Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeds him. It's the first of many names you'll have probably never heard of or at least won't remember if you have. There are some big names ahead, but also a lot of incredibly small ones. Mostly the degenerative nature of the Hebrew monarchy on display for the foreseeable future...
The poor dude starts out poorly by forsaking the wisdom of his elders in favor of his frat buddies, basically. People somehow feel betrayed by this attitude. "...Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day," thanks to poor examples like this. Although to be fair, both David and Solomon screwed up pretty good, too, even if they actually did a bunch of positive things as well.
The splintering crown leads way to the reign of Jeroboam. War is averted, momentarily. Jeroboam is crazy enough to drive his people away from God in an effort to divert them from Rehoboam. It makes no sense. But that's also part of God's own doing, the curse he leveled against Israel thanks to once too often straying from the chosen path. Jeroboam also breaks the Mosaic tradition of strictly Levite priests.
On the other hand, Josiah is prophesied, although he doesn't show up as of Second Kings 10. That's someone to look forward to!
And there's Jesus, whom Josiah might be said to evoke. The prophet who sees Josiah in the future returns home from a different way than he came, like the three wise men from the nativity story of the New Testament.
I'd name the prophet, but he isn't named in First Kings, and neither is another prophet who shows up, which doesn't help the narrative at this point be terribly memorable. It might be symbolic, however, of their combined ineffectiveness, a little like my good friend Balaam.
The whole point of Jeroboam seems to be that God didn't forsake David so much as apparently every other member of the chosen people. He's shrunk his commitment back to its origins, but instead of promising many descendants, only one in the future who will fulfill the abortive promise of David's destiny. And, by the way, when someone like David, or Solomon, wins everyone does. And that's kind of what Jesus does, isn't it? It's the whole reason the New Testament seems like an extension and also drastic revision of the Old Testament.
The later books of Chronicles is referenced for the first time. The first time of many. I noted nine more instances between both books of Kings. Clearly they were written in quick succession, or more cleverly edited together than previous books of the Bible.
Jeroboam reigned 22 years. After a while, I stopped keeping a record of reigns and overlaps of reigns. There was just no point. Maybe as a chart it would have looked good, but honestly? You don't know these names because by themselves they just aren't important.
Nadab succeeds him! See what I mean? Who's Nadab? Rehoboam was 41 when he began his reign, which lasted 17 years. People misbehaved. He didn't exactly stop them. Although the Egyptians are big winners. They're suddenly very relevant again, which was something that began under Solomon. They replace the Philistines, and of course you know all about them. They raid Jerusalem. War between the camps of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and maybe a few citizens lose track of whose side they're on because of the extreme similarity of their names...
Then Rehoboam died. Abijah succeeded him. Reigned 3 years, 18 years into Jeroboam's competing reign. He was morally compromised. They all were. It's great that Christians later had so many wonderful saints, because it was incredibly hard for all these biblical figures to be anything like that pure. War between the camps of Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah succeeded by Asa, 20th year of Jeroboam's reign. He lasts 41 years. Doesn't leave any real impact. He feuds with Baasha, Jeroboam's successor.. Then comes Jehoshaphat, a name you'll probably know. Nadab was betrayed by Baasha, with Philistine connections (they had to show again). That signals the end of the house of Jeroboam. Honestly, this is like Game of Thrones...
Baasha reigned for 24 years. He thoroughly rejected Jeroboam, but was just as bad. Elah, the son of Baasha, comes next. If the name sounds familiar, it's Philistine in origin, and was previously featured as the valley in which David defeated Goliath. Zimri betrays him, ends the house of Baasha. Israel further splinters. New kings in new kingdoms include Tibni and Omri, although he was worse than anyone else. But, Ahab succeeds him!
No, not the Herman Melville character, the biblical Ahab, as in Ahab and Jezebel. How does Jezebel become an epitaph? By being probably the worst woman in the whole Bible, Iago-like in her manipulations. But who's that to try and save the day? Elijah! He kind of redeems Ahab, and that's just the start of his adventures! He's a Christ figure, which only figures, because apparently thought Jesus was either Moses or Elijah returned to earth.
Classic episode that sees Elijah completely discredit the prophets of Baal follows, sort of like Moses and the Pharaoh's sorcerers. It's also the first time God has been actively demonstrative since Moses, too. Elijah undergoes a trial in the desert, like Jesus, lasts for the same prophetic 40 days. There's also the episode where God is manifested in the most modest way possible, which evokes the way his relationship to mankind has evolved since the early books in the Old Testament. Elisha appears, predating the apostles of the gospels but basically exactly like them.
Syria becomes the new Egypt, which was the new Philistines (who themselves remain mostly a biblical people to this day). Israel prevails under Elijah's guidance. The splintered nations grow less pathetic now that they have a strong figure at the center again. Elijah, however, is the first prime figure who is not himself a prime mover. The Syrians recognize God's strength, and so make peace.
Ahab becomes moody after a series of small sleights. Jezebel is Jezebel. Elijah chastises Ahab for letting Jezebel be Jezebel. Ahab and Jezebel are basically Adam and Eve figures. Jehoshaphat realizes Israel is stronger when united against Syria. Prophets bicker. Ahab dies in the Syrian wars that are somehow continuing (darn Jehoshaphat). Ahaziah succeeds him, is less redeemable than Ahab. Jehoram succeeds Jehoshaphat. First Book of Kings ends.
Second Book of Kings begins much the way the last one ended. Elijah is busy trying to get people not to worship gods before God. Ahaziah presses the issue, tests both God and Elijah, and ends up smited for his effort. Elijah parts waters (like Moses), the famed chariot of fire appears, and then he ascends to heaven, the way Christians find very evocative for the New Testament.
Elisha fixes the water in Jericho, which remains that way "to this day." He was apparently bald, by the way, tormented for it like the "wisp of tow" taunt in The Brothers Karamazov.
Jehoram rejects Baal, but that doesn't mean he's a good king. Elisha performs more wonders. There's more warfare. All this warfare is looking increasingly bleak for the future of Israel. Elisha performs his classic oil miracle. Looks like a Christ figure himself. He even brings a child back to life. If Jesus had had another Jesus after him, Christianity would look a lot different today. He multiplies a little bit of food to feed many people. He cures a leper, Naaman, who at first scoffs at Elisha's proscribed of treatment. Naaman is a great warrior, so he hadn't exactly been treated as roughly as other lepers. Elisha helps the Hebrew army avoids Syrian traps. God helps him foil Syrian assassins.
Things on the whole, otherwise, remain pretty messy. It's worth noting that Samaria is relevant in this era. Jesus later has one of his classic parables concerning the "good Samaritan." Elisha's prophecies, which was earlier indicated in the Bible as the only way to judge the worth of a prophet, always come true. Philistines. Elisha prophesies Hazael's reign in Syria and war with Israel. Joram reigns, is no better than anyone else. Then Ahaziah. Wars. Elisha has Jehu anointed. Jehu immediately begins consolidating power. Ends the house of Ahab. Joram murdered. Ahaziah murdered. Jezebel murdered! He also evokes Samson when he tricks followers of Baal into gathering in one space, and then killing them all. He doesn't spare the earthly smiting one bit. Killing, again, seems to be justifiable if you do it in the name of religion. And so the Inquisition. Jehu, for all this holy crusading, is not hugely more perfect than anyone, just a human purge machine, trying to clear the Hebrew cobwebs. His reign lasts 28 years. Jehoahaz succeeds him. Second Kings continues...
Showing posts with label Philistines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philistines. Show all posts
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Second Book of Samuel 21-24, First Book of Kings 1-11
David attempts to solve all Israel's problems forever. It doesn't quite work. The darn Philistines appear again. David grows weary. A second Goliath, representative of a remnant of giants...
Then there's the song of David, which seems to reflect heavily on later Christian theology, not to mention love of that common Books of Samuel theme, warfare. It's very similar language to the psalms, like what they were based on. Although war itself will remain a focus of the narrative for some time, it no longer seems quite the driving force of Israel's future. Although there is, again, much love for it.
God's wrath is kindled again, although David is able to appease him after a selection of three punishments ends with classical biblical plague. No overt smiting. End of Second Book of Samuel.
The beginning of First Book of Kings sees David in old age given a concubine to help keep his increasingly frail body warm. First Kings makes it clear they don't have sex, though, in case you wanted to know. Mutinous behavior continues, this time with another son, who is also described as exceptionally handsome (I guess this is where all our modern literature gets the idea from). Nathan quickly gets Bathsheba to put Solomon under protection, because he's the clear threat to the usurper. David has a signature mule, which Solomon symbolically rides to drive the point home (reminiscent of Jesus on Palm Sunday). He's soon anointed to make it official that he's the one who's king and David successor. Like his father before him, Solomon pursues a policy of forgiveness against his rivals. David implores him to also keep his other traditions alive. Then the old king dies.
