Archive for the ‘2 Samuel 13’ Category
READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XIII
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Psalms 14 and 53
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Psalms 14 and 53 are nearly identical, hence their pairing in this blog post. The record of interpretation provides a list of proposed geographical and temporal origins of Psalms 14 and 53. According to the most likely hypothesis, Psalm 14 comes from the southern Kingdom of Judah and Psalm 53 comes from the northern Kingdom of Israel. The textual evidence of YHWH in Psalm 14 and Elohim in Psalm 53 supports this theory.
Sometimes a literal translation does not convey the meaning of the words in a different context. A meaning clear to a Jew millennia ago in the Near East may not be obvious to a Gentile Christian in North America in late 2022.
The scoundrel has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
–Psalm 14:1a and Psalm 53:2, from Robert Alter’s translation
The point Alter makes in a note is a matter that TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985, 1999) makes partially clear in translation:
The benighted man thinks,
“God does not care.”
I will take each line in order.
The standard English translation describes this person as a fool. Alter’s “scoundrel” is a better rendering, based on the following verses. Yet I prefer “benighted man.” As a note in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014) tells me, “benighted” carries moral overtones, as in the rape of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:13) by her half-brother, Amnon. “Scoundrel” seems like a tame understatement.
The fool/scoundrel/benighted man is a practical atheist, not a dogmatic one. Psalms 14 and 53 come from a time and a place in which dogmatic atheism was rare yet practical atheism was commonplace. For evidence, consult the Hebrew prophetic denunciations of the poor and other vulnerable people, O reader. Such malefactors still exist. The attitude that leads to senseless violence and exploitation is timeless, sadly. Such malefactors do not fear retribution.
Psalms 14 and 53 are about people who think of God as an apathetic and absent landlord. Thus, we can read Mitchell J. Dahood’s translation of Psalm 53, in which the fool thinks in his heart that
God is not present.
TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures gets more to the point; this malefactor imagines vainly that
God does not care.
A note in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition gets to the point:
The claim of this benighted individual would invalidate two of the basic assumptions of Psalms: the ability of God to hear prayers, and the ability of God to hear prayers, and the ability of God to punish the human wrongs that various psalmists lament.
–1281
And, as Alter tells us in one of his notes, the scoundrel lacks a conscience and acts with impunity.
As the entirety of the Jewish Bible and the various Christian canons of scripture attest, God cares deeply and is present. God can also hear prayers and punish human wrongs.
Nobody can flee from the reality of God. Hence it is foolish to attempt to do so. Such an attempt must necessarily end in moral corruption; for it is the fruit of disobedience which results in the inability to do that which is good. Where there is no sense of duty to God, there man goes astray and experiences already by that very fact that the hand of God the Judge is upon him, and he cannot escape.
–Artur Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary (1962), 165
My cultural context is one of the rise of fashionable agnosticism and atheism, accompanied by the decline in religious observance. Meanwhile, bigotry, fascism, and Christian nationalism are openly part of vocal segments of the church. The rise of agnosticism and atheism are partially backlashes against the latter point.
An Episcopal priest I know has a positive method of responding to people who tell him that they do not believe in God. Father Dann asks them to describe the God in whom they do not believe. He always hears a version of God in which he does not believe either.
I do not pretend to have formulated the definitive concept of God. My faith is complicated, for I am complicated. I cannot fathom having a simple faith, for I am who I am. Anyhow, I affirm with the authors of Psalms 14 and 53 that God is present, that God cares, that God hears prayers, and that God can punish human wrongs. And I have a conscience. I pray that God may direct and, as necessary, reshape that conscience, for I have moral blind spots.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 25, 2022 COMMON ERA
CHRISTMAS DAY
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Above: Shimei Curses David
Artist = William Hole
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33
PART XLIII
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2 Samuel 16:1-23
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Trouble and distress have come upon me,
yet your commandments are my delight.
The righteousness of your decrees is everlasting;
grant me understanding, that I may live.
