Tag Archives: Context

Chapter-a-Day

Understanding Michal

2 Comments
English: Maciejowski Bible, Leaf 37, the 3rd i...
English: Maciejowski Bible, Leaf 37, the 3rd image, Abner (in the center in green) sends Michal back to David. Palti is shown on the left. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” 2 Samuel 6:20 (NIV)

Writing plays has been a great learning experience for me. One of the creative challenges that I’ve had to embrace is that every character in the play has a unique “voice” the comes from a back story the audience will never know or see. If I’m going to write a character well, then I have to understand that character’s story, person, and perspective. I’ve come to believe that I must truly love each character, even the unlovable ones, if I am going to give them their true and authentic voice and words.

I’ve always said that God’s Message changes every time you read it not because it has changed but because I and my circumstances have changed since the last time I read it. As I read today’s chapter I suddenly realized that I was reading it with the eyes of a playwright. I’ve always read this chapter and focused on David’s “undignified” worship, but today I found myself focused on Michal’s rebuke of her husband. I’ve always read Michal’s words and thought, “Sheesh, what a wench!” This time through, however, my playwright brain began asking what was really going on between Michal and David. There’s a larger back story there. Michal and David seem to have been those people who had the seeds of affection doomed never to take root:

  • Michal had a young girl’s crush on the young stud warrior David.
  • Michal’s father sought to wed her to David, not because he wanted what was best for his daughter but because he saw she could be used as his pawn in a desire to follow the Michael Coreleone playbook of “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Michal obviously was little loved by her father. He saw his daughter as a “snare” for his enemies.
  • Despite any teenage affections between them, David initially rebuffs being betrothed to her on the grounds he wasn’t worthy to marry the king’s daughter. I wonder how that made her feel?
  • Saul gives David a “price” of earning his betrothal to Michal of bringing him a 100 Philistine foreskins (Gross, I know. It was a brutal time in history). Saul figured David would be killed in the attempt, but instead David brings back two hundred Philistine foreskins to claim Michal. Pissed off and humiliated, Saul tries to assassinate David, but his newly betrothed wife Michal helps him escape out a window.
  • David flees the area for many years abandoning Michal in the home of her mentally ill father. Saul marries Michal off to another man.
  • Many years later David shows up the conquering hero. In a relational and political power play he demands his childhood bride be returned to him. Michal is ripped away from the man she’s been married to and made a home with. She is forcibly taken to David. Her husband follows in tears begging not to be separated from her. I wonder whom Michal truly loved. Was it her husband who was begging in tears not to lose her or the man who rejected and abandoned her and was now demanding her like she was a piece of impersonal property and a spoil of war?
  • We are told that Michal had no children until the day of her death. I am ashamed to confess that in my ignorance I have always seen this fact as some sort of divine punishment of Michal. I can’t see it that way now. I hurt for Michal and the difficult circumstances she was placed by her culture, her mentally ill father, and her betrothed young husband who treated her with indifference and contempt. As we begin to see what a messed up family system David creates as a horribly flawed husband and father, I begin to contemplate that Michal’s barrenness may have ultimately been for the best.

Michal’s rebuke of David’s actions may have seemed inappropriate on the surface of things, but I now see that they were motivated by feelings of abandonment, rejection, anger, and bitterness. Given the circumstance and the backstory, I totally see why there was so much conflict between the two of them. Their story is a tragedy. I wish David would have been man enough and loving enough to allow Michal to live out her life in peace with the only man in her life who ever really seemed to love her.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Chapter-a-Day

Remote Yet Relevant

4 Comments
Map with seven churches
Map of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Revelation 1:3 (NIV)

I will confess to a certain amount of apprehension wading into the Book of Revelation on our chapter-a-day journey. I have read the book many times. I have studied it in depth and have taught classes on it on multiple occasions. Prophetic writing has a unique style and substance and it’s easy for inexperienced readers and spiritual seekers to get lost in the symbols, metaphors, and word pictures. Thus, my apprehension.

I will also confess to a certain amount of excitement, as well. It is a fascinating book. It even professes a blessing on everyone who reads it. Thus, my excitement. Here we go!

First, a little context and background. The book was written by John, Jesus’ disciple, who also wrote the Gospel of John and the three letters of that name. At the time of the writing he was an older man exiled to the Greek island of Patmos where it is believed the Roman Empire ran a penal colony. John had been sent there because of being an outspoken teacher of Jesus. It was the time of the Roman Empire. The number of people choosing to believe and follow Jesus were swelling rapidly. Rome saw this as a political and economic threat and so the persecution of Christians was beginning to grow. The Romans were demanding that everyone worship the Roman Emperor as God or face the death penalty.

The message of Revelation was addressed to seven churches in the region of Asia Minor who were facing this growing persecution. For many followers of Jesus around the world today, there is a strong identification with the seven churches. Persecution is a present reality for most followers of Jesus around the world. Just last night I saw a headline about North Korea condemning 33 Christians to death because of their faith and desire to share it.

