And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul?" Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine and fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." David said, "The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of the Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go and may the Lord be with you."
Saul clothed David with his armour; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a cloak of mail. David strapped Saul's sword over the armour, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in the shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in the front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to your birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." But David said to the Philistines, "You come to me with the sword, and the spear and the javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may not that there is a God in Israel, and that all the assembly of the may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand."
When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David's hand.
********************************************************************
Last year I came across the story of a boy from Kenya named Richard Turere. In Richard's Masai community boys between the ages of 6 and 9 are responsible for their father's cattle and looking after the animals is a serious responsibility and a significant challenge. This is especially true for farmers who live along the edge of the wildlife reserve; the fencing and lack thereof means that zebras and lions leave the park and attack the herds of local farmers and the farmers themselves, making coexistence with the lions tenuous at best. Perhaps Richard knows a little of what life was like for young David, who would have witnessed the devastation of these wild beasts and feared what they might do to him or his animals; he too would have known the importance and the pressure of protecting the family's animals. This text and Richard Turere remind us that looking after animals in the wilderness is not for the faint of heart; it is the place where you face your fear, survive by your wits, where you find courage and learn about trust. In the wilderness David learned courage and trust, not in himself alone, but in "the Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear and will save me from the hand of the Philistine." David knew the Lord to be his deliverer and he was confident God would save his people.
God had always saved his people. He made a way for Abraham and Isaac. He was with Joseph in Egypt, he delivered him from the pit, from prison, and gave him a place of honour in Pharaoh's government. He saved Jacob's family from starvation. Moses floated on a basket in the Nile. The people walked across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and finally across the Jordan into Canaan. When they lost their way and turned from God, the Lord delivered his people through a series of Judges. God had always made a way for his people! David knew this in his history, through his experience in the wilderness and through God's Spirit which was working powerfully in him. Remember, David did not just come out of field to fight Goliath. David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, had been chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to be King of Israel.
When the champion fighter Goliath showed up with the Philistine army behind him and dared one Israelite to fight him in a winner takes all battle, no one moved. "Chickens!" Goliath bellowed. God's people stood on one hill, the Philistines on another, a dry valley between them. Goliath was full of bravado, "Chickens," he bellowed, "your God can't save you! I'll rip your heads off and have you on toast!" (Sally Lloyd Jones) David hated to hear those words spoken against God. Who did this this man, this giant, think he was taunting the armies of God alive? David came to down to where the army was camped to see what everyone was talking about, what everyone was so afraid of. Word got around that David was hanging around, asking questions, and stirring people up; eventually Saul heard about this and called for David. When David came before Saul he said, "Master, don't give up hope, I'm read to go and fight this Philistine."
Perhaps David did not take note of the expensive mail and helmet, the bronze covering Goliath's legs, his finely made javelin and intricately crafted spear - all making Goliath the most admired and feared man of his time. Goliath's whole appearance was meant to intimidate: it said I am rich, I am powerful, I am strong, I will win. Appearances can do this can't they; they can intimidate us, make us feel small and unimportant. Well, the appearance of Goliath made the Israelites melt in fear. But David was not intimidated by what he saw, he saw beyond what everyone else saw. David believed that God would deliver his people that very day, not by might or power but, by faith in God.
Saul perceived that God was with the boy and he said to him, "Go and God help you." And placed his own mail and helmet on the boy and gave his his sword. But it all felt so awkward, David hardly knew how to walk with all of the heavy armour on. "I won't need this," David said. And he took his staff, he knelt down and picked up five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and grabbed his slingshot. David had spent a lot of time practicing on targets, scaring off predators and amusing himself with that slingshot, it wasn't much but, it was enough.
Imagine what it looked like as the young Shepherd boy in a tunic and sandals, with a slingshot and a few rocks, walked toward Goliath, an experienced warrior standing seven feet tall, rich, famous, and powerful. There was youth juxtaposed against age, weakness against strength, humility against bravado, economic weakness against economic strength, inexperience against experience, insignificance against fame. It was almost laughable. In fact, Goliath did laugh and he mocked David as he came towards him saying, "Am I dog that you have come at me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods, Come on I'll make road kill of you for the buzzards. I'll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice." (the message)
David held his own and returned back to Goliath, "You come to me with the sword, and the spear and the javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down... so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all the assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand." And as these words left David's lips he began to run toward the Philistine with all that he had and as he was doing so he placed his hand in his pocket for a stone and he slung it, hitting the Philistine in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The laughing and taunting was over, Goliath fell face down in the dirt. And the Philistine army fled in fear.
God had saved his people again, this time through the faith and the courage of the young boy, David. This story points back to Hannah's prayer which frames the beginning of the book of Samuel:
My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies
because I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the Lord,
no one besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth...
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength...
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings to Sheol and raises up...
The Lord makes poor and exalts the rich;
he brings low, he also exalts...
He will guard the feet of his faithful
ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in
darkness;
not by might does one prevail.
This story also points forward to Jesus, who would not save the world through military might, economic or political power, not through fame or spectacle but, through his obedience to God. He would turn everything we thought about how the world worked on its head, just like David did when he ran towards the battle line, slung the stone and toppled Goliath, showing us that God's power is different and stronger than human power. Jesus would subvert the wisdom and power of the world revealing the beauty and mystery and wisdom of his Kingdom. He would subvert the cross, the Roman instrument of torture, shame and death into the way of salvation, the way of life.
This Sunday we mark All Saints' Day. We remember the Saints of the story of God; we give thanks for the faith of those who have been faithful. Those who have instructed us, inspired us, challenged us and encouraged us in our own life of faith.
The Faith of Other Israelite Heroes
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, Samson, Jepthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets -- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight...
Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and protector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
(From Hebrews 11& 12)
The Word of the Lord,
Thanks be to God.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Samuel 3:1-20: A Voice in the Night
The
calling on Samuel's life began before he heard the voice of the Lord in the
middle of the night. It began before he was even born, when his barren
mother, Hannah, cried soundlessly from the depths of her soul, with anguish,
with deep desire for a child. In her petition she asked the Lord for a
son and she offered this child back to the Lord. Eli happened by and saw a
woman so beset that he thought she was drunk. When he realized the turmoil of
her soul, Eli blessed her prayer and true to her word she brought her boy
Samuel back to Eli when he was three years old. I wonder what went
through her mind as she took that journey with Samuel. Did she was worry
about Eli's ability to care for and lead her son? After all Eli's own sons were
gaining quite a reputation. It was faith and a profound trust in God to care for her and Samuel, that carried Hannah up to the temple and to Eli, saying: “Oh my lord, as you
live my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to
the LORD. For this child I prayed and the Lord granted me the petition
that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he
lives he is given to the Lord.”
Hannah
prayed and said,
My heart
exalts in the LORD;
my
strength is exalted in God.
My mouth
derides my enemies,
because I
rejoice in my victory.
There is
no Holy One like the LORD;
no one
besides you;
there is
no rock like our God.
Talk no
more so very proudly,
let no
arrogance come from your
mouth;
for the
Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by
him actions are weighed.
The bows
of the mighty are broken,
but the
feeble gird on strength.
