Archive for month: June, 2019

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2019, July 14 ~ Amos 7:7-14 and Colossians 1:1-14

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Amos 7:7-17

After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers.

Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE. Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God.

Today’s reading is part of a series of visions in which Amos told Israel that its political and religious institutions had not measured up (the “plumb line” in v.8) to YHWH’s commands and would be destroyed.

Like many prophets of YHWH, court prophets (such as Amaziah) told the kings what the kings wanted to hear. Amaziah denied that Amos’ words came from YHWH (v.11), but Amos countered that he was not a “professional prophet” (v.14) and invoked strong curses upon Israel (v.17) on behalf of YHWH.

Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and much of its population was dispersed. It remained a subjugated land until 1947.

Colossians 1:1-14

Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decade after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s letters and its style is liturgical.

Today’s reading is the introduction to the letter and follows the typical format for Paul’s letters – a salutation (vv. 1-2), introductory thanksgiving (vv. 3-8) and a prayer (vv. 9-14). The substance of the Letter to the Colossians will be explored in the next three weeks.

2019, July 7 ~ 2 Kings 5:1-14 and Galatians 6:1-16

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2 Kings 5:1-14

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

After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.”

Consistent with the theological view that YHWH controlled all that occurs, the authors of Kings asserted, somewhat surprisingly, that YHWH gave victory to Naaman, a general of Aram (modern Syria) over Israel around 850 BCE (v. 1). This occurred presumably because King Ahab and his successors did not worship YHWH faithfully.

Elisha, the successor to Elijah, was in Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel at this time. The King of Aram heard that Elisha was a prophet who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (which could have been any skin ailment). He sent Naaman to Elisha and the King of Israel with staggering offerings (750 lbs. of silver and 150 lbs. of gold). Naaman also had a letter from the King of Aram to the King of Israel asking that Naaman be cured of his leprosy (v.5).

The story emphasized the foolishness of the Kings of Israel, in that the King refused the gift and was about to tell Naaman to return to Aram. Elisha prevailed on the King of Israel to allow Naaman to come to see that he (Elisha) was a true prophet (speaker for God).

Elisha directed Naaman to wash in the River Jordan seven times. After initially refusing to do so, Naaman’s servants convinced him, and he went to the River Jordan and was healed (v.14).

In the verse that follows today’s reading, Naaman stated that YHWH’s power is not territorially limited to the lands of Israel and Judea – it extends to the whole world (v.15), an important theological message the Deuteronomists sought to convey.

Galatians 6:1-16

Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Turkey. This letter was likely written by Paul in the late 40’s or early 50’s (CE), and deals in part with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) to Jesus Followers. In particular, did Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary law to become Jesus Followers? If not, what was the role of Torah for both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers?

These issues are also described in Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letter to the Romans (written in the early 60’s).

Today’s reading is the conclusion of the letter. Paul continued to emphasize that the Spirit enables believers to live out the principle of love (the “law of Christ” in v.2), thus fulfilling the law without slavishly observing the law’s requirements.

He affirmed the opposition of “the flesh” to the Spirit and emphasized that whether or not a person is circumcised is not important (vv. 12-15).

In the final words of today’s reading, Paul asks for peace and mercy upon the “Israel of God” – words that are unique to this verse. Scholars understand these words as meaning the “true Israel,” that is, those who follow Paul’s understanding of the Gospel rather than those who follow the teachings of Paul’s opponents.

2019, June 30 ~ 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 and Galatians 5:1, 13-25

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2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

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

Today’s story recounts the succession of the prophet Elijah by his faithful disciple, Elisha, who asks for a “double share” (the share of an oldest son) of Elijah’s spirit (v.9). According to Biblical chronology, the events took place about 840 BCE, after the reigns of Ahab and the two kings who followed him.

The account has a number of parallels to the stories of Moses and his successor, Joshua. Elijah and Elisha crossed from the west bank of the Jordan River to the east bank (v.8), just as Moses and Joshua crossed the Sea of Reeds. After Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot (v.11), Elisha parted the Jordan and crossed to the west side just as Joshua did (v.14).

Because Elijah was raised to heaven, his return to earth is seen as a harbinger of the coming of the Messiah. A place/chair for Elijah is left open at the table (and often the doors of homes are left open) at Passover Seders in the event Elijah might return that night. In many ways, John the Baptist is portrayed as an Elijah-like figure in the Gospels.

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Turkey. This letter was likely written by Paul in the late 40’s or early 50’s (CE), and deals in part with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) to Jesus Followers. In particular, did Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary law to become Jesus Followers? If not, what was the role of Torah for both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers?

