Day 98: Israel Asks for a King

Today's readings: 1 Samuel 6-8 and Psalm 86.

I. 1 Samuel 6 recounts how the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel after suffering severe plagues while it was in their possession. They take two cows and a cart, putting the Ark atop it with a "guilt offering" to stave off the plagues that had ravaged them. They released the cows, who immediately headed back to Israel, specifically Beth Shemesh. The Israelites were overjoyed, of course, but unfortunately, some had "looked into the Ark" and were slain by the Lord for doing so.

In the next chapter, some men from Kiriath-Jearim took the Ark to Eleazar, who was consecrated to guard it. The Ark remained with him for 20 years. Samuel called Israel to repent of their wickedness, which they did. The Philistines, of course, saw this as an opportunity to attack, and they fell upon Israel. God, however, intervened, and Israel was victorious. After the battle, Samuel set up a memorial stone and assumed leadership as judge over the Israelites.

1 Samuel 8 describes how Samuel's sons were not like their father, engaging in sin. Israel called for a king to rule over them instead. That in itself wasn't a problem, but their motivation was "to be like other nations." Samuel was displeased and warned them of the problems of having a king, to no avail. He prayed to God, who granted the Israelites' request.

The BIY Companion, Vol I, has some good commentary on this:

We are told that Samuel is a good judge and prophet. His sons, though, turn out to be wicked. As Christians, we hear the expression that God has only children, not grandchildren. Every generation must choose to follow him as the Father... At the end of 1 Samuel, the people ask for a king. They want to be like other nations. God's plan was for him to be their King, yet they want a human king. (p. 208)

II. Psalm 86 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes (verse numbers removed):

A lament psalm. It begins with petitions for God's help, continues with a hymn of praise to God's greatness, and ends with further petitions for God's help. The Psalmist cries out to be rescued from ruthless men who seek his life. His prayer is fueled by the conviction that God is good (= attends to prayer and personal needs), merciful (= moved to pity by suffering and ready to forgive faults), and powerful (= more than capable of saving his people from trouble). Psalm 86 is the only psalm attributed to David in Book III of the Psalter. (p. 904)

That's it for today!

Day 97: Samuel's Prophecy

 Today's readings: 1 Samuel 3-5 and Psalm 150.

I. 1 Samuel 3 tells the story of God calling young Samuel while he was serving in the tabernacle under Eli the priest.

In the next chapter, it recounts Israel's defeat by the Philistines, the capture of the Ark of the Covenant, and the deaths of Eli and his sons as was foretold. It shows that God cannot be treated as a lucky charm, but service to Him requires more than religious objects and avails one nothing while living in disobedience.

1 Samuel 5 shows that even though the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, God was not defeated. Instead, He demonstrates His power over the pagan god Dagon and over the Philistines themselves. Everywhere the Ark was sent by the Philistines, it suffered from plague as punishment. Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron all paid the price for Philistine arrogance in challenging God.

The BIY Companion, Vol I, has some good commentary on this:

The people of Israel treat the Ark as a weapon rather than a presence of the Lord himself. God cannot be manipulated. The Israelites are defeated by the Philistines because they try to use the Lord's Ark rather than relying on the Lord... Almighty God can fight his own battles. The battle he fights today is for you and for me. He invites us into his presence like Samuel so that he can fight for us. God calls us to repentance. If Eli had changed and corrected his sons Hophni and Phinehas, the story could have turned out differently. (p. 206)

II. Psalm 150 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes: 

A psalm of praise. It brings the Psalter to a resounding crescendo by inviting Temple musicians to lead the whole of creation in a symphony of praise. String, wind, and percussion instruments are all represented. Psalm 150 serves as a final doxology that concludes Book 5 of the Psalter (Pss 107-50) as well as the book as a whole (Pss 1-150). (p. 957)

That's all for today!

Day 96: Hannah's Prayer

Today's readings: 1 Samuel 1-2 and Psalm 149.

