32: RUN THAT PAST ME AGAIN
Based on the book Deuteronomy (DT)...Read more there.
Deuteronomy might be called
'another way of looking at' many of the same issues we've seen
in the earlier 'Mosaic' books of the Law (GN, EX, LV,
NB). It serves as a reminder, a revision
of what has gone before. Like so much in the first four 'books
of Moses', or 'the Law', as those of the Hebrew faith know it,
DT is a compilation from a date much later than the original
events. One scholar suggests a main concern is how to make older
teachings about cultic (religious) & legal traditions
relevant to new generations by those whose responsibility it is
to teach & preach them in later days (N1). Is
nothing new?! As we work our way through DT it will help if we
keep those 'another look at former things' way of looking at it
& the recapitulation angle both in mind.
The Hebrews move on from Horeb (Sinai) & approach the
Promised Land via scuffles & fights with rival clans. In Chs.5-11
we find pep-talks by Moses including a 're-broadcast' of the
Commandments & why the people should keep them. The reason
is neatly summarised at Ch.7:6. Moses goes on to promise
the people that YHWH will raise up a Prophet like himself [Ch.18:15].
Is he pointing to Joshua, his successor, or Someone Else? (N2).
From half way through Ch.23 till early in Ch. 25
we find a collection of laws more compassionate than we
might expect from so long ago & dealing with various
situations. Most of us would happily give an 'Amen' to many of
them today. Ch. 26 reminds the people - & us, too -
of our need to be grateful to YHWH God & to show our
gratitude in generosity. Moses, drawing near to the end of his
life now, reviews the people's Exodus from Egypt & the
covenant God has made with them before the assembled people in Ch.
29. Then in Ch.30:11+ Moses tells the people:
a) what they have been commanded to do is not beyond their
ability to obey; b) the Word (of God) is very near them
(N3); & c) they should choose life rather than death.
If we don't read anything else in DT, let's 'hear,
read, mark, & inwardly digest' this bit! (N4)
Moses knows he will not live to cross the Jordan into
the Promised Land & prepares for the hand-over to
Joshua. In Ch.31:14-15 God sets His seal on this with the appearance
once more of the Cloud at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting. Then Moses, or someone else
later launches into a long song or psalm celebrating the
power & faithfulness of God (Ch. 32) before giving a
formal blessing to each of the tribes (Ch. 33). From the
top of Mt. Nebo, opposite Jericho, YHWH shows Moses the Promised
Land he will not enter (Ch.34) The book then ends
solemnly & rather poignantly with: 'Moses, servant of YHWH
died as YHWH had decreed; they buried him in the valley, in the
country of Moab, opposite Beth-Peor, but to this day no-one has
ever found his grave....' (NJB) And the story continues: 33:
Joshua Not Only Fit The Battle Of Jericho..!
(N1) von Rad, Deuteronomy, SCM Press, London, 1979 edn.
p. 23. (N2) Christians usually take this to be a
prophecy of the coming of Jesus as Messiah. See AC3:17-23
(Peter) & AC7:37 (Stephen). (N3) The 'Word'
in the sense of the Creative Principle of the Universe will
later become a major theme in both Older & Newer Testaments
as it does in some other traditions. A 'Wisdom literature'
develops. Some Christian churches see Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, & Song of Songs as 'Wisdom' literature; others
add Wisdom & Ecclesiasticus from the Apocrypha, too.
Notably, John the Evangelist opens his Gospel with, 'In the
beginning was the Word....' (N4) From the
Collect for Advent 2 in the 1662 English Prayer Book.
Question: Do we have the wisdom to recognize Wisdom when faced
with 'It'?
Sunday 30 March 2014
Friday 7 March 2014
31..NUMBERS UPON NUMBERS UPON NUMBERS
Based on NUMBERS (NB)...Read more there.
Based on NUMBERS (NB)...Read more there.
NB holds little
to enthral us today. Much of it is about the organising,
defining, & regulating the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Israel,
remember, is Jacob renamed by YHWH (N1). The tribe
of Levi is treated differently from the others in this process
& set apart to perform priestly responsibilities. Family
trees of one kind or another, whether written down or not, play
an important role in the way many cultures understand
themselves. The number of organisations & websites offering
ancestry information, together with a genre of TV programmes
dedicated to researching where people came from are but the tip
of a pretty big industry feeding & feeding on today's
thirst for information about our ancestors. That the Hebrews
were thorough in this matter as here in NB,
enabled early Christians anxious to establish Jesus'
genealogical credentials strike pay-dirt (N2).
In Ch 9 as the Hebrews prepare to continue their journeying we delve again into the mystical spirituality inherent in the Cloud, that symbol of YHWH's presence over & among them when they left Egypt & still 'hovering' to reassure, protect, & guide (N3). In Ch.11 Moses gets caught up yet again in complaining on the part of the by now tired-of-all-this-wilderness-lifestyle people & more 'food from heaven' is provided. Also, Joshua, who will later loom large in Hebrew affairs appears on the scene for the first time. In Ch. 12 Moses' siblings Miriam & Aaron rebel against him & are put in their place! In Chs. 13-14 YHWH tells Moses to send spies ahead to eye off the land of Canaan, further to the north, the 'Promised Land' to which they are heading. Mixed reports on the spies' return divide the people, but Joshua's more positive report prevails & the people press on. Chs.15-19 return us to the earlier style of detailed laws about the way this, that, or the other is to be carried out. In Ch.20 there is another instance of 'water from the rock', the Hebrews are denied passage through Edomite lands, & Aaron dies.
