Wish there was a way to widen the columns in this blog so it doesn't seem like I'm writing so much. Honestly! When I'm writing it in the new blog posts section, it doesn't even seem a page long!
Also I'm hoping I got the comments' settings worked out now that anyone can comment. If it doesn't work just send me an email :)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
1 & 2 Samuel
So I finished 1st and 2nd Samuel over the last couple days. Here's some thought I remember from my readings.
I can't really tell why these books were named after Samuel. He fades out of most of the stories after a while and by the first half of 2nd Samuel he dies (granted he's brought back by a medium, but hey, who's counting posthumous encounters?). I never realized that Samuel was a judge either. I've always viewed him as a prophet, but it's not like the Judges never served as prophets at all, so it makes sense. But I always put Samuel in the elite class of prophets with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Not to say his status was lowered at all in my mind, just a different nuance to the man I never noticed before. I gotta say that after reading these texts, I really really respect the character of Samuel. Out of everything written down, he did everything right! He was a badass Nazarite with the hippie hair and started out really young, but he never set a foot out of line! Here was a man who knew the character of God because he could stand up to kings and rebuke them to their faces under threats of death; but Samuel knew the God of Israel was behind him so there was no fear.
For Saul, I actually feel really sorry for the guy. His main beginning downfalls were impatience and greed. Impatience for not waiting for Samuel to get there before offering the sacrifices, which implies he was fearful and not trusting in the Lord. And either his greed or his sympathy overtook him when it came to Amalikites; greed for plunder which God told him to destroy, or sympathy for not wanting to kill all the children and women (and their king apparently). I have to wonder, if God put me in this position, would I do the same?
His son Jonathan continues to be one of my favorite people in the Bible. He is loyal to a fault. He trusts in the Lord and defeats his enemies while Saul and his priest are still praying for a sign. He protects the life of his friend and honors the covenant between them to his death. It's a shame that he had to be caught up in the death of his father, but I suppose the sins of the father pass on.
I'd like to take a minute to talk about the relationship between Jonathan and David. People have used this friendship and the love between them to suggest that Jonathan and David were homosexual lovers, that no men could love each other like these two did without being romantically involved. I gotta say, I just can't see it this way. I'm not going to say "absolutely not!" because I wasn't there and I didn't see it. However, it seems to me that God was punishing every itty bitty sin and ignorance of the law on pain of death and plague; He didn't let anyone get away with anything that went against his laws. So why would God ignore a breach of His laws that specifically outlined that homosexual relationships were forbidden? Why would He ignore this in his chosen King when God pointed out every other sin that David had committed? My inference would be that there was no breach of the law, there was no romantic relationship.
I think that the lesson that should be taken from this friendship is that this is the ideal of what male companionship should be: being loyal, honoring, protecting and committed friends. A lot of men these days don't know how to be friends. I barely do! Men's companionships have been so tainted by the threat or appearance of homosexuality, or because of a hyper-inflated view of masculinity, that we don't know what a true male friendship should look like. But "Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. 1 Sam 20:17" and David said of him "Oh, how much I loved you!And your love for me was deep,deeper than the love of women! 2 Sam 1:26." The bond between David and Jonathan went deeper than friendship, deeper than lust or sex, deeper than what men typically view as a friendship; it was more of a brotherhood, a second self in a way. I hope people don't sully the relationship that was here by suggesting it was something it was not, but I hope more men can experience the kind of true friendship that David found in Jonathan. The world would probably be a better place for it.
Finally to talk about David. Now that I've read his whole story from front to back instead of in little pieces, I gotta say that I really respect this man. I would love to have known him. He seems like the most human character in the old testament, filled with joys and love of the Lord, pains and sorrows, triumphs and defeats, high points and embarrassments. He truly loved the Lord, throughout his entire life! The funny thing is that, speaking of masculinity, he was a warrior and a king, but he was also a poet and a musician. These things are typically not attributed to bounding masculinity, but I don't think anyone would ever accuse David of being a sissy! Here was an all around man of God, full of passions, violence, artistry, command, and strength. His commitment to keep God's precepts and honor his name just amazes me.
Now when it comes to David's 'downfall', given his adultery with Bathsheba and his killing of Uriah, I think this is just another example of how human David is. How many men of power throughout history have we heard of that have taken the path of David in one form or another? Power corrupts. And David paid for it tenfold just as God promised in 12:11&12. Not only did his son through Bathsheba die, but Absalom's rebellion can be seen as a direct result. His 'humanness' isn't to say he is not at fault or that we give him too little credit, but I think this story is in here to remind us that God works his wonders through fallen people. His word is hidden in jars of clay: failing, faulting, fumbling people. Through Bathsheba God not only punished, but He worked through it by giving birth to Solomon and by establishing David's rule later in life after Absalom. Not only that but his life was worked as an example for us that no matter how hard or far you fall, the Lord can forgive us and restore us if we admit our sins and turn back to him.
Difficulty Points: The parts I had difficulty with in the books were first, that it was not in chronological order. I understand that this is a persnickety qualifier for the Western thinker and that this is an Eastern thinker story line, but it really would have helped when it came to clarifying questions. This make me not look forward to reading Chronicles.
Second, in 2 Sam 24 it says that God caused David to Israel by taking a census. But when David actually does take a census, it's seen as a sin in God's eyes (probably for greed or pride). So my question is, did God cause David to take a census knowing full well that David would sin as a result? Or did God cause David to take a census, but the intent was changed in David's heart from something honoring God to a prideful self-centered thing, and then David sinned? The first scenario doesn't sit well with me. I don't like knowing that God's plans include men sinning against Him, it seems to be the opposite of God character, and James 1:13 says that God never tempts anyone. The second scenario doesn't sit right with me either because there's just not text to support it. I hope that God will open my eyes to understand his will in this. I you, dear reader, have any incite I'd love to hear it.