Today I am reminded that while the Book of Revelation may seem strange and remote, its the context and overarching message are extremely relevant 2000 years later.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Chapter-a-Day

Benched

3 Comments
David Robinson of the US Olympic men's basketb...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”
1 Samuel 29:6-7 (NIV)

It’s one thing to ride the bench when you know you’re not a star player. It’s another thing to ride the bench when you know you’re one of the best players on the team, or even the league MVP. The other day I used professional athletes in free agency as a word picture for David’s move to serve the rival Philistine king, Achish. The word picture remains apt in today’s chapter. It is a new season, and for the first time David is going to face King Saul and his men. But, in an unexpected move David and his men get benched by their manager, Achish. They don’t even get to suit up and watch from the sidelines. They are sent back to the team’s training facility.

Having watched sports my whole life, I’ve come to realize that coaches and managers bench players for different reasons. Sometimes a player needs a day off. Other times a player may be benched as a precaution against debilitating injury. In some cases, a player needs to be benched when they’ve forgotten that there is no “i” in team. Talented competitors may have a hard time seeing the big picture of career or season when they find themselves in the heat of a single rivalry game.

We have seen that David has spent years being groomed for leadership through difficult circumstances. Being benched by Achish is just another lesson in time that will profit him as king, but it doesn’t make it easy for the talented warrior in the moment. My experience is that there is an ebb and flow to God’s work through us as we progress through our life journey. We don’t set records every game, nor are we in a position to win with a dramatic hail mary every week. Sometimes God puts the ball in our hands because we’re uniquely suited for a particular play or circumstance. Other times we’re asked to play a supporting role on the field. Sometimes we’re told to ride the bench for a game, or for a season.

Today, I am reminded that embracing God’s timing includes an acceptance that there are times we may be a critical part of a particular play in life, and there are times we are asked to ride the bench. Being on God’s team requires acceptance of the fact that it’s not about me.

Related articles
Chapter-a-Day

Cautious with Judgement; Generous with Love

3 Comments
source: cedwardbrice via Flickr
source: cedwardbrice via Flickr

Chapter-a-Day 1 Corinthians 5

I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. 1 Corinthians 5:11 (NLT)

I stopped by a friends house the other night and we chatted. My friend shared that he had run into a mutual acquaintance who, like many, have chosen to live and think in a simplistic, black-and-white context. The acquaintance told my friend he did not want to be around him because my friend is divorced. Our acquaintance seemed to think it was contagious.

One of the unavoidable tasks of anyone who takes up a journey through God’s Message is the need to grapple with sections that make us uncomfortable. When we find ourselves struggling with a passage it’s important not to turn away, but to wade in. There is nothing to fear in struggling through a passage. Struggle, when approached correctly, tends to make one both stronger and wiser.

I honestly struggle with today’s chapter because on the surface it is too easy for us to take the simplistic, black-and-white approach of our acquaintance. “The Bible says not to associate with sinners, so I can’t be around you.” And yet, the Bible also says that we are ALL sinners, that committing one small sin makes us as guilty as committing the whole lot, and that thinking a lustful thought is as bad as committing the illicit sexual act itself. So, if we aren’t going to associate with sinners we might as well get used to a rather lonely and isolated existence.

It’s important to wade in an consider the context. Paul was addressing a situation in which the person in question was indulging in a destructive behavior, reveling in it, and bragging about it. The persons behavior suggested that his heart was hardened and he was flaunting his wrong doing rather than humbly and sincerely struggling to turn away from it. There is a huge difference in the motivation and intent between those two positions.

I was sad for my friend and for our acquaintance, for I perceive that the same difference applied. Even after my friend explained that he did not wish divorce on anyone, that he would not advise it to others, and that he was continually seeking after God to heal his heart and bring about recreation of his life, our acquaintance judgmentally walked away.

Today, I’m motivated to be both cautious and discerning with my judgement and both generous and indiscriminate with my love.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 32

1 Comment

Read up on what happened before you were born;
dig into the past, understand your roots.
Ask your parents what it was like before you were born; 
ask the old-ones, they’ll tell you a thing or two. Deuteronomy 32:7 (MSG)

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting a small group of historians at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland, Michigan. These distinguished academics have dedicated themselves to researching and preserving the history of the Dutch in America. It was one of their books, Iowa Letters, that provided the source material for a play I wrote a few years back and I wanted to express my gratitude. It was a very pleasant visit. I even learned a thing or two.

I love history on both a large and small scale. History on the larger scale has given me a better understanding of human nature and taught me valuable lessons with which I’ve been able to make better life decisions. As it is said, those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it (usually to tragic ends). On a smaller scale, researching and learning about my family, my family’s history, as well as my ethnic heritage has had an even greater impact.

In researching my family and my heritage I have gained a greater perspective of who I am. It has afforded me the opportunity to see myself in a larger context of the community and family system that helped form me. It has helped me understand the community in which I live. This, in turn, has given me insight into both the cultural, familial strengths I want to exercise as well as the generational sins I wish to address and to avoid.