I. 1 Samuel 1 begins with introducing Hannah, the second wife of Elkanah. She had been barren and repeatedly mocked for that fact by the other wife. Yet, God heard her prayers and blessed her with the birth of Samuel, who was dedicated to Him and later became His prophet.

In the next chapter, Hannah gives a beautiful prayer/song of thanksgiving to God, reminiscent of the Magnificat much later. Young Samuel went to serve the Lord under Eli at Shiloh. Poor Eli has "worthless sons," though, who sinfully abused their own priestly offices. Samuel remains faithful, doing his duties with diligence and care. His mother would visit, and she was also blessed with more children. Eli rebukes his sons to no avail. At the end of the chapter, a "man of God" visits and gives a prophecy of judgment: Eli's priestly line would suffer and die prematurely. His sons would both die on the same day, and God would raise up a faithful priest to serve Him. 

The BIY Companion, Vol I, gives some commentary on this:

We will hear much about Eli, whose actions are not always exemplary... Instead of following through in disciplining his sons for their bad behavior, Eli just rebukes them and lets them be. As a result of Eli's negligence, the blessing will pass away from his family, as we will see. (p. 204)

II. Psalm 149 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes (verse numbers removed):

A psalm of praise that interweaves themes of worship and warfare. The faithful of Israel, called the "sons of Zion," sing praise to the Lord and express their readiness to serve the Lord, even by means of military action. (p. 957)

That's all for today!

Day 95: The Sin of Benjamin

Today's readings: Judges 19-21 and Psalm 148.

I. Judges 19 is an odd and disturbing story that shows how far Israel had fallen spiritually and morally during this period. It begins with a Levite having a dispute with his concubine, who leaves him to go to her father's house. After a bit, he goes after her to reconcile and is welcomed by the father, who delays his departure a few times (why, I don't know). Eventually, the Levite does leave, with his concubine. They stay in Gibeah, thinking that it would be safer than Jerusalem for the night. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't find anywhere to stay, and no one offered them hospitality (a big taboo in the Ancient World). An old man finally did and brought them to his house. In a scene reminiscent of Sodom in Genesis, some wicked men surrounded the house and demanded that the Levite be handed over so they could have their way with him. The old man refused, but then offered his own daughter and the concubine to them instead. The wicked men abuse them all night, and in the morning, the concubine falls dead at the doorway. This was bad enough, but now it gets even darker. The Levite takes her body home, carves it up into 12 pieces, and sends these remains throughout Israel to evoke outrage over what had happened.

Disturbing.

It worked though. In the next chapter, the other tribes of Israel attack the tribe of Benjamin for the atrocity at Gibeah. They demanded that the wicked men be handed over, but were refused. The Israelites seek God's guidance and then attack. They were defeated, consulted the Lord again, and then were victorious. Thousands died on both sides, and Gibeah was destroyed by fire. The wicked men should have been handed over, but instead they deemed tribal loyalty more important than justice. More tragically, Israel is spiritually compromised and tearing itself apart.

Judges 21 concludes the book with a sense of tragedy instead of triumph. The tribe of Benjamin was nearly wiped out in the civil war. Israel regretted the bloodshed but felt trapped by their rash oath to not give their daughters to any Benjaminites. To resolve the problem, they attacked Jabesh-Gilead, slew the men, and gave the 400 female survivors to the Benjaminites. To get the other 200 wives they needed for them, the Israelites abducted dancing young women at a festival in Shiloh. All the tribes return home.

Yeah, deeply compromised morally.

II. Psalm 148 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes (verse numbers removed):

A psalm of praise in which all creation is called to glorify God. The summons begins at the top of the created order with the angelic realm and works down from the sky above to the earth below, reaching to the depths of the sea. Living and nonliving creatures are participants in this cosmic chorus of praise. Israel, in particular, is the people whose mission is the worship of the one true God. Psalm 148 is one of the primary inspirations behind the Song of the Three Young Men in Dan 3:28-68. (p. 956)

That's it for today!

