Comments on Joshua 2:1-24; 6:1-25; Judges 4:1-22; 11:29-40; 12:1-6
Biblical Literacy, pages 75-84
In our Bible study, we march into 2012 with Joshua, who led the Israelites into the land promised them by God, bringing down the walls of Jericho, occupying the land, conquering the inhabitants who were living there, and dividing it up among the 12 tribes (Joshua 13 and 14).
What, do you suppose, gave them the right to take over this land? What gives anyone the right to take over or annex land? Was it because they were refugees? Was it because the real owner of the land (all of it on this earth) is God, and He gave it to the Israelites? Was it because they were tired of being nomads and wanted to settle down? Were there economic issues as their population recovered from the ‘civil war’ in the desert and from the plagues that decimated them? Or was all of this because – as Dr. Beal suggests – they saw themselves as chosen by God to fulfill their destiny in this place?
These historical books are going to be filled with violence and war—both aggressive war and defensive war—just like our own history, our literature and our movies are. You wouldn’t want your kids to read these stories, to rejoice over the tent spike being driven into Sisera’s head by Jael, or Jephthah killing his daughter to fulfill a vow he made to God because He gave him victory over the Ammonites. Indeed, these were violent times.
As prognosticators make their often cynical predictions for the coming year, we can wonder what these readings have to tell us for the New Year? Dr. Beal laments what happens when humans have taken them as a model, have called themselves ‘God’s chosen ones,’ and then have labeled everyone else as an enemy or an infidel. He suggests we read them instead as a mirror, discovering our personal hard-wiring for violence in this looking glass of scripture. The books reflect back to us our own psyches.
Even in science fiction, like Peter F. Hamilton’s fanciful tale called Judas Unchained, the author can envision wonderful technologies that allow people to travel with the speed of light, to rejuvenate their bodies and minds, to communicate through virtual arrays, to preserve their memories on memory chips that can be implanted in new bodies, but what he cannot envision is a universe at peace.
When James Carroll came to Cleveland to speak about his movie Constantine’s Sword, he showed poignant and disturbing slides of demonstrators (himself among them) being arrested for protesting the war in Vietnam in front of the Pentagon, while inside, his own father was helping to direct the war in defense of our country’s ideals.
What we do know is that our actions have consequences, just like those of the Israelites did. How many times do educators hear after a student fight: “My mother and father told me never to let other kids bully me or push me around. I had to stand up for myself!” The Hebrew Scriptures are a study in bullying and vengeance, in taking what those at the time thought was rightfully theirs.
What a weak character, then, must Jesus seem to many people! --Turning the other cheek, refusing to act out of anger, restoring property, healing, forgiving, letting yourself be killed for your ideals. No wonder people like Constantine could not understand this! Put a cross on your helmet and carry it into battle! God is on our side! Converting people must start with a crusade to wipe out unbelievers; heretics must be burned!
What we cannot tolerate is looking at ourselves in this mirror of violence and seeing that we are the ones who have to convert our swords into ploughshares. We cannot tolerate acknowledging that our enemies are also beloved of God. In 2012, who can join arms and hands and take one step in the direction of peace? That would be a resolution (and a revolution)!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Comments on Excerpts from Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
Comments on Leviticus 10:1-3; 16:1-34; 25:8-17; Numbers 21: 4-9; 22:22-25; Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Biblical Literacy, pages 67-74
The screening of the movie “for the Bible tells me so” at Heights Christian Church last week raised issues that apply just as well to these texts of the Torah. The main issue—that has meant life or death for many people—is whether you can allow yourself to interpret the Scriptures: to say, this is what it meant then; and this is what it might mean now.
There is a powerful scene in the movie. A mother climbs into the pulpit of a church on Sunday and proclaims to the congregation words to this effect: “Because of how the church interpreted Scripture, my daughter is dead!” Some watchers will undoubtedly cry “unfair!” Everyone is responsible for his/her own actions! Yet, the culture, the actions and the opinions of those around us are so weighty, so moving, that resisting the culture is like trying to stand still when a crowd is rushing toward the exits.
