Today's Reading
1 Samuel. Saul faced the same kinds of temptations that we face. Amalek was a tribe of people who symbolized that part of us that Paul -- in the New Testament -- calls the flesh. We are at war with our flesh, which is like a gateway to sin in our lives. We are to deal with it mercilessly and not allow it to lead us astray in our walk with Christ. Saul didn't obey with Amalek and we have the same problem with our flesh.
Don't be misled by the term "tormenting spirit from God." A better way to say it for us would be, "an evil spirit which God allowed to torment him." Saul was vulnerable because of his own sins.
John tells us the account of the woman caught in the act of adultery. It's one of my favorites. I am a sinner in need of God's mercy.
Psalm 110 is clearly apocalyptic. It's a picture of heaven and of Christ's ultimate victory on earth. Sometimes I get so excited about that day!
Proverbs today is the perfect complement to our reading in 1 Samuel. Saul wanted to "sacrifice" while hanging on to his disobedience. Not a good move!
How are you doing today, Climbing Companion? What are your thoughts? Questions?
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Wow, Saul seems to have hit all the bases - denial, blame and finally, pride in wanting Samuel to return with him to that he would be honored in front of the people of Israel. Whenever I read the passage that Samuel quotes about obedience being better than sacrifice, I hear Keith Green passionately singing that song. I think I struggle with this a lot - even with my quiet times. I will get up early to get into the Word, but then go about my day as if I didn't even take the time to read. May it never be! I want to be more mindful of His presence in my life and live like that!
ReplyDeleteI agree Ranelle. This passage reminded me that sometimes obedience is harder than sacrifice. Obedience requires total faith and laying down of pride. "Obedience is better than sacrifice,and submission is better than offering the fat of rams."
ReplyDeleteDon't be misled by the term "tormenting spirit from God." A better way to say it for us would be, "an evil spirit which God allowed to torment him." Saul was vulnerable because of his own sins.
ReplyDeleteWhat basis do you have for making these claims? All of the translations I looked at seemed to come to a consensus that the tormenting spirit was sent from God. My non-Hebrew knowing reading of the Hebrew seems to support the same thing: the spirit said to have come upon David, the spirit said to have left Saul, and the evil spirit said to have come to Saul are described as "ruwach Yĕhovah". If you want to be intellectually honest, you cannot question whether the third instance should be translated as "spirit of the Lord" without questioning the first two.
With respect to the New Testament reading, it is worth noting that the story of the adulterous woman, despite being a popular favorite, should be suspected for authenticity since it does not appear in the earliest manuscripts.
ReplyDeleteErika, that is a very good question. I will attempt to answer to the best of my ability. 1 John, in the New Testament, says, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." That depth of understanding of God's character and nature came after hundreds of years of revelation. In other words, John (after the crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and baptism of the Holy Spirit) had a far more elaborate understanding than did the ancient writers in the days of David.
ReplyDeleteStill God allowed them to describe what they understood in their time within their limits. 2 Peter 1:21, New Testament, says that "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." The Scripture was not dictated by God, but God inspired it, allowing their limited understanding, their personalities and their linguistic abilities to shine through.
That said, we will soon read Job, which describes Satan as asking God for permission to "try" Job. God grants the permission, but sets limits. You might jump, therefore, to the conclusion that Satan and God are in cahoots. Then, at the very end of the book, after all the trials, Job says, "I had heard of You with my ears, but not my eyes see You." (my loose translation) In other words, God allowed Satan to do something awful, but God had a purpose in it all along and good came from Satan's evil.
You may not like my interpretation, but God doesn't cause evil. It is inconsistent with His nature. However, He allows it, always wanting to use it for good, as Joseph spoke to his brothers after they father died. Soooo, God didn't assign an evil spirit to torment Saul. But he did allow it.
You are correct, by my understanding, about the woman caught in the act of adultery. The account doesn't appear in the oldest available manuscripts of John. It is consistent, however, with the ministry of Jesus. AND the truth is that the earliest available manuscripts are a few hundred years after the original. So we just don't know.
Now, Erika, I have a question for you. You are spending significant time on this project of reading and questioning the Bible. Who are you really trying to convince with your questions? Me? Or you?
I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I am asking you these questions because I think your readers deserve to know how much you are not telling them about the text. Biblical scholarship has revealed a lot about the origins of the Bible, and I consider it a pity that churches are not more forthcoming in sharing that information with their members.
ReplyDeleteAs for why _I_ am spending time on this project, the Bible is a classic piece of literature that has had huge literary and cultural influence in the west. Like with any piece of ancient literature, you need to put in some study if you want to understand how the text has been changed and how translation has effected it.
Plus, the average American household spends something like five hours a day on television. Spending an hour a day studying anything, whether it be the Bible or the history of scifi fanfic has got to be a better use of time than that.
Well-answered, Erika. It made me smile.
ReplyDelete