Finding Wisdom in Historical Narrative: 1 Samuel 25 as biblical wisdom literature

 A couple of years ago, I presented a seminar on wisdom we find within the genre of the historical narrative of 1 Samuel 25—the story of Nabal, Abigail, and David. I hope you enjoy it.

The Mystery of Messiah

Beit Ariel Panel Discussion, Shabbat Toldot 5783 / 26 November 2022

My contribution today drew a few insights from British scholar, Richard Bauckham, in his God Crucified, later included in his Jesus and the God of Israel (2008, published by Eerdmans). I used David Stern’s Complete Jewish Bible translation. Additional comments, not in this morning’s discussion, appear in square brackets; each of them could be expanded greatly.

Who God Is

For a starting point, I used the start of the Ten “Commandments” in Deuteronomy 5. Deuteronomy 5.6-10 reads,

א ^‎6 “ ‘I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves.

ב ^‎7 “ ‘You are to have no other gods before me. ⁸ You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline—⁹ you are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.

Note:

1. The passage starts with the divine name. [Traditionally, both Jews and Christians use a substitute for the name like “HaShem” (“the Name”), or ADONAI which is like saying “the LORD,” also written in all capitals. It’s the four-letter name of God in Hebrew, the Tetragrammaton.] This name uniquely identifies the deity from everything else.

2. This ADONAI identifies himself as Israel’s God. He is the deity, divine.

3. If this were not enough, he further identifies himself as the one who redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. That is to say, he shows who he is by what he does, or has done. This is not a definition of God; it’s a way of uniquely identifying him: HaShem is the God and Redeemer of Israel. This is not about God’s so-called “nature.” It is not abstract philosophy. It’s not about what God is but who he is—in relation to his people. God concretely revealed himself by intervening in human history to deliver his people from slavery.

4. Verse 7 stresses that Israel may not have any other gods. Thus Israel has one God only.

5. Verses 8-10 sternly warn Israel against idolatry [which would inevitably result from having other gods.]

These points are intended to serve as a foundation for our on-going discussion. We did not, however, have time to build on it much today. Furthermore, two key characteristics of the LORD will be important in future discussions:

1. He alone is the creator of all things. Isaiah 44.:24 says, “I am ADONAI, who makes all things, who stretched out the heavens all alone, who spread out the earth all by myself.”

2. God alone is the ruler of all things.

The Pierced One

Our conversation touched on Zechariah’s prophecy of the piercing of Yeshua (see John 19:34). Zechariah, however, identifies the pierced one as HaShem. This prophecy begins in Zechariah 12:1:

“A prophecy, the word of Adonai concerning Isra’el—here is the message from Adonai, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit inside human beings.”

Verse 1 tells us twice whose prophetic word it is: that of ADONAI. He elaborates by identifying himself as the creator of heaven and earth and of people’s spirits. He is still the speaker in Zechariah 12:10 when he says that

“the House of David and … those living in Yerushalayim … will look to me, whom they pierced.”

Revelation 1:7 speaks of Yeshua:

Look! He is coming with the clouds!

Every eye will see him,

including those who pierced him;

and all the tribes of the Land will mourn him.

[See Matthew 26:64 and Mark 14:62 for Yeshua’s self-identification with the one coming on/with the clouds.]

The First and the Last

Isaiah 44:6 says,

Thus says ADONAI,

Isra’el’s King and Redeemer,

ADONAI-Tzva’ot:

“I am the first, and I am the last;

besides me there is no God.”

In the address, God immediately invokes his own name in the emphatic formula, “Thus says the LORD.” He then stresses his relationship to Israel as part of his identity: he is both the King and Redeemer of Israel. “Redeemer” alludes to his deliverance in the exodus from Egypt. “King” identifies God as the sovereign [and implies a kingdom—another discussion]. He stresses his identity further by repeating his sacred name in the formula, “LORD of Hosts.” “Hosts” means “armies.” [Evidently, God is a military commander too!]

What does God say, now that he has stamped his name and identity so securely to his message?

1. He reveals himself to be the first [rishon—he is from the beginning]

2. And the Last [acharon—he is at the end]

3. There is no God besides him. He alone is God.

In Isaiah 48:12, God says something similar. [He starts by identifying himself in relation to “Israel, whom I called.”] He says,

“I am he.

I am the first;

also I am the last.”

[Stern’s translation loses something that will prove to be significant in this formula, so I am taking this from another.]