In 21:4-9 a strange incident occurs that stands out as a passage of major importance for Christians later. As the Hebrews journey they travel through an area severely infested by snakes & are greatly threatened by them. Archeologists have in fact uncovered miniature serpents of copper & bronze in that area, perhaps pointing to a local cult involving snakes. Were some Hebrews attracted to such a cult to protect themselves from being bitten or as an antidote? YHWH's telling Moses to forge a metal snake & hoist it on a pole so the Hebrews could look up at it & be healed is a puzzle. Might it reflect a kind of 'if you can't beat them join them & having joined them beat them' tactic on YHWH's or Moses' part to deal with such idolatry? For instance, were the people meant to gaze up & through & beyond the serpent to YHWH the True Healer? Failing some such explanation, how come YHWH is requiring Moses & through him, the people, to break His own 2nd Commandment? Good question (N4)! However, what makes this passage important still is that that cast-metal snake nailed up on its pole has, as the Evangelist John sees it, entered deeply into Jesus' psyche. Jesus understands Himself to be the One lifted up on the cross for the healing of all the world's bites of every kind!: [JN 3:14, 8:28, 12:32]. As the Hebrews continue their migration towards their Promised Land, in CHs. 22-24 we find a complicated, quaint incident involving Balak (an enemy ruler); Balaam, a kind of local 'small p' folk prophet; a talking donkey(!) & an angel! Make of it what you will! CH.27:12-17 is significant for YHWH's choice of Joshua to become Moses' successor as leader of the Hebrews & his ceremonial installation as the people prepare to move closer to the Promised Land. After more regulations, some nasty inhumane actions certainly not in keeping with the mind of YHWH as we now understand it, & still more record-keeping, we end - whew! - with a concise summary: 'Such were the commandments & laws that Yahweh prescribed for the Israelites through Moses...' (NJB). And that's another story...Run That Past Me Again
(N1) See Ep.18. (N2) See: MT 1: 1-17, & LK 3:23-38. (N3) The Cloud also features in the N.T., notably at Jesus' Transfigurtion. (N4) There is an intriguing later reference to the snake incident in 2K18:4 where we find Hezekiah, a reforming king of Judah (BC 716-687) 'smashed the bronze serpent which Moses had made; for up to that time the Israelites had offered sacrifices to it; it was called Nehushtan' (NJB). Question: What do snakes symbolise for us?
In Ch 9 as the Hebrews prepare to continue their journeying we delve again into the mystical spirituality inherent in the Cloud, that symbol of YHWH's presence over & among them when they left Egypt & still 'hovering' to reassure, protect, & guide (N3). In Ch.11 Moses gets caught up yet again in complaining on the part of the by now tired-of-all-this-wilderness-lifestyle people & more 'food from heaven' is provided. Also, Joshua, who will later loom large in Hebrew affairs appears on the scene for the first time. In Ch. 12 Moses' siblings Miriam & Aaron rebel against him & are put in their place! In Chs. 13-14 YHWH tells Moses to send spies ahead to eye off the land of Canaan, further to the north, the 'Promised Land' to which they are heading. Mixed reports on the spies' return divide the people, but Joshua's more positive report prevails & the people press on. Chs.15-19 return us to the earlier style of detailed laws about the way this, that, or the other is to be carried out. In Ch.20 there is another instance of 'water from the rock', the Hebrews are denied passage through Edomite lands, & Aaron dies.
In 21:4-9 a strange incident occurs that stands out as a passage of major importance for Christians later. As the Hebrews journey they travel through an area severely infested by snakes & are greatly threatened by them. Archeologists have in fact uncovered miniature serpents of copper & bronze in that area, perhaps pointing to a local cult involving snakes. Were some Hebrews attracted to such a cult to protect themselves from being bitten or as an antidote? YHWH's telling Moses to forge a metal snake & hoist it on a pole so the Hebrews could look up at it & be healed is a puzzle. Might it reflect a kind of 'if you can't beat them join them & having joined them beat them' tactic on YHWH's or Moses' part to deal with such idolatry? For instance, were the people meant to gaze up & through & beyond the serpent to YHWH the True Healer? Failing some such explanation, how come YHWH is requiring Moses & through him, the people, to break His own 2nd Commandment? Good question (N4)! However, what makes this passage important still is that that cast-metal snake nailed up on its pole has, as the Evangelist John sees it, entered deeply into Jesus' psyche. Jesus understands Himself to be the One lifted up on the cross for the healing of all the world's bites of every kind!: [JN 3:14, 8:28, 12:32]. As the Hebrews continue their migration towards their Promised Land, in CHs. 22-24 we find a complicated, quaint incident involving Balak (an enemy ruler); Balaam, a kind of local 'small p' folk prophet; a talking donkey(!) & an angel! Make of it what you will! CH.27:12-17 is significant for YHWH's choice of Joshua to become Moses' successor as leader of the Hebrews & his ceremonial installation as the people prepare to move closer to the Promised Land. After more regulations, some nasty inhumane actions certainly not in keeping with the mind of YHWH as we now understand it, & still more record-keeping, we end - whew! - with a concise summary: 'Such were the commandments & laws that Yahweh prescribed for the Israelites through Moses...' (NJB). And that's another story...Run That Past Me Again
(N1) See Ep.18. (N2) See: MT 1: 1-17, & LK 3:23-38. (N3) The Cloud also features in the N.T., notably at Jesus' Transfigurtion. (N4) There is an intriguing later reference to the snake incident in 2K18:4 where we find Hezekiah, a reforming king of Judah (BC 716-687) 'smashed the bronze serpent which Moses had made; for up to that time the Israelites had offered sacrifices to it; it was called Nehushtan' (NJB). Question: What do snakes symbolise for us?
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