Archive for the ‘Deuteronomy 2’ Category
Above: Icon of Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
READING JEREMIAH, PART XXVIII
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jeremiah 48:1-47
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Moab, east of the Dead Sea, was one of the traditional and bitter enemies of the Hebrews (Judges 3:12-30; Numbers 22; Deuteronomy 2:8-9; 2 Kings 3:4, et cetera). The Moabites, allies of the Assyrian Empire, fell to the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire in the middle of the sixth century B.C.E.
Since I started this project of reading the Hebrew prophetic books, roughly in chronological order, I have read oracles against Moab in Amos 2:1-3 and Isaiah 15:1-16:13.
The oracle against Moab in Ezekiel 25:8-11 awaits me, in due time.
The oracle in Jeremiah 48 contains certain references that require explanation:
- Place names in Moab abound.
- Verse 7 mentions Chemosh, the head of the Moabite pantheon (Numbers 21:29).
- Verses 11 and 12 mention Moabite wine, renowned for its quality. Here the wine functions as a metaphor for complacency.
- Verse 18 refers to the capital, Dibon, built on a height. This verse personifies Dibon as a confident ruler.
Moab, once powerful and confident, became debased. It became a laughingstock (verse 26) and a horror to its neighbors (verse 39). It, poetically, swam in vomit (verse 26). Yet, at the end of the oracle. God announced the restoration of the fortunes of Moab “in the days to come” (verse 47). The promised restoration may have had nothing to do with Moabite kinship to the Israelites (Genesis 19:37-38); Jeremiah 46:25-26 predicted a restoration of Egyptian fortunes, too.
Archaeology tells us that Moab, mostly depopulated in the 500s B.C.E., was a place where nomads wandered for centuries. Archaeology also tells us that sedentary life became feasible in Moab in the last few centuries B.C.E.
The themes of trusting in power and false gods, not in YHWH, are tropes in Hebrew prophetic literature. These are themes that apply to people and peoples in 2021, too. The identities of the false gods vary widely–from imagined deities to the Almighty Dollar. Idolatry is no match for the sovereignty of God, though.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE; AND SAINT JOSEPH THE HYMNOGRAPHER, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND THE “SWEET-VOICED NIGHTINGALE OF THE CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF DAVID LOW DODGE, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN BUSINESSMAN AND PACIFIST
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS J. UPLEGGER, GERMAN-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND MISSIONARY; “OLD MAN MISSIONARY”
THE FEAST OF FRANK LAUBACH, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF MARK HOPKINS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, EDUCATOR, AND PHYSICIAN
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Judas, by Edward Okún
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
READING FIRST ISAIAH, PART XIII
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isaiah 21:11-17
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
INTRODUCTION
Immediately following an oracle of the Fall of Babylon (Isaiah 21:1-10), we read two short oracles that complete Chapter 21.
DUMAH (EDOM)
Duman was an oasis in northern Arabia (Genesis 25:14; 1 Chronicles 1:30). Seir (Isaiah 21:11) was a place in Edom. Poetically, Dumah equaled Edom.
One may recall a condemnation of Edom in Amos 1:1-12.
The oracle in Isaiah 21:11-12 is superficially vague. “The night” is poetic language for suffering. “Morning” is poetic language for liberation. There is no encouraging news for Dumah from the watchman of Seir yet. Despite the brief respite from Assyrian oppression, the morning of liberation will not dawn yet.
Edom, the nation, had pursued his “brother” (Israel) with the sword. Edom, the nation, was metaphorically the brother of the Israelite people (Numbers 20:14; Deuteronomy 2:4; Deuteronomy 23:7; Obadiah 10, 12). King David had added Edom to the (united) Kingdom of Israel (2 Samuel 8:13f; 1 Kings 11:15-17). Edom, part of the (southern) Kingdom of Judah after the division of the (united) Kingdom of Israel, threw off Judean control during the reign (851-853 B.C.E.) of King Jehoram (Joram) (2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21:4-20). Yet Judah reconquered Edom during the reign (798-769 B.C.E.) of King Amaziah of Judah (2 Kings 14:1-22; 2 Chronicles 25:1-28) and the reign (785-733 B.C.E.) of King Azariah/Uzziah of Judah (2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:1-23), contemporary with the time of the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Micah. Edomites persisted in their anger; they raged in wrath without end.