Revelation 1:8 says,

“I am the ‘A’ [alpha] and the ‘Z,’ [omega] ” says ADONAI,

God of heaven’s armies,

the One who is,

who was

and who is coming.

[Stern has translated “Lord” as “LORD,” that is, to refer to the divine name. He uses A and Z because they correspond to the first and last letters of the alphabet, though Z does not equate to omega.] Again we see God identified as a military commander—of heaven’s armies! He claims to be the beginning and end of the alphabet, a way of saying that he is the beginning and the end. He is clearly identifying himself as the same God who spoke in Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12. The end of Revelation provides a similar identification of the LORD God (Rev 21:5-6):

Then the One sitting on the throne said,

“... I am the ‘A’ [alpha] and the ‘Z,’ [omega]

the Beginning and the End.”

The formula is crystal clear; “the One sitting on the throne” is God himself, ADONAI. Yet there two other instances of the “beginning and end” formula in Revelation, both of which refer to Yeshua. As with the first two, these appear near the beginning and end of the book. The writer, John, first sees “someone like a Son of Man” (Revelation 1:13) who said to him,

“I am the First

and the Last,

the Living One.

I was dead,

but look!—I am alive forever and ever!”

The one “like a Son of Man ... was dead,” yet he also claims the divine title, “the First and the Last!” Thus, Yeshua identifies himself as God. He does so again in Revelation 21:6:

“I am the ‘A’ [alpha] and the ‘Z,’ [omega]

the First and the Last,

the Beginning and the End.”

[Verse 16 confirms that the speaker has changed to Yeshua. Note the words, “I am coming soon” in verses 12 and 20, with the response in verse 20, “Amen! Come, Lord Yeshua!”]

Psalm 67: A word in season

Traditionally, observant Jews recite Psalm 67 daily in this period of counting the omer (grain sheaves), from Pesach/Passover to Shavuot/Pentecost. Apart from the title line, Psalm 67 has seven verses and 49 words in Hebrew, corresponding to the seven weeks and 49 days of counting the omer: one word to contemplate per day and one verse per week.

Particularly striking is the psalm's echo of the priestly blessing in verse 1 (using the common English numbering, which ignores the superscription). Verses 2-7 form a symmetry that hinges on v4b, the climax, of God judging (governing) the peoples of the earth fairly. Moving out from the centre, verses 4a and c speak of the nations. Verses 3 and 5 are the same: the peoples praise God. Verses 2 and 6 speak of the earth, and verses1 and 7 assure us of God's blessing. So the whole song is mirrored on the middle (a chiasm/chiasmus), like a mountain reflected in a lake.

Another interesting feature is the psalmist's deliberate use of three different, but closely related, words: goyim (nations), amim (peoples), and l'ummim (nations). This makes Psalm 67 especially suitable for mixed multitudes to join together with Israel in praising God who has indeed made his salvation known among all nations through his Anointed One, Yeshua (Jesus) himself! Like a Passover lamb, he was executed on Passover day. God resurrected him on the third day, the Festival of Firstfruits; as Paul wrote that Messiah's resurrection is the firstfruits of those who have "fallen asleep"—there is a great harvest (resurrection of the righteous dead) yet to come when he returns! On the fiftieth day (Pentecost), God poured out his Holy Spirit on the disciples of Yeshua in the temple (the [Holy] House) where they were gathered. Now God's salvation has been proclaimed in every nation, as the psalmist anticipated. Yet we still await the fulness of his Kingdom, when he shall reign through Messiah, judging all nations with fairness. May he bring it speedily and soon, and in our days, Amen!

A Pentecost on Passover?

The first person to speak in tongues in the famous Azusa Street Revival did so on 9 April 1906. This was the 14th day of Nisan, that is, Passover. (Use https://www.hebcal.com/converter to check.) Just a fluke, or truly an appointed time? Yet the Pentecostal renewal in 1906 didn't come easily; extended and fervent fasting and prayer led up to it.

The history seems all the more pertinent for my home country (and many others) when we consider that the Revival came through the preaching of an African American, William Seymour—an object of ethnic prejudice in his time. And there seems rich irony in that Seymour was blind in one eye; he could "see" better than his contemporaries what the unseen God wanted to do!

May the LORD strengthen us to seek Him wholeheartedly in our days, and at the imminent Passover, that we too may be refreshed by his Holy Breath!

