Week 9: Corinth, Dinah, the "Incident at Gibeah", "Acrostic Psalms" and The Final Judgement

   

Week 9: Corinth, Dinah, the "Incident at Gibeah",  "Acrostic Psalms" 

and The Final Judgement

     This week we start Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, Greece.  This is a church Paul founded in about 51 in the course of his second missionary voyage (Asimov p. 1102).  He is writing this letter during his stay in Ephesus, sometime during the period 55 to 57.  The letter seems to be written in response to messages to Paul from the church regarding doctrinal and ethical problems which were disturbing the community.  Paul begins with greetings and then says: "Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose (1 Cor 1:10)."  He reminds the church that Christ crucified is the power of God to save and that God's Spirit imparts a deeper wisdom than any human speculation can achieve.  He concludes the second chapter with: "Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny (1 Cor 2:15)."

     Jacob returns in Genesis 32 from the land of Laban and reconciles with his older brother Esau by presenting lavish gifts.  During the return trip to the Promised Land Jacob has his all night wrestling match  with God, who strikes Jacob in the hip leaving him with a permanent limp.  He also changes Jacob's name to Israel "For you have striven with God and humans and have prevailed (Gen 32:28)."  Jacob establishes his home at Shechem and erected an altar and called it El- elohe-Israel.    Chapter 34 brings the curious and disturbing story of Sheckem (son of Hamor) and his rape of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah.  Hamor comes to Jacob to ask for Dinah in marriage to his son (this is after the rape) and Jacob defers to his sons who are out in the field.  Hamor offers any dowry and Jacob, consulting with his sons, insists that Hamor, Sheckem and "all the males among you" become circumcised.  They agree to these terms, but while recuperating and weakened, Simeon and Levi "took their swords and came against the city unawares, and killed all the males (Gen 34:25)."  Jacob worries about this retaliation, but Levi and Simeon ask "Should our sister be treated like a whore?"  God then tells Jacob to build another altar, changes his name again to Israel so Jacob "called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel  (Gen 35:9)."  Rachel then delivers another (this makes 12) son to Jacob, who Jacob called him Benjamin.  Rachel, unfortunately, dies in childbirth.  Karen Amrstrong has interesting take on Jacob's wrestling with God.  On page 91 of In the Beginning, she states: "Where Abraham had cordially entertained a stranger who turned out to be Yahweh, Jacob, a more conflicted character, had to struggle with his divine assailant.  No two people will experience the divine in the same way."  She also wonders about what she terms Jacob's "callous indifference" to the rape of Dinah (p. 95).

    This week concludes the Book of Judges with two supplementary narratives.  The first narrative describes the Tribe of Dan and their oppression by the Philistiines.  The Danites seek another area away from their oppressors and select the town of Laish.  On their way to their new location they steal a silver idol (which had been constructed by Micah) and with it Micah's Levite priest.  In Asimov's book, he states that this story is included in the Book of Judges to demonstrate the anarchy of the times and the disunity of all of the tribes.  The second story is the narrative of Gibeah.  In it an Ephraimite is traveling with his concubine through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.  Although the man stays in his home town of Gibeah, he is threatened by a large gathering of Benjaminites.  He feels sexually threatened, so he gives them his concubine who is repeatedly attacked and left dead on his doorstep in the morning.  The man is incensed and cuts his concubine into twelve parts and distributes them to the other tribes.  The other tribes are outraged, united action is taken against the Benjaminites who are nearly wiped out.  Asimov states that this narrative even more clearly indicates the state of anarchy and lawlessness that prevailed in Israel before the monarchy was established.  He also feels that the events in this narrative actually occurred at the beginning of the era of the Judges, rather than at the end where it is included in the book.

From "The Brick Bible"

    I have come to look forward to Wednesday as "Psalm Day."  First, I don't have to read a bunch of historical background to try to understand them and, second, they tend to be very inspirational and uplifting.  Some of the Psalms I am familiar with, most I am not.  I am grateful for the opportunity to read through the entire Book of Psalms over this year-long exercise.  This weeks Psalms are all songs of praise.  Psalm 24: "Lift up your heads, O gates!  And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in (Psalm 24:7)!" Psalm 25, entitled "Teach Me Your Paths" prays: "Make me to know your paths, O Lord; teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;  for you I will want all the day long (Psalm 25:4-5)."  Asimov notes that the 25th Psalm has a structure that is completely lost in English translation.  "Each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order (Asimov's Guide to the Bible, p. 495).  The 34th and 119th Psalms are "acrostic psalms" also.  Finally, in Psalm 26, verses 1 and 11: "I have trusted in the Lord without wavering" and "But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;  redeem me, and be gracious to me."

     In Chapter 17 Job describes how awful his condition is and contemplates death: "My days are past, my plans are broken off  (verse 11); Where then is my hope?  Shall we descend together into the dust?  (Verse 15-16)"  In Chapter 18 Job's old pal Bildad chimes in for the second time, giving a discourse on the fate of the wicked: "Surely the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of the fire does not shine.  The light is dark in their tent, and the lamp above them is put out (Job 18:15-16)."  Whatever happened to the adage "If you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all?"

     Isaiah 45 begins with the call and charge to Cyrus.  The Cyrus being referred to here is King Cyrus of Persia, who was born 150 years after the time of Isaiah.  This means that Isaiah predicted this king who would release the Jews from Babylonian captivity or this part of the book of Isaiah (again, referred to as "Second Isaiah") was written later by somebody else.  Isaiah then praises an all powerful God revealed to Israel and "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."  The Jewish God of Israel is the God of all nations.  This is a theme which Asimov reminds us is pervasive throughout "Second Isaiah."  Chapter 46 reminds us that only God can save and that unbelievers should take note.  Chapter 47 warns of a false sense of security: "You felt secure in your wickedness;  you said 'no one sees me.' Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray (Is 47:10)."  Chapter 48 reminds us that God's goodness is renewed daily and does not come from false idols.   Chapters 49 and 50 present the second and third "Servant Songs" of Isaiah.  In the first the Lord promises a return to the Promised Land and a Restoration of the nation of Israel.  In the second God leads his servant safely through the darkness of his faithless people's rejection.  "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God? (Is 50:10)"

     Matthew is heading down the homestretch in Chapters 23-25.  Jesus has thrown the moneychangers out of the Temple and now is calling out the scribes and Pharisees: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You have neglected the weightier matters of the laws: justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23)."   In Chapter 24 Jesus tells of the destruction of the Temple (which the Romans actually did in 70 A.D.) and speaks of the end of the age: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35)."  He also warns the people to be ready for a Second Coming which can happen at any time: "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming (Matthew 24:42)."  Jesus underscores this point in Chapter 25 with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids: "Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13)."  Jesus concludes this chapter with his description of The Great Judgement:  "Truly I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me (Matthew25:40)."

"The Last Judgment" by Hieronymus Bosch