Archive for the ‘2 Samuel 15’ Category
READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART III
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Psalm 3
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Psalm 3 is a first; it is the first psalm “of David.” “Of David” may carry one of three meanings:
- David wrote it,
- Someone else wrote it and attributed it to David, or
- Someone else wrote in the style of David.
Given the frequent, later tacking on attributions in the Book of Psalms and elsewhere in the Bible, (2) and (3) are the most feasible options.
For the sake of thoroughness, though, I note that the story of Absalom’s rebellion is in 2 Samuel 15-19.
The psalmist, under threat from many violent foes, prayed for divine deliverance. He prayed that God would
break the teeth of the wicked,
as if God had already done so. These were the same teeth through which the same wicked people had declared that God would not deliver the psalmist. Alternatively, the psalmist imagined how King David must have felt then written accordingly.
Psalm 3 affirms human dependence on God, that the reality of God shapes human identity and destiny. This understanding contradicts a cultural norm in North American Christianity, infected with individualism and self-reliance.
God helps those who help themselves
comes from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, not the Bible. A seminary professor I heard speak jokes that such sayings allegedly from the Bible come from the First Book of the Babylonians.
The petition for divine, avenging violence is common in the Book of Psalms. It is also common in human beings. Yet may none of us forget that God loves us and our enemies. Nevertheless, deliverance for the oppressed may prove catastrophic for the oppressors. We may understandably weep for victims of the Third Reich and not shed one tear for any Nazi. And I, as a student of history with a strong social conscience, read accounts of violent and rebellious slaves. I always side with the slaves, forced into a corner. I never shed one tear for the White people who died in such rebellions and other rebellious acts. I affirm that such violence was part of the price White people paid for maintaining slavery. Besides, I favor the underdogs and the oppressed every time.
One brutalized slave who escaped to freedom in British North America before the Civil War offered his thoughts in writing. He had been the property of a Baptist deacon who had beaten him often. The slave had seized his opportunity to pursue freedom when the deacon died. The former slave wrote that he did not know if the deacon had gone to Heaven or Hell. The ex-slave wrote that he (the former slave) hoped to go to the other place in death. The former slave’s hostility toward the bastard who had owned him was understandable.
Some people are sympathetic; others are not. Chickens do come home to roost, too. Some people are so unsympathetic as to be morally monstrous. But God loves them, too. And if their worst fate is suffering the smashing of their teeth, they get off lightly.
Such people could have turned out differently. Something went horribly wrong; they took a wrong turn and headed down a destructive path. They may even have done so with good intentions, the paving stones of the road to Hell.
So, how can each of us avoid such a path? We all have moral blind spots. We all carry assumptions, some of which are erroneous. The short answer to my question is grace. Yet, if I say,
There but for the grace of God go I,
I err. If I commit that error, I imply that others lack grace.
Here, as when pondering the Book of Job, I rebel against pat answers to difficult questions. I am the hero of my own story. Nevertheless, someone, somewhere, may think of me as a villain. Reality is what it is; objective reality exists. Perceptions are subjective, of course.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 9, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT LIBORIUS WAGNER, GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1631
THE FEAST OF DAVID BRÜNING, U.S. GERMAN EVANGELICAL MINISTER, HYMNAL WRITER, AND HYMN TUNE COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF GEORGE JOB ELVEY, ANGLICAN COMPOSER AND ORGANIST
THE FEAST OF JOHN ZUNDEL, GERMAN-AMERICAN ORGANIST, HYMNAL EDITOR, HYMN TUNE COMPOSER, AND MUSIC EDITOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER FOURIER, “THE GOOD PRIEST OF MATTAINCOURT;” AND SAINT ALIX LE CLERC, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATON OF NOTRE DAME OF CANONESSES REGULAR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE
THE FEAST OF THOMAS MERTON, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MONK, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER
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Above: Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART I
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Jeremiah 1:1-3
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The first three verses of the Book of Jeremiah identify the prophet, his father, the prophet’s hometown, and the timeframe of his prophetic ministry.
Jeremiah (“YHWH will exalt”) ben Hilkiah hailed from Anathoth, about three and a half miles northeast of Jerusalem. The father, Hilkiah, was a priest. Hilkiah and Jeremiah were outside of the priestly establishment in Jerusalem. Therefore, this Hilkiah was not the high priest Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:3-23:37) who found the scroll of Deuteronomy in the Temple, brought that scroll to King Josiah (r. 640-609 B.C.E.), and participated in Josiah’s religious reformation.