–Psalm 119:143-144, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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David was in deep trouble. He was on the run from Absalom, who had claimed the throne and the royal concubines. David, verbally abused, accepted that abuse. He refused to permit Abishai to behead Shimei. Unfortunately, David changed his mind years later (1 Kings 1:8-9) and Solomon had Shimei executed (1 Kings 2:36-46).
Mephibosheth, a grandson of King Saul, was also in trouble. Back in 2 Samuel 9, Ziba had brought Mephibosheth to David’s attention. David had taken Mephibosheth into the court and granted him privileges. In 2 Samuel 16, Ziba lied–told “alternative facts,” to quote Kellyanne Conway regarding mathematics in January 2017–about Saul’s grandson. Mephibosheth had designs on the throne, Ziba claimed. That was a lie. “Alternative facts” have always been objectively false. Ziba’s statement was a lie, according to 2 Samuel 19. Mephibosheth, by breathing and having a pulse, posed at least a theoretical threat to David’s claim to the throne. Yet the grandson of Saul seemed not to want to become the King of Israel.
No, the main threat to David’s kingship came from Absalom, one of his sons. Absalom’s rage against his father ran deep. It must have been building up since long before the rape of Tamar by Amnon (2 Samuel 13). Despite David’s flaws, his maturity in 2 Samuel 16 contrasted with Absalom’s rage.
I wish that David’s maturity had continued all way to his death, and that he had advised the continued sparing of Shimei.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 3, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE KENNEDY ALLEN BELL, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF CHICHESTER
THE FEAST OF ALBERTO RAMENTO, PRIME BISHOP OF THE PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH
THE FEAST OF SAINT GERARD OF BROGNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF JOHN RALEIGH MOTT, U.S. METHODIST LAY EVANGELIST, AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER
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Above: Absalom Conspires Against David
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33
PART XLII
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2 Samuel 15:1-37
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For [the wicked] cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
–Proverbs 4:17-18, Revised Standard Version (1952)
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The framing of the story of King David in 2 Samuel, told via hindsight, pivots in Chapters 11 and 12. After the murder of Uriah the Hittite and the seduction of Bathsheba, the narrative teaches us, David’s figurative chickens came home to roost. One should, therefore, read the stories of Absalom in the context of 2 Samuel 12:9-12.
David was oblivious then shrewd in 2 Samuel 15. He missed the signs of Absalom acting like a monarch and starting a rebellion until the time to prevent that insurrection had passed. Yet David established a network of spies in Jerusalem after having fled the city.
David reaped what what he sowed. He reaped what he sowed beyond the call back to Bathsheba and Uriah. David also reaped what he sowed by having a terrible relationship with Absalom. It was a two-way relationship, of course. David did little or nothing to have a positive relationship with Absalom, even after pretending to reconcile with him. If David had acted shrewdly vis-à-vis Absalom, the monarch would have kept at least as close an eye on him as he did on Mephibosheth.
Ironically, Ittai the Gittite, a foreigner, was loyal to David when Absalom and many Israelites were not. Ittai remained loyal to David throughout the rebellion (see Chapter 18).
On a technical note, the proper passage of time in verse 7 is four years, not forty years. TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985) has “forty,” but The New American Bible (1991) has “four.” This sets the beginning of Absalom’s rebellion four years after the faux reconciliation at the end of Chapter 14, six years after Absalom’s return from exile, nine years after the murder of Amnon, and eleven years after the rape of Tamar (Chapter 13). The narrative presents Absalom as a passionate, troubled man who had been stewing in the juices of resentment for years. One may guess how long Absalom had resented David prior to Amnon’s rape of Tamar. The narrative presets David and Absalom as being emotionally distant from each other.
One may recall a saying: Before a man can command others well, he must command himself. One may reasonably question the fitness of David and Absalom to command, based on that standard.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 2, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RALPH W. SOCKMAN, U.S. UNITED METHODIST MINISTER
THE FEAST OF CARL DOVING, NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF JAMES ALLEN, ENGLISH INGHAMITE THEN GLASITE/SANDEMANIAN HYMN WRITER; AND HIS GREAT NEPHEW, OSWALD ALLEN, ENGLISH GLASITE/SANDEMANIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PETRUS HERBERT, GERMAN MORAVIAN BISHOP AND HYMNODIST
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Above: David and Absalom
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33
PART XLI
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2 Samuel 14:1-33
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Then the king said to Joab, “I will do this thing. Go and bring back my boy Absalom.”