Further in and further up.
I can't really tell why these books were named after Samuel. He fades out of most of the stories after a while and by the first half of 2nd Samuel he dies (granted he's brought back by a medium, but hey, who's counting posthumous encounters?). I never realized that Samuel was a judge either. I've always viewed him as a prophet, but it's not like the Judges never served as prophets at all, so it makes sense. But I always put Samuel in the elite class of prophets with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Not to say his status was lowered at all in my mind, just a different nuance to the man I never noticed before. I gotta say that after reading these texts, I really really respect the character of Samuel. Out of everything written down, he did everything right! He was a badass Nazarite with the hippie hair and started out really young, but he never set a foot out of line! Here was a man who knew the character of God because he could stand up to kings and rebuke them to their faces under threats of death; but Samuel knew the God of Israel was behind him so there was no fear.
For Saul, I actually feel really sorry for the guy. His main beginning downfalls were impatience and greed. Impatience for not waiting for Samuel to get there before offering the sacrifices, which implies he was fearful and not trusting in the Lord. And either his greed or his sympathy overtook him when it came to Amalikites; greed for plunder which God told him to destroy, or sympathy for not wanting to kill all the children and women (and their king apparently). I have to wonder, if God put me in this position, would I do the same?
His son Jonathan continues to be one of my favorite people in the Bible. He is loyal to a fault. He trusts in the Lord and defeats his enemies while Saul and his priest are still praying for a sign. He protects the life of his friend and honors the covenant between them to his death. It's a shame that he had to be caught up in the death of his father, but I suppose the sins of the father pass on.
I'd like to take a minute to talk about the relationship between Jonathan and David. People have used this friendship and the love between them to suggest that Jonathan and David were homosexual lovers, that no men could love each other like these two did without being romantically involved. I gotta say, I just can't see it this way. I'm not going to say "absolutely not!" because I wasn't there and I didn't see it. However, it seems to me that God was punishing every itty bitty sin and ignorance of the law on pain of death and plague; He didn't let anyone get away with anything that went against his laws. So why would God ignore a breach of His laws that specifically outlined that homosexual relationships were forbidden? Why would He ignore this in his chosen King when God pointed out every other sin that David had committed? My inference would be that there was no breach of the law, there was no romantic relationship.
I think that the lesson that should be taken from this friendship is that this is the ideal of what male companionship should be: being loyal, honoring, protecting and committed friends. A lot of men these days don't know how to be friends. I barely do! Men's companionships have been so tainted by the threat or appearance of homosexuality, or because of a hyper-inflated view of masculinity, that we don't know what a true male friendship should look like. But "Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. 1 Sam 20:17" and David said of him "Oh, how much I loved you!And your love for me was deep,deeper than the love of women! 2 Sam 1:26." The bond between David and Jonathan went deeper than friendship, deeper than lust or sex, deeper than what men typically view as a friendship; it was more of a brotherhood, a second self in a way. I hope people don't sully the relationship that was here by suggesting it was something it was not, but I hope more men can experience the kind of true friendship that David found in Jonathan. The world would probably be a better place for it.
Finally to talk about David. Now that I've read his whole story from front to back instead of in little pieces, I gotta say that I really respect this man. I would love to have known him. He seems like the most human character in the old testament, filled with joys and love of the Lord, pains and sorrows, triumphs and defeats, high points and embarrassments. He truly loved the Lord, throughout his entire life! The funny thing is that, speaking of masculinity, he was a warrior and a king, but he was also a poet and a musician. These things are typically not attributed to bounding masculinity, but I don't think anyone would ever accuse David of being a sissy! Here was an all around man of God, full of passions, violence, artistry, command, and strength. His commitment to keep God's precepts and honor his name just amazes me.
Now when it comes to David's 'downfall', given his adultery with Bathsheba and his killing of Uriah, I think this is just another example of how human David is. How many men of power throughout history have we heard of that have taken the path of David in one form or another? Power corrupts. And David paid for it tenfold just as God promised in 12:11&12. Not only did his son through Bathsheba die, but Absalom's rebellion can be seen as a direct result. His 'humanness' isn't to say he is not at fault or that we give him too little credit, but I think this story is in here to remind us that God works his wonders through fallen people. His word is hidden in jars of clay: failing, faulting, fumbling people. Through Bathsheba God not only punished, but He worked through it by giving birth to Solomon and by establishing David's rule later in life after Absalom. Not only that but his life was worked as an example for us that no matter how hard or far you fall, the Lord can forgive us and restore us if we admit our sins and turn back to him.
Difficulty Points: The parts I had difficulty with in the books were first, that it was not in chronological order. I understand that this is a persnickety qualifier for the Western thinker and that this is an Eastern thinker story line, but it really would have helped when it came to clarifying questions. This make me not look forward to reading Chronicles.
Second, in 2 Sam 24 it says that God caused David to Israel by taking a census. But when David actually does take a census, it's seen as a sin in God's eyes (probably for greed or pride). So my question is, did God cause David to take a census knowing full well that David would sin as a result? Or did God cause David to take a census, but the intent was changed in David's heart from something honoring God to a prideful self-centered thing, and then David sinned? The first scenario doesn't sit well with me. I don't like knowing that God's plans include men sinning against Him, it seems to be the opposite of God character, and James 1:13 says that God never tempts anyone. The second scenario doesn't sit right with me either because there's just not text to support it. I hope that God will open my eyes to understand his will in this. I you, dear reader, have any incite I'd love to hear it.
Further in and further up.
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