It took a year to read the Bible, then almost 9 months to read the Apocrypha. Now, I'm going to try to offer reflections on the Narrative Lectionary. But, I won't be posting daily--at least, for a while.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Reflection on readings for July 16

You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
(Psalm 12:7)

1 Chronicles 22:1-23:32
Since King David just couldn't trust his son to be able to do the job right, he made sure the right materials were obtained for building the house of the Lord. He cautioned Solomon that his prosperity would depend on observing the statutes and ordinances that the Lord had commanded Moses. Steven Tuell in his commentary of Chronicles points out the differences in David's speech from the way it was described in 1 Kings 2 "where the main body of the speech deals with eliminating enemies and potential rivals."

Choosing what advice to pass on does depend on both what we have experienced and what we want and what we don't want the recipients of the advice to experience.

 Tuell also deduces that David's job had been to be a warrior, Solomon's to be a man of peace. A working bureaucracy is necessary to maintain that peace. So, the Levites.

Romans 3:9-31
Remember that in this letter, Paul is addressing Gentiles. He tells them that they do not have to become Jews in order to be Christians. Their inclusion is a gift.

Psalm 12:1-8
In his A God of Vengeance?, Erich Zengler describes how Psalm 12 follows the basic structure of a lament: 1) Outcry over a disastrous situation; (2) God's answer; (3) Reaction to the congregation to God's words.

Proverbs 19:13-14
A stupid child is ruin to a father,
and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
House and wealth are inherited from the Lord.

Prayer for Today: O Lord, our God, instill within us the wisdom to face whatever confronts us today. Amen.

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