These three chapters in Numbers are the story of Balak and Balaam. Balak is king of Moab, the next target in the journey of the Israelites. Balaam is a prophet of the LORD who lives over in what is modern day Iraq, on the Euphrates River. Balak hires Balaam to come over and curse the Israelites.
Balaam seems to have no contact with the Israelites, yet still serves the LORD. He is not the only character who shows up in the text from seeming nowhere to interact with the LORD's people as a fellow worshipper. There is Melchizedek in Genesis 14, "King of Salem", and Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, in Exodus 4 and later in 18, described as "the priest of Midian".
I am sure there is some common thread running here that I just don't see this time through. That is a joy of continuing to read the Bible.
Balaam is a character study. First the LORD forbids Balaam to go, no matter the price Balak is willing to pay. Then the LORD says he can go. Then three times, the LORD sends an angel with sword drawn to stand in Balaam's way, which, at first only the donkey can see. The donkey saves Balaam's life each time, but gets a beating for its trouble.
I would like to see the expression on Balaam's face when the donkey talked back to him. Here is the parable within the parable. Balaam beat the donkey because he thought the donkey was making a fool of him-because Balaam couldn't see the angel of death waiting. The donkey's response was to inquire whether this had ever happened before? Was this a habit of the donkey? Maybe Balaam could have responded differently, recognizing something different was happening.
Next, Balaam becomes the donkey and Balak takes the role of the foolish rider. Four times, Balak will take Balaam to some place to see and curse the Israelites. But to do so would disobey the LORD. Was this the habit of Balaam? Balaam's response was to inquire of Balak whether this-disobeying the LORD's command-had ever happened before?
After four times without a curse, Balaam goes home in peace.
Through Acts 24-26, Paul's time in Caesarea is detailed. It covers a span of years. First is with Felix, the governor. He finds nothing in the Jewish leadership's arguments to turn Paul over. In fact, he is fascinated by Paul and speaks with him a number of times, expecting a bribe for Paul's release.
So Porcius Festus takes over, in 25. He gets the reports of the Jewish leadership and seeks to release Paul to stand trial in Jerusalem. But Paul invokes his rights as a Roman citizen to take his case directly to the Emperor. Festus agrees to send him along.
Before he does, Herod Agrippa, the local monarch, and his wife, come to pay respects to the new governor. They get pulled in to the discussions and examination of Paul, and their conclusion is that Paul could have been released, that there were no sustainable charges against him. But because Paul invoked the right of appeal to the Emperor, he must see it through.
To take Aslan's argument that Paul was in conflict with the Jerusalem church, these chapters seem like they should be most pivotal. Paul has been detained, his accusations and trial are being set up. The Jewish leaders (not the church leaders) want him dead. A couple of conspiracies to kill him have been outlined. One was averted when the tribune got Paul out of the city and the second was to take place when Paul was in transit back to the city of Jerusalem-which never happened.
I don't see it. Now Aslan talks of Luke essentially setting up a whitewash, being a fan of Paul, thus writing the Acts in such a way to bolster Paul's position in the church while at the same time not directly attacking the church in Jerusalem, but reflecting their contrary opinion to Paul's work among the Gentiles that undercut the law of Moses.
What I read in Acts is that Paul has enraged the Jewish leadership by fraternizing with the Gentiles. At this time, the followers of Jesus are still very much integrated into the Jewish community in Jerusalem, so that Paul's work is still seen as Jewish work, not as a separate thing-not as the Christian faith comes to be in separation from the Hebrew faith. But it also seems like the leadership of the Jerusalem 'church' don't do much to stand up for Paul. This whole thing is not about the message of Jesus and how it will change the world. This conflict is over a presumption that Paul is bringing Gentiles into the temple and the hallowedness of the Jewish faith.
And all of it is not a defense of the faith, but rather a pretext to get Paul to Rome where he may share the gospel in the First City of the Empire.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Numbers 19-21; Acts 22, 23
Numbers 19 completes a section on the work of the Levites. After establishing that they in charge of the Tent of Meeting, where God is centered and worshipped, 19 gives the authority of the Levites to restore those people who are made ritually unclean and unable to be in the camp.
