5/12/11
1 Samuel 4-8
1 Samuel 4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
The Ark of God Captured
In those days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle was joined, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid; for they said, “Gods have come into the camp.” They also said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, in order not to become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”
10 So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Death of Eli
12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with earth upon his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. 16 The man said to Eli, “I have just come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” He said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 The messenger replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the troops; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth; for her labor pains overwhelmed her. 20 As she was about to die, the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or give heed. 21 She named the child Ichabod, meaning, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
The Philistines and the Ark
1 Samuel 5:1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod; 2 then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod and in its territory. 7 And when the inhabitants of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy on us and on our god Dagon.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” The inhabitants of Gath replied, “Let the ark of God be moved on to us.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath. 9 But after they had brought it to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic; he struck the inhabitants of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of the God of Israel to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “Why have they brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people?” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there; 12 those who did not die were stricken with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
The Ark Returned to Israel
1 Samuel 6:1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us what we should send with it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and will be ransomed; will not his hand then turn from you?”Why didn't the Philistines turn to the Lord? Clearly they saw that Dagon was no God, unable to even put himself back in his place. They came to fear God, but not enough to serve God. Are we any different? Every time there is a natural disaster people begin the debate on why God brought the disaster or why God allowed it to happen.
The Bible teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The Philistines had good cause to fear the ark. Is it possible they did not turn to God because that would mean a change in life style? Are we any different today?
Do we not deny the existence of the unknown so we can perpetuate our own way of doing things? As we form relationships with others, investing emotional bandwidth in one another, we become someone new. Relationships are the harbinger of change. Drawing close to God will change us. Loving God will change us. Relationships change us as we share experiences, attitudes, feelings and ultimately choices. Sometimes Lily and I do things my way and sometimes we do things Lily's way. The longer we are married the more we do things our way.
God does not change. Sometimes I do things my way, despite God, and sometimes I do things God's way. If my love for God draws stronger I will move ever closer to God. The closer I get to God the more I will do things God's way.
The Philistines did not want to stop doing things their way. They preferred a god who needed them to pick him up off the ground and set him back in place. They preferred a god who was programmed by them, a god who would not come between them and the lifestyle they chose.
4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for the same plague was upon all of you and upon your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and your gods and your land.
I always thought this was nuts, but remember how God's people were told to make a serpent and gaze upon it to be healed? Of course they missed the point, but they did get healed.
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had made fools of them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7 Now then, get ready a new cart and two milch cows that have never borne a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off, and let it go its way. 9 And watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.” The fleece returns.
10 The men did so; they took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the box with the gold mice and the images of their tumors. 12 The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.
They turned neither to the right or the left ... This is how we are supposed to be. Though the cares of this world may beckon and inundate us, we turn neither to the right nor the left. We keep our eyes fixed and focused on Jesus Christ. We lean not unto our own understanding, but in all our ways we acknowledge the Lord and God will provide a path, a light unto our feet.
13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they went with rejoicing to meet it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, and stopped there. A large stone was there; so they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the gold objects, and set them upon the large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and presented sacrifices on that day to the Lord.
17 These are the gold tumors, which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18 also the gold mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone, beside which they set down the ark of the Lord, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
I like to read, "is a witness to this day." Imagine being told a story and you can go to that actual place and see that great stone! So whenever the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh became something else we know that this was written before then.
The Ark at Kiriath-jearim
19 The descendants of Jeconiah did not rejoice with the people of Beth-shemesh when they greeted the ark of the Lord; and he killed seventy men of them. The people mourned because the Lord had made a great slaughter among the people. 20 Then the people of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom shall he go so that we may be rid of him?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.” 1 Samuel 7:1 And the people of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord, and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They consecrated his son, Eleazar, to have charge of the ark of the Lord.
2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
Samuel as Judge
3 Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Astartes from among you.
Is this not repentance? We don't like this word repentance. Saying I'm sorry gets easier the more you say it, but Samuel told them to put away their foreign gods. That means putting away all of the things that are contrary to the nature of God.Stop saying you are too busy to do a little kindness for someone else. Stop expecting reciprocation if and when you do an act of kindness. Don't tell anyone when you do an act of kindness. If you really believe in the Lord then know that God sees and isn't that enough?
Too many of us try to call attention to the things we do we think are good, hoping others will think us good. Does it matter if the whole world things you're great? Only God matters.
As a general store manager I was asked more than once, what an associate's priorities should be. I always said God should be number one, your spouse number two and your children number three. Whatever is number four; career, ministry, job, will ultimately suffer if one, two and three are not in the proper sequence. I failed to follow my own counsel. My god, Kmart, like all idols; success, career, recognition, pornography, greed, covetousness, gluttony, led only to disappointment and loss.
When God mercifully cast my Dagon to the threshold, (my so called identity as a Kmart store manager); removed its arms and legs and all the things that made me feel significant, my eyes were opened to reality. Shortly thereafter I held my first grandchild in my arms and God opened my eyes to the real meaning of family. Only through God's mercy and a Holy Spirit filled wife did I NOT lose the jewel of life; relationship.
Love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself is not a slogan. Jesus said that upon this rests the whole law and the prophets.