Those who
were full have hired
themselves
out for bread,
but those
who were hungry ate fat
with
spoil.
The
barren has borne seven,
but she
who has many children is
forlorn.
The LORD
kills and brings to life;
he brings
down to Sheol and raises
up.
The LORD
makes poor and exalts rich;
he brings
low, he also exalts.
He raises
up the poor from the dust;
he lifts
the needy from the ash heap,
to make
them sit with princes
and
inherit a seat of honor.
For the
pillars of the earth are the
LORD's
and on
them he has set the world.
He will
guard his faithful
ones,
but the
wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not
by might does one prevail.
The LORD!
His adversaries shall be
shattered;
the most
high will thunder in
heaven.
The LORD
will judge the ends of the earth;
he will
give strength to his king,
and exalt
the power of his anointed.
Hannah's
prayer is an enormously powerful theological statement that sings a song of
triumph in the midst of travail and depicts the coming day of the Lord.
Hannah is speaking of how the Lord has prevailed in her life, how her tormentors
have been silenced. There is a collapsing of time as she prays and her words
reach beyond her to include the marginalized in every time and place. She
speaks to a time when all that is wrong with the world will be turned on its
head. This grand reversal is also the story of Israel, of Jesus, of God's
Kingdom amongst us and his Kingdom that is yet to come in its fullness.
Samuel
the boy with the unusual childhood; raised at the temple at Shiloh, by Eli, half
blind and withered by age. The strange
and wonderful sights, sounds and smells of the temple, the duties of the daily,
would shape his life. There were pots to be scrubbed, rooms to be cleaned,
doors to be opened, fires to tend. I wonder if Eli delighted in the life that
Samuel brought to the temple or if he was too burdened by the grief of his own
sons to appreciate the gift Samuel was to him in those years. The Lord had
spoken to Eli - this was the end of the line for him and his sons because his
sons were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt, taking the best pieces of
meat and bringing them home to roast, sleeping with the women who helped out in
the sanctuary. And Eli was complicit
because he did not deal well with them; he was too indulgent. Amidst
the ruins of his own family life Eli had Samuel, a kind and obedient boy who
loved him and kept him company at the end of his life.
Samuel
was deep in sleep when he heard his name cut through the silence of the night,
through his dream and into the room where he lay. It is always unsettling
to be woken in the pit of the night. The silence is as ominous as the sound
that is heard but not identified. It can be a struggle to discern what is real
and what is imagined. Our bodies respond: the mind races, the heart pounds.
It's as though our deepest fears and anxieties have been waiting all day to
swallow us in the belly of the night, when we are most vulnerable.
"Samuel,
Samuel," the voice said. Samuel woke up and instinctively went to Eli,
"Here I am, you called for me." Eli replied, "I did not
call, lie down again." Samuel returned to his room in a sleepy stooper
somewhere between conscious and subconscious reality. And then it
happened again, "Samuel" the voice called. It had to be Eli. Samuel got up, walked gingerly to Eli’s bedside
and quietly said, "Here I am, you called for me." Eli, was puzzled by
the strange night too. It had been a long time since Samuel had woken in
the night and come to him, "I did not call for you, lie down again."
Samuel was now somewhere between frustration, fear and curiosity.
If nothing else, this night was unusual.
The next
sentence in our story reads, "Now Samuel did not know the Lord and the
word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." Surely this boy
who grew up in the temple, who laid beside the ark of the Lord at night, who
kept the oil in the lamp, who knew the difference between sin offerings, guilt
offerings and burnt offerings, knew the Lord! This implies there is a
more personal or intimate knowing of the Lord. Think back to all of the
ways people have known God in the stories of the Old Testament. How Moses
and Joshua were covered in a cloud so glorious Joshua did not want to
leave. The way Moses face shone so
severely after meeting with the Lord that he had to wear a veil when he
addressed the people. There were bushes
that flamed but were not consumed, there were three strangers who met Abraham at
the Oaks of Mamre. And Jacob had a memorable night-time encounter himself. Do you
remember it? Jacob had separated himself from his family with a river between
them. The next day he would meet his brother for the first time since
stealing the blessing and fleeing his home, and the weight of this bore down
fiercely on Jacob. When suddenly, out of the darkness a stranger leapt
and tackled him. They wrestled against one another through that long and
terrible night. Jacob never saw the face of his mysterious opponent though he was desperate to. Who was the strong and terrible man he was wrestling? Before the dawn broke, before the identity of the attacker might be revealed, the stranger touched his hip. Jacob released
his grip, the attacker fled. Jacob would never be the same after that
night; he would have the limp as an ever -present reminder of the stranger who
held him in his grip as he let it all out, that night by the river.
And after
this night, Samuel's life would be changed, Samuel would be transformed into a prophet of the
Lord.
Perhaps
you can think back to an experience of God that changed your life; when God
became more than an idea, or a philosophy, or a good story. When he spoke to
you, out of the ordinary or extraordinary events of life, out of the silence,
or the beauty of creation, or the ruins of life, through his word, or the words
of others. The truth is, we have God who desires to be near to his
people, who has revealed his very self to us in Jesus, whose is always
speaking.
The Lord
called Samuel a third time and when he went to Eli he perceived that the Lord
was calling the boy. The word of the Lord was rare in those days and visions
were not widespread. This was a jarring night for Eli too.
Eli gathered his thoughts and said to him, “ Go lie down and if he calls you,
you shall say, speak Lord for your servant is listening.” Eli came alongside
Samuel and instructed him on how to proceed; to address the Lord and to listen.
I appreciate that Eli allows this to be Samuel’s experience. I think if I
was Eli, I might have followed behind Samuel and peeked in the room, or sat
quietly on the foot of his bed. Maybe I would have taken a pen and paper so
nothing was missed. Then we could have a really great debrief about the whole
experience (and I could be sure to lay my whole interpretation over it). And in
doing so I would have completely taken over/gotten in the way/snatched the
beauty and mystery and intimacy of the experience from the child. Eli
allows Samuel to have a direct encounter with the Lord; he does not try to
mediate it, he has helped him to discern what God is doing and now he will go
back to sleep. And Samuel will utter the words that will change his life,
“speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”
God’s
entrusted young Samuel with a serious word: “See I am about to do something
that will make both ears of anyone who hears tingle.” Samuel might have
known that particular tingling right then as he heard the voice of the
Lord. I wonder what was triggered in his imagination as he heard the
words, “I am about to do something.” This was the kid who slept beside
the ark of the Lord after all, he had known the stories of God’s deliverance,
how the ark had been carried across the Jordan river, how the walls fell down at
the sound of the horn and the trumpets. He knew of the judges God had
raised up, and how God had used them to save his people. The Lord went on
to tell Samuel that Eli’s house would be wiped out, there would be no sacrifice
to atone for the sins of his family. Perhaps God wanted to help Samuel
understand all that he has seen in Eli’s family. After all it would have
been hard for the boy to reconcile the disrespect and contempt of God he saw
from Eli’s sons with all that Eli had been teaching him, and what he had known
from his own mother. Maybe the Lord wanted to make sure that Samuel understood
that the death of Eli’s sons was a judgement from God for their sins and he
wants to speak to him personally about it. However you look at it, this
is not the word you might expect God to give the young boy. God does not
underestimate the child or patronize him; he entrusts him with a serious word
and we learn that even (and maybe especially) children can be trusted with
God’s word.