–2 Samuel 14:21, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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Joab engineered the return of Absalom. Yet King David did not forgive the former exile. Father and son did not speak for two years after Absalom returned. In Samuel 14:33, for example, David was “the king,” not “the father.” Reconciliation was formal and insincere. Absalom remained violent, resentful, and unrepentant for the murder of Amnon. David had not forgiven Absalom. And if David had sympathies for Tamar, the author of the text seemed not know of that attitude.
Based on the text, I conclude that David remained unchanged from Chapter 13.
He who troubles his household will inherit wind….
–Proverbs 14:29a, Revised Standard Version (1952)
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1971) defines “reconcile” several ways, including the following:
To settle or resolve, as a dispute.
“Reconcile” derives from “conciliate,” derived from the Latin conciliare, or
to bring together.
To reconcile, then, is to bring together again.
David and Absalom did not really come back together. Regardless of how approximate they were, they were far apart emotionally. David contributed greatly to the storm about to overtake his realm and his family. He either could not or chose not to recognize the threat Absalom constituted.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS TURNER PALGRAVE, ANGLICAN POET, ART CRITIC, AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Amnon Forces Tamar to Leave in Humiliation
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33
PART XL
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2 Samuel 13:1-39
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Thus said the LORD: “I will make a calamity rise against you in your own house….”
–2 Samuel 12:11a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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King David had a large, dysfunctional family. He had seventeen children by seven women.
For the purposes of this post, one needs to know the following:
- Tamar and Absalom were children of David and Maacah. One may remember Maacah from 2 Samuel 3:3 and 1 Chronicles 3:2.
- Amnon was the son of David and Ahinoam. One may remember Ahinoam from 1 Samuel 25:43; 1 Samuel 27:3; 1 Samuel 30:5; 2 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 3:2; and 1 Chronicles 3:1.
This story assumes intergenerational punishment, consistent with Exodus 20:5-6 and contrary to Ezekiel 18.
Amnon was a sick puppy. He lusted after and raped his half-sister, Tamar. Then he sent her away, forcing her to remain unmarried for the rest of her life. Amnon disobeyed Deuteronomy 22:28-29, which secured a rape victim’s social position by requiring her rapist to marry her. As Amy-Jill Levine has said about certain aspects of the Hebrew Bible, people did things differently then.
Anyway, I refuse to defend Deuteronomy 22:28-29.
Tamar wore an ornamented tunic, which wound up torn. This was a garment a high-status person wore. The only other mention of such a garment in the Hebrew Bible was in Genesis 37. Joseph also became a victim of family violence and perfidy. And his ornamented tunic became torn, too.
Why did David not punish Amnon and sympathize with Tamar?
Absalom served up the cold dish of revenge; he ordered Amnon’s murder two years after the rape of Tamar. Then Absalom fled. He spent several years in exile as David grieved for Amnon.
This story presents David in an unflattering light. It makes clear that the monarch did not punish Amnon for raping Tamar. The story also depicts David as yielding to Absalom in verses 24-27.
Although I reject intergenerational punishment by God, I acknowledge both positive and negative intergenerational influences. Children learn what they live. Based on what I have read in 1 and 2 Samuel, I do not know how one could grow up in David’s family and not be warped.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 COMMON ERA
PROPER 21: THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCES DE SALES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF GENEVA; SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL, “THE APOSTLE OF CHARITY;” SAINT LOUISE DE MARILLAC, COFOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL; AND SAINT CHARLES FUGE LOWDER, FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CROSS
THE FEAST OF ELIZA SCUDDER, U.S. UNITARIAN THEN EPISCOPALIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF MELANESIA, 1864-2003
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POST XX OF LX
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The Book of Common Prayer (1979) includes a plan for reading the Book of Psalms in morning and evening installments for 30 days. I am therefore blogging through the Psalms in 60 posts.