Day 94: Samson and Delilah

Today's readings: Judges 16-18 and Psalm 147.

I. Judges 16 recounts the final events in the life of Samson. He falls in love with another Philistine woman, this time Delilah. Unbeknownst to him, Delilah was bribe her to learn the secret of Samson's strength. He apparently doesn't fully trust her, so he misleads her three times, defeating Philistine soldiers who thought they had found out the secret. 

At this point in the story, I have to wonder just how smart Samson really is, or perhaps how much he was thinking with the "other head" instead of the one on his shoulders. First, she's a pagan from the enemy nation. He gets clear evidence of her betraying him three times, yet doesn't leave her. Samson wouldn't have known that she was being bribed, but her betrayals should have given him a clue. On the other hand, we all can be blinded by our sins and passions, so it's difficult not to feel for the guy since his weaknesses are still being shared around the world about 3,100 years later.

Back to the story. Samson finally tells Delilah the real secret, which she passes on to the Philistines, then he is captured, has his eyes gouged out, and is forced to grind grain in prison. The Philistines gather at the temple of their pagan god to celebrate Samson's capture. He repents and cries out to God, and pushes apart the temple's supporting pillars, causing the building to collapse. He dies and, by this act, kills more Philistines than all those during his life. 

In the next chapter, there is an odd story about a man named Micah who stole silver from his mother and returned it after hearing that she had put a curse on whoever took it. There seems to be confusion about the law at this time because she takes some of the silver to have a graven image made for the Lord. Micah has a private home shrine to household gods? He hires a Levite to be the priest for this shrine. It's all a bit confusing to me and strikes me as very superstitious behavior. It could be that the latter is partly what was meant in this verse:

In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Judg 17:6)

Judges 18 continues the story of Micah and shows that the chaos had spread throughout Israel. The Danites wanted new territory and sent out spies to look for it. Laish was deemed vulnerable, and they conquered it, renaming it for their tribe. On the way there, they stopped off at Micah's shrine and stole the images and valuable items, and persuaded the Levite priest to join them. He did. The chapter ends with a shrine being established in Dan to house the stolen images and with the Levite priest appointed.

II. Psalm 147 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes (verse numbers removed):

A psalm of praise. Four calls are issued to the covenant people under the names Jerusalem/Zion and Jacob/Israel. The Lord is worthy of lauds because he is the Builder, Protector, and Benefactor of the city and of people chosen by him. His care and attention to the natural world mirror his goodness to the nation of Israel... (p. 956)

That's all for today!

Day 93: Strengths and Weaknesses

Today's readings: Judges 12-15 and Psalm 146.

I. Judges 12 recounts the final events of the leadership of Jephthah and then briefly mentions three judges after him: Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. Of course, there was violent intertribal rivalry, which plagued Jephthah to be sure before his death.

In the next chapter, we find the story of Samson, one of the most famous judges of Israel. His father, Manoah, and his wife both received an angelic visit telling them that they would bear a son who would be a Nazirite. The chapter concludes with the birth of Samson.

Judges 14 begins with Samson's marriage to a Philistine woman (mistake), his public career, and introduces the conflict between his divine calling and his own personal weaknesses. He was quite a character, what with slaying a lion, eating honey from its carcass, and killing Philistines to pay off a debt to others of their countrymen.

In today's last chapter, Samson has conflict with the Philistine rulers over Israel. First, his father-in-law had given away his wife to Samson's companion, offering a younger sister instead. He refused and, through some animal cruelty, destroyed Philistine fields with crops, vineyards, and olive groves. They were outraged and burned to death Samson's wife and father-in-law in retaliation. He slaughtered many of them in return, and after being handed over to the Philistines, killed many more with the "jawbone of an ass."