In this
story it is the blind man who sees what the Lord is doing and it is the child
that hears from the Lord and is chosen by God. This is the God who Hannah
prayed to, the God who brings low and exalts, the God who chooses the second
born Jacob rather than first born Esau, politically and economically weak
Israel over rich and powerful Egypt, young Samuel as the last and greatest
judge in Israel.
This week
as I considered this story I prayed for all children who gather at our parish,
that they might know the Lord, and discern the
presence of God in their lives and in the world. That as those journeying with them we might be discerning and wise, as Eli was with Samuel on this particular night.
There is
much to consider in this story:
- God
speaks to us! Think of the ways God speaks to us.
- - We can learn to listen to God; others can help us learn about following God.
- Sometimes God chooses
the youngest, or most unlikely person to show us who He is and to lead his
people.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Ruth.
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Then she started to return with her daughters in law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughter, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, why would you wait until they are grown? Why would you refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me." Then she wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
So she said, "See, your sister in law has gone back to her people and to her god; return after your sister-in-law." But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die - there I will be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, even if death parts me from you!"
When Naomi say that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?" She said to them,
"Call me no longer Naomi,
call me Mara,
for the almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
I went away full,
but the LORD has brought me back
empty;
why call me Naomi when the LORD has dealt harshly
with me
and the Almighty has brought
calamity upon me?"
So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Ruth 1:1-22
The Book of Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. God's people had been in the promised land for less than a generation when they turned away from the Lord and worshipped the various gods of the peoples around them. They fell headlong into a world of sin: idol worship, violence and immorality. They disobeyed, ignored and forgot God. So the hand of the Lord turned against them and they were plundered and oppressed by their enemies. They were in great distress and they cried out to God. Then the Lord raised up a judge for them. The Lord was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies for as long as the judge lived. But when the judge died the people returned to their corrupt ways until another judge came along and saved them, this continued for 400 years. In this dark time we are given the Book of Ruth. Our story opens with a history of Naomi and Elimilech; it tells how they travelled from Bethlehem to Moab with their children hoping for relief from the famine that swallowed the land. But not long after they arrived, Elimilech died and Naomi and her two sons had to make their way in a foreign land. The boys married women from Moab and settled down but before many years had passed Mahlon and Chilion also died. Famine had shaped their lives and left its' mark on them forever.
For thousands of Edmontonians food /economic security is not just a term but a struggle that carries with it vivid memories of pain and loss. It is a reality that has defined and re-defined their lives. Many have moved to Edmonton with nothing but a flickering hope that life might be better here; that their children will live in safety, receive an education and have a future. Perhaps this struggle has shaped a part of your story too. In our family, four of our Grandparents watched family members starve and suffer in Russia after they were kicked off their land. Many of the Mennonites who fled Russia came as orphans and were separated from their siblings upon arrival; they depended upon the kindness of extended family and the larger community for their survival. They had only their faith in God, their community and the memory of those they loved to carry with them and sustain them in this foreign land. I wonder what stories of faith were instructive or gave them hope? I wonder if Naomi remembered the story of Joseph as her world was falling a part? I wonder if she remembered how God made a way for Jacob and his family in the time of famine? I wonder if she remembered how God redeemed the betrayal and the loss of Joseph's family during those years in Egypt, in the embrace of Joseph and his brothers?
What can be done when the life we know is shattered? When all the points of reference are gone and you move through the day like a shell of your former self? Decisions press us and need to be made - life plods on. Orpah and Ruth had no children, they could go back to their mothers, they could marry and begin again. For Naomi it felt different, this was the end of the road for her; she was an old woman, her husband and her sons were dead and she was in a foreign land. She asked her daughters-in-law to part from her, after all they were Moabites, they were not her people. She would return to her home in Bethlehem, empty. What would become of them? How would God work his purposes in the bitter grief of Naomi? How would God work in Ruth, a Moabite woman, an outsider? This is a wonderful tale of selfless devotion, of grand reversal, of ordinary people who overcome adversity with initiative and ingenuity. It is a story of race, of gender and social class. It is a story of the providence and the redemption of God.
In our story, Ruth provides an interesting foil to Naomi. Ruth, the outsider, is loyal to Yahweh. While Naomi feels the hand of the LORD is against her and weeps bitter tears, Ruth is willing to risk her future to be faithful to Naomi and the Lord. What does Ruth see that Naomi doesn't see? What does she know of God that Naomi doesn't know? Who is the outsider and who is the insider? This is a question that resonates in the New Testament, in Jesus, in his radical redefinition of family: "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers. And pointing to his disciples he said, "Here are my my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50) or "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not pick up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it and those who lose their life will find it." (Matthew 12:37-40)
Hear again, Ruth's inspired words to Naomi, her mother in law:
"Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go; I will go;
Where you lodge; I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die -
there I will be buried.
May the LORD do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
even if death parts me from you!"
Ruth acts with a radical and selfless devotion to Naomi and to the Lord in leaving her land and her family; cleaving to Yahweh and the bitter, old widow and setting off for Bethlehem. How could Ruth have known the fullness that God would bring her and the place of honour she would have in the lineage of Jesus? This is who our God is. He is a God who can bring a future and a hope from the most dead end, hopeless situations. He blessed these poor and vulnerable women with a home, he provided work and a kinsmen redeemer. He brought forth a child from barrenness. Naomi's empty arms and empty heart were full and filled with a joy that she never could have imagined.
The kids in your class might be curious as they read Naomi's strange words about having more sons for her daughter-in-laws to marry! These verses are telling us of a custom in Israel for widows to marry a brother of their deceased husband. This was a way of taking care of the widows and their children and preserving the family line. However, these verses are also foreshadowing something that is yet to come in the story of Ruth. Naomi thinks it is hopeless for Orpah and Ruth to remain committed to her; she doesn't remember that there is another relative named Boaz, who might perform the duty of a brother, who just might be a kinsmen redeemer. Boaz from Bethlehem comes from the line of Rahab; the woman who hid the Israelite spies under the flax on her roof, who spared their lives and whose own life and that of her family was spared because of her faith in God. Do you see the larger story of God at work here? In this story there is a subtext of obedience and faithfulness, mercy and grace and wonderful surprise, isn't there? We find these strands all throughout the story of God and his people and if we look, we can find them in our own lives too.
There in an earthy spirituality in this story, "earthy in that it deals with ordinary people coping with everyday life, spirituality in that the characters of the story are alive to God."(Andrew E. Hill) Following God is not neat and tidy or simple and straight forward or black and white. Following God happens in the context of our messy lives and in fact, this is where God meets us: when we are too bitter to see straight, when we can't speak the language or when we are confronted with the need of a neighbour.