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 226
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The benighted man thinks,
“God does not care.”
–Psalm 53:2a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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In Psalm 53, nearly identical to Psalm 14, the standard English-language translation of the opening is that the fool thinks that there is no God. The wording varies slightly, but it is usually quite similar. The translation in TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures cuts to the chase. The word “benighted,” according to the germane note in The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014), is quite strong, for Amnon, who raped his half-sister Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:13, was a benighted man. A benighted man denies the ability of God to punish sins and hear prayers, so he lives as if God does not care. He will learn that God does indeed care deeply.
The authors of Psalms 54 and 55 understood that God cared; they asked God to vindicate them. Interestingly, the author of Psalm 54, oppressed by strangers, anticipated divine vindication yet did not thank Him in advance. (Did I detect a transactional aspect to that relationship?) The author of the longer Psalm 55, betrayed by a friend, asked God to bring
those murderous, treacherous men
down to the slimy, slippery, muddy, and filthy pit of Sheol then noted that he trusted in God.
“You have heard that they were told, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But what I tell you is this: Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors; only so you can be children of your heavenly Father, who causes the sun to rise on the good and bad alike, and sends the rain on the innocent and the wicked. If you love only those who love you, what reward can you expect? Even the tax-collectors do as much as that. If you greet only your brothers, what is there extraordinary about that? Even the heathen do as much. There must be no limit to your goodness, as your heavenly Father’s goodness knows no bounds.”
–Matthew 5:43-48, The Revised English Bible (1989)
By that standard and by the power of God, whom we ought to glorify anyway, may we be extraordinary. Regardless of how much we fall short of that high standard, may we continue to strive for it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 10, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WALSHAM HOW, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAKEFIELD AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, FRANCES JANE DOUGLAS(S), HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME, ROMAN CATHOLIC DEACON AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SHERMAN BOOTH, ABOLITIONIST
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Above: Amnon and Tamar, by Jan Steen
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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2 Samuel 13:1-20, 27b-29
Psalm 119:25-32
1 Corinthians 5:1-5
John 7:1-9
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I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your ordinances before me.
–Psalm 119:30, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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If certain characters in today’s readings had acted according to Psalm 119:30, those lessons would have turned out differently. There would have been no rape of Tamar by her half-brother, Amnon. Absalom would not have murdered Amnon in revenge. Certain Corinthian Christians would not have engaged in pagan sexual practices. The life of Jesus would never have been in peril. In the case of Jesus, his opponents in question probably considered him guilty of blasphemy, a capital offense, according to the Law of Moses. They thought they were righteous.
Is not it frequently true that villains imagine themselves to be heroes and the wicked mistake themselves for the righteous? Much of the time we do not know what we are doing. Nevertheless, the consequences of our actions speak for themselves. We should learn from them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 18, 2017 COMMON ERA
PROPER 6: THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINTS DELPHINUS OF BORDEAUX, AMANDUS OF BORDEAUX, SEVERINUS OF BORDEAUX, VENERIUS OF MILAN, AND CHROMATIUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF ADOLPHUS NELSON, SWEDISH-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF ANSON DODGE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM BINGHAM TAPPAN, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/devotion-for-proper-14-ackerman/
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Above: The Death of Absalom
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, throughout the ages you judge your people with mercy,
and you inspire us to speak your truth.
By your Spirit, anoint us for lives of faith and service,
and bring all people into your forgiveness,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 39
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 13:23-39 (Thursday)
2 Samuel 15:1-12 (Friday)
2 Samuel 18:28-19:8 (Saturday)
Psalm 32 (All Days)
James 4:1-7 (Thursday)
Romans 11:1-10 (Friday)
Luke 5:17-26 (Saturday)
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Countless troubles are in store for the wicked,
but the one who trusts in Yahweh is enfolded in his faithful love.
–Psalm 32:10, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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Absalom rejected his father, King David, who mourned for him after he died. According to 2 Samuel, David brought the troubled life of his family upon himself via the incidents involving Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11 and 12). Absalom also brought his death upon himself by means of his ambition, pride, and variety. Nevertheless, the grief David felt upon losing another son was real.
