Saturday, March 06, 2004
I'm taking a brief break while making the transition from Richmond to Washington, D.C. I hope to post again next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
1 Samuel 5-6 - YHWH wars alone
Here is a story that may be unique in the history of YHWH war. Usually, when YHWH acts as warrior to save his people, there is an army involved -- sometimes to engage in the fight (as in Deborah), more often to stand by (as at the Exodus or with Gideon's jar smashers). As this battle starts, the Israelite army has been soundly defeated and is off-stage. In an apparent disaster for the people of God, the Philistine enemy has absconded with the ark of God, and carried to Ashdod, one of their capital cities. In this battle, God acts alone.
1 Samuel 5:2-4 the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
Here YHWH had defeated Dagon in the sanctuary. The principle of spiritual warfare is that there is a relationship between "war in heaven" and "war on earth." No one may be able to establish cause and effect, but the two spheres influence each other. This becomes apparent next when YHWH carries the battle to the land.
1 Samuel 5:6 The hand of the LORD was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod and in its territory. 7 And when the inhabitants of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy on us and on our god Dagon."
The same thing happens successively in Gath and Ekron, as they move the ark around.
1 Samuel 5:11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people."
After seven months, the Philistines had suffered all they wished at the hand of the YHWH and capitulated. The diviners and priests discussed the problem, and decided that they should return the ark of the covenant to Israel, and that it should be accompanied by a guilt offering. Interestingly, they said,
1 Samuel 6:3 Then you will be healed and will be ransomed....
which is essentially what happened. The people made five gold tumors and five gold mice, representing the plagues that had come upon them. These they loaded these with the ark onto a cart, pulled by two cows. With no human guidance,
1 Samuel 6:12 The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of the Israelite community of Beth-shemesh.
Eli and his family were all dead. The apparent disaster of the capture of the ark had been reversed. God had acted alone to carry out his purposes, fulfilling the prophecy that the Lord spoke to Samuel:
1 Samuel 3:11 "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle."
We begin to see the meaning of Hannah’s song of reversals. There is a might that can operate in the midst of apparent defeat. There is a salvation that is possible without human agency. There is a hidden hand at work affecting history, and as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “it bends toward justice.”
1 Samuel 5:2-4 the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
Here YHWH had defeated Dagon in the sanctuary. The principle of spiritual warfare is that there is a relationship between "war in heaven" and "war on earth." No one may be able to establish cause and effect, but the two spheres influence each other. This becomes apparent next when YHWH carries the battle to the land.
1 Samuel 5:6 The hand of the LORD was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod and in its territory. 7 And when the inhabitants of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy on us and on our god Dagon."
The same thing happens successively in Gath and Ekron, as they move the ark around.
1 Samuel 5:11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people."
After seven months, the Philistines had suffered all they wished at the hand of the YHWH and capitulated. The diviners and priests discussed the problem, and decided that they should return the ark of the covenant to Israel, and that it should be accompanied by a guilt offering. Interestingly, they said,
1 Samuel 6:3 Then you will be healed and will be ransomed....
which is essentially what happened. The people made five gold tumors and five gold mice, representing the plagues that had come upon them. These they loaded these with the ark onto a cart, pulled by two cows. With no human guidance,
1 Samuel 6:12 The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of the Israelite community of Beth-shemesh.
Eli and his family were all dead. The apparent disaster of the capture of the ark had been reversed. God had acted alone to carry out his purposes, fulfilling the prophecy that the Lord spoke to Samuel:
1 Samuel 3:11 "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle."
We begin to see the meaning of Hannah’s song of reversals. There is a might that can operate in the midst of apparent defeat. There is a salvation that is possible without human agency. There is a hidden hand at work affecting history, and as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “it bends toward justice.”
Monday, March 01, 2004
1 Samuel 4 - Victory in Defeat
Chapters 4-6 contain the narrative of the travels of the ark of the covenant. There are two "movements" in the story: the conflict between the Philistines and the Israelites and the conflict between God and the house of Eli. In both of these stories, God acts as a warrior, in the first case to redeem his people, in the second case to procure justice for them in the form of a righteous judge. Despite the fact that people seem to initiate the action, it the three-chapter narrative is best understood as a narrative of divine war, during which YHWH is the sometimes hidden protagonist.
The story begins with the Philistines and the Israelites at war, and the Israelites being routed.
1 Samuel 4:3 When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies."
They put this plan into action. When the ark is brought from Shiloh into the camp, the Israelites greet it with a "mighty shout." This terrifies the Philistines, who remember the tales of YHWH's victory over the Egyptians. Then they engage in another battle. Oddly enough, the Philistines manage an even greater victory than at the first battle:
1 Samuel 4:10 There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
This sounds like a disaster for YHWH, but at the back of our minds we recall that YHWH had prophesied the fall of Hophni and Phinehas first through the unnamed Man of God and then to Samuel. Because of this, we suspect that YHWH's hand is to be seen even in this defeat!
The rest of the narrative shows how this works out.
PART I, The fall of the house of Eli.
A runner brings word of the disaster back to Shiloh. Eli can bear it to hear of his son's deaths, but
1 Samuel 4:18 When he [the runner] mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy.
The wife of Phinehas heard the news and this provoked her to enter into labor, for she was pregnant. As she is dying, the women accompanying her tell her to rejoice because she has born a son. Instead,
1 Samuel 4:21 She named the child Ichabod, meaning, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
Phinehas's wife and Eli died believing that faith had failed. What they did not realize is that despite appearances, God was triumphing. Of course, it is particularly difficult to see God’s triumph when you (or in this case those close to you) are the subject of God’s judgment.