Circa 715 B.C.E., Edom had rebelled against the Assyrian Empire during a time when that empire was temporarily in decline and Egypt’s new masters (from “Ethiopia”–really Cush/Nubia)–encouraged regional peoples, vassals of Assyria, to rebel. Ultimately and sadly, Edom was no match for the Assyrian Empire.
KEDAR AND THE DEDANITES
Kedar was a northern Arabian tribe known for their military prowess. Yet Assyrian King Sennacherib (r. 705-681 B.C.E.) conquered that tribe in 689 B.C.E.
The Dedanites were a northern Arabian tribe conquered by an unnamed power, presumably the Assyrian Empire. The residents of the oasis city of Tema were to greet the fugitives from Assyrian conquest “with bread.”
CONCLUSION
This material fits thematically with material I covered in the previous post in this series. The warning to Judah, militarily weak, was not to seek a military solution, which was futile. Judah needed to commit to social justice, consistent with the Law of Moses, the prophetic voice tells us. That voice also tells us that saving Judah depended not on the state, but on covenant community founded on a just social and economic order. We read that military solutions did not resolve the problems, even those of renowned warriors, vis-à-vis more powerful neighbors.
The Law of Moses teaches mutuality. This timeless principle informs many culturally-specific laws that, superficially, have no bearing on us in 2021. Mutuality, in the context of complete dependence on God, teaches that all people are responsible to and for each other, and depend on each other. The pursuit of the common good builds up all people and helps them become the best possible versions of themselves. Selfishness, cruelty, indifference, and insensitivity tear down community and harm the whole.
Early in President Ronald Reagan’s first term (1981-1985), staffers at the headquarters of the Church of the Brethren (one of the Historic Peace Churches) peacefully protested the Administration’s budget priorities–less for social programs, more for the military. These staffers pooled the money they received from tax cuts, purchased thirty pieces of silver, and mailed that silver (with a letter) to the White House. Some people were paying attention to the moral lessons in the Hebrew prophets and making an allusion to the betrayal of Jesus and Christian principles.
Sadly, these Hebrew prophetic warnings had something in common with such symbolic protests: they did not change the minds of authorities they addressed.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 2, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, THE MARTYRS OF LYONS, 177
THE FEAST OF ANDERS CHRISTENSEN ARREBO, “THE FATHER OF DANISH POETRY”
THE FEAST OF CHRISTOPH HOMBURG, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MARGARET ELIZABETH SANGSTER, HYMN WRITER, NOVELIST, AND DEVOTIONAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN OF SWEDEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY, BISHOP, AND MARTYR, CIRCA 1075
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Map of the Assyrian Empire and Its Neighbors
Image Scanned from an Old Bible
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
READING AMOS, PART II
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Amos 1:3-2:3
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Introduction
As I read the Book of Amos, I ask myself how much of the final version is original to the text from the prophet. I know that the final version of the Book of Amos dates to the 400s B.C.E., three centuries after the time of the prophet. Nevertheless, that question, germane for some matters of interpretation, is irrelevant for other matters of interpretation. The message(s) of the Book of Amos for people, cultures, societies, and institutions in 2021 C.E. are what they are, regardless of which layer of composition to which a particular passage belongs.
Amos 1:3-2:16 consists of prophetic oracles of judgment against nations. I choose to write about the oracles against Judah and Israel in the next post. In this post, I focus on divine judgment against Aram, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab.
Notice, O reader, a motif:
For three crimes of _____, and now four–
I will not take it back–….
–Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
This motif indicates the end of divine patience after the third crime. Divine patience is not infinite. Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance.
Amos 1:3-2:3 condemns neighboring nations for behavior that is anti-human or against nature. These Gentiles, not being under the Law of Moses, had no covenant with God to keep. They were still accountable according to certain standards, though.