Ruth is a beautiful example of a woman who gives herself to another and to God, she is loyal and faithful. She works diligently in the fields, follows Naomi's (sometimes) strange advice and has an unwavering trust in God. In the Hebrew Bible the book of Ruth follows Proverbs, so that the story provides an illustration of the noble woman commended in Proverbs 31:10-31. (Hill)
There are many themes to pick up on in this story:
the reality of dislocation due to food or economic insecurity
welcoming new people into a family or a community
the vulnerability of those who are widowed
who takes care of us and who do we take care of (and why we do this)
the love that keeps us going, the way we show love to others
May God be with you as you share this story with your classes this week.
Then she started to return with her daughters in law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughter, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, why would you wait until they are grown? Why would you refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me." Then she wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
So she said, "See, your sister in law has gone back to her people and to her god; return after your sister-in-law." But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die - there I will be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, even if death parts me from you!"
When Naomi say that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?" She said to them,
"Call me no longer Naomi,
call me Mara,
for the almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
I went away full,
but the LORD has brought me back
empty;
why call me Naomi when the LORD has dealt harshly
with me
and the Almighty has brought
calamity upon me?"
So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Ruth 1:1-22
The Book of Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. God's people had been in the promised land for less than a generation when they turned away from the Lord and worshipped the various gods of the peoples around them. They fell headlong into a world of sin: idol worship, violence and immorality. They disobeyed, ignored and forgot God. So the hand of the Lord turned against them and they were plundered and oppressed by their enemies. They were in great distress and they cried out to God. Then the Lord raised up a judge for them. The Lord was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies for as long as the judge lived. But when the judge died the people returned to their corrupt ways until another judge came along and saved them, this continued for 400 years. In this dark time we are given the Book of Ruth. Our story opens with a history of Naomi and Elimilech; it tells how they travelled from Bethlehem to Moab with their children hoping for relief from the famine that swallowed the land. But not long after they arrived, Elimilech died and Naomi and her two sons had to make their way in a foreign land. The boys married women from Moab and settled down but before many years had passed Mahlon and Chilion also died. Famine had shaped their lives and left its' mark on them forever.
For thousands of Edmontonians food /economic security is not just a term but a struggle that carries with it vivid memories of pain and loss. It is a reality that has defined and re-defined their lives. Many have moved to Edmonton with nothing but a flickering hope that life might be better here; that their children will live in safety, receive an education and have a future. Perhaps this struggle has shaped a part of your story too. In our family, four of our Grandparents watched family members starve and suffer in Russia after they were kicked off their land. Many of the Mennonites who fled Russia came as orphans and were separated from their siblings upon arrival; they depended upon the kindness of extended family and the larger community for their survival. They had only their faith in God, their community and the memory of those they loved to carry with them and sustain them in this foreign land. I wonder what stories of faith were instructive or gave them hope? I wonder if Naomi remembered the story of Joseph as her world was falling a part? I wonder if she remembered how God made a way for Jacob and his family in the time of famine? I wonder if she remembered how God redeemed the betrayal and the loss of Joseph's family during those years in Egypt, in the embrace of Joseph and his brothers?
What can be done when the life we know is shattered? When all the points of reference are gone and you move through the day like a shell of your former self? Decisions press us and need to be made - life plods on. Orpah and Ruth had no children, they could go back to their mothers, they could marry and begin again. For Naomi it felt different, this was the end of the road for her; she was an old woman, her husband and her sons were dead and she was in a foreign land. She asked her daughters-in-law to part from her, after all they were Moabites, they were not her people. She would return to her home in Bethlehem, empty. What would become of them? How would God work his purposes in the bitter grief of Naomi? How would God work in Ruth, a Moabite woman, an outsider? This is a wonderful tale of selfless devotion, of grand reversal, of ordinary people who overcome adversity with initiative and ingenuity. It is a story of race, of gender and social class. It is a story of the providence and the redemption of God.
In our story, Ruth provides an interesting foil to Naomi. Ruth, the outsider, is loyal to Yahweh. While Naomi feels the hand of the LORD is against her and weeps bitter tears, Ruth is willing to risk her future to be faithful to Naomi and the Lord. What does Ruth see that Naomi doesn't see? What does she know of God that Naomi doesn't know? Who is the outsider and who is the insider? This is a question that resonates in the New Testament, in Jesus, in his radical redefinition of family: "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers. And pointing to his disciples he said, "Here are my my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50) or "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not pick up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it and those who lose their life will find it." (Matthew 12:37-40)
Hear again, Ruth's inspired words to Naomi, her mother in law:
"Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go; I will go;
Where you lodge; I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die -
there I will be buried.
May the LORD do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
even if death parts me from you!"
Ruth acts with a radical and selfless devotion to Naomi and to the Lord in leaving her land and her family; cleaving to Yahweh and the bitter, old widow and setting off for Bethlehem. How could Ruth have known the fullness that God would bring her and the place of honour she would have in the lineage of Jesus? This is who our God is. He is a God who can bring a future and a hope from the most dead end, hopeless situations. He blessed these poor and vulnerable women with a home, he provided work and a kinsmen redeemer. He brought forth a child from barrenness. Naomi's empty arms and empty heart were full and filled with a joy that she never could have imagined.
The kids in your class might be curious as they read Naomi's strange words about having more sons for her daughter-in-laws to marry! These verses are telling us of a custom in Israel for widows to marry a brother of their deceased husband. This was a way of taking care of the widows and their children and preserving the family line. However, these verses are also foreshadowing something that is yet to come in the story of Ruth. Naomi thinks it is hopeless for Orpah and Ruth to remain committed to her; she doesn't remember that there is another relative named Boaz, who might perform the duty of a brother, who just might be a kinsmen redeemer. Boaz from Bethlehem comes from the line of Rahab; the woman who hid the Israelite spies under the flax on her roof, who spared their lives and whose own life and that of her family was spared because of her faith in God. Do you see the larger story of God at work here? In this story there is a subtext of obedience and faithfulness, mercy and grace and wonderful surprise, isn't there? We find these strands all throughout the story of God and his people and if we look, we can find them in our own lives too.
There in an earthy spirituality in this story, "earthy in that it deals with ordinary people coping with everyday life, spirituality in that the characters of the story are alive to God."(Andrew E. Hill) Following God is not neat and tidy or simple and straight forward or black and white. Following God happens in the context of our messy lives and in fact, this is where God meets us: when we are too bitter to see straight, when we can't speak the language or when we are confronted with the need of a neighbour.
Ruth is a beautiful example of a woman who gives herself to another and to God, she is loyal and faithful. She works diligently in the fields, follows Naomi's (sometimes) strange advice and has an unwavering trust in God. In the Hebrew Bible the book of Ruth follows Proverbs, so that the story provides an illustration of the noble woman commended in Proverbs 31:10-31. (Hill)
There are many themes to pick up on in this story:
the reality of dislocation due to food or economic insecurity
welcoming new people into a family or a community
the vulnerability of those who are widowed
who takes care of us and who do we take care of (and why we do this)
the love that keeps us going, the way we show love to others
May God be with you as you share this story with your classes this week.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Israel Takes the Land
A long time before Joshua, before Moses, or Joseph or Jacob, or Isaac, there was a man from Ur named Abraham. Abraham had settled in Haran with his wife Sarah, they had herds of cattle and servants and great wealth but Sarah was barren, there was no heir to the fortune, the future was closed off and this brought with it a sense of futility. And God came to Abraham, he spoke of newness and possibility, "Go from your country to a land I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing." And at this invitation Abraham left his settled life in anticipation of two great gifts - land and descendants. He risked his secure barrenness for a future which promised more. He and Sarah and Lot (his nephew) took all that they had, their possessions, their livestock, the people who worked for them and they set off. Imagine the sights and sounds of that caravan! Abraham trusted God would give them land and descendants, though at times it seemed impossible. How would they come to possess land? Surely, it would not simply be handed over to them. How would he and Sarah have descendants? They were getting too old. Weren't they? When they passed through Canaan, to the place at Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, "to your offspring I will give this land." So Abraham built an alter to the Lord who had appeared to him.