The BIY Companion, Vol I, has some good commentary on this:

Samson is not a particularly "good guy." He is a "hero" because he is strong, but he is not wise. He is consecrated, but he is not living a consecrated life... Though strong, Samson has many weaknesses, particularly his passions: his anger and lust will get him into trouble. Like Samson, we all have certain strengths and weaknesses. Rather than despairing about our weaknesses or dismissing them, we take them up to the Lord and ask him to heal us and purify us. We humbly ask him to help us so our weaknesses will not be our downfall, as they will be for Samson. (p. 198)

II. Psalm 146 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes (verse numbers removed):

A psalm of praise. It invites the covenant people to look for help, not in earthly aristocrats, but in the God of Jacob. Trust in princes is misplaced and bound to disappoint; but trust in the Lord is a firm basis for hope. He is the world's all-powerful Creator as well as its all-benevolent King, who helps those who are powerless to escape their plight, such as those who are poor, oppressed, hungry, imprisoned, blind, sojourning, widowed, and orphaned. (p. 955)

There is a lot of wisdom in this psalm. Every mortal ruler or politician will let us down, for they too are human and fallible, capable of sin like the rest of us. Our complete trust, therefore, is far better for the Infinite, with God alone. 

That's it for today!

Day 92: Jephthah's Vow

 Today's readings: Judges 9-11, Ruth 4, and Psalm 137.

I. Judges 9 tells the story of Abimelech, one of Gideon's sons, and describes his rise and fall as a ruler in Israel. He began his usurped reign by murdering his brothers, which reminds me of many Ottoman rulers who would seize the throne centuries later. Yet he missed one, the youngest: Jotham, who would curse Abimelech and Shechem for this murderous sin. God must have heard him, because rivalry between the two arose within 3 years. Shechem rebels, Abimelech destroys it, and finally, Abimelech was killed while laying siege to Thebez.

In the next chapter, we are first given two judges who arose: Tola and Jair, leaders of Israel for 45 years of relative stability. What happened next shouldn't be too surprising given the narrative to date: Israel fell into idolatry again. God allows them to be oppressed by the Ammonites and Philistines as punishment. When the Israelites call out to Him in distress, He delivers this rather biting line:

Go and cry to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress. (Judg 10:14)

Yet, when they repent and "serve the Lord," God "became indignant over the misery of Israel." The chapter ends with the forces of Israel's foes encamped at Gilead, while Israel was at Mizpah, wondering who would lead them in battle.

In Judges 11, the answer is found. Jephthah, who had been driven out by his brothers for being illegitimate, was nevertheless chosen to lead Israel's forces. He was victorious, but had made a rash vow to sacrifice the first thing that came out of the door of his house. I'm sure he was thinking it would be one of his animals, but it wasn't. His daughter, his only child, was the first out the door. She was sacrificed as per his thoughtless vow.

The BIY Companion, Vol I, agrees:

"Heroes" of the Bible can be good and strong in some ways but can also be foolish and unfaithful. This rash vow of Jephthah is an example to avoid. We always want to make wise promises to the Lord rather than acting rashly. God does not desire the death of the living but that all might have fullness of life. (p. 196)

II. Ruth 4 concludes this charming short story of Ruth and Boaz with redemption, marriage, and the birth of a child who becomes part of the lineage of David and ultimately Jesus Christ. Boaz redeems Ruth, the two marry, and they have a son, Obed. The book ends with the genealogy of David down through Obed.

III. Psalm 137 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes (verse numbers removed):

A lament psalm. Its setting is the Babylonian Exile in the sixth century B.C., when Jewish captives wept over the fall of Jerusalem and refused to sing songs of joyful praise at the behest of their captors. It ends with an imprecatory prayer in which the Psalmist expresses an intense desire for justice. His hope is that God's punishment on Zion's conquerors will equal the magnitude of the atrocities committed against its inhabitants. (p. 948) 

That's all for today!