2 Kings 3 – Joram [or Jehoram in some
versions], Ahab’s son,
becomes king in Samaria and reigns 12 years [Jerusalem Bible notes says it was really
only eight years—849 to 842 BC]. He
did what was evil “though not like his father and mother, for he removed the
pillar of Baal that his father had made” (3:2). Still, he “clung to the sin
of Jeroboam” (3:3). It doesn’t say how – golden calves? high places?
King Mesha of Moab, a sheep breeder, used to provide Ahab with lambs and
wool, but now he rebels. Jerusalem Bible notes
indicates that a stele, discovered at Dibon in 1868, 12 miles east of the Dead Sea
and four miles north of the Arnon River, mentions this Moabite “war of liberation”
but omits this episode. Joram secures the aid
of Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom in this effort to subdue the
Moabites. Jehoshaphat says to him,
“I am with you, my people are your people, my horses are your horses” (3:7).
They
go by way of Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. The king of Edom is an ally.
Lacking water for seven days, they fear defeat at the hand of Moab, so they
consult Elisha. Elisha tries to put Joram off by saying “What have I to do with
you? Go to your father’s prophets or to your mother’s” (3:13). But Elisha finally yields to him because of
his respect for Jehoshaphat (3:14).
Elisha
asks for a musician, and while the musician plays, “the power of the Lord came
on him” (3:15). He prophesies that the wadi would be filled with water (without
wind or rain) and that the Lord will hand Moab over to them. The next morning they see water flowing
from the direction of Edom until it fills the country. The Moabites prepare to fight, but see
the reflection of the water “as red as blood” (3:22). They think it is because
the three kings have fought amongst themselves, and killed one another, so the
Moabites go against them. When
they arrive they are attacked and defeated.
In
a desperate attempt to halt the attack, the King of Moab offers up his
first-born son as a burnt offering on the wall to the god of the Moabites
[Chemosh]. Interesting differences arise
in the translations at this point. Some say this act brought “great wrath” down
on the Israelites; others say “great terror” struck them. The result is the
same. The attackers halt their invasion. “[T]hey drew back from the city and
returned to their own country” (3:27).
The
Jerusalem Bible notes that some
interpreters think that there is reference here to the fury of Chemosh, god of
the Moabites; but that is problematic.
It is basically accepting that the Moabite god responded to the
sacrifice of the king’s son by helping them fend off the Israelites. Isaac Asimov
(359) indicates that most cultures at this time were “henotheistic,” that is they
believed in the idea that each territory had its own powerful god to protect
it; so that even if Israelites were not worshippers of Chemosh, they might have
believed that the sacrifice to him in his own territory would likely bring that
god into the fray in a powerful way. But you would think this an unlikely
passage in the Old Testament – unless the firm monotheism of later generations
of Jewish chroniclers was not yet firmly in place.
There
are a multitude of complicated historical and theological questions related to
this event, which you may read about in the following article posted on the
internet: http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bbr/2kings3_sprinkle.pdf
Luke 6:27-49 - The
teaching goes on to speak of loving our enemies (6:27); blessing those who
curse you (6:28) and praying for those who mistreat you.
Jesus speaks of those who hear his words and build on them as
people who set their lives on a foundation of rock—when floods arise, the
rivers will burst against them, but they will not be shaken (6:48). None of these teachings are in Mark.
The
rewards promised to those who would be children of the Most High are not the
rewards the world has to give like power, wealth, praise, status, but the
rewards only God can give like deep joy, integrity, dignity, peace of mind and
heart.
Jesus
tells the people that now they must learn to see the splinters in their own
eyes before they can see to correct the defects in others’ eyes. There is an implied promise that when
they are “trained” they will be able to
see in a discerning way. One
knows what a person is by the “fruit” each produces. We are to be doers of
the word, not sayers only.
“The one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house
on the ground without a foundation.
When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely
destroyed” (6:49).
It is interesting in
Luke that he focuses so intently on how important “the fruits” are in a
person’s life—what it is they DO.
In Mark there is so little emphasis on this; it is remarkable. Maybe this is one of the things Luke
felt was missing from Mark. Again
Mark is really more Pauline in focusing on the ”gnosis” the gospel gives us and
on the inner transformation it involves—Paul also talks about fruits, about
behavior; but I think his emphasis is on the change in “being” that occurs in
the person of faith, not primarily on the change in behavior.
Reflection: For Luke, Jesus holds out for us a new
way of life, a way of life built on sincerity of faith and obedience to
God. These are not just idealistic
precepts or a way of life impossible for us to reach. But we must learn to see in the way God meant for us to see and
overcome the impediments to faithful action. It is not what we feel or think that mark us as children of
the Most High, but real differences in our lives. The fruit, whether of deeds or words or work must grow from
the tree of life Christ brings to fruition in us.
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