by Philip W. Gilman
Phil Gilman is a retired professional land surveyor, living a life of ease on Social Security in sunny, rainy Florida. He became a Christian in his mid-30s, and was ordained by the Presbyterian Church (US) as both an elder and a deacon. He served his Presbytery in several positions for over 30 years. Presently, he is a member of a UFMCC congregation. Neither seminary nor Bible school trained, he writes not to teach, but hoping to provide another angle on the readings and provoke thought (let the reader understand).
_________________
Lectionary Years A, B & C Sep. 14, 2007 HCross
Musings on the Lectionary Readings for Holy Cross
by Philip W. Gilman
Musings on the Lectionary Readings for Holy Cross
by Philip W. Gilman
Num. 21: 4b--9 Psa. 98: 1--5 or 78: 1--2, 34--38
1Cor. 1: 18--24 John 3: 13--17
Hebrew Scriptures: TNK; New Testament: NJB; except as noted.
Symbols: ^Scripture^; *1 =footnote; _italics_
1Cor. 1: 18--24 John 3: 13--17
Hebrew Scriptures: TNK; New Testament: NJB; except as noted.
Symbols: ^Scripture^; *1 =footnote; _italics_
Num. 21: 4b--9*1
^And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"^
^In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.^
^But the people thirsted there for water; and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"^ (Exo. 15: 24, 16: 2 & 17: 3)
^And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"^
^In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.^
^But the people thirsted there for water; and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"^ (Exo. 15: 24, 16: 2 & 17: 3)
^But the people grew restive on the journey, and the people spoke
against God and against Moses, "Why did you make us leave Egypt to die
in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to
loathe this miserable food."^ (4b-5)
^One generation goes, another comes,
But the earth remains the same forever.^ (Eccl. 1: 4)
^Only that shall happen
Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!^ (Eccl. 1: 9)
But the earth remains the same forever.^ (Eccl. 1: 4)
^Only that shall happen
Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!^ (Eccl. 1: 9)
As far as humankind is concerned, Koheleth is quite correct. But
not so when we consider YHWH. In the three Exodus incidents, God
patiently and mercifully provided water and food for the people. Now,
it seems, YHWH has had enough of their grumbling, and sends biting
serpents. But the people cannot say that they were not forewarned.
^[God] said, "If you will heed the LORD your God diligently, doing
what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping
all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I
brought upon the Egyptians, for I the LORD am your healer."^*2 (Exo. 15:
26)
Is it significant that, this early in the wilderness wanderings,
YHWH speaks to the Israelites as ^your healer^? Or that now, after
sending biting serpents as punishment for their intransigence, offers
healing through an imitation serpent? Of course even they understood
that the copper serpent did not heal them, but that YHWH acted through
their looking at it. We call it an exercise of faith.
Do we have such faith as the Israelites did? ^Moses made a copper
serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when anyone was bitten by a
serpent, he would look at the copper serpent and recover.^ (9) The
testimony of Holy Scripture is that they were afflicted, and then
healed. Do we somehow explain this away? If not, do we truly believe
that ^"I the LORD am your healer"^?
Psa. 78: 34--38 and 98: 1--5
These Psalms offer quite a contrast. The first shows what people are:
These Psalms offer quite a contrast. The first shows what people are:
^When [YHWH] struck them, they turned to Him
and sought God once again.
They remembered that God was their rock,
God Most High, their Redeemer.
Yet they deceived [YHWH] with their speech,
lied to Him with their words;
their hearts were inconstant toward [God];
they were untrue to His covenant.^ (78: 34-37)
Fickle, wavering, "being good" when it is to our best interests, but otherwise... Quite to the contrary, we read about God:
and sought God once again.
They remembered that God was their rock,
God Most High, their Redeemer.
Yet they deceived [YHWH] with their speech,
lied to Him with their words;
their hearts were inconstant toward [God];
they were untrue to His covenant.^ (78: 34-37)
Fickle, wavering, "being good" when it is to our best interests, but otherwise... Quite to the contrary, we read about God:
^The LORD has manifested His victory,
has displayed His triumph in the sight of the nations.
[YHWH] was mindful of His steadfast love and faithfulness
toward the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth beheld the victory of our God.^ (98: 2-3)
has displayed His triumph in the sight of the nations.
[YHWH] was mindful of His steadfast love and faithfulness
toward the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth beheld the victory of our God.^ (98: 2-3)
^"I the LORD am your healer."^ But today most Christians, in their
collective wisdom, do not believe it.
1Cor. 1: 18--24
^As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Where are the philosophers? Where are the experts? And where are the debaters of this age? Do you not see how God has shown up human wisdom as folly?^ (19-20)
^As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Where are the philosophers? Where are the experts? And where are the debaters of this age? Do you not see how God has shown up human wisdom as folly?^ (19-20)
"Human wisdom" puts no credence in God; faith healing is disparaged,
even among good Christians who snicker in disbelief at various small
sects which try to take God at His word. When will the Church begin to
believe God? What will it take for us to ^see how God has shown up
human wisdom as folly?^
^The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to
ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the
power of God.^ (18) Do Christians believe that God only has power to
save? Is that all that the cross of Christ is good for? Is YHWH just
joking or, even worse, lying, when telling us: ^"I the LORD am your
healer"^? Is there more than just salvation to ^The message of the
cross^?
John 3: 13--17
^For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.^ (17) Judging from the translations, one would get the impression that ^The message of the cross^ is limited to salvation and eternal life. But the Evangelist may be sending a fuller, more comprehensive message than that, for he uses a word that means much more than "save".
^For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.^ (17) Judging from the translations, one would get the impression that ^The message of the cross^ is limited to salvation and eternal life. But the Evangelist may be sending a fuller, more comprehensive message than that, for he uses a word that means much more than "save".
The Greek is _sozo_; from a prim. _sos_ (contr. for obsol. _saos_,
"safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (lit. or fig.):--heal,
preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.*3 It appears 120 times
in 103 verses in the NT; 14 times in 13 verses*4 it is rendered in the
KJV in terms of healing and wholeness.
^"I the LORD am your healer."^ ^Speak up, present your case, let
them put their heads together! Who foretold this in the past, who
revealed it long ago? Was it not I, Yahweh? There is no other god
except me, no saving God, no Saviour except me! Turn to me and you will
be saved, all you ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no
other.^ (Isa. 45: 21-22, NJB) ^'Now... will [God] not much more look
after you, you who have so little faith?'^ (Mat. 6: 30)
*1 It seems apparent that this reading was chosen due to the popular
notion that the copper serpent was mounted on a cross. But this is
not so, according to the Bible. It was a pole or standard, such as
would be used to hold a flag or sign.
*2 Also REB, NJB, NAB and NNAS; many other translations choose a
verb form.
*3 G4982, Strong's Concordance Dictionary.
*4 Mat. 9: 21, 22 (2x); Mk. 5: 23, 28 & 34, 6: 56 & 10: 52; Lk. 8: 36, 48
& 50, & 17: 19; Acts 4: 9 & 14: 9.
notion that the copper serpent was mounted on a cross. But this is
not so, according to the Bible. It was a pole or standard, such as
would be used to hold a flag or sign.
*2 Also REB, NJB, NAB and NNAS; many other translations choose a
verb form.
*3 G4982, Strong's Concordance Dictionary.
*4 Mat. 9: 21, 22 (2x); Mk. 5: 23, 28 & 34, 6: 56 & 10: 52; Lk. 8: 36, 48
& 50, & 17: 19; Acts 4: 9 & 14: 9.