God consistently tells us in His Message to look back and remember. In looking back, digging into the past, and understanding our roots we gain context in which we better understand ourselves. We are also reminded of God’s faithfulness throughout the generations, encouraging us to trust that faithfulness in our own.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 22

2 Comments
Jesus and the woman taken in adultery.
Image via Wikipedia

If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both must die. Purge that evil from Israel. Deuteronomy 22:22 (MSG)

One of the reasons that I love the journey through the Old Testament is that it helps bring important perspective on the familiar stories of the New. Take the law I pulled out of today’s chapter, for example. When I read it, I immediately thought of a familiar story from John’s biography of Jesus:

 Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them. The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.

Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?”

“No one, Master.”

“Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.”

All of a sudden, there is greater complexity in the story of the woman caught in adultery and I have a greater appreciation for what Jesus did. Knowing that the law specifically called for both the man and woman caught in adultery to be killed, Jesus was wondering “where’s the dude?” But, Jesus didn’t make it a legal argument, he made it a personal argument. Rather than pointing them to the law, Jesus pointed them to their own sin and shortcomings.

God’s Message tells a story from beginning to end. I may have my favorite chapters, but I will never have the whole picture if I don’t know the whole story.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Leviticus 12

2 Comments

“If she can’t afford a lamb, she can bring two doves or two pigeons, one for the Whole-Burnt-Offering and one for the Absolution-Offering. The priest will make atonement for her and she will be clean.” Leviticus 12:8 (MSG)

One of the reasons I’ve always encouraged fellow followers to read through the Old Testament is that it provides layers of new understanding to familiar passages in the New Testament. Take the verse above, for example. Now compare that with Luke 2:22-24:

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took [Jesus] to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now we get a deeper picture of Mary and Joseph, who were dedicated followers of the Law and held to the rituals prescribed in Leviticus chapter 12. We also learn that Jesus’ family was of limited means because they sacrificed the doves or pigeons rather than the lamb. This, in turn, is fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic word picture (Isaiah 53:2) that the messiah would be of humble beginnings “like a tender shoot and a root out of dry ground.”

God’s Message provides wholistic understanding. While individual verses or passages provide inspiration or instruction, they are intended to be interpreted in the context of the whole. I am always wary of those who pull one or two verses out of God’s Message and interpret them to mean all sorts of things that do not fit in context with the whole. These early books of law are certainly dry in terms of simple devotional reading, but they are thick with providing a broader historical picture of God’s plan.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Leviticus 1

1 Comment

“If the offering is a Whole-Burnt-Offering from the herd, present a male without a defect at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting that it may be accepted by God. Leviticus 1:3 (MSG)

My grandfather was a court bailiff and as a child I spent my spring break with him at the courthouse. I still remember the long bookshelves, stacked floor to ceiling with an important set of leather bound books entitled “Code of Iowa.” It was the “book of law” for the state of Iowa. Call it the rule book for our society. It prescribes the rules by which we live together and on which our judicial system judges those who break the rules.

Leviticus is not an inspirational book of song lyrics (like Psalms). It is not a devotional book of wise sayings (like Proverbs). It is not a biographical story (like Matthew). Leviticus is an ancient book of law. Like the Code of Iowa sitting on the county courthouse shelf, Leviticus is the “Code of (ancient) Israel.”

We also have to remember the time and historical circumstance in which the book of Leviticus was given. A couple of million Israelites had just left slavery in Egypt. An entire nation with their flocks and herds now found themselves wandering in the desert together. There was no system of government. There wasn’t an agreed upon set of rules. It was a law-less nomadic society; Imagine the entire population of the state of Iowa (complete with farmers taking their livestock) grabbing everything they could carry and making their way on foot toward Canada [Canadians will appreciate that I made them “the promised land” in this metaphor]. Leviticus was God’s attempt to provide some basic rules for life and worship to an ancient people whose daily life we can scarcely imagine in a time and culture very different from our own.

Besides being mindful of the historical context, there are two things I always try to keep in mind while wading through the Code of (ancient) Israel. First, the common link we have to that people is our sin nature. We all blow it and fall short of God’s holy perfection. The sacrificial system prescribed by Leviticus is an initial attempt in history to deal with the core spiritual problem: man is sinful, separated from God, and therefore stands condemned to die.

Second, God is a God of metaphor, so the Code of worship and conduct prescribed in Leviticus is going to provide word pictures and foreshadowing to the larger story God is authoring. For example, the first sacrificial offering prescribed is a “male without defect.” Picture Jesus, God’s own Son, a male without defect, dying on the cross. Two thousand years before Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross, God was trying to give people a word picture of the ultimate plan in the sacrifices He prescribed.

Today, I’m mindful of an epic story of grand design which is still being authored, of which I am a part. And, I’m thankful for a God of detail who has a master plan, even though my finite mind can’t completely comprehend it.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and rachael voorhees