Word of the Day: Stubble

In our first reading for this coming Sunday we hear witness to the power of the Lord. He even wipes away the powers we know in kings like a tempest sweeps away the stubble! Well alright! What in the world does that mean? Does it mean that the God of Israel is as sharp and cleansing as a brand new Gillette Mach Three? Being a bearded man myself, I may be blinded by this imagery. I decided we should explore this little bit of vocab.

The first step in any research project is to look at Wikipedia. Wikipedia says that I am right. Stubble is the unshaven hair growth that exists before it becomes long enough to cover the skin and be considered a full beard or mustache. It also refers to the regrowth of shaven hair on the face or legs.

Oh, also it refers to the short stalks left in the field after the crops have ben harvested. I guess some of my colleagues would have already known that. Not me though, I've only seen the stubble of the field from afar, from my car, as I drive from city to city. Actually, it has been a long time since I've seen stubble on my face too...

I guess theologically we are talking about God's power swiping away the stubble of the fields, which based on my simple city reasoning would be very tough to do. I imagine that even tearing out the plants by hand is a challenge, considering the short stalk and the existence of a root system. Or, perhaps the reading is referring to the insignificance of stubble when compared to the other images and items for which God is described as dwarfing and dominating. Why would he wipe away something as far from the heavens as the stubble of the earth. While this passage may be about omniscience and omnipotence it can be about so much more.

We wonder what we are that God attends to us and our lives. But, he is even attentive to the stubble of the fields. We should rant, "What is the stubble of the field that you attend to it as well oh lord!" If he can be this attentive in his destruction, how much more so in his creation. The stubble itself is a sign of prosperity, a sign of fullness of life having been harvested. And, it is a promise of fertile soil, scattered with seed that seeks the eternal harvest to which the stubble bears witness.

So there, we don't even need a theological dictionary or encyclopedia of images that are used in the Bible. We've got Wikipedia! You can go there and search stubble if you like. You won't find any pictures of fields, but you can learn about 5 o'clock shadows.

Question of the day: Stubble or no stubble? Does God support fashion stubble, or just sport full beard?