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2017, October 29 ~ Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

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During the 2017 Pentecost Season, alternative readings from the Hebrew Bible are offered. Scripture in Context will discuss both readings and the reading from the Christian Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and (except for today’s reading) is presented as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words that mean “Second Law” and is structured as a “restatement’ of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Parts of it were revised in the 5th Century BCE, but the bulk of the book is generally dated to the reign of Josiah (640-609 BCE).

It is the first book of the “Deuteronomic History” – a didactic history of Ancient Israel from the Wilderness to the Babylonian Exile (587 BCE), including Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings.

Today’s reading is the last chapter of the Torah and a segue to the Book of Joshua. It recounted Moses’ death and the passing of authority to Joshua. Moses’ burial site is unknown (v. 6) lest it become a place of veneration. Mount Nebo and Pisgah are different places, but the author treats them as the same in order to respect different traditions about the place of Moses’ death.

The statement that Moses knew YHWH “face to face” (v.10) became part of Israel’s Messianic expectation when combined with Deut. 18:18 (“I [YHWH] will raise up for them a prophet like you [Moses] from among their own people.”) The Gospel According to Matthew especially emphasized Jesus of Nazareth as the New Moses.

Ironically (and reflecting different religious and theological traditions within the Torah), last week’s reading specifically said Moses could not see YHWH’s face and live (Ex. 33:20-23).

Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18

Leviticus is the third book of the Torah and is mostly concerned with a variety of laws and the worship of YHWH. The book gets its name from the priests who were of the Tribe of Levi. It is part of the Priestly writings and dated to the time of the Exile (587-539 BCE) and after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of the “Holiness Code” written after the Exile that comprises Chapters 17 to 26. The opening verses call the people of Israel (and us) to be “holy” – which is understood as being “separate” (that is, not OF this world and its values, even though we are IN this world). The last verse (“love your neighbor as yourself”) became the Second Great Commandment in the Gospels, when combined with Deut. 6:5 (“love the LORD [YHWH] your God”).

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians was Paul’s first letter and was written around 50 CE. Thessaloniki is a seaport and was the capital of Macedonia. The letter encouraged the community to be steadfast in the face of persecution. In today’s reading, Paul emphasized the sincerity of his preaching to them, and that he considered himself entrusted with the gospel by God (v.4).

2017, February 19 ~

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Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

Leviticus is the third book of the Torah and is mostly concerned with laws and the worship of God at his sanctuary. The book gets its name from the priests who were of the Tribe of Levi. It is part of the Priestly writings and is dated to the time of the Exile (587-539 BCE) and after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of the “Holiness Code” written after the Exile that comprises Chapters 17 to 26. The opening verses call for the people of Israel (and us) to be “holy” – which is understood as being “separate” (that is, not OF this world and its values, even though we are IN this world).

The next part of the reading sounds very much like the Ten Commandments, but sets up higher standards: not leaving food and drink for the poor is tantamount to stealing; one needs to care for the handicapped; taking vengeance and bearing a grudge are wrong. The reading concludes with the verse quoted by Jesus of Nazareth as the Second Great Commandment.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was Hellenistic and emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. This led to contentions among the Corinthians.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s argument to the Corinthians that they should be unified. He asserts that he laid the foundation for their faith and this foundation is Jesus the Christ (v. 11). He tells the Corinthians that they are “God’s temple” – even though the Temple in Jerusalem was in full operation during all of Paul’s life. (The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE). Today’s reading concludes with Paul’s continuing attack on the “wisdom/values of the world” and his affirmation that these values are “foolishness to God.” The final verse describes the “Cosmic Christ” that draws all to itself and to God.

2016, September 25 ~ Amos 6:1a, 4-7 & 1 Timothy 6:6-19

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Amos 6:1a, 4-7

After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous and a time of great inequality between rich and poor. Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by Yahweh to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE. Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel).

In today’s reading, Amos (speaking for Yahweh) harshly criticized the wealthy in Israel and predicted their doom. His mention of the “ruin of Joseph” (v.6) is a colloquial reference to the impending destruction of Northern Israel by Assyria in 722 BCE. The “back story” to this reference is: according to Numbers 18, the Tribe of Levi was not allocated land because they were priests and received tithes from the other tribes. Therefore, there would have been only 11 tribes receiving land. To fix this, Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were each allocated lands and counted among the 12 Tribes of Israel. Because the Tribe of Ephraim became the largest and most prosperous of the Northern 10 tribes and King Jeroboam was an Ephraimite, the nation of Northern Israel was sometimes referred to as “Ephraim” or “Joseph.”

1 Timothy 6:6-19

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concern the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 64 CE). Writing something in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries.

Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the letter. The author cautions against love of money, encourages the active “pursuit” of righteousness and “fighting the good fight of the faith.” (v.12)