Canaan, that strip of land between ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia would become the home of God's people. But hundreds of years would pass from the time Abraham built an alter in that place, to the glimpse God would give Moses, to the crossing of the Jordan into the land. Abraham and Sarah would have a son, Isaac who would marry Rebekah who would bear two sons: Esau and Jacob. Jacob would be given the name Israel and have 12 sons, one of whom would be sold as a slave in Egypt and would save his family in the time of famine. The family of Israel were expelled from their land because of the famine and through Joseph they were given a home in Egypt. But they never forgot about the home that God had promised them. A generation passed, there rose a new King in Egypt who did not know Joseph and the Israelites became slaves. Though they were oppressed they continued to thrive. The more they grew in numbers, the more they were oppressed. They cried out to God and he heard their cry. Moses would lead God's people out of slavery, through the waters of the Red Sea and into the wilderness that they might learn to worship God, that they might become his people, and come, at last, to their home - the land of Canaan.
The book of Joshua picks up the story of God's people just after Moses' sermon at the boundary. Once more Moses spoke and the people listened. This was a time of disciplined reflection, Moses' speech is filled with promise and demand; it is a talk about Israel, about gifts and covenant, about temptation and faith. This experience of having land will re-shape them as a people, they will be faced with identity questions again, something new will be demanded of them in the land. Moses reminds them that this land they are about to receive is a gift, it is not just to be taken and occupied it is to be more deeply regarded. In Canaan they will live in cities, farm land, there will be water from wells, they will grow their food from the ground, bread will not fall from heaven. The settled life will allow them to be productive, they will plant, grow and harvest. They will build. They will prosper. But they must remember the Lord, they must keep his commands. After addressing his people for the last time, Moses ascended Mount Nebo and God in his mercy gave Moses a view of the whole land. Moses would not go any further with them because of his anger toward God at the waters of Meribah. Moses was 128 when he died, his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The people of Israel grieved their great leader for 30 days on the plains of Moab. And Joshua full of the spirit of wisdom took up the leadership of the people.
A calm fell upon God's people; they were getting ready to cross the Jordan River and take the land. They were listening to God, their hearts were stirred, they were ready to act. Their grumbling and fear has had given way to a confidence and a hope. God will do what he says he will do.
God spoke to Joshua: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
Joshua sent two spies to the formidable city of Jericho on a recognisance mission. The spies came to Jericho and they entered the house of Rahab in the wall of the city. The King of Jericho was on high alert, he had his own people keeping an eye on those coming and going. And not long after they arrived, Israel's spies were spotted entering the house of Rahab. As soon as the King got word of this he sent his messengers to find them. When they arrived at Rahab's house the King's men said to her: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." Now Rahab could have brought these spies from Israel out and given them over to her King to surely die, but she feared the Lord and she risked her own life for theirs. She had tucked Israel's two spies under stalks of flax on the roof of the house and the King's men did not suspect a thing! At her word they set off beyond the walls of the city in search of the men. Imagine the hearts of the spies pounding in their chests and echoing in their ears as they laid stone still, waiting. Or Rahab, keeping composure, her stomach knotted, as she told the soldiers to go and search for the men who had left earlier in the day.
The people of Jericho knew the Israelites were camped on the other side of the river and they were feeling nervous. In fact, Rahab told the spies that her people's hearts were melting in fear because they heard what God had done for the Israelites; how he brought them out of Egypt and swallowed the Egyptian army whole. "The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below." she boldly declared. "Now since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you will in turn deal kindly with me and my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my family," she pleaded. "Our life, for yours," the spies returned, "but you cannot say a word." And Rahab let the men down through a window in her house, in the wall of the city; she advised the men to stay in the hill country for three days before returning back to their camp. The men called back to her, "Tie this red cord in your window through which you let us down, if any of your family go into the streets they take their life in their hands, however, all of your family who remain in your house will be our responsibility." And with those words the men departed and Rahab tied the crimson cord in the window and she and her family were saved. For this bold act of faith, Rahab, a prostitute, in a city overrun with immorality and idolatry, becomes an unlikely hero. Though some might think she would be the last person to recognize God, she is the one who sees most clearly that the God of the Israelites is God alone. For me, this story has such powerful resonance with the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with ointment in a bold and passionate act of faith. Rahab's story is a beautiful reminder of God's love for all people and his desire to draw all into the purposes of God.
When the spies returned they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands." And early in the morning the Israelites broke camp and left for the banks of the Jordan where they would stay for three days and wait to see the ark of the covenant of the Lord carried by the priests. At last Joshua said to the people, "prepare yourselves tomorrow God will work wonders among you."
What do you think they thought about that night as they laid down in their tents on the east side of the river? What wonders would the creator display before them? How would he show his glory to the people?
The next day, at Joshua's command the priests picked up the ark and walked in front of the Israelites and to the edge of the Jordan. Now the water of the Jordan was running high, overflowing its banks in its springtime flood. If you have ever looked at the North Saskatchewan River in the Spring you might have noticed how high the water is, how fast it runs, how muddy it looks, so perhaps you can imagine the Jordan river in Springtime. As the priests stepped into the water up to their ankles, the waters piled up, they were cut off at their supply and stopped flowing. Imagine what this would have triggered in the memory of these people - they would have been children when they held their parents hands and followed Moses and Aaron across the Red Sea, when they saw the power of the wind that held the waters back, when they saw the Egyptians drown in the waters behind them, when they heard Moses and Miriam sing, when they danced before the Lord. On this day they were holding the hands of their own children. After all those long years God was about to give them a home, they were about to inherit the land promised to their people over 500 year before. All together forty thousand people crossed over the river that day ready to take Jericho.
As Joshua approached Jericho he saw before him a man with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua asked him, "Whose side are you on: ours or the enemies." The man replied, "Neither, I am the commander of the Lord's army. I've just arrived" At this Joshua fell, his face to the ground and he worshipped the Lord and asked him, "what orders does my master have for his servant?" God's army commander ordered Joshua, "Take the sandals off your feet, for the ground that you are standing on is holy." And Joshua did as he was commanded. Just as Moses had done before the burning bush all those years ago.
Now Jericho was wound up because Israel was at its doorstep. No one was going in or out of the city. There was an eerie silence about the place. God spoke to Joshua, "Look sharp now, I've already given Jericho to you, here is what you are to do. For the next six days you are to march around the city once with all your soldiers, with the ark of the covenant, with trumpets and the rams horn and on the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets and then a long blast on the rams horn - when you hear that rams horn all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city walls will collapse and all the people are to enter, everyone, straight in." And so it happened, on the seventh day, and at the seventh time when the priests had blown the trumpet Joshua said to the people, "Shout for the Lord has given you the city." The people shouted, the trumpets where blown, the walls of the city were flattened and the people took the city and entered the land God had given to them.
There is much to be said theologically about this text. But perhaps we can enter into the story and meet God in our imaginations - in the encounter with Rahab, at the crossing of the Jordan River, when Joshua meets the commander of the Lord's army, in the radical newness offered to Israel in this gift of land.
The covered ark with golden staves carried by the priests, and seven priests with rams' horns, at the Battle of Jericho, in an eighteenth-century artist's depiction.
When I was a child I thought the Levites were moving around a huge ark, kind of like Noah's ark. I could hardly imagine how crushing this task would be! This ark which represented the presence of God was actually more like a chest (that makes more sense!). And in the chest were the tablets upon which were written the ten commandments.
I hope that you have a wonderful time sharing this story with the students. This is a great story to enact, build walls with foam bricks, march around them with and make the walls fall, blow trumpets, shout! I think older kids could have some fun using playmobil characters and lego walls, making a short movie or a movie trailer on the iphone. If you need some additional technology for this, please let me know.
Thank you for sharing these stories and your lives with the children of our community each week. I am thankful for you all.
Canaan, that strip of land between ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia would become the home of God's people. But hundreds of years would pass from the time Abraham built an alter in that place, to the glimpse God would give Moses, to the crossing of the Jordan into the land. Abraham and Sarah would have a son, Isaac who would marry Rebekah who would bear two sons: Esau and Jacob. Jacob would be given the name Israel and have 12 sons, one of whom would be sold as a slave in Egypt and would save his family in the time of famine. The family of Israel were expelled from their land because of the famine and through Joseph they were given a home in Egypt. But they never forgot about the home that God had promised them. A generation passed, there rose a new King in Egypt who did not know Joseph and the Israelites became slaves. Though they were oppressed they continued to thrive. The more they grew in numbers, the more they were oppressed. They cried out to God and he heard their cry. Moses would lead God's people out of slavery, through the waters of the Red Sea and into the wilderness that they might learn to worship God, that they might become his people, and come, at last, to their home - the land of Canaan.
The book of Joshua picks up the story of God's people just after Moses' sermon at the boundary. Once more Moses spoke and the people listened. This was a time of disciplined reflection, Moses' speech is filled with promise and demand; it is a talk about Israel, about gifts and covenant, about temptation and faith. This experience of having land will re-shape them as a people, they will be faced with identity questions again, something new will be demanded of them in the land. Moses reminds them that this land they are about to receive is a gift, it is not just to be taken and occupied it is to be more deeply regarded. In Canaan they will live in cities, farm land, there will be water from wells, they will grow their food from the ground, bread will not fall from heaven. The settled life will allow them to be productive, they will plant, grow and harvest. They will build. They will prosper. But they must remember the Lord, they must keep his commands. After addressing his people for the last time, Moses ascended Mount Nebo and God in his mercy gave Moses a view of the whole land. Moses would not go any further with them because of his anger toward God at the waters of Meribah. Moses was 128 when he died, his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The people of Israel grieved their great leader for 30 days on the plains of Moab. And Joshua full of the spirit of wisdom took up the leadership of the people.
A calm fell upon God's people; they were getting ready to cross the Jordan River and take the land. They were listening to God, their hearts were stirred, they were ready to act. Their grumbling and fear has had given way to a confidence and a hope. God will do what he says he will do.
God spoke to Joshua: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
Joshua sent two spies to the formidable city of Jericho on a recognisance mission. The spies came to Jericho and they entered the house of Rahab in the wall of the city. The King of Jericho was on high alert, he had his own people keeping an eye on those coming and going. And not long after they arrived, Israel's spies were spotted entering the house of Rahab. As soon as the King got word of this he sent his messengers to find them. When they arrived at Rahab's house the King's men said to her: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." Now Rahab could have brought these spies from Israel out and given them over to her King to surely die, but she feared the Lord and she risked her own life for theirs. She had tucked Israel's two spies under stalks of flax on the roof of the house and the King's men did not suspect a thing! At her word they set off beyond the walls of the city in search of the men. Imagine the hearts of the spies pounding in their chests and echoing in their ears as they laid stone still, waiting. Or Rahab, keeping composure, her stomach knotted, as she told the soldiers to go and search for the men who had left earlier in the day.
The people of Jericho knew the Israelites were camped on the other side of the river and they were feeling nervous. In fact, Rahab told the spies that her people's hearts were melting in fear because they heard what God had done for the Israelites; how he brought them out of Egypt and swallowed the Egyptian army whole. "The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below." she boldly declared. "Now since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you will in turn deal kindly with me and my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my family," she pleaded. "Our life, for yours," the spies returned, "but you cannot say a word." And Rahab let the men down through a window in her house, in the wall of the city; she advised the men to stay in the hill country for three days before returning back to their camp. The men called back to her, "Tie this red cord in your window through which you let us down, if any of your family go into the streets they take their life in their hands, however, all of your family who remain in your house will be our responsibility." And with those words the men departed and Rahab tied the crimson cord in the window and she and her family were saved. For this bold act of faith, Rahab, a prostitute, in a city overrun with immorality and idolatry, becomes an unlikely hero. Though some might think she would be the last person to recognize God, she is the one who sees most clearly that the God of the Israelites is God alone. For me, this story has such powerful resonance with the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with ointment in a bold and passionate act of faith. Rahab's story is a beautiful reminder of God's love for all people and his desire to draw all into the purposes of God.
When the spies returned they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands." And early in the morning the Israelites broke camp and left for the banks of the Jordan where they would stay for three days and wait to see the ark of the covenant of the Lord carried by the priests. At last Joshua said to the people, "prepare yourselves tomorrow God will work wonders among you."
What do you think they thought about that night as they laid down in their tents on the east side of the river? What wonders would the creator display before them? How would he show his glory to the people?
The next day, at Joshua's command the priests picked up the ark and walked in front of the Israelites and to the edge of the Jordan. Now the water of the Jordan was running high, overflowing its banks in its springtime flood. If you have ever looked at the North Saskatchewan River in the Spring you might have noticed how high the water is, how fast it runs, how muddy it looks, so perhaps you can imagine the Jordan river in Springtime. As the priests stepped into the water up to their ankles, the waters piled up, they were cut off at their supply and stopped flowing. Imagine what this would have triggered in the memory of these people - they would have been children when they held their parents hands and followed Moses and Aaron across the Red Sea, when they saw the power of the wind that held the waters back, when they saw the Egyptians drown in the waters behind them, when they heard Moses and Miriam sing, when they danced before the Lord. On this day they were holding the hands of their own children. After all those long years God was about to give them a home, they were about to inherit the land promised to their people over 500 year before. All together forty thousand people crossed over the river that day ready to take Jericho.
As Joshua approached Jericho he saw before him a man with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua asked him, "Whose side are you on: ours or the enemies." The man replied, "Neither, I am the commander of the Lord's army. I've just arrived" At this Joshua fell, his face to the ground and he worshipped the Lord and asked him, "what orders does my master have for his servant?" God's army commander ordered Joshua, "Take the sandals off your feet, for the ground that you are standing on is holy." And Joshua did as he was commanded. Just as Moses had done before the burning bush all those years ago.
Now Jericho was wound up because Israel was at its doorstep. No one was going in or out of the city. There was an eerie silence about the place. God spoke to Joshua, "Look sharp now, I've already given Jericho to you, here is what you are to do. For the next six days you are to march around the city once with all your soldiers, with the ark of the covenant, with trumpets and the rams horn and on the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets and then a long blast on the rams horn - when you hear that rams horn all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city walls will collapse and all the people are to enter, everyone, straight in." And so it happened, on the seventh day, and at the seventh time when the priests had blown the trumpet Joshua said to the people, "Shout for the Lord has given you the city." The people shouted, the trumpets where blown, the walls of the city were flattened and the people took the city and entered the land God had given to them.
There is much to be said theologically about this text. But perhaps we can enter into the story and meet God in our imaginations - in the encounter with Rahab, at the crossing of the Jordan River, when Joshua meets the commander of the Lord's army, in the radical newness offered to Israel in this gift of land.
The covered ark with golden staves carried by the priests, and seven priests with rams' horns, at the Battle of Jericho, in an eighteenth-century artist's depiction.
When I was a child I thought the Levites were moving around a huge ark, kind of like Noah's ark. I could hardly imagine how crushing this task would be! This ark which represented the presence of God was actually more like a chest (that makes more sense!). And in the chest were the tablets upon which were written the ten commandments.
I hope that you have a wonderful time sharing this story with the students. This is a great story to enact, build walls with foam bricks, march around them with and make the walls fall, blow trumpets, shout! I think older kids could have some fun using playmobil characters and lego walls, making a short movie or a movie trailer on the iphone. If you need some additional technology for this, please let me know.
Thank you for sharing these stories and your lives with the children of our community each week. I am thankful for you all.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Ten Commandments
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast of a trumpet so loud that when all the people who were in the camp trembled. moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. The took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped up in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder. When the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. The Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people not to break through to the LORD to look; otherwise many of them will perish... The LORD said to him, "go down and come up bringing Aaron with you; but do not let either the priests or the people break through to come up to the LORD; otherwise he will break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told them.
The God spoke all these words:
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.
You should not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath day to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son, your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock or alien residents in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
Honor your father and mother so that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "you speak to us and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin." Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thickness where God was.
Exodus19:16-22, 24&25, 20:1:22
Before we begin to think about the words of God on Mount Sinai, we must remember what Moses said to the Pharaoh of Egypt when he was pleading for the freedom of his people: "God says, Let my people go, so they may worship me in the wilderness." Enslaved in Egypt the Israelites forgot the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because of "their broken spirit and their cruel slavery." But God did not forget them, he heard their cries and he came to Moses saying, "I have heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves and I have remembered my covenant." The Israelites saw the persistence and the power of their God who remembered them. Before they escaped Egypt they would see the Nile turned to blood, flies, locusts and frogs swarm the earth and boils plague the Egyptians, they would see darkness descend and remain. I wonder what the Israelites thought as they witnessed the power of the God they hardly knew anymore? Who was He who moved the cloud behind them, who commanded the wind and the water, who made a way where there was no way, who swallowed their oppressors? Moses knew. God had spared his life as a child, had found him in Midian and brought him before the Pharaoh and he and Miriam lead their people in singing, in dancing, in worship on the other side of the shore saying:
The Lord is my strength and my might,
and he has become my salvation
This is my God and I will praise him
My Father's God and I will exalt him
Who is like you, O Lord, among the Gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness
awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
You stretched out your hand and the earth swallowed them.
But it didn't take long for the grumbling and the longing for the former life to set in, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by fleshpots and ate our fill," they said to Moses. Now, I appreciate this complaint because it reveals what we know to be true in our own lives: our memory is often unreliable. Sometimes we romanticize the past, life was so much easier when I wasn't working, when the kids were little, when we lived over there, when other people were making decisions for us/telling us what to do. Other times we re-interpret the past through our current circumstances, the questions we have or the hurt we are experiencing and we project these current feelings into our past experiences... "it's always been this way for me..." Life for the Israelites in Egypt was harsh but it was what they were accustomed to. They had no frame of reference for what it meant to be free and they began to despair, they began to long for what was, surely they must be facing death, what else could be before them? God cared for them in their anxiety and fear; he provided food from heaven and water from a rock, cloud and fire that they might trust him, that they might learn who he is and how to worship him. But this was hard learning; they had to confront their idolatry's, their wrong ideas about who God is and their own depravity. They would fail, repent, be renewed and sin again; in one breath bowing down to God and in another worshipping idols.
They came to Mount Sinai where they camped in the wilderness. And God said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians how I bore you on Eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my commandment you shall be my treasured possession out of all the people. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation... and the LORD said to Moses, I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after."(exodus 19:3-6) And Moses prepared the people to hear from the Lord, they washed their clothes and prepared for the third day. And on the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightening, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain and a blast of the trumpet that caused the people to tremble. The mountain was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire, as he had descended on the bush before Moses. The smoke went up and the mountain shook. The trumpet blasts became louder and louder and God spoke these words to Moses and his first words were, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me."(Exodus 2-:1-3) God reminds them, I am passionately involved with you, I created you, I called you, I have paid dearly for you, you have been bought out of slavery that you might fully belong to me, that you might worship me, that you might be set a part, that you might live in such a way that people might see who I am. (Hauerwas & Willimon) As Christians we too are to live as those chosen by God, claimed by him, that we might proclaim in words and deed what God has done. These commandments are "given to a whole community and are only made possible by our initiation in a community where there are opportunities for confession, forgiveness and reconciliation;" we will fail, but we can receive forgiveness through Christ and be brought into right relationship with God and others (Hauerwas & Willimon p.217).
The commandments deal with our relationship to God (worship God alone, do not make idols, do not use God's name wrongfully, Keep the Sabbath) and our relationship with others (honour your parents, do not steal, do not murder, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not envy). My tendency is to frame the commandments in the positive: live generously, be honest, practice fidelity and it is true that there is invitation to live this way in these words. But, if the commandments were written this way they likely wouldn't act on me in the same way. When I read or hear them as they are written, they convict me and show me my sin and the deep need I have of God's mercy and grace. I know my tendency to distort the truth, to lie, when it helps my cause; my bent towards idolatry; my struggle to stop working, to put aside what I would like to do and enter into the rhythms of sabbath. I think of Jesus' words: "You have heard it said that anyone who murders shall be liable to judgement. But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to judgement." (Matthew 5:21-22) I can't keep the commandments, the great prophet Moses couldn't keep them, David couldn't keep them. Not one of us can do it; lying, deceit and falsehood come quite naturally to us. And rules don't save us, it is God, in Christ who saves us and transforms us, by our obedience into a people of truth. (Hauerwas and Willimon, pg.134)
We have these words of God because we have been delivered and redeemed and we are delivered and redeemed because we have these words (Hauerwas & Willimon). These words are to shape our lives, in them we discover that how we live matters to God and we discover that these words give us life; they are a gift, not a burden.
