Archive for month: August, 2018

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2018, September 9 ~ Isaiah 35:4-7a and James 2:1-17

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Isaiah 35:5-7a

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which had been largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

In spite of these seemingly clear divisions, today’s reading from Chapter 35 was likely written during the Exile and was inserted by the final compiler of the Book of Isaiah to provide a transition from First Isaiah to Second Isaiah. Today’s reading gives hope that the Exile will end and all will be well.

A minor point of information: the “a” in the description of the reading shows that only the first half of verse 7 is read.

James 2:1-10, 14-17

Authorship of this Epistle is not known, but it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.

This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is to be distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).

The letter is addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasizes the importance of good works. This emphasis has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith alone.

Today’s reading emphasizes that good works include caring for the poor, not giving preference to the rich (2-7), obeying the Law to love one’s neighbors as oneself (v.8) and caring for the bodily needs of those in want. The author asserts that while faith is important, if it does not lead to good works, it is dead (v.17).

2018, September 2 ~ Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 and James 1:17-27

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Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from two Greek words that mean “Second Law” and the book is structured as a “restatement” of the laws found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Parts of Deuteronomy were revised as late as 450 BCE, but the bulk of the book is generally dated to the reign of King Josiah of Judea (640-609 BCE).

The authors of the Book of Deuteronomy were also the authors of the books of Joshua, Judges Samuel and Kings (collectively called “the Deuteronomic History”). The Deuteronomists used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)

In today’s reading, Moses began a long (30 chapter) “restatement” of the Law and emphasized that obedience to the Law will make Israel a great nation and that failure to obey the Law will lead to bad outcomes.

The Deuteronomists presented this restatement as the “final” version of the law — nothing can be added or taken away (4.2). This idea of a “final law” conflicted with later developments reflected in the so-called “Oral Torah” in which interpretations of the Torah were expressed. After the First Century CE, interpretations and regulations that were part of the Oral Torah (and further re-interpretations of both the Torah and the Oral Torah) were compiled into books called the Mishnah (c. 200 CE), the Gemara (c. 500 CE), and eventually the Talmud (c. 700 CE).

The Gospels refer to the Oral Torah as “the tradition of the elders” (Matt. 15:2, Mark 7:4).

James 1:17-27

Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.

This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is to be distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).

The letter is addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasizes the importance of good works. This emphasis has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith alone.

These positions can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness (however defined and understood) is the result of the combination of Faith that leads to good works and the Faithfulness of doing good works.

2018, August 26 ~ Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18 and Ephesians 6:10-20

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Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18

The authors of the Book of Joshua (called “the Deuteronomists”) were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described.

The Deuteronomists used the stories in these five books to make the case that it was the failures of the people and the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)

The Book of Joshua is part of this “Deuteronomic History.” It covers the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land by crossing the River Jordan (around 1225 BCE, if the account is historical), the swift conquest by Joshua of the people that were in the land (starting with Jericho), the allocation of the lands among the tribes, and concludes with the “Covenant at Shechem” by which the people swear (acting as their own witnesses) to be faithful to YHWH.

In today’s reading, Joshua assembles the tribes in Shechem (an important religious and political center) and challenges them whether they will serve YHWH. The people promise to serve YHWH and put away foreign gods in this Covenant at Shechem.

The Deuteronomist used this Covenant at Shechem to “convict” the Israelites of their own later failures to worship YHWH as the cause of their conquests by foreign powers. YHWH is presented by the Deuteronomists as faithful to YHWH’s promises (such as the promise to Abraham of the land and the promise that David’s “house” would rule forever). The later failures of the people (and their kings) to worship YHWH was a breach of their own Covenant.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.

Today’s reading is the last of the six portions of the Letter to the Ephesians that have been presented in recent weeks.

Today, the author portrayed life as a Jesus Follower as a struggle against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil. He urged that believers put on the armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and use one offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit (which the author says is the word of God).

2018, August 19 ~ Proverbs 9:1-6 and Ephesians 5:15-20

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Proverbs 9:1-6

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims to be written by Solomon (965-930 BCE) (v.1:1), most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a long period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most of the sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They generally advise that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) will lead to a good life.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom, many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.

In today’s reading, Wisdom is portrayed as a woman who invites even the “simple” and “those without sense” to share the bread and wine at her table and walk in the way of insight. In Proverbs 8:22, Wisdom was portrayed as being present at the Creation.

Ephesians 5:15-20

Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.

In today’s reading, the author continues to urge the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus to live wisely, soberly, and to be thankful to God. In the verses just before today’s reading, the author uses light and dark imagery to show that they are all now children of the light.