The clean/unclean distinction is one of religious ritual, God centered on life and proper worship, the unclean those things of even every day life that take away from that. These rules have been fulfilled in Christ, whose death and resurrection have transcended the rules of Moses, the rules that set aside the Jews as God's Chosen People, to all of us.
In 20,there are disasters in the life of Moses. He loses his sister and his brother at the beginning and end of the passage. When the people complain yet again, this time that they have no water, Moses gets so angry and frustrated that he disobeys God's command and, instead of commanding rocks to bring forth water, he strikes them with his staff. The result of his disobedience is that Moses too will not live to see the people enter the Promised Land. In the midst of all of this, as they are traveling, the Israelites try to go through the lands of Edom, of Esau, their relatives. Remember that Esau is the brother of Israel (or Jacob), the father of the tribes of Israel. When Edom refuses, they have to go around the long way.
In 21, the Israelites begin that journey. They are moving across the Negev, the desert in the south of modern Israel, then around to the western edge of modern day Israel, in the modern country of Jordan. First is a battle over Arad, a Canaanite fortress city on the southern edge of Canaan. Then, as they move around Edom, they complain to God yet again that they aren't in Egypt. God responds with poisonous snakes taking their toll on the people (last time was a plague). A brass snake is built by Moses to end the plague. Finally, they move up into position across the Jordan River, marching through Moab, and defeating the kings of the Amorites and Bashan to get to the place where they will be ready to cross.
In Acts 22 and 23, Paul tells his story to the Jewish leadership, who aren't too interested. The Roman tribune pulls Paul out, and would flog him to get the truth until the tribune finds out Paul is a Roman citizen. Then the game changes. Roman citizens are subject to one set of rules, the rest of the people to another set. Roman rules require due process, courtesy, and humane treatment and protection. The rest of the people were little better than animals.
So now it is on the tribune's shoulders to find out exactly what Paul is charged with to respect Paul's rights as a citizen. So they appear before the High Priest and the governing Council. It appears to be going nowhere good for Paul, so Paul confounds the Council by playing on the differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees. Once again, the tribune has to pull Paul out for his own safety.
Where the Jerusalem church is in all this fuss is unknown. Follow Aslan's reasoning and they might be abandoning Paul to his fate at the hands of the Jewish authorities to maintain the local peace. In 23:11, the Lord speaks to Paul and tells him this arrest is how Paul is to be sent to Rome.
Things begin to move more quickly. Paul is summoned to come to the Council yet again on the next day. But a conspiracy forms where 40 or more bind themselves to come out and kill Paul in his way that morning. The conspiracy is that large to overcome the Roman escort Paul is sure to have. Paul's family gets wind of it, tips off the Romans, and the tribune evacuates Paul from Jerusalem completely, 200 soldiers and 70 cavalry to get Paul to the relative safety of the Roman fortress city of Caesarea on the coast.
Notice how things have shifted since Jesus was put on trial. Pilate, the Roman Governor, served in Jerusalem, at least for part of the time. Felix, the new governor, appears not even to set foot in Jerusalem, instead leaving the Roman governance of the city to a Colonel (tribune) in the Roman Army.
The clean/unclean distinction is one of religious ritual, God centered on life and proper worship, the unclean those things of even every day life that take away from that. These rules have been fulfilled in Christ, whose death and resurrection have transcended the rules of Moses, the rules that set aside the Jews as God's Chosen People, to all of us.
In 20,there are disasters in the life of Moses. He loses his sister and his brother at the beginning and end of the passage. When the people complain yet again, this time that they have no water, Moses gets so angry and frustrated that he disobeys God's command and, instead of commanding rocks to bring forth water, he strikes them with his staff. The result of his disobedience is that Moses too will not live to see the people enter the Promised Land. In the midst of all of this, as they are traveling, the Israelites try to go through the lands of Edom, of Esau, their relatives. Remember that Esau is the brother of Israel (or Jacob), the father of the tribes of Israel. When Edom refuses, they have to go around the long way.
In 21, the Israelites begin that journey. They are moving across the Negev, the desert in the south of modern Israel, then around to the western edge of modern day Israel, in the modern country of Jordan. First is a battle over Arad, a Canaanite fortress city on the southern edge of Canaan. Then, as they move around Edom, they complain to God yet again that they aren't in Egypt. God responds with poisonous snakes taking their toll on the people (last time was a plague). A brass snake is built by Moses to end the plague. Finally, they move up into position across the Jordan River, marching through Moab, and defeating the kings of the Amorites and Bashan to get to the place where they will be ready to cross.