Solomon begins consolidating his power, settling old affairs such as finally dealing with Joab (read: executing him). He makes a marriage alliance with Egypt, which is growing in biblical importance again. It only figures, because this is only the start of many allusions to past events. He also begins building up Jerusalem, making it truly fit for a king.
God grants him the choice of three extraordinary favors, and Solomon famously chooses wisdom, so he gets all of them anyway. Then follows another anecdote you'll certainly recognize, the wise act of figuring out who the real mother is when a dispute arises, threatening to split the child in two. It's the example everyone uses, and I guess it's the one the Bible does, too. In short order the later psalms and proverbs are attributed to him. Preparations for the temple are made. Clearly Solomon was thought of in great terms by the later Hebrews, as pretty much everything their is to know about his reign is recorded in minute detail, far greater than even similar work that had been done in the Books of Samuel. These are the most important books after the Moses cycle to the Jewish faith, and they're also the most important ones to Christian faith from the Old Testament.
It's also perhaps significant that the extreme detail that God related to Moses concerning the ark in the first place is more than represented in explaining the temple's many opulent features.
For the record, First Kings records the amount of time since the exile from Egypt to the time of Solomon at 480 years. That's about for us modern readers the whole American continent history from Columbus to our day.
God keeps reiterating that if Solomon remains on the straight and narrow everything will be perfect for Israel. Of course he does!
It took 7 years to complete work on the temple. There's a great ceremony to commemorate the ark's journey to its final resting place in the temple. It's at this point that the reader may realize that the true main character of the Bible to this point has been the ark, which has been present from Moses to Solomon. The promise God made David that it would be Solomon who saw the building of the temple is a little like when Moses was told it would be Joshua who entered the promised land. It wasn't until David had the idea that the temple was even considered a final destination. God had been content to let the ark travel freely through Israel. There are more echoes of Moses, although it's compassion and forgiveness that God prefers these days, rather than his old policy of smiting first and asking questions later (you know, basically). It tends to read like a reflection of later New Testament theology.
I know, I keep saying that. It's there, what else can I say?
It took 20 years in all, including Solomon's own elaborate lodgings, to complete construction work.
The Queen of Sheba shows up to test Solomon, and he passes it. Although, on a related note or not, his many romantic conquests really start to take their toll on him. He starts putting other gods before, or at least alongside, God. This does not please God, who revokes his charter and then agrees to let the Hebrews keep Jerusalem but nothing else.
A new enemy (the first of several) arises, Hadad, who once had occasion to hide out in Egypt. The same is true of Jeroboam (who in his earlier days received a prophecy that he would one day inherit a part of Solomon's kingdom, which led Solomon to try and eliminate him). All this fleeing to Egypt evokes both Joseph in the past and Mary and the other Joseph in the future. A third enemy is Rezon.
There's a strong indication that Solomon, like Adam before him, was always meant to fall. Probably the Jewish people would much have preferred a permanent and considerable kingdom, but that's just not something that happened. A good thing always ends. Call it a proverb.
Solomon reigned for 40 years, and then he died.
Then there's the song of David, which seems to reflect heavily on later Christian theology, not to mention love of that common Books of Samuel theme, warfare. It's very similar language to the psalms, like what they were based on. Although war itself will remain a focus of the narrative for some time, it no longer seems quite the driving force of Israel's future. Although there is, again, much love for it.
God's wrath is kindled again, although David is able to appease him after a selection of three punishments ends with classical biblical plague. No overt smiting. End of Second Book of Samuel.
The beginning of First Book of Kings sees David in old age given a concubine to help keep his increasingly frail body warm. First Kings makes it clear they don't have sex, though, in case you wanted to know. Mutinous behavior continues, this time with another son, who is also described as exceptionally handsome (I guess this is where all our modern literature gets the idea from). Nathan quickly gets Bathsheba to put Solomon under protection, because he's the clear threat to the usurper. David has a signature mule, which Solomon symbolically rides to drive the point home (reminiscent of Jesus on Palm Sunday). He's soon anointed to make it official that he's the one who's king and David successor. Like his father before him, Solomon pursues a policy of forgiveness against his rivals. David implores him to also keep his other traditions alive. Then the old king dies.
Solomon begins consolidating his power, settling old affairs such as finally dealing with Joab (read: executing him). He makes a marriage alliance with Egypt, which is growing in biblical importance again. It only figures, because this is only the start of many allusions to past events. He also begins building up Jerusalem, making it truly fit for a king.
God grants him the choice of three extraordinary favors, and Solomon famously chooses wisdom, so he gets all of them anyway. Then follows another anecdote you'll certainly recognize, the wise act of figuring out who the real mother is when a dispute arises, threatening to split the child in two. It's the example everyone uses, and I guess it's the one the Bible does, too. In short order the later psalms and proverbs are attributed to him. Preparations for the temple are made. Clearly Solomon was thought of in great terms by the later Hebrews, as pretty much everything their is to know about his reign is recorded in minute detail, far greater than even similar work that had been done in the Books of Samuel. These are the most important books after the Moses cycle to the Jewish faith, and they're also the most important ones to Christian faith from the Old Testament.
It's also perhaps significant that the extreme detail that God related to Moses concerning the ark in the first place is more than represented in explaining the temple's many opulent features.
For the record, First Kings records the amount of time since the exile from Egypt to the time of Solomon at 480 years. That's about for us modern readers the whole American continent history from Columbus to our day.
God keeps reiterating that if Solomon remains on the straight and narrow everything will be perfect for Israel. Of course he does!
It took 7 years to complete work on the temple. There's a great ceremony to commemorate the ark's journey to its final resting place in the temple. It's at this point that the reader may realize that the true main character of the Bible to this point has been the ark, which has been present from Moses to Solomon. The promise God made David that it would be Solomon who saw the building of the temple is a little like when Moses was told it would be Joshua who entered the promised land. It wasn't until David had the idea that the temple was even considered a final destination. God had been content to let the ark travel freely through Israel. There are more echoes of Moses, although it's compassion and forgiveness that God prefers these days, rather than his old policy of smiting first and asking questions later (you know, basically). It tends to read like a reflection of later New Testament theology.
I know, I keep saying that. It's there, what else can I say?
It took 20 years in all, including Solomon's own elaborate lodgings, to complete construction work.
The Queen of Sheba shows up to test Solomon, and he passes it. Although, on a related note or not, his many romantic conquests really start to take their toll on him. He starts putting other gods before, or at least alongside, God. This does not please God, who revokes his charter and then agrees to let the Hebrews keep Jerusalem but nothing else.
A new enemy (the first of several) arises, Hadad, who once had occasion to hide out in Egypt. The same is true of Jeroboam (who in his earlier days received a prophecy that he would one day inherit a part of Solomon's kingdom, which led Solomon to try and eliminate him). All this fleeing to Egypt evokes both Joseph in the past and Mary and the other Joseph in the future. A third enemy is Rezon.
There's a strong indication that Solomon, like Adam before him, was always meant to fall. Probably the Jewish people would much have preferred a permanent and considerable kingdom, but that's just not something that happened. A good thing always ends. Call it a proverb.
Solomon reigned for 40 years, and then he died.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Second Book of Samuel 1-20
The second book in the grand history of Hebrew warfare begins with David learning of the deaths of Jonathan and Saul. The bearer of the news claims he killed Saul, which contradicts the ending of First Samuel. Stupid mistake on his part, anyway. David quickly has him put to death. David goes on to produce a lament/poem about his fallen comrades, which includes the refrain, "how are the mighty fallen," which would be interesting if it's the origin of the phrase "how the mighty have fallen," since the two would have very different meanings. David, as Second Samuel quickly makes very apparent, is very fond of both Saul and Jonathan in death. The latter phrase is a common derogatory utterance for people you have not admired.
God is being used as a consultant these days.
The kingdom becomes divided rather than united under David. Weird that this would be the case, since in a lot of ways David was supposed to be the epitome of the Jewish dream. One of Saul's sons rules part of the kingdom, while David's divided reign lasts 7 years. The in-fighting keeps evolving, and fittingly around the house of Saul and the house of David. David's grows stronger. It only figures. It's Abner who flies the banner of Saul. They eventually make peace. And then Abner is assassinated. It's funny, David maintains his tradition of lamenting the death of his enemy. He knows true rivals when he sees them. He respects them, and honors them in death. He insists on the inherent goodness of both Saul and Abner, angry when those beneath him say their deaths were good for Israel.
David was 30 when his reign began, and in total it lasted 40 years, a telling (as in how many years Jesus lived) 33 years under the united crown.
David's city is variously reported as Zion or Jerusalem.
Unlike Jesus, David doesn't much care, usually, for the blind or the lame. He makes an exception in the latter case for Jonathan's son.