Hailing from Anathoth was significant. Anathoth was one of the cities assigned to Levitical priests in Joshua 21:18. After the death of King David, King Solomon had exiled the priest Abiathar (1 Samuel 22:20-22; 1 Samuel 23:6, 9; 1 Samuel 30:7; 2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 15:24, 27, 29, 35; 2 Samuel 17:15; 2 Samuel 19:11; 2 Samuel 20:25; 1 Kings 1:7, 19, 25, 42; 1 Kings 2:35; 1 Kings 4:4; 1 Chronicles 15:11; 1 Chronicles 18:16; 1 Chronicles 24:6; 1 Chronicles 27:34; Mark 2:26) to Anathoth for supporting Adonijah in the struggle for succession (1 Kings 2:26-27). Jeremiah, therefore, was also a member of a priestly family. He understood the ancient traditions of Israel, as well as the foundational character of the covenant in the life of Israel.
The superscription also defines the period during which Jeremiah prophesied: from the thirteenth year (627 B.C.E.) of the reign (640-609 B.C.E.) of King Josiah of Judah through “the eleventh year of King Zedekiah,” “when Jerusalem went into exile in the fifth month” (586 B.C.E.). We read in Chapters 39-44 that Jeremiah prophesied after the Fall of Jerusalem, too. The list of kings names Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. That list omits Jehoahaz/Jeconiah/Shallum and Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah. Yet, as the germane note in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), points out, few of the prophecies in the Book of Jeremiah date to the reign of King Josiah.
Jeremiah prophesied during a turbulent and difficult period of decline–mostly after the fall of the Assyrian Empire (612 B.C.E. and before the Fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.). In the wake of King Josiah’s death, Judah had become a vassal state of Egypt. Pharaoh Neco II had chosen the next two Kings of Judah. Jehoahaz/Jeconiah/Shallum (2 Kings 23:31-35; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4; 1 Esdras 1:34-38) had reigned for about three months before becoming a prisoner in Egypt. Then Neco II had appointed Eliakim and renamed him Jehoiakim (r. 608-598 B.C.E.; 2 Kings 23:36-24:7; 2 Chronicles 36:5-8; 1 Esdras 1:39-42). Jehoiakim was always a vassal while King of Judah. After being the vassal of Neco II of Egypt for about three years, he became a vassal of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire in 605 B.C.E. He died a prisoner in that empire.
Two more Kings of Judah reigned; both were vassals of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah (2 Kings 24:8-17; 2 Kings 25:27-30; 2 Chronicles 36:9-10; 1 Esdras 1:43-46) reigned for about three months before going into exile in that empire. The last King of Judah was Zedekiah, born Mattaniah (2 Kings 24:18-25:26; 2 Chronicles 36:11-21; 1 Esdras 1:47-58). He reigned from 597 to 586 B.C.E. The last events he saw before Chaldean soldiers blinded him were the executions of his sons.
The Book of Jeremiah is one of the longest books in the Hebrew Bible; it contains 52 chapters. The final draft is the product of augmentation and editing subsequent to the time of Jeremiah himself. In fact, Jeremiah 52 is mostly verbatim from 2 Kings 24:18-25:30. Also Jeremiah 52:4-16 occur also in Jeremiah 39:1-2, 4-10. Chronology is not the organizing principle of material in the Book of Jeremiah; jumping around the timeline is commonplace. For example, the Fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.) occurs between Chapters 32 and 33, as well as in Chapters 39 and 52. Some ancient copies are longer than other ancient copies. None of the subsequent augmentation and editing, complete with some material being absent from certain ancient copies of the book surprises me, based on my reading about the development of certain Biblical texts. I do not pretend that divinely-inspired authors were mere secretaries for God.
Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel made a germane and wonderful point in The Prophets, Volume I (1962), viii:
The prophet is a person, not a microphone. He is endowed with a mission, with the power of a word not his own that accounts for his greatness–but also with temperament, concern, character, and individuality. As there was no resisting the impact of divine inspiration, so at times there was no resisting the vortex of his own temperament. The word of God reverberated in the voice of man.
The prophet’s task is to convey a divine view, yet as a person he is a point of view. He speaks from the perspective of God as perceived from the perspective of his own situation. We must seek to understand not only the views he expounded but also the attitudes he embodied: his own position, feeling response–not only what he said but also what he lived; the private, the intimate dimension of the word, the subjective side of the message.
Those paragraphs applied to all the Hebrew prophets. They applied to Jeremiah with greater poignancy than to the others, though.
I invite you, O reader, to remain with me as I blog my way through the book of the “weeping prophet.”