In Acts 22 and 23, Paul tells his story to the Jewish leadership, who aren't too interested. The Roman tribune pulls Paul out, and would flog him to get the truth until the tribune finds out Paul is a Roman citizen. Then the game changes. Roman citizens are subject to one set of rules, the rest of the people to another set. Roman rules require due process, courtesy, and humane treatment and protection. The rest of the people were little better than animals.
So now it is on the tribune's shoulders to find out exactly what Paul is charged with to respect Paul's rights as a citizen. So they appear before the High Priest and the governing Council. It appears to be going nowhere good for Paul, so Paul confounds the Council by playing on the differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees. Once again, the tribune has to pull Paul out for his own safety.
Where the Jerusalem church is in all this fuss is unknown. Follow Aslan's reasoning and they might be abandoning Paul to his fate at the hands of the Jewish authorities to maintain the local peace. In 23:11, the Lord speaks to Paul and tells him this arrest is how Paul is to be sent to Rome.
Things begin to move more quickly. Paul is summoned to come to the Council yet again on the next day. But a conspiracy forms where 40 or more bind themselves to come out and kill Paul in his way that morning. The conspiracy is that large to overcome the Roman escort Paul is sure to have. Paul's family gets wind of it, tips off the Romans, and the tribune evacuates Paul from Jerusalem completely, 200 soldiers and 70 cavalry to get Paul to the relative safety of the Roman fortress city of Caesarea on the coast.
Notice how things have shifted since Jesus was put on trial. Pilate, the Roman Governor, served in Jerusalem, at least for part of the time. Felix, the new governor, appears not even to set foot in Jerusalem, instead leaving the Roman governance of the city to a Colonel (tribune) in the Roman Army.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
"House of Cards", Season 1, Episode 1
Just got Netflix back after a long break. After watching the Academy Awards Sunday night, with Kevin Spacey showing up in a few memorable moments, I succumbed to the hype and watched the first episode.
Never read the book, but I did see the British version back on Masterpiece Theater on PBS some years ago. I was riveted to that one and I am riveted again. I remember back to the PBS commentary that an English politician had written the book on the potential excesses of what might be done in a democratic, parliamentary system, but that things like this "don't really happen".
I love stories of "what might happen".
If you haven't seen it, here is the setup (not much spoiler alert here). Kevin Spacey is Francis Underwood, the Majority Whip in the House of Representatives of Congress. Robin Wright plays his wife to eerie perfection.
The President-Elect promised him Secretary of State for his work on behalf of the newly elected leader of America. Then he renegs on his promise. Kevin Spacey does not even get the benefit of a meeting with the President-to-be, just a meet and greet with the Chief of Staff, whom Francis Underwood got into her job in the first place.
Francis is needed in Congress to shepherd the new President's legislative agenda through. The decision was made some time before. They just got around to telling him. The Majority Whip doesn't get mad, very much. He decides he will get even.
Therein lies the premise to the show. Cut to a scene in the National Cathedral. The priest is preaching to those who have just won electoral victory, and he is trying to temper their fervor with humility. And he delivers a line about how defeat can teach and promote humility within the human soul.
I am going to have in my head the theological notion of Christ-like humility as I am sure there will be a human-level systematic humiliation of the new President at the hands of Congressman Francis Underwood. This promises to be a lot of fun, especially if they keep coming back to church.
Never read the book, but I did see the British version back on Masterpiece Theater on PBS some years ago. I was riveted to that one and I am riveted again. I remember back to the PBS commentary that an English politician had written the book on the potential excesses of what might be done in a democratic, parliamentary system, but that things like this "don't really happen".
I love stories of "what might happen".
If you haven't seen it, here is the setup (not much spoiler alert here). Kevin Spacey is Francis Underwood, the Majority Whip in the House of Representatives of Congress. Robin Wright plays his wife to eerie perfection.
The President-Elect promised him Secretary of State for his work on behalf of the newly elected leader of America. Then he renegs on his promise. Kevin Spacey does not even get the benefit of a meeting with the President-to-be, just a meet and greet with the Chief of Staff, whom Francis Underwood got into her job in the first place.