He takes the fight back to the Philistines. Cherubim are referenced for the first time. This is theology evolving. Some poor schlub touches the ark and is smited by God, a policy David seems to disagree with. He finally brings the ark to a permanent home. Nathan is soon asking for what amounts to the first temple. Michal, David's wife who is also Saul's daughter, is not pleased to see David return, probably upset at his surviving and her father not their conflict. It's an attitude that's similar to David's brother's earlier, and may confirm my suspicion that dissent from the common opinion may stem from jealousy.
God makes a new covenant with David that's similar to what he made with Abraham, except instead of providing for a whole slew of descendants he speaks of making David's specific line very special. The New Testament interprets this as indicating Jesus. God includes the line, "I will be his father and he shall be my son," which in the Christian perspective is made very literal. If it's meant to refer to Solomon, well...like (that) father like (that) son.
The Philistines are finally eliminated from their perennial threat, as David celebrates. More enemies are eliminated. As David continues to show extreme loyalty to the legacies of Saul and Jonathan, it may be seen as resembling God's devotion to his people, and the loyalty/forgiveness of it to the whole Judeo-Christian tradition from the fall of Adam onward. We screw up and God (no matter how much he really wants to) never truly gives up on us.
So, enter Bathsheba, the famed bathing beauty. David falls hard for her, starts thinking like Samson and Saul before him ways to get her husband out of the picture. He eventually sends the poor guy into the front-lines of battle. God is displeased. Nathan has the occasion to deliver the first parable of the Bible. God isn't upset so much because of the adultery of it (which was one of the big no-nos outlined in the books of Moses) but because David tried to keep it a secret. He and David patch up their differences, and only Bathsheba's resulting child is punished. David grieves while it struggles toward death, and then to the confusion of everyone around the king, stops as soon as the child dies.
How is Bathsheba really important? She's the mother of Solomon!
One of David's son rapes his own sister. This is the start of a whole bloody affair. The son quickly rejects the sister, and another son, Absalom, wreaks terrible vengeance. It marks the first time he plots a conspiracy. Like a regular Shakespeare character, or as Second Samuel increasingly seems, a Greek tragedy.
On the plus side, like his son Solomon later, David is spoken of as possessing great wisdom. Absalom is described as uniquely handsome in the land, like Saul and David before him. He seems to almost be a new Saul, like the predecessor so the successor goes.
David visits the Mount of Olives. The New Testament looms. The conspiracies of Absalom, in fact, start sounding a lot like Judas and Jesus. There is even a betrayal with a kiss at one point.
The phrase, "long live the king!" is uttered.
David goes into hiding, "even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits," which evokes the much later Saddam Hussein and his rat hole. I guess that was a thing a long time ago, too. David in exile is like Moses after guiding the Hebrews out of Egypt. Those with him complain of starving.
Absalom eventually ends up caught in a tree during the decisive battle with David. Some debate (not involving David) follows as to what to do with him. He ends up dead. David, of course, still mourns him, even though he's just tried to usurp the kingdom, after all the weird twists that followed Absalom's murder of his brother. David's men are jealous of this grief. More tumult follows. A place called Abel is referenced, with no reference to the son of Adam, although it certainly evokes the most famous circumstances of his life. This time the troublemaker is Joab, who has replaced Absalom in every sense. He's the guy who killed him, and then took on the rivalry with David, apparently just for the taste of power for finding himself all of a sudden significant.
If you didn't know all this was essential to a lot of people's faith, you could easily read this for no particular religious reason at all...
God is being used as a consultant these days.
The kingdom becomes divided rather than united under David. Weird that this would be the case, since in a lot of ways David was supposed to be the epitome of the Jewish dream. One of Saul's sons rules part of the kingdom, while David's divided reign lasts 7 years. The in-fighting keeps evolving, and fittingly around the house of Saul and the house of David. David's grows stronger. It only figures. It's Abner who flies the banner of Saul. They eventually make peace. And then Abner is assassinated. It's funny, David maintains his tradition of lamenting the death of his enemy. He knows true rivals when he sees them. He respects them, and honors them in death. He insists on the inherent goodness of both Saul and Abner, angry when those beneath him say their deaths were good for Israel.
David was 30 when his reign began, and in total it lasted 40 years, a telling (as in how many years Jesus lived) 33 years under the united crown.
David's city is variously reported as Zion or Jerusalem.
Unlike Jesus, David doesn't much care, usually, for the blind or the lame. He makes an exception in the latter case for Jonathan's son.
He takes the fight back to the Philistines. Cherubim are referenced for the first time. This is theology evolving. Some poor schlub touches the ark and is smited by God, a policy David seems to disagree with. He finally brings the ark to a permanent home. Nathan is soon asking for what amounts to the first temple. Michal, David's wife who is also Saul's daughter, is not pleased to see David return, probably upset at his surviving and her father not their conflict. It's an attitude that's similar to David's brother's earlier, and may confirm my suspicion that dissent from the common opinion may stem from jealousy.
God makes a new covenant with David that's similar to what he made with Abraham, except instead of providing for a whole slew of descendants he speaks of making David's specific line very special. The New Testament interprets this as indicating Jesus. God includes the line, "I will be his father and he shall be my son," which in the Christian perspective is made very literal. If it's meant to refer to Solomon, well...like (that) father like (that) son.
The Philistines are finally eliminated from their perennial threat, as David celebrates. More enemies are eliminated. As David continues to show extreme loyalty to the legacies of Saul and Jonathan, it may be seen as resembling God's devotion to his people, and the loyalty/forgiveness of it to the whole Judeo-Christian tradition from the fall of Adam onward. We screw up and God (no matter how much he really wants to) never truly gives up on us.
So, enter Bathsheba, the famed bathing beauty. David falls hard for her, starts thinking like Samson and Saul before him ways to get her husband out of the picture. He eventually sends the poor guy into the front-lines of battle. God is displeased. Nathan has the occasion to deliver the first parable of the Bible. God isn't upset so much because of the adultery of it (which was one of the big no-nos outlined in the books of Moses) but because David tried to keep it a secret. He and David patch up their differences, and only Bathsheba's resulting child is punished. David grieves while it struggles toward death, and then to the confusion of everyone around the king, stops as soon as the child dies.
How is Bathsheba really important? She's the mother of Solomon!
One of David's son rapes his own sister. This is the start of a whole bloody affair. The son quickly rejects the sister, and another son, Absalom, wreaks terrible vengeance. It marks the first time he plots a conspiracy. Like a regular Shakespeare character, or as Second Samuel increasingly seems, a Greek tragedy.
On the plus side, like his son Solomon later, David is spoken of as possessing great wisdom. Absalom is described as uniquely handsome in the land, like Saul and David before him. He seems to almost be a new Saul, like the predecessor so the successor goes.
David visits the Mount of Olives. The New Testament looms. The conspiracies of Absalom, in fact, start sounding a lot like Judas and Jesus. There is even a betrayal with a kiss at one point.
The phrase, "long live the king!" is uttered.
David goes into hiding, "even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits," which evokes the much later Saddam Hussein and his rat hole. I guess that was a thing a long time ago, too. David in exile is like Moses after guiding the Hebrews out of Egypt. Those with him complain of starving.
Absalom eventually ends up caught in a tree during the decisive battle with David. Some debate (not involving David) follows as to what to do with him. He ends up dead. David, of course, still mourns him, even though he's just tried to usurp the kingdom, after all the weird twists that followed Absalom's murder of his brother. David's men are jealous of this grief. More tumult follows. A place called Abel is referenced, with no reference to the son of Adam, although it certainly evokes the most famous circumstances of his life. This time the troublemaker is Joab, who has replaced Absalom in every sense. He's the guy who killed him, and then took on the rivalry with David, apparently just for the taste of power for finding himself all of a sudden significant.
If you didn't know all this was essential to a lot of people's faith, you could easily read this for no particular religious reason at all...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
First Book of Samuel 11-31
The First Book of Samuel has more classic biblical warfare. Seriously, I bet you could get a lot more people to read at least the Old Testament if they knew how much fighting goes on in it. Plenty of it could very well read like fantasy fiction (Othniel of Middle Earth the judge!), and you can see where not just many of the names you know came from but also some you wouldn't expect to see here (Endor!) can be found too.
Anyway, Saul is very much a warrior king. Samuel may have a different or perhaps only from a certain point of view version of biblical history, when he states "Jacob went into Egypt," where it was clearly Joseph his son who made the family mark there, as clearly stated in Genesis and the start of Exodus. He goes on with further summarizing, which either I wasn't reading closely enough or doesn't exactly follow the Judges record of the judges era, or at least vastly condenses it (no mention of Samson, for instance, who has come to dominate the modern view of that time).
