into battle

Good morning friends,
As David's son Absolom's conspiracy gained strength, David and his court fled from Jerusalem along with many others. Today's reading leads us to the battle between David's troops and Absolom's troops. Like any civil war, there's heartbreak in the battle as people fight against those they have grown up with. David's heart is torn too; he must fight to preserve his rule, but he also feels the fear of a father as he sends men into battle against his son. I can't imagine how painful that must have been.

Blessings,
Sam

2 Samuel 18:1-8

Then David mustered the men who were with him, and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ²And David divided the army into three groups: one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” ³But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.”

⁴The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

⁶So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. ⁸The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

a new empire in the picture

Good morning friends,
The next few readings take us out of the Bible we know, but into an important historical time for our faith. After the return of Judah from exile (late 6th century BCE) the Greek city states gained strength. As with other times in Jewish history, much of the fate of Israel Palestine was determined by outside empires. In this case, the Greek civilization had been in conflict with Persia for some time. In 335 BCE, Alexander the Great, King of Macedon and general of the Greek forces, invaded Persia, eventually conquering it. At that point Greece ruled Judah along with the surrounding area.

Alexander tried to unify his giant empire through tolerance and the spread of Greek culture. He left his subject peoples free in most ways but wanted Greek culture to provide a common language. Assimilation was a threat to Jewish culture and faith, because it came with polytheism. In the Jewish community there were different responses. Regardless, it was a fairly humane occupation during Alexander's reign and immediately afterwards. Jews were free to worship God and life was manageable. Later rulers would be harsher, eventually leading to a Jewish revolution. Our readings today and the next couple of days come from the Book of Maccabees. This book (actually 4 books) was written in the second of third century BCE and tell the story of oppression and rebellion by Jewish leaders. Protestants generally do not consider these books as part of the Bible; Catholics and some Episcopalians do. The term for this book and several others is the Apocrypha. At the very least, it gives insight into history that is important for us. Our reading starts with Alexander the Great.

God bless,
Sam

1 Maccabees 1:1-15

After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated King Darius of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king. (He had previously become king of Greece.) ²He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the kings of the earth. ³He advanced to the ends of the earth, and plundered many nations. When the earth became quiet before him, he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up. ⁴He gathered a very strong army and ruled over countries, nations, and princes, and they became tributary to him. 

5 After this he fell sick and perceived that he was dying. ⁶So he summoned his most honoured officers, who had been brought up with him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. ⁷And after Alexander had reigned for twelve years, he died. 8 Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place. ⁹They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their descendants after them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth.

10 From them came forth a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus; he had been a hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

11 In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, ‘Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.’ ¹²This proposal pleased them, ¹³and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. ¹⁴So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom, ¹⁵and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.

Jehu is King!

Good morning friends,
Yesterday we read about how one of the young prophets working with Elisha anointed Jehu, a military commander, as King of Israel. Today we see what happens as a result. The passage starts out with the other officers asking what the prophets wanted. Even though they call him a "madman," as soon as Jehu tells them he has been anointed King, they accept that word and begin a rebellion. Jehu sees God's hand in his calling as he becomes king.

God bless,
Sam

2 Kings 9:11-26

¹¹When Jehu came back to his master’s officers, they said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?” He answered them, “You know the sort and how they babble.” ¹²They said, “Liar! Come on, tell us!” So he said, “This is just what he said to me: ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” ¹³Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”

¹⁴Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram; ¹⁵but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your wish, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.”

¹⁶Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram. ¹⁷In Jezreel, the sentinel standing on the tower spied the company of Jehu arriving, and said, “I see a company.” Joram said, “Take a horseman; send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” ¹⁸So the horseman went to meet him; he said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu responded, “What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” The sentinel reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.” ¹⁹Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

²⁰Again the sentinel reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. It looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi; for he drives like a maniac.” ²¹Joram said, “Get ready.” And they got his chariot ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu; they met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²²When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue?”

²³Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!” ²⁴Jehu drew his bow with all his strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart; and he sank in his chariot. ²⁵Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, “Lift him out, and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I rode side by side behind his father Ahab how the Lord uttered this oracle against him: ²⁶‘For the blood of Naboth and for the blood of his children that I saw yesterday, says the Lord, I swear I will repay you on this very plot of ground.’ Now therefore lift him out and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

Judges

Good morning friends,
This is week 2 of the New Beginnings small groups. One group met after church on Sunday, another group meets at Pete and Laura Braggins' house at noon today, and two groups meet Wednesday, one at 5:30 at the church and one at 7 at Susan Orr's condo. I hope you can make one of them; it's good and important conversation.

Today's reading gives us the brief summary of the Book of Judges. Israel followed Joshua like they had followed Moses, and under his leadership they took possession of the promised land. After his death and the death of others in that generation, the problems God warned Israel about started to take place. The people became complacent, forgot God and worshiped other Gods. Throughout Judges the pattern repeats itself over and over: the people turn away to other gods, God allows them to be oppressed by other nations, God hears their cry and sends a "judge" to save them, the people follow God and the judge during his (or her) lifetime, but then abandon God again. How can we return to God today? How can we pass our faith down to our children?

God bless,
Sam

Judges 2:7, 10-19

⁷The people worshiped the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. …¹⁰Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

¹¹Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped the Baals; ¹²and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. ¹³They abandoned the Lord, and worshipped Baal and the Astartes.

¹⁴So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. ¹⁵Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring misfortune, as the Lord had warned them and sworn to them; and they were in great distress. 

¹⁶Then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them. ¹⁷Yet they did not listen even to their judges; for they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord; they did not follow their example. ¹⁸Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them. ¹⁹But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and behave worse than their ancestors, following other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They would not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.