Today’s Scripture Reading (November 18,
2013): Isaiah 13
It is said
that in 1284, all of the children of Hamelin, Germany disappeared. The theory
is that there was an outbreak of bubonic plague in the town (this was just over
fifty years before an outbreak of the plague would decimate Europe killing
possibly half of the European population.) But this outbreak of disease was
more or less contained to the Hamelin area. But by the time the plague had run
its course, all of the children of Hamelin had died.
It is this
story that some believe that the Pied Piper of Hamelin is attempting to tell.
In the story of the Pied Piper, the town of Hamelin is besieged by rats. Rats
were a common carrier of the fleas that are the cause the plague, so it is no
accident that the story talks about the rats of Hamelin. In the story of the
Pied Piper, the desperate residents of Hamelin are willing to try anything to
finally get rid of the rats, and so they hire a Piper to play his music and
lure the rats away from the town. The Piper is successful, but after the deed
is accomplished the town’s residents refuse to pay him for his music. So the
Pied Piper plays his music again and leads the children away from the town,
stealing away the hope of the town. And in the darker version of the story,
even though the residents finally pay the Piper, the children are lost forever.
In the historical Hamelin, the day came when the rats were finally dealt with
and the disease had disappeared, but the children were gone forever.
Often our
stories and fables carry a deeper meaning than we often understand. And the
story is often an important one – one that we want to remember, such as the
death of the children of Hamelin and the loss of hope for a town. Our stories
are important, and they are true, even if they aren’t always literal.
The Bible is
a piece of literature. Its stories are true and they are important, but the
Bible often employs literary devices to carry that truth that are not literal. So
Jesus told parables or stories that contained a deep and often hidden meaning. One
of the biggest mistakes that we make as we read the Bible is expecting it to be
literal, and this is especially true when we read prophecy.
This passage
is one of the ones that should be interpreted in a figurative way rather than
literal. We are told at the beginning of the prophecy that it is directed at
Babylon. So in this passage there is a darkening of the skies, Isaiah is saying
that this will be a worldwide time of horror. Babylon was about to take the
stage as the dominant kingdom of the earth. The mention of the constellations
is especially important for Babylon. Babylon held that the city and nation was
started by the hunter Nimrod. Nimrod, an impious giant, was found chained to
the sky in the constellation of Orion. While Nimrod was in the sky, he kept
watch over his kingdom. And because he watched, the people of Babylon had hope.
But
according to Isaiah, a time was coming when Babylon would be enveloped in
darkness and they would be without hope. Even Nimrod would disappear from the
sky, along with the sun and the moon, leaving Babylon in total darkness. In
that day, they would be a nation without hope. But Babylon also stands for the
kingdom of man, a kingdom that often looks for hope in the stars, when Isaiah
knew that hope could only be found in the God of Israel. In the language of the
Pied Piper of Hamelin, it is as if Isaiah wants his readers to understand that
even if the Piper could lead the rats away from the town, it was only God that
could restore the children.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah
14
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