Aram (1:3-5)
Aram was where Syria is today. Aram was the main rival of the Assyrian Empire during the time of the prophets Amos, Hosea, Micah, and (First) Isaiah. Aram was also a frequent foe of the (northern) Kingdom of Israel.
Aram had “threshed Gilead with sledges of iron,” a reference to a military campaign (2 Kings 13:3-7). King Hazael came to power circa 842 B.C.E. and reigned until circa 806 B.C.E. (2 Kings 8:7-15). He founded a dynasty. Hazael’s immediate successor was his son, King Ben-hadad II (2 Kings 13:3). Hadad was a storm god, and “Ben” meant “son of.”
“Aven” meant “evil,” so the Valley of Aven was the “Valley of Evil.” Beth-eden was an Aramaic city-state between the Euphrates and Balikh Rivers. According to Amos 1:5, God would depose the King of Beth-eden and exile the Arameans. During the Syro-Ephraimite War (734-732 B.C.E.; 2 Kings 15:27-31; 2 Kings 16:1-19; 2 Chronicles 28:1-26; Isaiah 7:1-8:23), King Pekah of Israel (r. 735-732 B.C.E.) and King Rezin of Aram (r. 750-732 B.C.E.), having formed an anti-Assyrian alliance, fought the (southern) Kingdom of Judah and besieged Jerusalem because King Ahaz (r. 743/735-727/715 B.C.E.) refused to join that coalition. King Ahaz of Judah turned not to God, but to the Assyrian Empire. That empire conquered part of Aram and reduced Israel to vassalage in 732 B.C.E. The Assyrian Empire ended Aram’s existence as an independent kingdom in 720 B.C.E. That empire relocated Arameans throughout the Assyrian Empire, including in Samaria (2 Kings 17:24, 30).
Philistia (1:6-8
Philistia was on the Mediterranean coast and east of the (southern) Kingdom of Judah. Philistia was where the Gaza Strip is today. Philistines were the people otherwise known as Phoenicians.
Philistia had “exiled an entire population,” probably from Israel or Judah. This raid, perhaps during the reign (817-800 B.C.E.; 2 Kings 13:1-25) of King Jehoahaz of Israel, violated Exodus 21:16, not that the covenant applied to the Philistines.
Tyre (1:9-10)
Tyre, on the Mediterranean coast, was the chief Phoenician city in the middle 700s B.C.E. It was a wealthy commercial capital of a trading network.
Tyre had violated a treaty with an unnamed partner and handed an entire population over to slave markets in Edom.
Edom (1:11-12)
Edom was south of the Dead Sea, in what is now the southern regions of Israel and Jordan. Edom was the nation, by tradition, descended from Esau, a.k.a. Edom (Genesis 25:25-28:9; 32:3-33:16; 35:1-43; 36:1-43). Jacob/Israel had made their peace (Genesis 33), but their descendants had continued the conflict.
Edom, the nation, had pursued his “brother” (Israel) with the sword. Edom, the nation, was metaphorically the brother of the Israelite people (Numbers 20:14; Deuteronomy 2:4; Deuteronomy 23:7; Obadiah 10, 12). King David had added Edom to the (united) Kingdom of Israel (2 Samuel 8:13f; 1 Kings 11:15-17). Edom, part of the (southern) Kingdom of Judah after the division of the (united) Kingdom of Israel, threw off Judean control during the reign (851-853 B.C.E.) of King Jehoram (Joram) (2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21:4-20). Yet Judah reconquered Edom during the reign (798-769 B.C.E.) of King Amaziah of Judah (2 Kings 14:1-22; 2 Chronicles 25:1-28) and the reign (785-733 B.C.E.) of King Azariah/Uzziah of Judah (2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:1-23), contemporary with the time of the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Micah. Edomites persisted in their anger; they raged in wrath without end.
Ammon (1:13-15)
Ammon was to the west of the River Jordan and north of the Dead Sea, in modern-day Jordan. Ammon had been part of the (united) Kingdom of Israel under Kings David and Solomon. The Ammonites had broken away circa 928 B.C.E., when the (united) Kingdom of Israel split into the (northern) Kingdom of Israel and the (southern) Kingdom of Judah.
