:05:22.149 yours. That curse about having no children in 00:05:22.149 --> 00:05:24.769 particular would have been a profound blow in 00:05:24.769 --> 00:05:27.089 a society that placed a high value on family 00:05:27.089 --> 00:05:29.949 and lineage. How might that have amplified her 00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:31.889 suffering? Oh, it would cut right to the core 00:05:31.889 --> 00:05:35.310 of her identity and her future. To be childless 00:05:35.310 --> 00:05:38.569 in that era, you know, often meant social isolation 00:05:38.569 --> 00:05:41.149 and a sense of failure. Absolutely. And her initial 00:05:41.149 --> 00:05:45.230 reaction is heartbreaking. Sadness, tears, even 00:05:45.230 --> 00:05:47.610 the thought of suicide. That's how crushing the 00:05:47.610 --> 00:05:49.379 weight of this despair must have been. Yeah, 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:51.540 it speaks volumes about the intensity of her 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:53.899 pain and the weight of those accusations, but 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:56.439 then she has this crucial moment of reconsideration. 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:58.680 And her reasoning is so telling about her character 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:01.279 and the values of her society. It's her concern 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:03.839 for her father's reputation that stops her. Yeah, 00:06:03.860 --> 00:06:05.420 she's worried about the shame it would bring 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:07.779 upon him if she died by suicide. She doesn't 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:10.019 want him to be reproached. For people to say, 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:13.180 you had only one beloved daughter, but she hanged 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:15.810 herself because of her misfortune. Right. And 00:06:15.810 --> 00:06:18.189 she's deeply concerned about the sorrow it would 00:06:18.189 --> 00:06:20.649 bring him in his old age, potentially even leading 00:06:20.649 --> 00:06:22.990 to his death. Right. That sense of responsibility 00:06:22.990 --> 00:06:26.110 to her father, even in her darkest moment. That's 00:06:26.110 --> 00:06:29.029 remarkable. Absolutely. It's a testament to the 00:06:29.029 --> 00:06:32.290 strength of family ties. In a culture where family 00:06:32.290 --> 00:06:35.389 honor was paramount, how might this have further 00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:37.930 complicated her personal suffering? It adds another 00:06:37.930 --> 00:06:40.240 layer of burden. She's not only dealing with 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.040 her own pain and the unjust accusations, but 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:46.000 also with the potential damage to her family's 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.420 standing. It's like this societal pressure becomes 00:06:48.420 --> 00:06:50.660 another form of suffering she has to navigate. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.579 Exactly. And it leads her to prayer. Instead 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:56.319 of taking her own life, she decides to beg the 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:58.660 Lord that I might die and no longer have to listen 00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:01.360 to such approaches in my lifetime. So the desire 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.600 for death is still there, but her actions are 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:05.660 directed towards seeking divine intervention. 00:07:06.139 --> 00:07:09.589 And her prayer itself... Like, Tobits has a distinct 00:07:09.589 --> 00:07:22.870 structure. Yes. It begins with praise. Why do 00:07:22.870 --> 00:07:25.230 you think this element of praise is present in 00:07:25.230 --> 00:07:29.540 both their prayers? It could be a way of Re -establishing 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:31.600 their relationship with the divine, a reminder 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:34.420 of God's fundamental attributes, even when their 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:38.100 own circumstances feel chaotic and unjust. It's 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:40.500 a way of grounding themselves in something larger 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:43.519 than their immediate suffering. And then Sarah 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:45.899 lays out her plea. She asks to be taken from 00:07:45.899 --> 00:07:47.920 the earth to escape these constant reproaches. 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.240 There's a palpable sense of exhaustion in her 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:52.449 words. And she makes this incredibly powerful 00:07:52.449 --> 00:07:54.269 declaration of her innocence. You know, Master, 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:56.209 that I'm clean of any defilement with a man. 00:07:56.589 --> 00:07:58.350 I have never sold my own name or my father's 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:00.569 name in the land of my captivity. She's asserting 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:02.670 her moral purity in the face of these terrible 00:08:02.670 --> 00:08:05.350 accusations. Which underscores the injustice 00:08:05.350 --> 00:08:08.250 of her situation. Her suffering isn't a consequence 00:08:08.250 --> 00:08:10.529 of her own actions, but rather the result of 00:08:10.529 --> 00:08:12.870 external forces and the subsequent blame she 00:08:12.870 --> 00:08:16.079 endures. She also highlights her unique position 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:19.120 as her father's only daughter in air, emphasizing 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:21.819 her vulnerability and lack of alternative paths. 00:08:22.259 --> 00:08:24.660 And then she reiterates the devastating reality 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:28.439 of her seven dead husbands. Seven husbands of 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:30.459 mine have already died. Why then should I live 00:08:30.459 --> 00:08:33.279 any longer? It's a question that guts right to 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:35.519 the heart of her anguish. It truly does. And 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:37.440 then she adds this conditional aspect of her 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.399 prayer. But if it does not please you Lord to 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:42.879 take my life look favorably upon me and have 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.620 pity on me that I may never again listen to such 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:48.299 approaches Why so even in her desire for death? 