Our words matter, what we do with our bodies matters, how we view our property and our possessions matters, our attitude to our parents matters, fidelity matters, telling the truth matters because God has chosen us to be his people. God wants to use us to bring life out of death, order out of chaos, light out of darkness and whenever we do this, it is worship (Hauerwas & Willimon, pg. 187).
If you are teaching Pre K/K and Grades 1&2 this week and even Grade 3, I would recommend that you tell the story from the Children's Storybook Bible. 'Ten Ways to be Perfect' includes 'Bread from Heaven' and 'Water from a Rock' and the people gathering at the foot of the mountain before hearing the word of the Lord. The illustrations are evocative and she connects the Ten Commandments to Christ as the fulfillment of the law, "the only one who is perfect, the one who would stand in their place and be perfect for them; the only one who can save." (Sally Lloyd Jones) I hope that the rich imagery in this story will stir in us an imagination for the holiness of God, the relentless, self revealing nature of God who loves his people and longs to make them his own.
The God spoke all these words:
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.
You should not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath day to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son, your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock or alien residents in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
Honor your father and mother so that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "you speak to us and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin." Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thickness where God was.
Exodus19:16-22, 24&25, 20:1:22
Before we begin to think about the words of God on Mount Sinai, we must remember what Moses said to the Pharaoh of Egypt when he was pleading for the freedom of his people: "God says, Let my people go, so they may worship me in the wilderness." Enslaved in Egypt the Israelites forgot the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because of "their broken spirit and their cruel slavery." But God did not forget them, he heard their cries and he came to Moses saying, "I have heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves and I have remembered my covenant." The Israelites saw the persistence and the power of their God who remembered them. Before they escaped Egypt they would see the Nile turned to blood, flies, locusts and frogs swarm the earth and boils plague the Egyptians, they would see darkness descend and remain. I wonder what the Israelites thought as they witnessed the power of the God they hardly knew anymore? Who was He who moved the cloud behind them, who commanded the wind and the water, who made a way where there was no way, who swallowed their oppressors? Moses knew. God had spared his life as a child, had found him in Midian and brought him before the Pharaoh and he and Miriam lead their people in singing, in dancing, in worship on the other side of the shore saying:
The Lord is my strength and my might,
and he has become my salvation
This is my God and I will praise him
My Father's God and I will exalt him
Who is like you, O Lord, among the Gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness
awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
You stretched out your hand and the earth swallowed them.
But it didn't take long for the grumbling and the longing for the former life to set in, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by fleshpots and ate our fill," they said to Moses. Now, I appreciate this complaint because it reveals what we know to be true in our own lives: our memory is often unreliable. Sometimes we romanticize the past, life was so much easier when I wasn't working, when the kids were little, when we lived over there, when other people were making decisions for us/telling us what to do. Other times we re-interpret the past through our current circumstances, the questions we have or the hurt we are experiencing and we project these current feelings into our past experiences... "it's always been this way for me..." Life for the Israelites in Egypt was harsh but it was what they were accustomed to. They had no frame of reference for what it meant to be free and they began to despair, they began to long for what was, surely they must be facing death, what else could be before them? God cared for them in their anxiety and fear; he provided food from heaven and water from a rock, cloud and fire that they might trust him, that they might learn who he is and how to worship him. But this was hard learning; they had to confront their idolatry's, their wrong ideas about who God is and their own depravity. They would fail, repent, be renewed and sin again; in one breath bowing down to God and in another worshipping idols.
They came to Mount Sinai where they camped in the wilderness. And God said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians how I bore you on Eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my commandment you shall be my treasured possession out of all the people. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation... and the LORD said to Moses, I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after."(exodus 19:3-6) And Moses prepared the people to hear from the Lord, they washed their clothes and prepared for the third day. And on the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightening, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain and a blast of the trumpet that caused the people to tremble. The mountain was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire, as he had descended on the bush before Moses. The smoke went up and the mountain shook. The trumpet blasts became louder and louder and God spoke these words to Moses and his first words were, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me."(Exodus 2-:1-3) God reminds them, I am passionately involved with you, I created you, I called you, I have paid dearly for you, you have been bought out of slavery that you might fully belong to me, that you might worship me, that you might be set a part, that you might live in such a way that people might see who I am. (Hauerwas & Willimon) As Christians we too are to live as those chosen by God, claimed by him, that we might proclaim in words and deed what God has done. These commandments are "given to a whole community and are only made possible by our initiation in a community where there are opportunities for confession, forgiveness and reconciliation;" we will fail, but we can receive forgiveness through Christ and be brought into right relationship with God and others (Hauerwas & Willimon p.217).
The commandments deal with our relationship to God (worship God alone, do not make idols, do not use God's name wrongfully, Keep the Sabbath) and our relationship with others (honour your parents, do not steal, do not murder, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not envy). My tendency is to frame the commandments in the positive: live generously, be honest, practice fidelity and it is true that there is invitation to live this way in these words. But, if the commandments were written this way they likely wouldn't act on me in the same way. When I read or hear them as they are written, they convict me and show me my sin and the deep need I have of God's mercy and grace. I know my tendency to distort the truth, to lie, when it helps my cause; my bent towards idolatry; my struggle to stop working, to put aside what I would like to do and enter into the rhythms of sabbath. I think of Jesus' words: "You have heard it said that anyone who murders shall be liable to judgement. But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to judgement." (Matthew 5:21-22) I can't keep the commandments, the great prophet Moses couldn't keep them, David couldn't keep them. Not one of us can do it; lying, deceit and falsehood come quite naturally to us. And rules don't save us, it is God, in Christ who saves us and transforms us, by our obedience into a people of truth. (Hauerwas and Willimon, pg.134)
We have these words of God because we have been delivered and redeemed and we are delivered and redeemed because we have these words (Hauerwas & Willimon). These words are to shape our lives, in them we discover that how we live matters to God and we discover that these words give us life; they are a gift, not a burden.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:7-10
Our words matter, what we do with our bodies matters, how we view our property and our possessions matters, our attitude to our parents matters, fidelity matters, telling the truth matters because God has chosen us to be his people. God wants to use us to bring life out of death, order out of chaos, light out of darkness and whenever we do this, it is worship (Hauerwas & Willimon, pg. 187).
If you are teaching Pre K/K and Grades 1&2 this week and even Grade 3, I would recommend that you tell the story from the Children's Storybook Bible. 'Ten Ways to be Perfect' includes 'Bread from Heaven' and 'Water from a Rock' and the people gathering at the foot of the mountain before hearing the word of the Lord. The illustrations are evocative and she connects the Ten Commandments to Christ as the fulfillment of the law, "the only one who is perfect, the one who would stand in their place and be perfect for them; the only one who can save." (Sally Lloyd Jones) I hope that the rich imagery in this story will stir in us an imagination for the holiness of God, the relentless, self revealing nature of God who loves his people and longs to make them his own.
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