Ammon had “ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, in order to extend their territory” (Amos 1:13). Ammon had fought a border war with Israel, probably during the 800s B.C.E. In the course of that conflict, Ammonite soldiers had ripped open pregnant women, a tactic not unheard of, sadly.
Ammon became a vassal state (742-630 B.C.E.) of the Assyrian Empire then a province thereof. With the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian conquest of the Assyrian Empire, Ammon became a rebellious province of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. The rebellion failed, and mass deportations ensued.
Moab (2:1-3)
Moab was west of the Dead Sea, in modern-day Jordan. Moab had been a vassal state of the (united) Kingdom of Israel under Kings David and Solomon then under the kings of the (northern) Kingdom of Israel. King Mesha of Moab had successfully rebelled against vassalage during the reign (851-842 B.C.E) of King Jehoram (Joram) of Israel (1 Kings 3:1-27) and the reign (870-846 B.C.E.) of King Jehoshaphat of Judah (1 Kings 22:1-51; 2 Kings 3:1-27; 2 Chronicles 17:1-20:37). Moab was also the homeland of Ruth.
Moab had “burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king.” This was an extreme disrespect usually reserved criminals (Genesis 38:24; Leviticus 20:14; Leviticus 21:9), not that Moabites were subject to the Law of Moses. This act, which had no effect on either the (northern) Kingdom of Israel or the (southern) Kingdom of Judah, was still a crime against God.
Moab came under Assyrian domination (c. 735 B.C.E.), became an Assyrian province (711 B.C.E.), and finally ceased to be a state (circa 600 B.C.E.). (For more about the decline and fall of Moab, read Isaiah 15-16 and Jeremiah 48.)
Conclusion
A spiritual mentor of mine liked to read some portion of the Bible then ask:
What is really going on here?
God, who is sovereign over all the nations, does not tolerate injustice. The Book of Amos beats the drum repeatedly. God cares deeply about how people, cultures, societies, and institutions treat people.
In this post, I have focused on neighbors of the (northern) Kingdom of Israel and the (southern) Kingdom of Judah. Many of the prophet’s original audience probably delighted to hear these proclamations of divine judgment against these foreign nations.
Then Amos stopped preaching and started meddling, so to speak.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 20, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALCUIN OF YORK, ABBOT OF TOURS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS COLUMBA OF RIETI AND OSANNA ANDREASI, DOMINICAN MYSTICS
THE FEAST OF JOHN ELIOT, “THE APOSTLE TO THE INDIANS”
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIÁ ANGÉLICA LATHROP, FOUNDRESS OF THE DOMINICAN SISTERS OF HAWTHORNE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: King John Hyrcanus I
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
READING JUDITH
PART III
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Judith 4:1-6:2
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Holofernes represented an oppressive violent power and an ego-driven monarch. The general had succeeded in his previous campaigns, even against people who had greeted his army with garlands, dancing, and the sound of timbrels (2:1-3:10). The Israelites were in dire straits as he turned his attention toward them.
Yet the Israelites worshiped God. They prayed to God. And, as even Achior, the Ammonite leader acknowledged, the Israelites’ power and strength resided in God. Yet Holofernes asked scornfully,
Who is God beside Nebuchadnezzar?
–Judith 6:2b, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Achior found refuge with the Israelites, at least.
A refresher on the Kingdom of Ammon and on the Ammonites is in order.
- “Ammon” comes from Benammi, both the son and grandson of Lot (Genesis 19:30-38). Lot’s daughters had gotten their father drunk then seduced him. They gave birth to the founders of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples.
- The attitude toward the Ammonites in the Bible is mostly negative.
- The Kingdom of Ammon was east of the River Jordan and north of Moab.
- The Kingdom of Ammon, a vassal state of Israel under Kings David and Solomon. After Ammon reasserted itself, it became a vassal state of the Neo-Assyrian Empire then the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. A failed rebellion led to mass deportations of Ammonites and the colonization of their territory by Chaldeans.