First Samuel doesn't seem so keen on the need for a Hebrew king, that it's kind of a sign of weakness. May be another foreshadow of how the New Testament develops.
Saul's reign lasts for 2 years. It's festooned with Philistine conflict. Those darn Philistines! Samuel is a little like Moses in interpreting what God thinks of certain circumstances. He's displeased with how Saul conducts himself after a battle, thinks it has something to do with hubris. Saul's son Jonathan, as with the remainder of the book, serves as a counterpoint to Saul himself. When one is presented as generally good, the other is presented as generally bad.
Saul's whole family is laid out, the way genealogies were done in previous books. This may be the difference in how long ago the events being recorded took place. His big offense has something to do with preferring sacrifice over obedience. In the numerous laws of Moses, sacrifice was essential to just about everything. That was only a few books ago. Times change. Please take note, religious observers.
Jesse shows up again. He's not really important. It's his offspring, and specifically David, that we really care about. From here, you will start to know a lot of this. Samuel anoints David, the new more perfect chosen one. It's interesting how Saul and David initially interact. Saul calls for some help dealing with what's described as an evil spirit from God (certainly an interesting twist if it's the same as later and more famous demonic possession) but what I'll call foul moods. David is called upon to soothe his lord, a sacred cord no doubt (alleluia!), playing a lyre whenever Saul needs it. Saul is pleased. He thinks very favorably of young David, at first.
The Philistines return for more trouble! Goliath! The valley of Elah looms!
Jesse's sheep are kept in Bethlehem. New Testament looms!
It's interesting that David's brother describes him as presumptuous and having evil in his heart. Maybe it's jealousy. Maybe it's a peek at David's true personality?
Speaking of New Testament looming, David is a "good shepherd," delivered by God from the clutches of predators. It's impossible that in the midst of all the interpreting of scripture he did, Jesus or his friends wouldn't have noted any of this.
David's weapon isn't so much the slingshot as his faith in God. Goliath falls. Head served on a platter, another odd little echo to be found in the New Testament with John the Baptist.
Jonathan's stock is rising as he becomes fast friends with David. Saul starts thinking more craftily as he begins his pursuit of David. He becomes a lot more like Samson. This is where Saul gives David one of his daughters as his wife (David acquires several others, too!), in the hopes he'll have something to use against his new son-in-law later. Jonathan tells his pal how much trouble he's in. There's a waiting period of three days (like Jesus) while things build to a head. David finds himself with the upper hand, which impresses on Saul the nobility of this youth he has become so jealous of. He quits trying to kill him.
Samuel dies, his role complete. David's second bride is like one of those encounters Jesus has in the New Testament, but in a thoroughly Old Testament manner. Saul uses a medium to contact the dead Samuel. The ban against mediums, wizards, etc. (abominations to God, or so say the books of Moses several times) seems to have been lifted, or the Hebrews simply don't care about that edict anymore. (They're not exactly flawless these days.)
Jonathan falls in battle with the Philistines. Saul opts for suicide rather than meeting a similar fate. End of First Book.
Anyway, Saul is very much a warrior king. Samuel may have a different or perhaps only from a certain point of view version of biblical history, when he states "Jacob went into Egypt," where it was clearly Joseph his son who made the family mark there, as clearly stated in Genesis and the start of Exodus. He goes on with further summarizing, which either I wasn't reading closely enough or doesn't exactly follow the Judges record of the judges era, or at least vastly condenses it (no mention of Samson, for instance, who has come to dominate the modern view of that time).
First Samuel doesn't seem so keen on the need for a Hebrew king, that it's kind of a sign of weakness. May be another foreshadow of how the New Testament develops.
Saul's reign lasts for 2 years. It's festooned with Philistine conflict. Those darn Philistines! Samuel is a little like Moses in interpreting what God thinks of certain circumstances. He's displeased with how Saul conducts himself after a battle, thinks it has something to do with hubris. Saul's son Jonathan, as with the remainder of the book, serves as a counterpoint to Saul himself. When one is presented as generally good, the other is presented as generally bad.
Saul's whole family is laid out, the way genealogies were done in previous books. This may be the difference in how long ago the events being recorded took place. His big offense has something to do with preferring sacrifice over obedience. In the numerous laws of Moses, sacrifice was essential to just about everything. That was only a few books ago. Times change. Please take note, religious observers.
Jesse shows up again. He's not really important. It's his offspring, and specifically David, that we really care about. From here, you will start to know a lot of this. Samuel anoints David, the new more perfect chosen one. It's interesting how Saul and David initially interact. Saul calls for some help dealing with what's described as an evil spirit from God (certainly an interesting twist if it's the same as later and more famous demonic possession) but what I'll call foul moods. David is called upon to soothe his lord, a sacred cord no doubt (alleluia!), playing a lyre whenever Saul needs it. Saul is pleased. He thinks very favorably of young David, at first.
The Philistines return for more trouble! Goliath! The valley of Elah looms!
Jesse's sheep are kept in Bethlehem. New Testament looms!
It's interesting that David's brother describes him as presumptuous and having evil in his heart. Maybe it's jealousy. Maybe it's a peek at David's true personality?
Speaking of New Testament looming, David is a "good shepherd," delivered by God from the clutches of predators. It's impossible that in the midst of all the interpreting of scripture he did, Jesus or his friends wouldn't have noted any of this.
David's weapon isn't so much the slingshot as his faith in God. Goliath falls. Head served on a platter, another odd little echo to be found in the New Testament with John the Baptist.
Jonathan's stock is rising as he becomes fast friends with David. Saul starts thinking more craftily as he begins his pursuit of David. He becomes a lot more like Samson. This is where Saul gives David one of his daughters as his wife (David acquires several others, too!), in the hopes he'll have something to use against his new son-in-law later. Jonathan tells his pal how much trouble he's in. There's a waiting period of three days (like Jesus) while things build to a head. David finds himself with the upper hand, which impresses on Saul the nobility of this youth he has become so jealous of. He quits trying to kill him.
Samuel dies, his role complete. David's second bride is like one of those encounters Jesus has in the New Testament, but in a thoroughly Old Testament manner. Saul uses a medium to contact the dead Samuel. The ban against mediums, wizards, etc. (abominations to God, or so say the books of Moses several times) seems to have been lifted, or the Hebrews simply don't care about that edict anymore. (They're not exactly flawless these days.)
Jonathan falls in battle with the Philistines. Saul opts for suicide rather than meeting a similar fate. End of First Book.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Judges 16-21, Book of Ruth 1-4, First Book of Samuel 1-10
Judges picks up again with the familiar conclusion of the Samson affair, the challenges of Delilah, the lost hair and strength, and the two pillars he still manages to bring down on top of a vast assembly of Philistines.
Wouldn't it be nice if that were the last of the Philistines, or the last heroic judge the Hebrews needed? Except Samson seemed to spend all his time doing very much his own thing. His story is a little bit about hubris and personal redemption more than anything directly concerned with Jewish history or faith.
The next judge is Micah, who leads all of Israel, basically, into idolatry, so he's not a very good one at all. Bethlehem is mentioned. The Hebrews fall into some of their worst habits. There's a terrible story about a concubine who's raped all night and then chopped into bits.
However, it's fun on a purely Jewish cultural note when the phrase "such a thing" at the start of a sentence appears. Apparently it has long roots!
And then they all further degenerate into inter-tribal warfare, and thus ends Judges.
The first incredibly short book of the Bible, the Book of Ruth, comes next, and it's set during the time of the judges. It's very much a story about the Jewish faith being kept alive despite the troubled times, by a widow and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who is rewarded by winning a husband, which results in the birth of Obid, who becomes the father of Jesse, who becomes the father of David. At this point in the beginnings of the Bible, we have what previously could very easily have been included in a larger book, but clearly the books have already begun to be codified. Ruth's story is intended to fill in a gap that would otherwise have existed, and explain that not all Jews were behaving badly in those times.
The phrase, "the Lord be with you," appears, which later generations of the faithful will certainly recognize.
The First Book of Samuel begins and we find ourselves in familiar echoing material. Hannah's journey to motherhood would certainly have sounded familiar to those familiar with Genesis and how Rebekah and Isaac ended up conceiving their children Jacob and Esau. It also evokes Abraham and Sarah, Jacob himself with Rachel, and the New Testament's Mary and Elizabeth. Hannah is the mother of Samuel, by the way.
Hannah's prayer reads a lot like a revised statement of faith in God, now that the relationship between Israel and the Lord has altered since the time of Moses and other such generations. It's a lot more relaxed, and familiar to our own times, another touchstone in the development of everything we know and believe now. It includes the phrase, "the pillars of the earth," as well as "not by might shall a man prevail," which is rank contradiction to the time of Moses and Joshua, when I saw all that blatant conquering going on. It represents another clear theological shift. One might say that the Jews had begun to distance themselves from the idea that it was God telling them to fight so much.
