Dearest e-votees-
Day nineteen of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. We have finished Judges and Ruth (8 down, 58 to go).
If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:
Peace,
Karl
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Day 19 Readings: Judges 15:13-1 Samuel 2:29
Today’s texts are some of those that we find hard to wrap our heads around:
• What was Samson thinking telling Delilah where the power of his strength was to be found after 3 failed attempts to subdue him?!? He might be strong but not so sharp.
• 300 foxes tied tail-to-tail to torch the crops?!? 1,000 taken out with a single donkey jawbone?!?
• Offering your daughter and a concubine to a rape-thirsty crowd to protect a sojourner?!? Actually throwing out the concubine to the crowd?!?
• Sending 12 pieces of the savaged concubine to the 12 tribes of Israel?!?
These accounts seem fantastic in scope and loathsome and lurid. Why would God intervene on Isaac’s behalf and spare him but not assist the concubine? There was a similar story set in Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot was going to throw his daughters out to a rape-thirsty crowd and God intervened. Where is God here?
Some of these stories are hard to engage. It is no wonder that they are left on the cutting room floor when the lectionary (our regular reading cycle of lessons) is being laid out. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is God-breathed useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training. These are some of the scriptures that are harder to find that truth to be so.
In the midst of all these hard stories there is a deep and heartwarming story. The story of Ruth—Jesus’ ancestor. Ruth shows persistence, loyalty and faithfulness. She chooses the better way rather than the easy way. Because of how she carried herself Naomi found comfort and the incarnate Jesus came into being. May we all find ways to comfort those around us (victims of horrific atrocities and those just needing some love) and allow Jesus to come more fully into being through our words and actions.
God, some of your scripture is hard. Some of it is downright incredible. Yet, ever so clear, is the call for us to love you with all our hearts, souls, strengths and minds and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We know the kinds of answer you give when we ask "Who is our neighbor?" Give us courage and grace to love them this day. Amen.
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1 comment:
Thank you for validating my experience of reading these difficult passages. I asked myself some of the same questions...where is God in all of this? Then one of my favorite passages, beautiful Ruth, and her faithfulness and optimistic trust. I think her first husband, Naomi's son, must have been a godly influence. She must have envisioned more possibilities for happiness in leaving what she had always known behind to step out and risk the unknown. Maybe conditions in Moab were so poor for women that it wouldn't take much to be better, and maybe the love she felt for Naomi was the only REAL love she had known, and she couldn't sacrifice it.
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