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 6, 2021 COMMON ERA
PROPER 5: THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF FRANKLIN CLARK FRY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA AND THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CLAUDE OF BESANÇON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF HENRY JAMES BUCKOLL, AUTHOR AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF JOHANN FRIEDRICH HERTZOG, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM KETHE, PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
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Above: The Story of Tobit, by the Workshop of the Master of the Prodigal Son
Image in the Public Domain
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READING TOBIT
PART 1
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Tobit 1:1-15
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The Book of Tobit, present in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, falls into the canon of scripture for about three-quarters of the Christian Church. Tobit, like Esther, Jonah, and Judith, is a work of fiction that teaches theological and spiritual truths. The Catholic Study Bible (1990) and The Catholic Bible–Personal Study Edition (1995) describes the Book of Tobit as a novel. The Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) accurately describes the Book of Tobit as a novella. The Book of Tobit is too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel.
The Orthodox Study Bible (2008) acknowledges that the Book of Tobit is a work of fiction. The introduction to the Book of Tobit describes the work as a love story in which a father sends his son out into the world. The son finds and saves a bride, whom he brings home. The introduction to the Book of Tobit links this story to Christ in John 3:16 and describes the Book of Tobit as an icon of the story of salvation.
The Book of Tobit is another Hellenistic work about Jews in exile. (The Book of Daniel is also such a work.) Superficially set in the eighth century B.C.E., the Book of Tobit teaches faith in God and trust in providence from the temporal perspective of the second century C.E.
The titular character is Tobit. His son is Tobias. “Tobit” is a shorter variation on “Tobias.” Both names mean, “the LORD is good.”
Tobit 1:2 signals the book’s status as fiction by naming the wrong Neo-Assyrian king. The verse names the monarch as Shalmaneser V (reigned 727-722 B.C.E.) Historical records tell us Sargon II (reigned 722-705 B.C.E.) was the king who completed Shalmaneser V’s work and conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel. (See 2 Kings 17:1-6, O reader.) However, historical records and 2 Kings 15:19 tell us that Tiglath-Pilesar III, also known as Pul (reigned 745-727 B.C.E.), took the tribe of Naphtali into exile.
Tobit was a devout Jew. The impossible internal chronology had Tobit live in excess of 150 years (1:4f), despite his age at death (14:1) being 112. Anyhow, he eschewed idolatry and made his offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem (Numbers 18:12-13; Deuteronomy 18:3-4). Tobit also distributed money to widows, orphans, and converts. He kept the food laws (Exodus 34:15; Leviticus 7:26-27; Leviticus 11:1-47; Leviticus 17:10-14; Deuteronomy 12:23-25; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; and Deuteronomy 15:23) in exile, too. Tobit obeyed the Law of Moses regardless of how difficult doing so proved to be. At home and in exile, Tobit was a model Jew.
Tobit also deposited ten talents of silver with a relative, Gabael, in Media. That amount equaled 3000 shekels.
The germane note in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) reads:
A substantial amount, but efforts to express in modern monetary units are futile.
Other sources do express that amount in modern monetary units, though. The Catholic Study Bible (1990) estimates the value as being about $10,000. The Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) estimates the value as being at least $10,000.
We also read of Tobit’s wife, Anna, which means “Grace.” Remember that, O reader; the name is sometimes ironic.
The Book of Tobit contains similarities to the Books of Job and Daniel. We read of Tobit working for the king in Chapter 1. One may recall that Daniel worked for several monarchs. And one may remember accounts of Daniel’s piety. The parallels to Job, already becoming apparent, will become stronger as we continue.
Tobit 1 contains the Theory of Retribution, that God rewards faithfulness and punishes faithlessness. The Theory of Retribution, a hallmark of Deuteronomic theology, is prominent throughout the Book of Tobit and in much of the Hebrew Bible. Deuteronomy 28 teaches the Theory of Retribution, which informs the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. In particular, consult Joshua 7:1-8:29; Judges 3:7-11; and 2 Samuel 11:1-12:15, for example, O reader.
The counterbalance also exists un the Hebrew Bible. Blessings also come undeserved. A relationship with God should not be a quid-pro-quo arrangement. See Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 6-11; 8:17-18; 9:4-6; 10:15; and 23:6, O reader. Likewise, that seems undeserved is a form of testing (Deuteronomy 8: 2, 3, 5, 16-17), and repentance following suffering precedes divine mercy (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).
What we do matters. How we respond to God is crucial. One does know a tree by its fruits. And actions have consequences. However, Prosperity Theology remains a heresy. Many of the devout suffer. Many of the devout become martyrs. And many of the devout endure poverty.