Eli, who previously appears as Hannah's religious confessor, becomes Samuel's mentor, including the famous moment where Samuel is confused when God begins speaking with him, confusing the Lord for his mentor. Hey, at this point it was increasingly rare to be granted an audience with the Almighty.
It's stated that "the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men," which the gospels later evoke with Jesus. There's a clear connection between the New Testament and the emerging story of David, and that should come as no surprise.
There's a little summary and a little prophecy, by now standard biblical material. Samuel is the first person in the Bible since Abraham to speak with God so freely.
The Philistines! The Hebrew tribes, in their compromised state, do battle with their perennial foes, and make a curious decision on the battlefield. They elect to use the ark of the covenant as a means of intimidation. The ark has taken on perhaps a different kind of meaning at this point in history, not so much a symbol of faith and the accord with God, but a totem of power. The Philistines are suitably impressed (though they seem to believe it represents not God but many Hebrew gods, which wouldn't be far from the mark, and shows just how far the chosen people had fallen). They end up stealing it!
Eli dies from the shock of learning this. He lasted as a judge for 40 years. The ark causes the Philistines a lot of trouble. They decide it would be a better idea to negotiate it back into the hands of Israel, and so that actually happens, which also has the effect of proving the Philistines aren't always so bad.
Like the later Egyptian pyramids and those who sought to loot them, the returned ark proves a cursed curiosity to some of the happy Hebrews. They open it. God smites them. Raiders of the lost ark.
Twenty years pass. God tells Samuel about the future Hebrew king, and he accurately describes the coming reign of Saul. Saul is then introduced. He's described as the most handsome man in all the land, which funny enough evokes his successor David (and Snow White). All in all, Saul comes off well in his younger years. He's even a prophet. Samuel anoints him, he becomes king. He might even be described as a sort of John the Baptist figure, or maybe he fights for that role with Samuel. Either way, David is coming...
Wouldn't it be nice if that were the last of the Philistines, or the last heroic judge the Hebrews needed? Except Samson seemed to spend all his time doing very much his own thing. His story is a little bit about hubris and personal redemption more than anything directly concerned with Jewish history or faith.
The next judge is Micah, who leads all of Israel, basically, into idolatry, so he's not a very good one at all. Bethlehem is mentioned. The Hebrews fall into some of their worst habits. There's a terrible story about a concubine who's raped all night and then chopped into bits.
However, it's fun on a purely Jewish cultural note when the phrase "such a thing" at the start of a sentence appears. Apparently it has long roots!
And then they all further degenerate into inter-tribal warfare, and thus ends Judges.
The first incredibly short book of the Bible, the Book of Ruth, comes next, and it's set during the time of the judges. It's very much a story about the Jewish faith being kept alive despite the troubled times, by a widow and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who is rewarded by winning a husband, which results in the birth of Obid, who becomes the father of Jesse, who becomes the father of David. At this point in the beginnings of the Bible, we have what previously could very easily have been included in a larger book, but clearly the books have already begun to be codified. Ruth's story is intended to fill in a gap that would otherwise have existed, and explain that not all Jews were behaving badly in those times.
The phrase, "the Lord be with you," appears, which later generations of the faithful will certainly recognize.
The First Book of Samuel begins and we find ourselves in familiar echoing material. Hannah's journey to motherhood would certainly have sounded familiar to those familiar with Genesis and how Rebekah and Isaac ended up conceiving their children Jacob and Esau. It also evokes Abraham and Sarah, Jacob himself with Rachel, and the New Testament's Mary and Elizabeth. Hannah is the mother of Samuel, by the way.
Hannah's prayer reads a lot like a revised statement of faith in God, now that the relationship between Israel and the Lord has altered since the time of Moses and other such generations. It's a lot more relaxed, and familiar to our own times, another touchstone in the development of everything we know and believe now. It includes the phrase, "the pillars of the earth," as well as "not by might shall a man prevail," which is rank contradiction to the time of Moses and Joshua, when I saw all that blatant conquering going on. It represents another clear theological shift. One might say that the Jews had begun to distance themselves from the idea that it was God telling them to fight so much.
Eli, who previously appears as Hannah's religious confessor, becomes Samuel's mentor, including the famous moment where Samuel is confused when God begins speaking with him, confusing the Lord for his mentor. Hey, at this point it was increasingly rare to be granted an audience with the Almighty.
It's stated that "the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men," which the gospels later evoke with Jesus. There's a clear connection between the New Testament and the emerging story of David, and that should come as no surprise.
There's a little summary and a little prophecy, by now standard biblical material. Samuel is the first person in the Bible since Abraham to speak with God so freely.
The Philistines! The Hebrew tribes, in their compromised state, do battle with their perennial foes, and make a curious decision on the battlefield. They elect to use the ark of the covenant as a means of intimidation. The ark has taken on perhaps a different kind of meaning at this point in history, not so much a symbol of faith and the accord with God, but a totem of power. The Philistines are suitably impressed (though they seem to believe it represents not God but many Hebrew gods, which wouldn't be far from the mark, and shows just how far the chosen people had fallen). They end up stealing it!
Eli dies from the shock of learning this. He lasted as a judge for 40 years. The ark causes the Philistines a lot of trouble. They decide it would be a better idea to negotiate it back into the hands of Israel, and so that actually happens, which also has the effect of proving the Philistines aren't always so bad.
Like the later Egyptian pyramids and those who sought to loot them, the returned ark proves a cursed curiosity to some of the happy Hebrews. They open it. God smites them. Raiders of the lost ark.
Twenty years pass. God tells Samuel about the future Hebrew king, and he accurately describes the coming reign of Saul. Saul is then introduced. He's described as the most handsome man in all the land, which funny enough evokes his successor David (and Snow White). All in all, Saul comes off well in his younger years. He's even a prophet. Samuel anoints him, he becomes king. He might even be described as a sort of John the Baptist figure, or maybe he fights for that role with Samuel. Either way, David is coming...
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Book of Joshua 16-24, Judges 1-15
The Book of Joshua picks back up with the splitting of territories. Riveting stuff.
I meant to make this reference before, but there's a strong feeling that Book of Joshua inspired a lot of Revelation's imagery, with its emphasis on the number seven and the appearance of Megiddo, which is the source of the word "Armageddon." Megiddo was a real place, where the apocalyptic battle was supposed to take place. And as I've stated before, there is plenty of fighting in the chronicles of Moses and Joshua..
Shiloh appears. I found this remarkable mostly as an extremely amateur American Civil War buff.
"Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land he swore to give their fathers." This line kind of makes the original Abrahamic covenant sound complete, but of course the whole relationship between God and the Hebrews became very much ongoing, as long as those Hebrews quit being so rebellious...Which doesn't happen very soon. Just as I was making a note that they were behaving themselves, they stopped that right away. God gets pretty hot under the collar when they build an altar intended for a purpose other than worshiping him, although Phinehas appears again to explain that it is a communal phenomenon that will help unite them in their common devotion to their Lord. This appeases him. No smiting. Phinehas is the go-to guy when you don't need to know too much about the guy saving the Hebrews' butt.
Joshua in his farewell address summarizes the line of Abraham, skipping just like Exodus to Moses at that point in the history. Apparently there was just no one worth talking about, or their names were completely forgotten. Balaam is described as intending to curse rather than bless Israel, and I still hate reading this kind of stuff. He seems to have come from a separate tradition that was folded into the Moses narrative without anyone realizing it, and only the orthodox view based on his final fate survived full tradition. In the address Joshua utters the phrase, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," which you will surely find familiar.
I know I've tried to guess how many generations passed from the time of Joshua to when his story was codified in this chronicle, possibly the first record completed, and I conclude by suggesting that perhaps it was as few as two, as the concluding passages in the book might be interpreted to say.
Judges is very similar to Joshua and may stem from an equally early recording tradition. More summary can be found here, of the conquests the Hebrews were so fond of performing. Caleb is mentioned here. Everything sounds perfectly fine, and then they start making concessions, and that seems to be where things fall apart. As living memory of the founding fathers fades away, the people stray from God. So he gives them a series of periodic champions, or judges, to try and put them back in order.
The first judge is named Othniel, and he is the son of Caleb's brother. The second is Ehud, who has the first of the extended episodes, in which he personally slays the king of an enemy nation. The king is extremely fat, and Ehud has to plunge his sword deep into the king's belly. Shamgar operates against the Philistines, who are quickly approaching their most famous biblical hours. Then there's Deborah, who is described as a prophetess but is clearly a judge. The highlight of her episode is a a pretty good poem.