Anyone who wants to read more about the Ammonites in the Bible may want to follow the following reading plan:
- Genesis 19;
- Numbers 21;
- Deuteronomy 2, 3, 23;
- Joshua 12, 13;
- Judges 3, 10, 11, 12;
- 1 Samuel 10, 11, 12, 14;
- 2 Samuel 8, 10, 11, 12, 17, 23;
- 1 Kings 11, 14;
- 2 Kings 23, 24;
- 1 Chronicles 11, 18, 19, 20;
- 2 Chronicles 12, 20, 24, 26, 27;
- Ezra 9;
- Nehemiah 2, 4, 13;
- Psalm 83;
- Isaiah 11;
- Jeremiah 9, 25, 27, 40, 41, 49;
- Ezekiel 21, 25;
- Daniel 11;
- Amos 1;
- Zephaniah 2;
- Judith 1, 5, 6, 7, 14;
- 1 Maccabees 5; and
- 2 Maccabees 4, 5.
Back to Achior…
A close reader of Achior’s report (5:6-21) may detect some details he got wrong. Not all characters speak accurately in every matter. One may expect an outsider to misunderstand some aspects of the Israelite story.
At the end of the Chapter 6, we see the conflict between the arrogance of enemies of God and the humility of Israelites. We know that, in the story, the Israelites could turn only to God for deliverance. Anyone familiar with the Hebrew prophets ought to know that this theme occurs in some of the prophetic books, too.
In the context contemporary to the composition of the Book of Judith, Jews had endured Hellenistic oppression under the Seleucid Empire. Jews had won the independence of Judea. John Hyrcanus I (reigned 135-104 B.C.E.; named in 1 Maccabees 13:53 and 16:1-23) had ordered the destruction of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerazim and forced many people to convert to Judaism. The persecuted had become persecutors. This was certainly on the mind of the anonymous author of the Book of Judith.
May we, collectively and individually, do to others as we want them to do to us, not necessarily as they or others have done to us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 8, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE TENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF WALTER CISZEK, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY PRIERST AND POLITICAL PRISONER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATUS OF LUXEUIL AND ROMARIC OF LUXEUIL, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS AND ABBOTS
THE FEAST OF ERIK CHRISTIAN HOFF, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER AND ORGANIST
THE FEAST OF JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER, U.S. QUAKER ABOLITIONIST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIN SHKURTI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1969
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Front of the U.S. $100 Bill
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 2:16-37
Psalm 13 (Morning)
Psalms 36 and 5 (Evening)
Matthew 6:16-34
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Matthew 6:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/seventh-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a/
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/eighth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/week-of-proper-6-friday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/week-of-proper-6-saturday-year-1/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/week-of-proper-6-friday-year-2/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How priceless is your love, O God!
Your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
–Psalm 36:7, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Deuteronomy 2:16-37 seemed dull until I arrived at the end of that lection and found a reference to the supposedly divine-sanctioned killing of all men, women, and children and the complete destruction of property in war. The Richard Elliott Friedman Commentary of the Torah (2001) informed me that
In contexts that do not have to do with war, the Hebrew word herem refers to something that is devoted to God (Lev. 27:21, 28-29; Num. 18:14). In contexts of war, as in this verse, herem refers to the rule, in divinely commanded wars only, against taking spoils or slaves, but rather destroying all of these and thus dedicating them to the deity. Then point: the war is not for profit.
–page 569
That did not cause me to feel better or to think kindly about the text.
Yet the not-for-profit theme fits well with Matthew 6:16-34. Fasting should not be for the purpose of amassing social capital. One should value God more than wealth, can be a tool for good, bad, and neutral purposes. As 6:21 (The Revised English Bible) tells us,
For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.
William Barclay wrote succinctly and correctly,
…wealth is always a subordinate good.
–The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 (Chapters 1-10), Revised Edition (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975, page 252)
But it can become an idol. Anything can become an idol if one treats it accordingly.