Remembrance of Polycarp

Although the date of Polycarp's martyrdom is disputed, at least one source names today (2 Nisan) as the day of his death. In any case, he's worthy of remembrance as a leader of the ecclesia in the mid-second century and as a martyr for the faith in Messiah (against Roman paganism). I also honour him for his firm stance on Quartodecimanism [1] (Passover on 14 Nisan, according to the biblical calendar) and for transmitting premillennialism [2] (the future kingdom of God on earth).

Just one of Polycarp's works remains, a letter he wrote the the congregation in Philippi. Here is chapter 2 of that letter from Rick Brannan's accessible new translation [3]:

2.1 Therefore prepare yourselves. Serve God in reverence and truth, leaving behind empty, fruitless talk  and the deception of the crowd, believing in the one who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and gave him glory and a throne at his right hand, to whom all things in heaven and earth are subject, whom every breathing thing worships, who is coming as judge of the living and dead, whose blood God will require from those who disobey him. 2 But the one who raised him from the dead also will raise us if we do his will and follow in his commandments and love the things he loved, refraining from all unrighteousness, greediness, love of money, evil speech, and false witness, not paying back evil for evil or abuse for abuse or blow for blow or curse for curse, 3 but remembering what the Lord said when he taught: Do not judge so that you may not be judged; forgive and then you will be forgiven; show mercy so that you will be shown mercy; with what measure you measure out it will be measured again to you; and blessed are the poor and those being persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the kingdom of God.

I pray and trust, in accord with Revelation 6:9–11, for the vindication and proper vengeance of the blood of all the martyrs—including Polycarp.

[1]  This includes both the remembrance of the original Passover of the Hebrews and the execution of Jesus/Yeshua.

[2] Disputed, but I believe a firm case can be made.

[3] Brannan, Rick, trans. The Apostolic Fathers in English. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.

Book Review: Models of Premillennialism

My review of Sung Wook Chung's and David Mathewson's Models of Premillennialism (2018, Cascade Books) has been published in Conspectus 28 (September 2019). The review includes a summary and critique of the book. Here is an excerpt:

Chung and Mathewson have produced a digestible review of premillennial eschatologies put forward since the second century, showing how each one developed and what its unique characteristics are. By restricting their scope to premillennialism, the authors avoided inundating the reader with too much information which is readily available elsewhere. I was particularly glad to discover that the majority view of evangelical theologians is premillennialism, where the impression I had was that it was a minority view among them (even if is evidently popular in the camp of dispensational laymen.) Even so, Chung and Mathewson are not polemical in their presentation, nor do they seek to persuade the reader to adopt any eschatological position.

The review is freely available here: https://www.sats.edu.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Conspectus-28-11-Woods.pdf.

Wisdom in Esther

What wisdom can we gain from the main characters, Mordecai, Esther and Haman, in the book of Esther?

We learn that the wise decline to act on bad advice, but they respond positively to good advice.

• Day after day, the king's servants pressed Mordecai to obey the command of the king, to kneel and bow down to Haman, but Mordecai resisted. This appears early in the narrative (Est. 3.2-4) and it's only toward the end that we see that Mordecai's determination not to obey a bad command proved to be wise.
• In Esther 4.15-17, Queen Esther tells her relative, Mordecai, to arrange a fast for all the Jews in the city of Susa. Implicit in the narrative is an appeal for all Jews in the city to pray for her. Mordecai acted on Esther's word, and God acted in response to the Jews' fasting and prayers, and he saved them. Here, the wise Mordecai acted on a good command, as verse 17 says, "he did everything that Esther commanded him."
• In another place, Queen Esther was prompted by Mordecai to "go to the king and make supplication to him and entreat before him for her people" (Est. 4.8). Thus she did, contrary to the custom--even at risk of her own life. The wise take good advice!

We also learn from the book of Esther that fools reject good advice, but they act upon bad advice.

• The wicked Haman took the bad advice of his wife and all his friends (he must have kept bad company!) As Esther 5.14 says, they advised him to erect "gallows" on which to hang Mordecai; "The advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made." Later in the story, we learn that the fate he intended for his enemy came upon him instead--and his ten sons!
• In contrast, when Haman's advisers and his wife gave him good advice, warning him that he would "not prevail against [Mordecai] but certainly fall before him," Haman rejected it (Est. 6.13). His baseless hatred for the righteous Mordecai compelled him to reject words of wisdom and act in folly instead.