The story begins with the Philistines and the Israelites at war, and the Israelites being routed.
1 Samuel 4:3 When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies."
They put this plan into action. When the ark is brought from Shiloh into the camp, the Israelites greet it with a "mighty shout." This terrifies the Philistines, who remember the tales of YHWH's victory over the Egyptians. Then they engage in another battle. Oddly enough, the Philistines manage an even greater victory than at the first battle:
1 Samuel 4:10 There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
This sounds like a disaster for YHWH, but at the back of our minds we recall that YHWH had prophesied the fall of Hophni and Phinehas first through the unnamed Man of God and then to Samuel. Because of this, we suspect that YHWH's hand is to be seen even in this defeat!
The rest of the narrative shows how this works out.
PART I, The fall of the house of Eli.
A runner brings word of the disaster back to Shiloh. Eli can bear it to hear of his son's deaths, but
1 Samuel 4:18 When he [the runner] mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy.
The wife of Phinehas heard the news and this provoked her to enter into labor, for she was pregnant. As she is dying, the women accompanying her tell her to rejoice because she has born a son. Instead,
1 Samuel 4:21 She named the child Ichabod, meaning, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
Phinehas's wife and Eli died believing that faith had failed. What they did not realize is that despite appearances, God was triumphing. Of course, it is particularly difficult to see God’s triumph when you (or in this case those close to you) are the subject of God’s judgment.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
1 Samuel 3 - Call for Prophets
The context: Samuel is in the Temple at Shiloh, ministering under Eli, who was the priest of Shiloh and also recognized as a Judge in Israel. The narrator says:
NIV 1 Samuel 3:1 In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
Samuel is sleeping in the presence of the ark of the covenant. Four times in the night, the Lord calls Samuel by name. The first three times, Samuel thinks that he is hearing Eli call, but Eli says not. On the third occasion, Eli realizes what is going on and instructs Samuel what to do:
1 Samuel 3:9 "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'"
It is only when Samuel responds this way that God goes delivers his message. This makes me wonder something. Was the word of the Lord rare in those days, or was there simply no one listening? Or was it that no one knew how to recognize God when he spoke?
After the second time the Lord called to Samuel, the narrator inserts this comment:
1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
God was speaking to him, but Samuel didn't know enough about the life of the Spirit to recognize the qol YWHW when he heard it. He also didn't know that God was not prepared to deliver his message to an unreceptive heart. God was waiting to hear that Samuel was prepared to listen.
Thankfully, Eli knew enough to instruct Samuel. Unfortunately for Eli, the message that God had for Samuel was a prophecy confirming that God planned to do what the Man of God in the previous chapter had already said, namely destroy Eli's house:
1 Samuel 3:13 I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.
At first, Samuel refused to tell Eli what the message was from God, but Eli insisted and Samuel related all the God had told him. Eli responds:
1 Samuel 3:18 "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him."
Two observations:
1. Eli suffered a failing common to good people: while he, himself, acted well, he refused to exercise authority over others for whom he was responsible. Eli's nobility is reflected in his acceptance of God's judgment.
2. This episode is usually referred to as "Samuel's calling." While it is true that God calls, "Samuel," this is not a narrative of call. God has no instruction for Samuel. Rather, God has an announcement about the meaning of events that, in themselves, might have appeared quite meaningless. It is by God's relationship with the people through the prophet that God provides the key to finding meaning in the mystery of life. In this case, the events which unfold in the next several chapters, and which look like a disaster for God and Israel, are revealed as the outworking of God's judgment against Eli. Samuel has no role in it, except the crucial one of holding the message of God's purpose.
We need people equipped to hear the word of the Lord today.
NIV 1 Samuel 3:1 In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
Samuel is sleeping in the presence of the ark of the covenant. Four times in the night, the Lord calls Samuel by name. The first three times, Samuel thinks that he is hearing Eli call, but Eli says not. On the third occasion, Eli realizes what is going on and instructs Samuel what to do:
1 Samuel 3:9 "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'"
It is only when Samuel responds this way that God goes delivers his message. This makes me wonder something. Was the word of the Lord rare in those days, or was there simply no one listening? Or was it that no one knew how to recognize God when he spoke?
After the second time the Lord called to Samuel, the narrator inserts this comment:
1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
God was speaking to him, but Samuel didn't know enough about the life of the Spirit to recognize the qol YWHW when he heard it. He also didn't know that God was not prepared to deliver his message to an unreceptive heart. God was waiting to hear that Samuel was prepared to listen.
Thankfully, Eli knew enough to instruct Samuel. Unfortunately for Eli, the message that God had for Samuel was a prophecy confirming that God planned to do what the Man of God in the previous chapter had already said, namely destroy Eli's house:
1 Samuel 3:13 I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.
At first, Samuel refused to tell Eli what the message was from God, but Eli insisted and Samuel related all the God had told him. Eli responds:
1 Samuel 3:18 "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him."
Two observations:
1. Eli suffered a failing common to good people: while he, himself, acted well, he refused to exercise authority over others for whom he was responsible. Eli's nobility is reflected in his acceptance of God's judgment.
2. This episode is usually referred to as "Samuel's calling." While it is true that God calls, "Samuel," this is not a narrative of call. God has no instruction for Samuel. Rather, God has an announcement about the meaning of events that, in themselves, might have appeared quite meaningless. It is by God's relationship with the people through the prophet that God provides the key to finding meaning in the mystery of life. In this case, the events which unfold in the next several chapters, and which look like a disaster for God and Israel, are revealed as the outworking of God's judgment against Eli. Samuel has no role in it, except the crucial one of holding the message of God's purpose.
We need people equipped to hear the word of the Lord today.