These issues are also described in Chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letter to the Romans (written in the early 60’s).

Today’s reading emphasizes that the Christ gives us freedom to love one another through the Spirit, and Paul contrasts this freedom with being compelled to follow rules under the Law.

When Paul enumerates the “works of the flesh,” he includes many sins of the mind – idolatry, jealousy, anger, and envy to name just a few. For Paul, “the flesh” is not the human body, but rather that part of our humanity that opposes the Spirit of Love within us.

2019, June 23 ~ 1 Kings 19:1-15a and Galatians 3:23-29

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1 Kings 19:1-15a

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

After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.

The prophet Elijah is the subject of today’s reading. Just prior to these verses, Elijah invoked the power of YHWH to overcome the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in the Northern part of Israel. He brought fire upon a huge sacrifice, rain to end a drought, and then killed all the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18)

Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done (v.1). Jezebel swore to kill Elijah, so he ran away as far south in Israel as he could – first to Beer-sheba and then to the Wilderness where he hoped to die (v.4). YHWH’s angels provided food to Elijah so he could journey to Horeb and continue his ministry. (For the Deuteronomists, the holy mountain is called “Horeb” rather than Sinai. “Sinai” is the name used by the authors of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.)

When Elijah was at Horeb, the voice of YHWH came to him in the silence (v.12-13) and told him to anoint Hazael as king of Aram (modern Syria). In the verse after today’s reading, Elijah was told to commit treason by anointing Jehu as King of Israel even when Ahab was still alive (v.16).

This is not the first instance of this treasonous activity in the Deuteronomists’ accounts. Samuel was told by YHWH to anoint David as King even when Saul was still alive. (1 Sam.16:13).

Galatians 3:23-29

Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Turkey. This letter was likely written by Paul in the late Galat40’s or early 50’s (CE), and deals in part with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) to Jesus Followers. In particular, did Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary law to become Jesus Followers? If not, what was the role of Torah for both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers?

These issues are also described in Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letter to the Romans (written in the early 60’s).

Galatians is a “transitional” letter in that – when compared to Paul’s last letter (Romans) — it shows an evolution in his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers.

In today’s reading, Paul spoke of the Jewish Law as “guarding and imprisoning” us until Christ came and so that “we might be justified by faith” (vv. 23-24). This is a key phrase for Paul and is also used in other epistles.

Understanding these terms in Paul’s context is often challenging for modern readers. As a devout Jew, Paul recognized the value of the Law, but his conversion enabled him to see that justification was no longer a matter of obeying specific laws, but of living a life of faithfulness. “Justified” is to be understood as “being in right relationships with God, others, the world and oneself.” (A page of type in which the right and left margins are straight is described as “justified.”)

The term “faith” also needs to be understood in context. “Faith” is a translation of the Greek word “pistis” – a word that conveys an active quality. The word is perhaps better understood as “faith-ing” or “active faithfulness.” For Paul, “faith” was not a matter of intellectually assenting to a series of doctrines (as many Christians today think of “Faith”). Instead, “faith” is living a life of loving faithfulness as Jesus of Nazareth lived his life, and trusting – as he did — that death will not have the final victory. For Paul, the Resurrection allowed him (and allows us) to encounter the Risen Christ.

Faithfulness to the Christ and a life of loving others also enables us to recognize our essential unity in which there is no Jew or Greek (Gentile), slave or free, male or female (v.28), for we are all one in the Christ.

2019, June 16 ~ Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 and Romans 5:1-5

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Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

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) (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, however, that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the Proverbs.

Today’s reading is about Wisdom, which is presented as the feminine aspect of the Sacred. Wisdom is described as being present at Creation and as the first of God’s creations.

Romans 5:1-5

Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.

Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return, and this created tensions within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)

Paul died in 62 or 63 CE. Accordingly, the Temple in Jerusalem (which was destroyed in 70) was in full operation all during Paul’s life. As a Jew who was also a Jesus Follower, Paul continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah, one of the important themes in Romans.

Today’s reading speaks of being “justified by faith” (v.1). Understanding these terms in Paul’s context is often challenging for modern readers. For example, “justified” (v.1) is more properly understood as “being in right relationships with God, others, the world and oneself.” (A page of type in which the right and left margins are straight is described as “justified.”)

The term “faith” is a translation of the Greek word “pistis” – a word that conveys an active quality. The word is perhaps better understood as “faith-ing” or “active faithfulness.” For Paul, “faith” was not a matter of intellectually assenting to a series of doctrines (the way many Christians today think of “Faith”). Instead, “faith” is living a life of loving faithfulness as Jesus of Nazareth lived his life.