One of the great principles of the Law of Moses is that everything belongs to God; we are merely stewards. Yes, there is value in not becoming a moral hazard or an unnecessary burden upon others if possible. That is one reason for purchasing various forms of insurance policies. But a proper spiritual perspective on wealth and all that it can buy is that they belong to God. Lasting profit is spiritual, for we cannot take our money and our possessions to the afterlife. How effectively have we cared for others collectively and individually? (To set one against the other is to create a false dichotomy.)
To bring this post back full circle, I propose that killing people then claiming to have dedicated to God is unacceptable at all times and places, Deuteronomy 2 not withstanding. The Golden Rule overrides that understanding of herem. And conducting a massacre is neither for one’s spiritual profit nor the benefit of the massacred.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/devotion-for-october-1-lcms-daily-lectionary/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Arch, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Image Source = Josh Hallett
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15
Psalm 62 (Morning)
Psalms 73 and 8 (Evening)
Matthew 6:1-15
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Matthew 6:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/first-day-of-lent-ash-wednesday/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/sixth-day-of-lent/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/week-of-proper-6-wednesday-year-1/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jesus, in Matthew 6:1-15, sets the tone with the first verse:
Be careful not to parade your religion before others; if you do, no reward awaits you with your Father in heaven.
–The Revised English Bible
This does not mean that religion is or should be a purely private matter, for the truth remains that as one thinks, so one behaves. The point pertains to motivation.
Aside: Purely private religion is the opposite of theocracy, of which I am also very critical.
Evangelicalism, as I have experienced it, is very extroverted. I, on the other hand, am introverted. So I have felt out of place around many Evangelicals much of the time for this and other reasons, including rampant anti-intellectualism (not on my part) and discomfort (also not on my part) with the number and nature of theological questions I am fond of asking and exploring. I am an Episcopalian, so I like to ask questions. And I, as an introvert, am especially loathe to wear my religion on my sleeve, but am obviously not reluctant to be openly religious in public. I do prefer, however, to be so in a generally quiet manner. And I will not knock on doors as part of an effort to convert others, for I dislike it when others knock on my door for that purpose. Besides, many people whom I have encountered do not know how to take “no” for an answer; their bad manners offend me. (Certain Mormons have been especially guilty of such rudeness at my front door.) That which I do not like others to do to me I try not to do them. How is that for attempting to live according to the Golden Rule?
One problem of which we read in Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15 is flouting the commandments of God. There was no public-private distinction in this case, for the the flouting was both public and private.
Doing good deeds in secret, for the benefit of another or others, not for one’s own glory, is righteous and selfless. It is pure, or at least as close to pure as a human act of kindness can be. Being sincere before God and not showing off one’s religiosity is honest. And it does not constitute flouting the commandments of God.
I choose to write about one more aspect of the Matthew lection. One command of God I have experienced great difficulty in not flouting is forgiving certain people. It is easy to forgive some yet not others. But my mandate is is not to make such distinctions. This struggle continues for me, but spiritual progress has occurred, by grace. I detect much room for further progress, but I take this opportunity to rejoice in that spiritual progress which has taken place.
It can be difficult to forgive those who have harmed us. I have my own list of such people; it includes a small group of professors at the Department of History of The University of Georgia. Their deeds were perfidious; I will not claim otherwise and nothing can change the reality of their perfidy. But they have only as much power over me now, years after the fact, as I grant them. And I grant them none. I refuse to carry grudges against them, for the burdens have proved too heavy for me to shoulder. I do hope and pray that these professors have, for their sake and those of others, abandoned their perfidious ways. If they have not done so, that is a matter for God and others to address; my own issues fill my time.
As I think so I am. As I think, so I behave. As you think, O reader, so you are and behave. May we, by grace, be and behave as God approves, for the benefit of others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[Update: Those negative emotions washed out of my system years ago. I would not have been human had I not had such emotions, but I would have been foolish not to drop that burden years ago.–2017]
https://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/uga-and-me/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/devotion-for-september-30-lcms-daily-lectionary/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is post #800 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
You must be logged in to post a comment.