People rejected God in the readings from the New Testament. Rejecting Jesus–especially accusing him of committing blasphemy–was–and remains–a bad idea. Those negative figures in the story from Luke 5 did not think of themselves as bete noires; they could not fit Jesus into their orthodoxy. There were also questions regarding our Lord and Savior’s credentials, so the issue of pride came into play. Attachment to tradition in such a way as to make no room for Jesus was also a relevant factor.
But, as the Letter of James reminds us, God opposes the proud and bestows grace upon the humble:
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
–James 4:8-10, Revised Standard Version–Second Edition (1971)
I propose that the grief of God over errant human beings is somewhat like that of David over Absalom. God loves us selflessly and unconditionally. Such love warrants reciprocation, but reality is frequently otherwise. Consequences of that rejection of grace unfold as they will. Yet abuses and misuses of free will, a gift of God, cannot override divine love, which permits us to decide how to respond to it. Yes, Hell is real, but no, God sends nobody there. Those in Hell sent themselves there.
May we not grieve God, who is our Father and our Mother, who, like the mother eagle in Deuteronomy, teaches us to fly and, like Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem, yearns to shelter us under henly wings. May we succeed in rejoicing God’s proverbial heart, by grace and free will.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 4, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PAUL CUFFEE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY TO THE SHINNECOCK NATION
THE FEAST OF SAINT CASIMIR OF POLAND, PRINCE
THE FEAST OF EMANUEL CRONENWETT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARINUS OF CAESAREA, ROMAN SOLDIER AND CHRISTIAN MARTYR, AND ASTERIUS, ROMAN SENATOR AND CHRISTIAN MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-6-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: The Apostle Paul, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Compassionate God, you have assured the human family of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Deliver us from the death of sin, and raise us to new life,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 39
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 14:1-11 (Thursday)
2 Samuel 14:12-24 (Friday)
2 Samuel 14:25-33 (Saturday)
Psalm 30 (All Days)
Acts 22:6-21 (Thursday)
Acts 26:1-11 (Friday)
Matthew 9:2-8 (Saturday)
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To you, Yahweh, I call,
to my God I cry for mercy.
–Psalm 30:8, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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We read of forgiveness in the lections from the New Testament. Saul of Tarsus receives forgiveness and a new mandate from God. (Grace is free yet not cheap.) Jesus forgives a man’s sins during a healing in Matthew 9. Critics who are present think that our Lord and Savior is committing blasphemy, for their orthodoxy makes no room for Jesus. The healed man becomes a former paralytic, but Christ’s critics suffer from spiritual paralysis.
The language of 2 Samuel 14 indicates that King David has not reconciled with his son Absalom, who had killed his (Absalom’s) half-brother, Amnon, who had raped his (Absalom’s) sister, Tamar, in the previous chapter before he (Absalom) had gone into exile. The entire incident of pseudo-reconciliation had been for the benefit of Joab. The false reconciliation proved to be as useless as false grace, for Absalom, back from exile, was plotting a rebellion, which he launched in the next chapter.
The juxtaposition of Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul the Apostle, the paralyzed man, and Absalom is interesting and helpful. Both Saul/Paul and Absalom had egos, but the former struggled with his self-image as he made a pilgrimage with Jesus. Absalom, in contrast, did not strive to contain his ego. No, he permitted it to control him. We know little about the paralyzed man, but we may assume safely that a runaway ego was not among his problems.
If we are to walk humbly with God, we must contextualize ourselves relative to God. We are, in comparison, but dust, and God is the proper grounding for human identity. Proper actions will flow from appropriate attitudes.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 4, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PAUL CUFFEE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY TO THE SHINNECOCK NATION
THE FEAST OF SAINT CASIMIR OF POLAND, PRINCE
THE FEAST OF EMANUEL CRONENWETT, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARINUS OF CAESAREA, ROMAN SOLDIER AND CHRISTIAN MARTYR, AND ASTERIUS, ROMAN SENATOR AND CHRISTIAN MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-5-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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