Today’s Scripture Reading (February
16, 2016): 1 Samuel 31
I was
watching CNN the other night when I heard what sounded like a ludicrous
criticism of Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders. The criticism
was on Sanders human rights record and a comparison between the records of
Sanders and his current Democratic opponent Hilary Clinton. Clinton, according
to the interview, had a long standing record as a human rights activist where
Sanders was a newcomer to the cause. When the person being interviewed was
asked by Anderson Cooper whether that was a valid comment given the fact that
Sanders has been an advocate of human rights and low income housing and has
even spent time in jail in the defense of human rights, and that Sanders’ human
rights record extends back over fifty years, the response was that the
criticism was valid because previously he had done these things as an independent.
Now he was doing it as a member of the Democratic Party, and that was a new
thing.
I was
stunned by the words. I mean, does it really matter what banner we do good
under? Sanders has a long record as a human rights activist, who cares if most
of it was done as a political independent, or that his actions centered in
Chicago instead of South Carolina. We need more people who are willing to stand
up against human rights violations, and we need them of many different races,
religions and political background. We need human rights activists in Chicago
and Greenville and Dallas and Toronto and Edmonton. Nothing should invalidate
the good that we do. Personally, I think good needs to be recognized even
though we might also misstep along the way. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton
both have a longstanding commitment to human rights. Period. They could both
become Republicans tomorrow and that would still be true.
King Saul
and his sons had died. When the Philistines found their bodies, they removed
their heads so that they could post them up as an image of humiliation outside
of the city of Beit She’an (Beth Shan), a Philistine controlled area in
Northern Israel. Saul had longed struggled with his relationship with God, he often
acted like a madman, and he had chased away his leading General, an action that
probably was a significant factor in his defeat and death. As a king, he let
personal desire overrule the good that he could do for the nation. Even God had
ruled against him promising to raise of a new king and a new lineage to rule
over Israel.
Yet, in
spite of all that, Saul had also done much good. And one of those good deeds,
performed many years earlier, was the defense of Jabesh Gilead against the
Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1-11). The men of Jabesh Gliead had not forgotten Saul’s
response to their need, and so they refused to allow the head and body of Saul
to suffer humiliation. In spite of the fact that the king’s behavior had
deteriorated since those early days, they wanted to honor the king, The desire
to honor was so strong that they were willing to risk their lives to go and get
the bodies off of the wall at Beit She’an. Saul’s kindness and defense of the
city would not be forgotten.
A note needs
to be mentioned with regard to the cremation of the bodies of Saul and his
sons. Cremation was highly unusual in Jewish society. But it is likely that the
burning of the bodies and then burying the bones was the only way the men could
think of for making sure that the Philistines didn’t dig up the bodies again
and put them back on display. The dignity of the king would be preserved
because of the determination of valiant men of Jabesh Gilead in memory of the
good that the king had done.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2
Samuel 1
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