Added to that is the difficulty of trying to put ourselves into the culture of a past generation. Ritual purity—doing things with precise attention to details, to the rules; wearing the right clothes; saying the right words; being prepared with washing, prayer and fasting; offering the rituals at just the right times—was a matter of life and death in that long ago culture. If you didn’t comply; if you were unclean, you could be excluded from the community or even executed. The writer of Leviticus found it important to include the story of poor Aaron’s sons. Few details are given—only that their offering was “unholy,” and so the young men were burned to death by the Lord.
The awe and majesty and unapproachable power of God were so important to the people in those times. Only the purified priests, or the chosen ones like Moses and Aaron and occasionally the elders, could get close. Can you imagine the sights and sounds and smell of the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus? --All that blood, animal cries, violent thrusts of knives, the smell of entrails; and all of it pleasing to God.
And then there was the scapegoat. The French writer, Rene Girard, has built a philosophy on the concept of scapegoating. Jesus has been designated as ours: “Behold the lamb of God,” the one who bears the sins of the world. It would be an interesting exercise to discuss what sins we’d put on the head of that creature before he was led out into the wilderness. Would we only lay our personal sins on him? Or would we also lay the greed and violence that we in our society cannot seem to restrain and to which we give different names so that they are acceptable to our whole culture?
We’re back to culture. Is it true, as one cynic recently said, that the only motivators for change are greed and fear of violence? Is that why we need to be threatened with this God of the Torah, who will condemn us to fire because of our unholiness?
Or is it that an historical perspective can teach us that humans CAN evolve to a more peaceable kingdom? --That a day of atonement, and especially a year of Jubilee (although NISB states there is no historical evidence that the stipulations surrounding the year of Jubilee were ever followed) can point us in the right direction?
Can we at last be led to love, and to the concept of a loving God? Can we promote a culture of kindness and peace? We close our study of the Pentateuch with the Shema Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Dt. 6:4).
Biblical Literacy, pages 67-74
The screening of the movie “for the Bible tells me so” at Heights Christian Church last week raised issues that apply just as well to these texts of the Torah. The main issue—that has meant life or death for many people—is whether you can allow yourself to interpret the Scriptures: to say, this is what it meant then; and this is what it might mean now.
There is a powerful scene in the movie. A mother climbs into the pulpit of a church on Sunday and proclaims to the congregation words to this effect: “Because of how the church interpreted Scripture, my daughter is dead!” Some watchers will undoubtedly cry “unfair!” Everyone is responsible for his/her own actions! Yet, the culture, the actions and the opinions of those around us are so weighty, so moving, that resisting the culture is like trying to stand still when a crowd is rushing toward the exits.
Added to that is the difficulty of trying to put ourselves into the culture of a past generation. Ritual purity—doing things with precise attention to details, to the rules; wearing the right clothes; saying the right words; being prepared with washing, prayer and fasting; offering the rituals at just the right times—was a matter of life and death in that long ago culture. If you didn’t comply; if you were unclean, you could be excluded from the community or even executed. The writer of Leviticus found it important to include the story of poor Aaron’s sons. Few details are given—only that their offering was “unholy,” and so the young men were burned to death by the Lord.
The awe and majesty and unapproachable power of God were so important to the people in those times. Only the purified priests, or the chosen ones like Moses and Aaron and occasionally the elders, could get close. Can you imagine the sights and sounds and smell of the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus? --All that blood, animal cries, violent thrusts of knives, the smell of entrails; and all of it pleasing to God.
And then there was the scapegoat. The French writer, Rene Girard, has built a philosophy on the concept of scapegoating. Jesus has been designated as ours: “Behold the lamb of God,” the one who bears the sins of the world. It would be an interesting exercise to discuss what sins we’d put on the head of that creature before he was led out into the wilderness. Would we only lay our personal sins on him? Or would we also lay the greed and violence that we in our society cannot seem to restrain and to which we give different names so that they are acceptable to our whole culture?
We’re back to culture. Is it true, as one cynic recently said, that the only motivators for change are greed and fear of violence? Is that why we need to be threatened with this God of the Torah, who will condemn us to fire because of our unholiness?
Or is it that an historical perspective can teach us that humans CAN evolve to a more peaceable kingdom? --That a day of atonement, and especially a year of Jubilee (although NISB states there is no historical evidence that the stipulations surrounding the year of Jubilee were ever followed) can point us in the right direction?
Can we at last be led to love, and to the concept of a loving God? Can we promote a culture of kindness and peace? We close our study of the Pentateuch with the Shema Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Dt. 6:4).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)