King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men. – 1 Kings 5:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 31, 2016): 1 Kings 5

It has been argued that the Great Depression ended because the world went to war. The nations of the world took care of their massive unemployment by raising an army and a civilian support for that army. At least, that is the way that it looks on the surface. If that is true, then the economic solution to any kind of economic downturn is to drop bombs on somebody. I know, it doesn’t sound like a great solution.

But the deeper reality is that what looks to be true on the surface is actually not the truth (and that seems to be true in so many areas of our lives.) The truth is that winning World War II was a massive, and expensive, undertaking. What appears to have happened at the end of the Great Depression is that the world made a trade – massive unemployment for massive debt. Luckily, we do not need a World War to incur massive debt (yes, that was sarcasm). When the 2008 downturn threatened to turn into an even bigger depression, we took what we learned with the Great Depression and spent our way out of trouble, increasing our already massive debt. My fear is that all we are really doing is delaying our problem to tomorrow; we are presenting it as a gift to our children because we know that someone is going to have to pay back what it is that we have borrowed.

In many ways, it is only with our current modern economies that the kind of debt we have incurred is even possible. Under ancient economies, limited debt might have been possible. But often hard economic choices had to be made.

David wanted to build a Temple. God said no. My opinion is still that God never intended for the Temple in Jerusalem to ever be built. The Temple that God wanted was the one that was placed in the hearts of humankind. But the practical reality is that David could have probably never raised the workers and materials needed to complete the process. The building was a huge undertaking. Many Bible experts don’t want us to miss that it was essentially built with slave labor – men who had been conscripted into the process. But those conscripted men could not be used for any other purpose, like fighting a war or maintaining a border. For David, he needed the men and materials that he could gather to serve that purpose; to fight his wars and stabilize the nation’s borders. But because he did that job so well, Solomon did not have that concern. In peace, Solomon could raise the resources needed to complete the Temple.

Of course, raising those resources came at a price. While we remember Solomon as a wise king, his conscription for the Temple and other projects sewed the seed for the rebellion that would take place during the reign of his son, Rehoboam, and would result in a divided Israel – North and South. The nation would never again be whole.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 6

He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. – 1 Kings 4:33

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 30, 2016): 1 Kings 4

The Rabbi’s in antiquity told a parable. A certain man was walking in a field in the heat of the day. As he walked, he carried a jug of cool milk and he came across a snake that was dying of thirst. The snake looked up at the man with the milk and begged the man for a drink. The man looked down at the dying snake and refused to part with any of his milk. But the snake persisted and finally told the man that in exchange for a drink of milk, the snake would show the man a treasure. Intrigued by what the snake might call a treasure, the man gave in and offered the snake some milk. Once the snake’s thirst had been satisfied, the snake led the man to his treasure hidden under a rock. Just as the man was about to take his reward, the snake pounced, coiling itself around the man’s neck. The man protested the snake’s behavior, but the snake insisted that he would never allow the man to take his treasure. So the man proposed that they take their case before Solomon the Wise.

The snake agreed and the pair went and found Solomon. When they arrived at the place where Solomon was, the snake was still coiled around the man’s neck. Solomon asked the snake what it was that he wanted. The snake told the king that he wanted to kill the man because the scriptures dictated that the snake will bruise the heel of man. Solomon pondered the snake’s request and then demanded that the snake lets go of the man before he delivered his ruling, telling the snake that the two parties in a trial must have equal standing. So the snake lets go of the man and dropped to the ground. Then Solomon asked a second time what it was that the snake wanted. Again the snake informed the king that he wanted to kill the man fulfilling the scripture that said that the snake would bruise the heel of man. Solomon turned to the man and said “To you, God commands that you crush the head of the snake – do it! And the man did it.

The Hebrew teachers taught that Solomon understood plants from the Cedar of Lebanon which was the most majestic all the way down to the Hyssop plant which was the least of the plants. He also knew all the categories of animals on the earth, from mammals to reptiles, and the birds and the fish. In Solomon, we see a man that fulfilled the commands given to Adam, the first man, to take care of creation. And Solomon’s commitment and care were such that, at least according to the Rabbi’s, even the animals brought their differences before the wise king.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 5

Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house. – Psalm 45:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 29, 2016): Psalm 45

I recently read an article that argued that the Bible does not instruct a woman to take her husband’s name when she enters into a marriage relationship. I would agree, but with a caveat. There are no instructions that could be considered moral or prescriptive (as in instructing that you must do it this way.) But there is evidence that even in the Bible this was considered to be the traditional practice. We need to understand that the Bible was written in a patriarchal culture and that our culture is not drawn on strict patriarchal – or matriarchal - lines. Because of this, it is sometimes dangerous to draw comparisons between the biblical culture and our own. But there are places where the Bible is descriptive on this practice. And this is one of them.

Psalm 45 is a marriage Psalm. And as the psalmist turns from the man to the woman, he reminds the woman to forget her people and her father’s house. This is not literally ‘forget’ as to not have memory or relationships with her own family, but this is a description of what is essentially taking the man’s name in marriage; shifting her identity from the house of her father to the house of her husband. And in this process, she becomes one with her husband and part of the family and of the tribe of her husband. But this only descriptive in nature.

Having said that, Psalm 45 also provides an illustration that is pertinent to our Christian lives. Repeatedly, the Christian Testament reminds us that the Church is the Bride of Christ. And as his Bride, we take his name. Essentially that is what the word Christian is – us taking and identifying with the name of Christ as his Bride. This Psalm might also shed some light on what Jesus meant with these words - If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple … In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples (Luke 14:26-33). As Christians, we are expected to leave our own alliances, beliefs and purposes so that we can join in the purposes of Jesus. All of this is part of the process of us really becoming the Bride of Christ – and taking his name as our own.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 4