The first truly big name among the judges appears next, and it's Gideon. He frequently has God, or the angel representing him, prove they are who they say they are, which makes him far more brazen than past figures (any of them). He has to contend with worship of that nasty pagan god Baal, whose followers fully expect him to act in their defense as Gideon threatens smiting. In opposite of Abraham, who had to talk God into accepting smaller numbers of worthy individuals to save, Gideon argues that he needs fewer men to lead in battle. Prophetic dreams return to scripture, but not in the guise of Gideon. He engages in spectacular trumpet warfare, probably something you may remember.
The enemy leaders flee from him much as Darius does from Alexander the Great. Unlike Darius, however, these guys are eventually slain by Gideon himself. As soon as Gideon himself dies, the people return to their wicked ways.
One bit of cultural connections is camels wearing the crescent, which remains an Arabic emblem to this day.
Remember the name Abimelech from earlier? Someone else gives it as spin, as king. He is the son of Gideon. He faces the same kind of turmoil as the successors of Alexander, everyone spoiling for control and no one capable of filling Great shoes. Abimelech is no slouch, but he's no Gideon, either. Even with two of them now, I doubt you remember the name at all. But he does leave an echo behind. Like Samson who is to appear shortly, the most famous of the judges, Abimelech finds himself in the position to wipe out a whole mess of his enemies in the midst of one major structural collapse. He ends up dying in battle, although since he's fatally struck by a woman, the chauvinist asks a male colleague to do him in first, because he doesn't want to go out that way.
Maybe that's why no one knows his (or his predecessor's) name...
Then there was Tola who judged for 23 years, then Jair who judged for 22. Syria is mentioned. Philistines come round again. Another interesting lost figure is Jephthah, who was initially rejected as meaningless in the grand scheme, and so he gathers around him other "worthless fellows," only for the lot of them to be recuited, via begging, to help the Hebrews catch a break. He consents. He later goes so far as to massage their ego by explaining in extremely favorable terms the history of their conquests. Jephthah has a tragic ending, however, when he strikes a bargain with God and the payment he comes to regret is sacrificing the first person he sees when he returns home. That person ends up being his own daughter, which begins a tradition when she's allowed to bemoan never having made a life for herself, and then becomes a burnt offering. Which kind of beggars the question of why earlier God had to make such a point of saying this was an abomination pagans practiced.
Anyway, Jephthah in all judged for 6 years. Elom followed for 10, Abdon for 8. The Philistines come round again! And then a man named Manoah receives a visit from the angel of the Lord, who like Abraham before him and later for two lucky ladies in the New Testament, learns that his barren wife will give birth after all. The resulting child's name is Samson. Samson grows up and is a clever guy, wanting a Philistine bride so he can have something to complain about later. His whole career as a judge is recorded at 20 years. David Maine has one of his several exceptions works of fiction based on biblical episodes I've now reached in my readings centered around Samson, called appropriately enough The Book of Samson. Maine also has The Preservationist (concerning Noah) and Fallen (the best of them; featuring Adam, Eve, Abel, and Cain, told in reverse). He doesn't paint Samson in the best of lights, you should know...
I meant to make this reference before, but there's a strong feeling that Book of Joshua inspired a lot of Revelation's imagery, with its emphasis on the number seven and the appearance of Megiddo, which is the source of the word "Armageddon." Megiddo was a real place, where the apocalyptic battle was supposed to take place. And as I've stated before, there is plenty of fighting in the chronicles of Moses and Joshua..
Shiloh appears. I found this remarkable mostly as an extremely amateur American Civil War buff.
"Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land he swore to give their fathers." This line kind of makes the original Abrahamic covenant sound complete, but of course the whole relationship between God and the Hebrews became very much ongoing, as long as those Hebrews quit being so rebellious...Which doesn't happen very soon. Just as I was making a note that they were behaving themselves, they stopped that right away. God gets pretty hot under the collar when they build an altar intended for a purpose other than worshiping him, although Phinehas appears again to explain that it is a communal phenomenon that will help unite them in their common devotion to their Lord. This appeases him. No smiting. Phinehas is the go-to guy when you don't need to know too much about the guy saving the Hebrews' butt.
Joshua in his farewell address summarizes the line of Abraham, skipping just like Exodus to Moses at that point in the history. Apparently there was just no one worth talking about, or their names were completely forgotten. Balaam is described as intending to curse rather than bless Israel, and I still hate reading this kind of stuff. He seems to have come from a separate tradition that was folded into the Moses narrative without anyone realizing it, and only the orthodox view based on his final fate survived full tradition. In the address Joshua utters the phrase, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," which you will surely find familiar.
I know I've tried to guess how many generations passed from the time of Joshua to when his story was codified in this chronicle, possibly the first record completed, and I conclude by suggesting that perhaps it was as few as two, as the concluding passages in the book might be interpreted to say.
Judges is very similar to Joshua and may stem from an equally early recording tradition. More summary can be found here, of the conquests the Hebrews were so fond of performing. Caleb is mentioned here. Everything sounds perfectly fine, and then they start making concessions, and that seems to be where things fall apart. As living memory of the founding fathers fades away, the people stray from God. So he gives them a series of periodic champions, or judges, to try and put them back in order.
The first judge is named Othniel, and he is the son of Caleb's brother. The second is Ehud, who has the first of the extended episodes, in which he personally slays the king of an enemy nation. The king is extremely fat, and Ehud has to plunge his sword deep into the king's belly. Shamgar operates against the Philistines, who are quickly approaching their most famous biblical hours. Then there's Deborah, who is described as a prophetess but is clearly a judge. The highlight of her episode is a a pretty good poem.
The first truly big name among the judges appears next, and it's Gideon. He frequently has God, or the angel representing him, prove they are who they say they are, which makes him far more brazen than past figures (any of them). He has to contend with worship of that nasty pagan god Baal, whose followers fully expect him to act in their defense as Gideon threatens smiting. In opposite of Abraham, who had to talk God into accepting smaller numbers of worthy individuals to save, Gideon argues that he needs fewer men to lead in battle. Prophetic dreams return to scripture, but not in the guise of Gideon. He engages in spectacular trumpet warfare, probably something you may remember.
The enemy leaders flee from him much as Darius does from Alexander the Great. Unlike Darius, however, these guys are eventually slain by Gideon himself. As soon as Gideon himself dies, the people return to their wicked ways.
One bit of cultural connections is camels wearing the crescent, which remains an Arabic emblem to this day.
Remember the name Abimelech from earlier? Someone else gives it as spin, as king. He is the son of Gideon. He faces the same kind of turmoil as the successors of Alexander, everyone spoiling for control and no one capable of filling Great shoes. Abimelech is no slouch, but he's no Gideon, either. Even with two of them now, I doubt you remember the name at all. But he does leave an echo behind. Like Samson who is to appear shortly, the most famous of the judges, Abimelech finds himself in the position to wipe out a whole mess of his enemies in the midst of one major structural collapse. He ends up dying in battle, although since he's fatally struck by a woman, the chauvinist asks a male colleague to do him in first, because he doesn't want to go out that way.
Maybe that's why no one knows his (or his predecessor's) name...
Then there was Tola who judged for 23 years, then Jair who judged for 22. Syria is mentioned. Philistines come round again. Another interesting lost figure is Jephthah, who was initially rejected as meaningless in the grand scheme, and so he gathers around him other "worthless fellows," only for the lot of them to be recuited, via begging, to help the Hebrews catch a break. He consents. He later goes so far as to massage their ego by explaining in extremely favorable terms the history of their conquests. Jephthah has a tragic ending, however, when he strikes a bargain with God and the payment he comes to regret is sacrificing the first person he sees when he returns home. That person ends up being his own daughter, which begins a tradition when she's allowed to bemoan never having made a life for herself, and then becomes a burnt offering. Which kind of beggars the question of why earlier God had to make such a point of saying this was an abomination pagans practiced.
Anyway, Jephthah in all judged for 6 years. Elom followed for 10, Abdon for 8. The Philistines come round again! And then a man named Manoah receives a visit from the angel of the Lord, who like Abraham before him and later for two lucky ladies in the New Testament, learns that his barren wife will give birth after all. The resulting child's name is Samson. Samson grows up and is a clever guy, wanting a Philistine bride so he can have something to complain about later. His whole career as a judge is recorded at 20 years. David Maine has one of his several exceptions works of fiction based on biblical episodes I've now reached in my readings centered around Samson, called appropriately enough The Book of Samson. Maine also has The Preservationist (concerning Noah) and Fallen (the best of them; featuring Adam, Eve, Abel, and Cain, told in reverse). He doesn't paint Samson in the best of lights, you should know...
Friday, December 13, 2013
Deuteronomy 26-34, Book of Joshua 1-15
I was just wondering, because God goes to great lengths to explain that bad things would only happen to his people if they strayed from him,why it is that Exodus begins by explaining that the bondage in Egypt happened because of a regime change after the time of Joseph. Just something to think about.
