Bric-a-brac

Just so you guys know I have taken the liberty to abbreviate Song of Solomon as SofS.

Fit:
Into the canon – Mystery of suffering is not very different from the mystery of love.
Not written by Solomon, despite its inscription, but it is part of the ancient tradition of Near Eastern love poetry.

Two most basic theories:
Jewish tradition says God is bridegroom and Jewish people are the bride.
Christian tradition says Christ is bridegroom and believers are the bride.

Theories and Scholars:

• Allegorical Interpretation = Jack Sasson (idea is that this is part of the Chebat service; the SofS was acted out during a Chebat service and then all was well with the village).  Think God and bride, or Christ and bride, depending on the context of your explanation.
• Dramatic Interpretation = Ewald and Driver (thought is that the bridegroom is a young shepherd and his rival is Solomon.  The king has taken the maiden to his palace in Jerusalem 6:10-12 and is trying to win her heart.  She remains true to her country bumpkin by resisting the king and is finally united with the her true love.
• Secular Love Poetry =Rowley (British baptist) and Grotius (i.e. literal interpretation)  This view was very popular during Renaissance in 16th and 17th centuries CE, and favor for it has only surpassed the adherence of the allegorical interpretation over the last 100 years.
• Cult Theory = T.J. Meek and Marvin Pope (btw, Pope has the most exhaustive commentary on SofS, it’s about 800 pages, and he comes up with his theory by taking into account erotic literature from all of the various Mediterranean traditions of that era)
• New riff on Genesis 2 = Phylis Tribble (baptist scholar) –see directly below–

• Without the roles of Gen 2-3
• Without the blame

• Think of language in Genesis 2-3 when Adam and woman have their first encounter
  • “bone of my bone” and Gen. 2 ends with them naked and not ashamed
  • 3 ends with them clothed and ashamed

• Song of Songs is a counter to Genesis 2-3
  • Gen 2-3 is rooted in blame
  • Song of Songs has no blame, and no shame

• The issue here is sexuality
  • Shameful in Genesis 2-3
  • Celebrated in Song of Solomon

Date: Post-exilic
Difficult to date, even by language because there are 50 hapax legomena (word that occurs only once in Hebrew Bible) in 100 verses!  The closest scholars can date SofS is 4th or 3rd century BCE due to the fact that there seems to be quite a bit of international flare with the language (i.e. words are possibly borrowed from Persian and Greek languages and the Hebrew language seems to be influenced by Aramaic–these instances are known as Aramisms).

Key terms:
Be able to define hapax legomena, and Aramism.

Key passages:
Due to the various interpretations of this book, be careful…

Some elements as to how Micah stands out:
*meaning of Micah’s name
*where Micah is from and who he is criticizing

Key date:
715 BCE (i.e. Micah prophesied during King Hezekiah’s rule)

Key Passages:
Micah can be divided into 3 sections (1-3, 4-5, and 6-7).
Chapter 4 is key to understanding the book.
3:9-12 – Zion plowed into field
5:2-6 (is picked up in Matthew…)
6:1-8 – mission statement that is commonly used (What does the Lord require of you?)

Key scholars:
Walter Brueggemann (3:9-12) – Zion plowed b/c of the heads and rulers
Smith-Christopher (3:9-12) – refers to Zion going back to what it was originally, pushes for moving away from centralized economic religious structures and towards the village model.

Context:
Imagine hearing this prophet if you were under Assyrian rule, and think about what it might mean to you from that context rather than your current situation in America.

Key terms:
Micah (meaning of name), judgment, restoration, plowshares, vineyards, fig trees, Assyrian empire

Other texts you may want to look at:
Isaiah 2 (hard to tell if Micah 4-5 or Isaiah 2 was written 1st, or do both come from a 3rd tradition??)
Joel 2 (also compare with Micah 4-5)

Yup, all the reading for Jeremiah and Ezekiel has been completed.  I just didn’t post it… so now it looks like it was just barely done.  Oops.

What is an essential tradition in your family?  You know, the one thing everyone conforms to no matter what they did before they married in?  Surely, someone can marry in to your family and choose to not conform to the tradition… but then they become “that person”.  Your family still accepts them, at least on the surface…but they never truly become part of the family because they refuse to participate/associate with/take an interest in/share with the core values of the family.  Instead, they choose to observe.

What happens during these observations?  Well, while they can be of a purely innocent nature, it is our natural tendency to feel like are being judged.  Why else would they continue to remain on the outside of the family when they could so easily enter into the fold?

What are the entrance requirements for your Church family?  It varies from denomination to denomination, but here are a few of the more common requirements that must be met before one is “fully accepted” as a member:

• New Member Class (varies from 6 weeks to a year of training in doctrine…at least the stance that church takes on various points of doctrine)
• A walk down the aisle
• Water baptism, which may or may not be proceeded by any doctrinal training… (and varies with different denominations as to whether it is done by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion)
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit (not an entrance requirement, but it does increase your acceptance in some circles)

What about during the Persian Period?  What did YHWH require of his people?

In Isaiah 56:1-8, we read that YHWH is gathering people to Him.  His standards are not as strenuous as we would have made them out to be.  In a nutshell, to be accepted by YHWH, keep the Sabbath.  Indeed, those who would have surely been outcasts are told that they’ll be given “an everlasting name that shall not be cut off” (56:5).  This sounds an awful lot like what our churches claim today…except our churches add several more steps before someone is “truly accepted”.  So the question is, what does God require and what does humanity require?  (Remember, God does not change… but humans have proven themselves to be extremely fickle.)

So, as I have learned from Dr. Reid:  “this is why I am a Biblical scholar and not a systematic theologian!”