Francis is needed in Congress to shepherd the new President's legislative agenda through. The decision was made some time before. They just got around to telling him. The Majority Whip doesn't get mad, very much. He decides he will get even.
Therein lies the premise to the show. Cut to a scene in the National Cathedral. The priest is preaching to those who have just won electoral victory, and he is trying to temper their fervor with humility. And he delivers a line about how defeat can teach and promote humility within the human soul.
I am going to have in my head the theological notion of Christ-like humility as I am sure there will be a human-level systematic humiliation of the new President at the hands of Congressman Francis Underwood. This promises to be a lot of fun, especially if they keep coming back to church.
"Pastrix" by Nadia Bolz-Weber
Bolz-Weber, Nadia Pastrix, New York: Jericho, 2013.
In a seminar on how to read better (but not really talk 'better') for my walk with God, I was encouraged, as was the class, to include biographies and autobiographies of the saints of the church in our reading calendars. The examples of their lives can be inspiring to us. I wonder how Rev. Bolz-Weber would react when I consider her biography to be a seminal work among the 'Lives of Great Christians'?
I don't know how we would get along. I find her a little arrogant, a potty mouth, with very strong opinions about the world and the people in it. She's kind of fringe, but happily married and raising a couple of kids. She doesn't ride a Harley, but I haven't decided whether or not that works in her favor.
She is one of those Mainstream Lutherans, from the ELCA and I am one of those Mainstream Presbyterians from the PCUSA. Don't know if I have as many capital "P" Personalities in my congregation, but I got my share. But here are some takeaways that make me glad I am not alone.
She's dealt with toxic personalities in the course of her ministry and had to let them go. The takeaway: We can't always be nice to everybody.
She's found herself in the middle of Spiritual Warfare, which is not popular thinking in the mainstream of Christian thought. The takeaway: The devil exists and *****'s with us.
She single-handedly tried to bring off the Big Event to jumpstart growth and it fell out of the sky like every spacecraft in "Gravity". Done all of that, even the Costco run!
But my biggest takeaway: Find God in the day, in the moment, in the next step.
I think the last Christian biography I read was of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (old country Lutheran...) OMG, am I going to put Nadia Bolz-Weber next to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred for the faith in a Nazi Concentration Camp?
Yah. Both of them have forced me to reconsider and realign my ministry priorities back to the people God's given me to serve. It is too easy to wander up and off into spiritual utopias that don't relate to people who are boots on the ground and trying to live their lives day by day.
Thank you Rev. Bolz-Weber.
In a seminar on how to read better (but not really talk 'better') for my walk with God, I was encouraged, as was the class, to include biographies and autobiographies of the saints of the church in our reading calendars. The examples of their lives can be inspiring to us. I wonder how Rev. Bolz-Weber would react when I consider her biography to be a seminal work among the 'Lives of Great Christians'?
I don't know how we would get along. I find her a little arrogant, a potty mouth, with very strong opinions about the world and the people in it. She's kind of fringe, but happily married and raising a couple of kids. She doesn't ride a Harley, but I haven't decided whether or not that works in her favor.
She is one of those Mainstream Lutherans, from the ELCA and I am one of those Mainstream Presbyterians from the PCUSA. Don't know if I have as many capital "P" Personalities in my congregation, but I got my share. But here are some takeaways that make me glad I am not alone.
She's dealt with toxic personalities in the course of her ministry and had to let them go. The takeaway: We can't always be nice to everybody.
She's found herself in the middle of Spiritual Warfare, which is not popular thinking in the mainstream of Christian thought. The takeaway: The devil exists and *****'s with us.
She single-handedly tried to bring off the Big Event to jumpstart growth and it fell out of the sky like every spacecraft in "Gravity". Done all of that, even the Costco run!
But my biggest takeaway: Find God in the day, in the moment, in the next step.
I think the last Christian biography I read was of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (old country Lutheran...) OMG, am I going to put Nadia Bolz-Weber next to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred for the faith in a Nazi Concentration Camp?
Yah. Both of them have forced me to reconsider and realign my ministry priorities back to the people God's given me to serve. It is too easy to wander up and off into spiritual utopias that don't relate to people who are boots on the ground and trying to live their lives day by day.