Deuteronomy continues the the job of summarizing what has come before, and finally gets around to reintroducing the significance of Joshua, making a heavy case for him. I'll have more on that in a moment.
I'd also like to make mention of the fact that God says the ark of the covenant needs to be plastered. I don't think that was mentioned previously, when God was being incredibly specific about all that.
There's another song that reads like a psalm, with an emphasis on the Rock, which is I think the second time the idea is mooted in the books of Moses. In Christianity, Jesus famously rechristens Simon as Peter because it means the Rock, which he intends to build his church on. Peter is a Joshua figure, by the way.
There's mention that the Hebrews void of counsel may be something of a breach of contract, which may explain what happened to them in Egypt, because that was a significant breach in the Genesis lineage. I've been bringing that up regularly. This may have something to do with explaining what befell Balaam, a prophet who failed to sway a people in the direction of God. God doesn't like that sort of thing.
Moses dies, and Deuteronomy ends by noting that there has been no prophet like him since. There are plenty of other prophets that follow in the Old Testament, but at later times, and of course Christians have Jesus as the new Moses.
The Book of Joshua may be a continuation of Deuteronomy just as Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Didn't I say something like that previously? At any rate it's a clear distinction from the way other some of the other books chronicling Moses present themselves. God is still active, but he's not the God who spent all his time building a culture with rules. He's more like the God who believes in war and conquest above all else, which to be fair Moses also experienced, but not quite to this heavy extent.
Another difference in perspective is the phrasing of what happened to the Red Sea after the flight from Egypt. Here it's described as melting, several times. Tradition, and earlier narratives, have it as being parted. There's a clear difference. I stated previously that perhaps the later books of Moses were written sooner than the earlier ones. This difference may be a sign of things not being solidified yet. Who looks to the Book of Joshua for information concerning the flight from Egypt anyway?
It may also be worth noting that there's a city called Adam, and it doesn't reference the first man in the passage at all. Possibly indicates where the name came from, or what it inspired, much as the name Eve is described in Genesis itself as having in itself significance beyond being the name of the first woman. So another indication that Book of Joshua, like Deuteronomy, came first, and Genesis was solidified later, like a Hollywood prequel.
One bit of continuity is the ending of God providing manna. However, no mention of quail, which is far less famous, and perhaps for this very reason. He seemed to provide it for the first time twice anyway.
Another lost heroic woman of the Old Testament is the harlot Rabah, who was a citizen of a Jericho who like Lot was the one good person living there, providing shelter for Joshua's scouts and thus securing her and her family's survival in the most famous conquest of the book (she reads like a preview of women in the New Testament). But there are more. Many more. There was certainly war and conquest elsewhere, but here it's so jubilant and almost the whole point entirely, as if it's the template for what is described in earlier instances. God does tell Joshua how to do it, but again, that's a marked difference between the interactions God has with his chosen representative and all the covenants and social outlines he spent his time reiterating in previous books.
There is a link, however, with the God of Genesis, insofar as Joshua making at least one deal with citizens of a land the Hebrews approach, even though it quickly degenerates into even more war. That's what Abraham was famous for, a little like the Solomon of his day, a wise ruler (except for tricking people into thinking his wife was his sister).
Jerusalem is mentioned for the first time. It is one of five kingdoms that attempt to unite against the Hebrew hoard. Gaza is mentioned, too. God points out the Philistines to the aging Joshua. We met them in Genesis, but things didn't end well then, and they will only get worse later.
As if in confirmation of my observations, the Book of Joshua provides another summaries of Moses' conquests. Here Balaam is mentioned again, this time as a soothsayer. It may be entirely possibly that God's previously inexplicable crusade against the magical kind of all variations is a reaction to other relationships he's tried to make that failed, unlike with Abraham and his descendants. You fail, like Balaam, and you become dead to him, an abomination. He demands success above all else. Obedience is about as important to him as human life in general. He tests and tests, and if you fail, he smites you. The end.
Caleb is finally referenced again! At this point he has become another Esau or Lot, someone whose story has branched off from the main record that is the Bible. It is no doubt very likely that people at that time had a lot more stories. I'm beginning to wish I had access to those, too. I like these lost figures like Balaam and Caleb, who begins to sound, in the Book of Joshua, almost like a classic Greek warrior.
The Jebusites, one of several tribes routinely referenced in the books of Moses as antagonistic to God's wishes for his people, are referenced as occupying Jerusalem "to this day," another indication that the memory as of the composing of this book was probably fairly recent. They also read like the predecessors of today's Palestinians.
Deuteronomy continues the the job of summarizing what has come before, and finally gets around to reintroducing the significance of Joshua, making a heavy case for him. I'll have more on that in a moment.
I'd also like to make mention of the fact that God says the ark of the covenant needs to be plastered. I don't think that was mentioned previously, when God was being incredibly specific about all that.
There's another song that reads like a psalm, with an emphasis on the Rock, which is I think the second time the idea is mooted in the books of Moses. In Christianity, Jesus famously rechristens Simon as Peter because it means the Rock, which he intends to build his church on. Peter is a Joshua figure, by the way.
There's mention that the Hebrews void of counsel may be something of a breach of contract, which may explain what happened to them in Egypt, because that was a significant breach in the Genesis lineage. I've been bringing that up regularly. This may have something to do with explaining what befell Balaam, a prophet who failed to sway a people in the direction of God. God doesn't like that sort of thing.
Moses dies, and Deuteronomy ends by noting that there has been no prophet like him since. There are plenty of other prophets that follow in the Old Testament, but at later times, and of course Christians have Jesus as the new Moses.
The Book of Joshua may be a continuation of Deuteronomy just as Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Didn't I say something like that previously? At any rate it's a clear distinction from the way other some of the other books chronicling Moses present themselves. God is still active, but he's not the God who spent all his time building a culture with rules. He's more like the God who believes in war and conquest above all else, which to be fair Moses also experienced, but not quite to this heavy extent.
Another difference in perspective is the phrasing of what happened to the Red Sea after the flight from Egypt. Here it's described as melting, several times. Tradition, and earlier narratives, have it as being parted. There's a clear difference. I stated previously that perhaps the later books of Moses were written sooner than the earlier ones. This difference may be a sign of things not being solidified yet. Who looks to the Book of Joshua for information concerning the flight from Egypt anyway?
It may also be worth noting that there's a city called Adam, and it doesn't reference the first man in the passage at all. Possibly indicates where the name came from, or what it inspired, much as the name Eve is described in Genesis itself as having in itself significance beyond being the name of the first woman. So another indication that Book of Joshua, like Deuteronomy, came first, and Genesis was solidified later, like a Hollywood prequel.
One bit of continuity is the ending of God providing manna. However, no mention of quail, which is far less famous, and perhaps for this very reason. He seemed to provide it for the first time twice anyway.
Another lost heroic woman of the Old Testament is the harlot Rabah, who was a citizen of a Jericho who like Lot was the one good person living there, providing shelter for Joshua's scouts and thus securing her and her family's survival in the most famous conquest of the book (she reads like a preview of women in the New Testament). But there are more. Many more. There was certainly war and conquest elsewhere, but here it's so jubilant and almost the whole point entirely, as if it's the template for what is described in earlier instances. God does tell Joshua how to do it, but again, that's a marked difference between the interactions God has with his chosen representative and all the covenants and social outlines he spent his time reiterating in previous books.
There is a link, however, with the God of Genesis, insofar as Joshua making at least one deal with citizens of a land the Hebrews approach, even though it quickly degenerates into even more war. That's what Abraham was famous for, a little like the Solomon of his day, a wise ruler (except for tricking people into thinking his wife was his sister).
Jerusalem is mentioned for the first time. It is one of five kingdoms that attempt to unite against the Hebrew hoard. Gaza is mentioned, too. God points out the Philistines to the aging Joshua. We met them in Genesis, but things didn't end well then, and they will only get worse later.
As if in confirmation of my observations, the Book of Joshua provides another summaries of Moses' conquests. Here Balaam is mentioned again, this time as a soothsayer. It may be entirely possibly that God's previously inexplicable crusade against the magical kind of all variations is a reaction to other relationships he's tried to make that failed, unlike with Abraham and his descendants. You fail, like Balaam, and you become dead to him, an abomination. He demands success above all else. Obedience is about as important to him as human life in general. He tests and tests, and if you fail, he smites you. The end.
Caleb is finally referenced again! At this point he has become another Esau or Lot, someone whose story has branched off from the main record that is the Bible. It is no doubt very likely that people at that time had a lot more stories. I'm beginning to wish I had access to those, too. I like these lost figures like Balaam and Caleb, who begins to sound, in the Book of Joshua, almost like a classic Greek warrior.