00:08:48.299 --> 00:08:50.840 There's this flicker of hope a willingness to 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:52.940 accept a different outcome if it aligns with 00:08:52.940 --> 00:08:55.080 the divine will that's crucial observation It's 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:57.519 not a demand right. It's a plea that acknowledges 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.720 a higher power a potential for change beyond 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:04.059 her immediate despair and then In this incredible 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:07.039 moment of synchronicity, the text tells us, at 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:09.700 that very time, the prayer of both of them was 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:12.899 heard in the glorious presence of God. It's almost 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.919 unbelievable, isn't it? Two people, different 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:18.000 places, experiencing such intense suffering, 00:09:18.500 --> 00:09:20.399 offering up these deeply personal prayers at 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.279 the exact same moment. What do you make of this 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:26.700 simultaneous timing? It's certainly striking. 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:29.100 It could suggest a shared human experience of 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.500 suffering that transcends geographical boundaries 00:09:31.500 --> 00:09:34.000 in individual circumstances. Perhaps there is 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.259 a universal quality to profound distress that 00:09:37.259 --> 00:09:39.960 resonates in a larger spiritual context. And 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:42.440 the response is equally significant. God sends 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:45.159 the angel Raphael to heal both of them. Tobit's 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:47.620 blindness is cured. And Sarah is freed from the 00:09:47.620 --> 00:09:50.039 demon as Medeus. And not only that, but Raphael 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:52.519 is also sent to facilitate Sarah's marriage to 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:55.620 Tobit's son, Tobiah. Yes. And the text even mentions 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:57.759 that Tobiah had the rightful claim to marry her. 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:00.519 This feels like more than just an answer to their 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:02.919 prayers. It's a restoration. Right. And a new 00:10:02.919 --> 00:10:05.360 beginning. Do we know anything about this rightful 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:07.620 claim and its significance? Well, the excerpt 00:10:07.620 --> 00:10:09.899 doesn't go into detail. But in that cultural 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:12.850 context... There were often specific customs 00:10:12.850 --> 00:10:15.629 and laws regarding marriage within families or 00:10:15.629 --> 00:10:18.789 extended kin, particularly when it came to inheritance 00:10:18.789 --> 00:10:21.490 and ensuring the continuation of family lines. 00:10:22.330 --> 00:10:25.210 So Tobiah likely had a familial connection. That 00:10:25.210 --> 00:10:27.409 made him the appropriate next husband for Sarah 00:10:27.409 --> 00:10:29.850 according to these traditions. That adds another 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:32.419 layer of understanding to the resolution. And 00:10:32.419 --> 00:10:35.179 the narrative immediately follows up with Tobit 00:10:35.179 --> 00:10:37.580 returning home and Sarah coming downstairs. It's 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:40.100 like the divine intervention sets in motion a 00:10:40.100 --> 00:10:42.320 swift resolution to their individual crises. 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:45.259 Exactly. The answer to their prayers isn't abstract, 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:48.279 it manifests in concrete, tangible ways in their 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:50.840 lives. So as we reflect on this deep dive into 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:53.620 the prayers of Tobit and Sarah, several key themes 00:10:53.620 --> 00:10:57.710 really emerge. Yes. We see this raw... unfiltered 00:10:57.710 --> 00:11:00.490 expression of despair and prayer. These aren't 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:02.850 formal theological treatises. They're visceral 00:11:02.850 --> 00:11:05.190 cries from the heart in moments of extreme anguish. 00:11:05.769 --> 00:11:08.990 Precisely. We witness the very specific sources 00:11:08.990 --> 00:11:11.929 of their suffering for Tobit, these unspecified 00:11:11.929 --> 00:11:15.350 undeserved reproaches, and a deep grief possibly 00:11:15.350 --> 00:11:18.289 tied to his community. For Sarah, the tragic 00:11:18.289 --> 00:11:20.990 loss of her husbands and the devastating accusations. 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:23.970 And yet, even in their longing for death, there's 00:11:23.970 --> 00:11:27.019 this underlying current of hope. a turning towards 00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:29.899 the divine for solace and release. And that synchronicity 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:32.759 of their prayers remains a powerful image, two 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:35.620 individuals geographically separated and during 00:11:35.620 --> 00:11:37.960 different forms of torment, yet their pleas are 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:40.279 heard simultaneously in this glorious presence 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:43.500 of God. It really makes you ponder the interconnectedness 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:46.080 of human experience. It does. Which leads us 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:48.720 to a final reflection for you. Consider the sheer 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:50.580 power of individual prayers in those moments 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:53.279 when we face intense personal crisis. And what 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:55.480 might the simultaneous nature of Tobit and Sarah's 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:57.940 please suggest about the shared landscape of 00:11:57.940 --> 00:12:00.220 human suffering and the enduring presence of 00:12:00.220 --> 00:12:02.980 hope, even in its most fragile forms? What does 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:04.919 it mean that their deeply personal cries were 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:07.340 heard in the glorious presence of God? Is there 00:12:07.340 --> 00:12:09.700 a comfort in knowing that even in our most isolated 00:12:09.700 --> 00:12:12.399 struggles, our experiences might resonate within 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:15.350 a larger human story? a story that has echoes 00:12:15.350 --> 00:12:17.509 throughout history and perhaps beyond our individual 00:12:17.509 --> 00:12:21.090 understanding. It's a profound idea to contemplate. 00:12:21.190 --> 00:12:23.669 It is. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for having 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:26.690 me. Until next time, this has been the Deep Dive.