Thank you Rev. Bolz-Weber.
Numbers 17, 18 and Acts 20-21
Following the put down of the attempted coup against Moses and Aaron, in 17, the LORD confirms His choice of Aaron. Each tribal leader puts in a walking stick with their name on it. Aaron's turns into an almond tree, complete with nuts. That staff, along with the tablets with the ten commandments written on them and a jar of manna, are enshrined in the ark as a memorial to the LORD's power.
18 lays out the rights and responsibilities of the Levites in the work and leadership of the people surrounding the tent of meeting. Their allotment of the tithe is laid out, the tent of meeting is isolated to their control and protection, they are told to be faithful or else. This is the tribe set aside by the LORD to conduct the LORD's work on behalf of the people.
In Acts 20-21, Paul is finishing his last missionary journey. He travels back through Ephesus, where they weep for him, because (vs 38), "...they would not see him again." As Paul returns to the region of Judea, the prophet Agabus predicts that he will be bound and handed over to the Gentiles. Here we are looking at the stark contrast between his ministry to the Gentiles and what Reza Aslan indicates is his full conflict with the church in Jerusalem.
The conflict is laid out in vss 17-26. Paul is going to be accused of leading the Jews and Gentiles away from the provisions of the Jewish law. The leaders in Jerusalem are going to come after him for that. In an effort to forestall those accusations, Paul is ordered to join four men who seem to be undergoing the ritual of a Nazarite (we had a hint of that a few chapters ago when Paul shaved his head). James and the church leaders then issue a letter reiterating the decision made at the Council of Jerusalem that loosened the restrictions of the Mosaic law on Gentile believers.
That seems to be the textual rub. On the one hand, ordering Paul to undergo the Nazarite rituals to what looks like atonement for his ending the Mosaic practices in the missionary churches, while still supporting his ministry with the letter saying its okay.
But the real conflict comes when the Jewish leadership gets wind of a rumor that Paul has actually brought a Greek up into the temple. This may be reflective of a division within the city over the work of the Jesus followers and the Jews as a nation. A riot ensues and Paul is arrested by the Romans to quell the riot. Jerusalem is a powder keg, ready to explode. The tribune, the Roman Colonel, clues us into that when he talks about the Egyptian whose raised an army of 4000 in preparation for revolt.
The chapter ends as Paul prepares to make his defense before the people.
18 lays out the rights and responsibilities of the Levites in the work and leadership of the people surrounding the tent of meeting. Their allotment of the tithe is laid out, the tent of meeting is isolated to their control and protection, they are told to be faithful or else. This is the tribe set aside by the LORD to conduct the LORD's work on behalf of the people.
In Acts 20-21, Paul is finishing his last missionary journey. He travels back through Ephesus, where they weep for him, because (vs 38), "...they would not see him again." As Paul returns to the region of Judea, the prophet Agabus predicts that he will be bound and handed over to the Gentiles. Here we are looking at the stark contrast between his ministry to the Gentiles and what Reza Aslan indicates is his full conflict with the church in Jerusalem.
The conflict is laid out in vss 17-26. Paul is going to be accused of leading the Jews and Gentiles away from the provisions of the Jewish law. The leaders in Jerusalem are going to come after him for that. In an effort to forestall those accusations, Paul is ordered to join four men who seem to be undergoing the ritual of a Nazarite (we had a hint of that a few chapters ago when Paul shaved his head). James and the church leaders then issue a letter reiterating the decision made at the Council of Jerusalem that loosened the restrictions of the Mosaic law on Gentile believers.
That seems to be the textual rub. On the one hand, ordering Paul to undergo the Nazarite rituals to what looks like atonement for his ending the Mosaic practices in the missionary churches, while still supporting his ministry with the letter saying its okay.
But the real conflict comes when the Jewish leadership gets wind of a rumor that Paul has actually brought a Greek up into the temple. This may be reflective of a division within the city over the work of the Jesus followers and the Jews as a nation. A riot ensues and Paul is arrested by the Romans to quell the riot. Jerusalem is a powder keg, ready to explode. The tribune, the Roman Colonel, clues us into that when he talks about the Egyptian whose raised an army of 4000 in preparation for revolt.
The chapter ends as Paul prepares to make his defense before the people.
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