The Jebusites, one of several tribes routinely referenced in the books of Moses as antagonistic to God's wishes for his people, are referenced as occupying Jerusalem "to this day," another indication that the memory as of the composing of this book was probably fairly recent. They also read like the predecessors of today's Palestinians.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Genesis 21-40
The action picks right back up with Abraham and Sarah, those crazy old founders of the whole Jewish faith, and the birth of Isaac. You'll remember that Abraham has previously had a child with the handmaiden Hagar. Ishmael temporarily reaches a bad end after they're both cast out of paradise, run out of water, and Hagar believes they'll both die, but then God shows up and reiterates that all's well in this family line.
The Philistines enter the picture for the first time, however, as Abraham transports the family to live among them. Then follows one of the most famous episodes in the whole Bible, in which God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his own son Isaac, in what Christians would later suggest is the template for Jesus. Then Sarah dies and makes agreements with the Hittites to use their land for her burial. It's the first time we really get to see how respected Abraham is by others. They quickly acquiesce. Next he barters with Mesopotamians through a proxy for Isaac's future bride, who turns out to be Rebekah. Abraham in turn takes another bride, Keturah. You are probably not familiar with her name because she's not really significant otherwise. And anyway, Abraham is dead himself very soon after in the narrative.
Things become interesting again when you realize that Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau are basically a new version of Cain and Abel, and although you may be familiar with certain inheritance shenanigans Jacob and his mother pull, it's perhaps more intriguing that these brothers manage to make peace with each other despite everything.
A name that keeps popping up in these passages is the Philistine Abimelech, who first interacts with Abraham and then later Isaac. He is perhaps a representation of significant individuals outside of the people we're really supposed to care about. Around this time, Isaac pulls the same trick his father did, calling Rebekah his sister rather than wife, thinking it'll make things easier. But Abimelech is no fool. He correctly surmises that if he treated Rebekah as Isaac's sister rather than wife (to be fair, the whole idea was that Rebekah, like Sarah before her, is incredibly beautiful, and therefore would make every man jealous and therefore uncooperative), he would be falling into sin, like a trap. So Isaac agrees that it was a bad idea.
Around this time in Genesis, names that are supposed to mean something start being explained better, perhaps because these are known entities to the first recipients of the stories, so they're more reminders than things they were supposed to have learned, such as in the case of the name Eve from earlier.
Abimelech also begins to represent those people outside the line of Abraham who understand what's going on faith-wise. They're outsiders acknowledging God, in other words.
Jacob is set up for his own bride, but first experiences the first prophetic vision of the Bible, the famous Jacob's Ladder episode. He soon meets and falls for Rachel, although her father makes marrying her incredibly difficult, to the point where he accidentally marries her older sister Leah first, and then has to marry Rachel later. Because Jacob clearly prefers Rachel, Leah is rejected, but God intervenes by making her womb far more fertile, leading to plenty of offspring and in fact most of the twelve sons who helped found the twelve tribes, including Judah. Rachel eventually has Joseph, however, as well as Benjamin. Joseph of course is the most significant of these children.
Laban, Rachel and Leah's troublemaking father, causes Jacob great anxiety, and in fact a full-blown crisis in which he undertakes great preparations for an all-out confrontation, or at least to avoid one. Laban, for the record, manages to find peace with Jacob all the same. Jacob has another apparent crisis concerning his brother Esau, but they make peace, too. During this, he wrestles with God. I believe it's traditionally described as wrestling with an angel, but as I read it Jacob literally wrestles with God himself, perhaps the last of the notable face-to-face interactions (and then some!) with the Creator.
Although it might also be notable that this section seems to indicate that not only were these people aware of other gods, worshiped by others, but found no great struggle in knowing they existed alongside God. The real point is that God is God Almighty, or other words the supreme divine being (read the First Commandment again if you're wondering how accurate this interpretation is).
Rachel's daughter experiences a rape, leading to holy vengeance on the part of some of Jacob's sons, although after Jacob has already made peace with the culprits, who don't intend to convert to the faith of Abraham. It's the first time a clear distinction is made between a community that will and a community that won't.
God renames Jacob Israel. He also personally smites a few people dead.
The Joseph-and-his-special-gift-of-the-coat episode occurs, which angers his brothers, leading to their plans to get rid of him. He winds up in Egypt, but not before his brothers convince Jacob that Joseph is in fact dead. I suppose it only figures, because Jacob was himself previously guilty of trickery. It's also worth noting that in Egypt we hear the term Hebrew for the first time, that being what the Jews were known as at that time, so Abraham's faith was now fully established. Joseph winds up in prison after refusing to give in to the Pharaoh's wife's sexual desires, but this leads to his experiences with the same kind of prophetic abilities as his father and thus one of the defining themes of the Old Testament, which is revisited in the New Testament.
The Philistines enter the picture for the first time, however, as Abraham transports the family to live among them. Then follows one of the most famous episodes in the whole Bible, in which God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his own son Isaac, in what Christians would later suggest is the template for Jesus. Then Sarah dies and makes agreements with the Hittites to use their land for her burial. It's the first time we really get to see how respected Abraham is by others. They quickly acquiesce. Next he barters with Mesopotamians through a proxy for Isaac's future bride, who turns out to be Rebekah. Abraham in turn takes another bride, Keturah. You are probably not familiar with her name because she's not really significant otherwise. And anyway, Abraham is dead himself very soon after in the narrative.
Things become interesting again when you realize that Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau are basically a new version of Cain and Abel, and although you may be familiar with certain inheritance shenanigans Jacob and his mother pull, it's perhaps more intriguing that these brothers manage to make peace with each other despite everything.
A name that keeps popping up in these passages is the Philistine Abimelech, who first interacts with Abraham and then later Isaac. He is perhaps a representation of significant individuals outside of the people we're really supposed to care about. Around this time, Isaac pulls the same trick his father did, calling Rebekah his sister rather than wife, thinking it'll make things easier. But Abimelech is no fool. He correctly surmises that if he treated Rebekah as Isaac's sister rather than wife (to be fair, the whole idea was that Rebekah, like Sarah before her, is incredibly beautiful, and therefore would make every man jealous and therefore uncooperative), he would be falling into sin, like a trap. So Isaac agrees that it was a bad idea.
Around this time in Genesis, names that are supposed to mean something start being explained better, perhaps because these are known entities to the first recipients of the stories, so they're more reminders than things they were supposed to have learned, such as in the case of the name Eve from earlier.
Abimelech also begins to represent those people outside the line of Abraham who understand what's going on faith-wise. They're outsiders acknowledging God, in other words.
Jacob is set up for his own bride, but first experiences the first prophetic vision of the Bible, the famous Jacob's Ladder episode. He soon meets and falls for Rachel, although her father makes marrying her incredibly difficult, to the point where he accidentally marries her older sister Leah first, and then has to marry Rachel later. Because Jacob clearly prefers Rachel, Leah is rejected, but God intervenes by making her womb far more fertile, leading to plenty of offspring and in fact most of the twelve sons who helped found the twelve tribes, including Judah. Rachel eventually has Joseph, however, as well as Benjamin. Joseph of course is the most significant of these children.
Laban, Rachel and Leah's troublemaking father, causes Jacob great anxiety, and in fact a full-blown crisis in which he undertakes great preparations for an all-out confrontation, or at least to avoid one. Laban, for the record, manages to find peace with Jacob all the same. Jacob has another apparent crisis concerning his brother Esau, but they make peace, too. During this, he wrestles with God. I believe it's traditionally described as wrestling with an angel, but as I read it Jacob literally wrestles with God himself, perhaps the last of the notable face-to-face interactions (and then some!) with the Creator.
Although it might also be notable that this section seems to indicate that not only were these people aware of other gods, worshiped by others, but found no great struggle in knowing they existed alongside God. The real point is that God is God Almighty, or other words the supreme divine being (read the First Commandment again if you're wondering how accurate this interpretation is).
Rachel's daughter experiences a rape, leading to holy vengeance on the part of some of Jacob's sons, although after Jacob has already made peace with the culprits, who don't intend to convert to the faith of Abraham. It's the first time a clear distinction is made between a community that will and a community that won't.
God renames Jacob Israel. He also personally smites a few people dead.
The Joseph-and-his-special-gift-of-the-coat episode occurs, which angers his brothers, leading to their plans to get rid of him. He winds up in Egypt, but not before his brothers convince Jacob that Joseph is in fact dead. I suppose it only figures, because Jacob was himself previously guilty of trickery. It's also worth noting that in Egypt we hear the term Hebrew for the first time, that being what the Jews were known as at that time, so Abraham's faith was now fully established. Joseph winds up in prison after refusing to give in to the Pharaoh's wife's sexual desires, but this leads to his experiences with the same kind of prophetic abilities as his father and thus one of the defining themes of the Old Testament, which is revisited in the New Testament.
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