Often, Christians are told that there is a price to following Christ.  For most American Christians, this is only visible in the news stories that choose to show this particular slant.  A few of our congregations support missionaries enough that they hear of events first hand when missionaries are on furlough.  These stories are not always easy to digest.  They upset us enough that we desire to change something… but somehow we continue to sugar coat our faith.

Part of our sugar coating process consists of limiting our teaching and devotional canons to the New Testament.  Adults tend to feel like the Old Testament is reserved for the elementary Sunday School lessons.  True, it has provided us great ideas for coloring books and movies.  The lessons contained within the Old Testament are preserved in a story-like fashion because the cultures of that time were not dependent upon either the written word or visual entertainment.  Traditions were passed down from oral teachings, therefore the teachings that were more memorable were the ones that were more easily preserved through generations.

Unfortunately, when Christians talk about the cost of  faith, they tends to wear blinders.  A second thought is not given to the possibility looking at the cost of following YHWH, before He sent us His Son.  Surely there has been a price to pay, ever since YHWH chose His people and kept his commitment to stick by His choice no matter what.  But where would we find these examples?  The Old Testament, of course.  The Old Testament is filled with “stories” of individuals who paid a price to follow/serve YHWH.  The prophets are a prime examples.

For the sake of space,lets glance at the major costs Ezekiel paid:

1. He is told he is being sent to people who can understand him but will not listen to him (3:4-11)  How would you like to know that your audience can understand you but could care less about your message??
2. If Ezekiel refused to act on behalf of God, when people died their blood would be upon his hands (3:17-21)  Great… so now that you know they won’t listen to you, if you refuse to endure what lies ahead you are held accountable for their unrighteousness.  Still excited about your calling?
3. Ezekiel will be unable to speak unless he is speaking the Word of God (3:26)  Never mind trying to explain what’s going on to people… God’s gonna make sure you only say His words… lets see who your real friends are!
4. Lay on your side and don’t turn over until God allows it!  (this was for over 400 days total, mostly spent on his  left side to represent Israel’s punishment (4:5) with a small percentage of the time spent on his right side to represent Judah’s punishment (4:6) Can you imagine the bed sores that festered??  How about the muscle atrophy that occurred?
5. Eat the gourmet “Ezekiel bread” that is baked over  dung (4:9-15) Sounds yummy, eh? Bet it smelled good too!  Are you going to invite him to your potluck… or do you just invite those who don’t do/cook/eat “strange things”?
6. Shave head & beard with a sharp sword (5:1) Remember how bad head wounds bleed?  If not ask your Mom… I bet you scared her a few times.  Now imagine the mess from your self-inflicted wounds of shaving your entire head and beard with a nice sharp sword and no mirrors to help you see what you are doing. Oh… and don’t forget rash of razor burn b/c we all know they didn’t have Sensitive Skin shaving cream back then… (ah, the blessings of modern life!)
7. Now go burn the hair (5:2) Mmmmm…nothing stays in the nostrils like burning hair!

Sure, all of this seems “tolerable” and even doable…. b/c it’s things Ezekiel has to endure himself.  His family has to see him, smell him, and endure the mocking that will befall them (remember this is a society where one individual’s actions can ruin the reputation of the entire family)… but then God steps it up a notch.

Ezekiel is told his wife will die, and he is not to mourn/weep…and it happens (24:15-18)

So, what is the cost of following God?

For Ezekiel, he not only watched his people face destruction and most likely psychological breaks, but he also lost his dignity and family that he probably treasured.  All he had left to cling to was God… who was ironically the mastermind behind all of the events taking place.

The cost of being a disciple/believer/servant of God…Do you even have an idea of the weight of your decisions?  Has your endurance been tested lately?

In 586, this event was critical to Ezekiel’s prophetic career.  (What is the capture and destruction of Jerusalem?)

This is the group of exiles Ezekiel went to Babylon with.  (What is the first group of exiles?)

What is the typical pattern used to depict the call of an individual in Scripture?  For example, Jeremiah’s call follows this pattern.

Jeremiah’s prophetic preaching is based on this theme. (What is the covenant relationship between God and the people of Israel and Judah?)

Although I should not be surprised, I am.

Many Christians (at least the vast majority of the ones I have been around) are quick to claim God’s promises as if they are made directly to their own lives.  It is trendy to stick Bible verses on home decor, especially those that are encouraging.  For example, whoever thought to tack the letters F-A-I-T-H together in various ways and sell them in stores like Hobby Lobby and Micheal’s was a marketing genius!  Perhaps this was the same genius that tacked on Isaiah 40:31 to a photo of an eagle flying.  In fact, I have a theory that you could make a lot of money by selling scenic photographs with “inspirational verses” attached to them. Well, at least more than you could make by tacking on “death and destruction” verses.  (Hmm… I wonder if Isaiah 41:14 would sell just as well?  Would Christians enjoy being equated with a worm (maybe even a night crawler–Lumbricus terrestris) like Jacob was?

My question is this: (Okay, it’s more than one, but bear with me…)

Do these same people ever take the death and destruction verses to heart as well?  Do they think it’s a compliment to be referred to as “sheep”??  Why are they allowed to cherry-pick the Bible?  What makes them so special as to think the Scriptures (well, the encouraging parts at least) were written for their benefit alone?  Who then are the other parts intended for?  Most of all, why do so many Christians individualize everything beneficial and then point fingers and accuse others when life gets rough?

If the trend of cherry-picking the encouraging verses and individualizing them is something that is going to remain unaddressed in our congregations, I suggest we add this song to our worship services…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlprvwuqYPA