Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: 1 Samuel 7-8, Proverbs 2-3 and Augustine's Confessions 15

1 Samuel 7 – The people take the ark to Kiriath-jearim [thought by many to be today’s Abu Ghosh, 10 miles west of Jerusalem], to the house of Abinadab on the hill. His son Eleazar was given charge of it.  It remains there for 20 years. 

There is a period of revival during this time.  “Israel put away the Baals and the Astartes, and they served the Lord only” (7:4). Samuel called the people together at Mizpah to do penance and fast.  When the Philistines hear of this, they come against them there.  Samuel makes a sacrifice to the Lord and the Philistines are routed (7:10-11).

The “hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel” (7:13). And there was peace with the Amorites as well.  Samuel was judge all his life.  He went on circuit—from Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah and then home to Ramah.

1 Samuel 8 – When Samuel gets old, his sons rule—Joel and Abijah—but they “turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice”(8:3). 

The elders come to him and beg him for a king “to govern us, like other nations” (8:5). Gideon refused a request to make himself king in Judges 8:22 on the grounds that it would be unfaithful to YHWH, but the Jerusalem Bible points out that the offer pertained only to his clan and not to the whole of Israel.

When Samuel asks the Lord what he should do, the Lord replies sadly: “’Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.  Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are going to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only—solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them’” (8:7-9). So Samuel does—he tells them it is the way of kings to take away peoples’ sons and make them military troops and servants; to take away their daughters and make them cooks and bakers.  He will take the best of their lands and tax their harvests.  He shall, in effect, return them to a condition of slavery.

But the people “refuse to listen to the voice of Samuel” (8:19).  They want to be like other nations.  And the Lord acquiesces to their wishes (8:22).

Proverbs

Proverbs 2 – “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. . . . Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord and you will gain knowledge of God” (2:1-5)

The Lord “is a shield to those who walk with integrity” (2:7).

Evil people “take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil” (2:14). God will plant the people who are good in His land, but the wicked will be uprooted.

Proverbs 3 – Beautiful words: “My son, do not forget my teaching, Let your heart keep my principles, For these will give you lengthier days,longer years of life, and greater happiness. Let kindliness and loyalty never leave you: tie them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart (3:1-3).

He tells his son to trust in God, not in his own view of things. And do not “scorn correction” from God (3:11). He corrects those he loves.

“Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens” (3:18-19).

“Do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it, if it is in your power to perform it (3:27). Do not pick “groundless quarrel[s]”. God blesses the home of the virtuous.

Augustine (354-439)

Confessions

15 - Is there any one, Lord, with so high a spirit, cleaving to You with so strong an affection— for even a kind of obtuseness may do that much— but is there, I say, any one who, by cleaving devoutly to You, is endowed with so great a courage that he can esteem lightly those racks and hooks, and varied tortures of the same sort, against which, throughout the whole world, men supplicate You with great fear, deriding those who most bitterly fear them, just as our parents derided the torments with which our masters punished us when we were boys? For we were no less afraid of our pains, nor did we pray less to You to avoid them; and yet we sinned, in writing, or reading, or reflecting upon our lessons less than was required of us. For we wanted not, O Lord, memory or capacity, of which, by Your will, we possessed enough for our age—but we delighted only in play; and we were punished for this by those who were doing the same things themselves. But the idleness of our elders they call business, while boys who do the like are punished by those same elders, and yet neither boys nor men find any pity. For will any one of good sense approve of my being whipped because, as a boy, I played ball, and so was hindered from learning quickly those lessons by means of which, as a man, I should play more unbecomingly? And did he by whom I was beaten do other than this, who, when he was overcome in any little controversy with a co-tutor, was more tormented by anger and envy than I when beaten by a playfellow in a match at ball?

It is hard for me to relate to Augustine’s thoughts here, for as a child I was never beaten, never abused or neglected and the learning I was asked to do was my great pleasure and joy. Were all of the adults given authority over me loving and good? No, but by seeing their faults and experiencing their imperfections, I learned that there were choices to be made out there, models to follow and examples to avoid.

What I think he is saying is that it is not only the boys fixed on playing ball who are not tending to vital matters, the men who punish them for not attending to things they deem important – learning the arts and skills that will make them successful adults – are also obsessed with things that are ultimately unimportant: worldly success, money, power and influence. I don’t think teachers today are motivated by the same worldly values, but call me naïve. Many have. I spent most of my working life as a teacher, and the teachers I worked with were not “worldly” in their focus. I think that is what made it such a wonderful vocation. This is not to say that they always were absent a desire for “success” and “status” as teachers; I guess that was and remains a temptation for anyone.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: 1 Samuel 5-6, Proverbs 1 and Augustine's Confessions 14

So, I will resume where I took off last June, with 1 Samuel and Augustine. I will also be adding in another Old Testament reading, so that I am keeping up with the annual schedule. We'll be caught up in a month and then I'll go back to just one OT reading each day.

1 Samuel 5 – The ark is brought to Ashdod (south of Aphek, near the coast) and placed in a shrine to the god Dagon. The presence of the ark causes problems for the idol - it keeps falling on its face and finally comes apart - and the people suffer tumors.  The people demand removal of the ark; it is moved to Gath, but there too “the hand of the Lord was against the city” (5:9). It is moved again, this time to Ekron with the same result. The people want it returned to “its own place, that it may not kill us and our people” (5:11).

1 Samuel 6 – The Philistines confer and decide to return it accompanied with a “guilt offering” of “five gold tumors and five gold mice” (both things that had plagued the five towns and were believed to have come upon them because they had the ark—the towns were Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, Gaza and Ekron). They will place these things in a cart, harness two milch cows to it and let them go.  If it goes to Beth-shemesh, they will take that as a sign that the harm they suffered was due to the ark; if not then to chance.  Needless to say, the cows go “straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh.” [this despite the fact that were separated from their calves] (6:12).

When the people see it coming, they rejoiced. “A large stone was there [in a field near the town]; so they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord” (6:14).

For some reason, the descendants of Jeconiah do not rejoice with the people in greeting the ark, so seventy of them are killed (6:19). A voice of complaint is heard about the harshness of this God. “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom shall he go so that we may be rid of him?” (20) They are referring to the ark, but the ark and God represent the same presence, a presence that at times can be a great burden—a cross even-- as the people of Beth-shemesh can attest.

Proverbs

Introduction: Called by Jerusalem Bible editors the “most representative work of Israelite wisdom literature,” Proverbs is made up of two collections: 10-22:16 (the Proverbs of Solomon) and 25-29 (Proverbs of Solomon transcribed by the men of Hezekiah). Chapters 1-9 is a long introduction.

According to 1 Kings 5:12, Solomon wrote about 3000 proverbs. The second collection was already ancient when the “men of Hezekiah” collected them around 700 BC. There are a few smaller sections too – saying of Agur and Lemuel (two Arabian sages – possibly fictitious but included as a demonstration of the universality of “wisdom”). The nucleus of the book (10-29) is dated to the pre-exilic period. The prologue is later – when the whole book was put together.

Proverbs 1 – The purpose of these proverbs of Solomon are “for learning what wisdom and discipline are, for understanding words of deep meaning, for acquiring an enlightened attitude of mind – virtue, justice and fair-dealing” (1:2-3).

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (1:7).

When your father and mother correct you, do not ignore them. If “sinners entice you, turn your back on them” (1:10). They are just trying to get all that you have. “If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away” (1:17).

“Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square” (1:20). Listen to her counsel. She will share her heart with you and make you wise. If you ignore the advice of Wisdom and reject her correction, she “will laugh when you are in trouble, [she] will mock you when disaster overtakes you” (1:26).

If you will not be instructed by Wisdom, you “must eat the bitter fruit of living [your] own way” (1:31).

Augustine (354-439)

Confessions

14 - O my God! What miseries and mockeries did I then experience, when obedience to my teachers was set before me as proper to my boyhood, that I might flourish in this world, and distinguish myself in the science of speech, which should get me honor among men, and deceitful riches! After that I was put to school to get learning, of which I (worthless as I was) knew not what use there was; and yet, if slow to learn, I was flogged! For this was deemed praiseworthy by our forefathers; and many before us, passing the same course, had appointed beforehand for us these troublesome ways by which we were compelled to pass, multiplying labor and sorrow upon the sons of Adam. But we found, O Lord, men praying to You, and we learned from them to conceive of You, according to our ability, to be some Great One, who was able (though not visible to our senses) to hear and help us. For as a boy I began to pray to You, my "help" and my "refuge," and in invoking You broke the bands of my tongue, and entreated You though little, with no little earnestness, that I might not be beaten at school. And when You hearded me not, giving me not over to folly thereby, my elders, yea, and my own parents too, who wished me no ill, laughed at my stripes, my then great and grievous ill.

The highlighted words of Augustine are the words that speak to me from this section. We sometimes forget that the people of the past we learn about in history classes and in pursing any path of learning were just like us. They learned as we learned; they saw that their knowledge of or inquiry into religious ideas was inspired by the practices of others, passing down the faith from ages past. And our desire to learn about and relate to this “Great One, who was able (though not visible to our senses) to hear and help us” is something that starts very early. The help we can receive from our elders, teachers and friends is not sufficient. We reach out into the abyss for that support and miraculously it is from that invisible presence that we do receive the love and support we need to thrive.