The Bible is a nuanced sacred theology. Any impression to the contrary is erroneous.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HILEY BATHURST, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ISAAC WATTS, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF THE HOLY CROSS
THE FEAST OF PETRUS NIGIDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN EDUCATOR AND COMPOSER; AND GEORG NIGIDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: King 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 XLVI
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2 Samuel 19:1-43 (Protestant)/19:2-44 (Jewish and Roman Catholic), or, as the Eastern Orthodox call the text, 2 Kingdoms 19:2-44
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Turn to me and have pity on me,
for I am left alone and in misery.
The sorrows of my heart have increased;
bring me out of my troubles.
Look upon my adversity and misery
and forgive me all my sin.
–Psalm 25:15-17, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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David was victorious and relatively magnanimous following the events of 2 Samuel 15-18 (the rebellion of Absalom). The King, for example, demoted Joab, who had committed insubordination, caused the death of Absalom, and behaved insensitively toward the grieving David. But David let Joab live. David promoted Amasa to take Joab’s place. The King even rejected another suggestion to have Shimei (who had cursed him 2 Samuel 16) executed. Unfortunately, David changed his mind years later (1 Kings 1:8-9) and Solomon ordered the death of Shimei (1 Kings 2:36-46).
Unity remained elusive in the immediate wake of the rebellion of Absalom, however. There was no way David could unfry that egg.
2 Samuel 19 presents David favorably. He stands in contrast to the lying, insensitive Joab and the pitiful yet loyal Mephibosheth. The narrative also presents David as a broken, humbled man not eager to shed more blood immediately after a bloody rebellion.
This was the first rebellion. The second one followed in Chapter 20.
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 Between Ahithophel and Hushai
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 XLIV
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2 Samuel 17:1-29
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In those days, the advice which Ahithophel gave was accepted like an oracle sought from God; that is how all the advice of Ahithophel was esteemed both by David and Absalom.
–2 Samuel 16:23, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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Back in 2 Samuel 15, Ahithophel, a royal counselor, switched alliances and sided with Absalom. Also, David planted Hushai in Absalom’s court, to nullify Ahithophel’s advice and to participate in a spy network. Ahithophel’s advice that Absalom have public intercourse with David’s concubines prevailed in 2 Samuel 16. Nevertheless, Hushai’s advice overrode that of Ahithophel in 2 Samuel 17, thereby buying time for David. The tide having turned in David’s favor, Ahithophel feared (correctly) that David would execute him for treason. So the counselor committed suicide. Absalom’s rebellion was about to fail.
The text makes the theological agenda of the narrative plain.
The LORD had decreed that Ahithophel’s sound advice be nullified, in order that the LORD might bring ruin upon Absalom.
–2 Samuel 17:14, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
David had prayed in 2 Samuel 15. God answered that prayer in 2 Samuel 17 and 18.
Regardless of who holds power or who seeks it, God is in control. Appearances may deceive, but God is in control.
I admit to struggling with accepting that God is in control. I affirm that teaching in good moments. Yet when current events depress me, I have serious doubts. I am of two minds regarding this matter.
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: Absalom Conspires Against David
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
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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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 28:15-30 or 2 Samuel 15:30-37; 16:15-19, 23; 17:1-23 or 2 Chronicles 30:1-27
Psalm 141
John 11:(45) 46-57
1 Corinthians 16:1-24
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The tone of the readings, taken together, darkens. However, the lesson from 1 Corinthians, part of the continuous reading of that epistle, stands apart from the other readings. Exodus 28:15-30, a description of Aaron’s priestly vestments, makes sense in the context of 28:2, which specifies that the purpose of vestments is “for glory and beauty,” as Richard Elliott Friedman translates in Commentary on the Torah (2001). As Dr. Friedman writes:
Beauty inspires. Building beautiful places for the practice of religion is a valuable thing. Of course this does not mean building great edifices at the expense of the starving masses, nor does it mean focusing on the outer trappings and missing the content and spirit that they serve. There must be balance–wisdom. But we must recognize the value of art and beauty: the building, the priests’ clothing, the music, the smells, the tastes. Religion is not the enemy of the senses.
–Page 266
At least religion should not be the enemy of the senses. I have had some unfortunate discussions with Southern Baptists who have disagreed with Dr. Friedman and me.
Part of the beauty of ritual played out at the Temple at Jerusalem during Passover each year. Passover was the annual celebration of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. At the time of Jesus this commemoration took place under the observant eyes of agents of the occupying Roman Empire, with Temple officials in cohorts with the Romans. Something was out of balance.
The desperate tone of Psalm 141 fits the Passion narrative well. It also suits the plight of King David, on the run from Absalom, his son. David won that conflict and mourned his son, who died when his hair became caught in a tree. Absalom was not innocent, but Jesus was.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIULIA VALLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF SAINT ISAAC HECKER, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/devotion-for-proper-18-year-d/
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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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