" Direct your heart to the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 So Israel put away the Baals and the Astartes, and they served the Lord only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord. They fasted that day, and said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 The people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, and pray that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel; but the Lord thundered with a mighty voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion; and they were routed before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as beyond Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel; the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was there; he administered justice there to Israel, and built there an altar to the Lord.
Israel Demands a King
8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
Israel’s Request for a King Granted
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the people of Israel, “Each of you return home.”
Devotionals, Videos and more ...
by Bill Federer
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was performed for the first time this day, May 12, 1861, for Union recruits during the Civil War. Said to have been Lincoln's favorite song, it was written by Julia Ward Howe when she visited Washington and saw the city teeming with military horses and campfires burning. Sleeping unsoundly one night, Julia Ward Howe wrote her poem, which ends: "In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea; With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on."
Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.
by whoever
Prayer is when you talk to God;
meditation is when you listen to God.
--- Diana Robinson
Weave in faith
and God will find the thread.
--- Author Unknown
They say that God is everywhere,
and yet we always think of Him
as somewhat of a recluse.
--- Emily Dickinson
... from here, there and everywhere
by D.H. Stern
Like apples of gold in settings of silver
is a word appropriately spoken.
Like a gold earring, like a fine gold necklace
is a wise reprover to a receptive ear.
Like the coldness of snow in the heat of the harvest
is a faithful messenger to the one who sends him;
he refreshes his master's spirit.
Like clouds and wind that bring no rain
is he who boasts of gifts he never gives.
Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible-OE
: An English version of the Tanakh (OT) and
B'rit Hadashah (NT) (1st ed.). Clarksville, Md.: Jewish
New Testament Publications.
A Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers
Make a habit of having no habits
For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful. --- 2 Peter 1:8 (R.V.).
When we begin to form a habit we are conscious of it. There are times when we are conscious of becoming virtuous and patient and godly, but it is only a stage; if we stop there we shall get the strut of the spiritual prig. The right thing to do with habits is to lose them in the life of the Lord, until every habit is so practised that there is no conscious habit at all. Our spiritual life continually resolves into introspection because there are some qualities we have not added as yet. Ultimately the relationship is to be a completely simple one.
Your god may be your little Christian habit, the habit of prayer at stated times, or the habit of Bible reading. Watch how your Father will upset those times if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes—‘I can’t do that just now, I am praying; it is my hour with God.’ No, it is your hour with your habit. There is a quality that is lacking in you. Recognize the defect, and then look for the opportunity of exercising yourself along the line of the quality to be added. Love means that there is no habit visible, you have come to the place where the habit is lost, and by practice you do the thing unconsciously. If you are consciously holy, there are certain things you imagine you cannot do, certain relationships in which you are far from simple; that means there is something to be added. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there anywhere where you are not at home with God? Let God press through in that particular circumstance until you gain Him, and life becomes the simple life of a child. Chambers, O. (1993). My Utmost for His Highest
the Poetry of R.S. Thomas
A Blackbird Singing
BIt seems wrong that this bird,
Black, bold, a suggestion of dark
Places about it, there yet should come
Such rich music, as though the notes'
Ore were changed to a rare metal
At one touch of that bright bill.
You have heard it often, alone at your desk
In a green April, your mind drawn
Away from its work by sweet disturbance
Of the mild evening outside your room.
A slow singer, but loading each phrase
With history's overtones, love, joy
And grief learned by his dark tribe
In other orchards and passed on
Instinctively as they are now,
But fresh always with new tears.
Thomas, R. S. H'm: Poems. London: Macmillan, 1972.
Bava Metzia 84b
There is an apocryphal tale of a woman who, thinking that she had become pregnant the night before, rushed to make an early morning phone call — not to her obstetrician or to a family member but to the local nursery school to sign up her "child" for kindergarten. She was afraid that her "baby" would be closed out of class five years hence.
Whether this story is factually true or not, it does reflect a reality about children in our contemporary world: They are rushed through life. In his book The Hurried Child-25th Anniversary Edition
The child who does not excel in kindergarten and who, at age five, is labeled a problem child for the rest of life. If the label sticks, the youngster may never have the opportunity to overcome these obstacles.
The Little League team members whose coach forces a win-or-lose mentality on them, turning the game from fun into a battlefield. They may grow up playing team sports but not enjoying them.
The child of divorce who is thrust into adult roles—cooking, caring for infants—and adult responsibilities at an early age. Unfortunately, the need for another set of hands in the home may make the extra pressure on this youngster unavoidable.
Elkind cites the example of a seven-year-old who left school because of a nervous breakdown, who was a weak student with no friends and a poor athlete with odd mannerisms. At a young age, he was labeled a problem child. It is conceivable that such a youngster would lose out on the opportunity to overcome adversity and become a worthwhile member of society. Fortunately, in this case, the young man surmounted all of these negative stereotypes and matured into the great physicist Albert Einstein.
Often, the negative effects on youngsters come about as by-products of positive intentions. We want our children to get ahead, and consequently we buy them (and ourselves) books, videos, and even computer programs that help get an "edge" on life—"Toilet Training in One Day!" or "Calculus for Preschoolers."
There are times when our youngsters are ready to handle more, when they will demand to be challenged. Yet, we often fall into the trap of hurrying our children (and our grandchildren) beyond what they can handle. We do this out of both love and fear. We love them and want the best for them. We are afraid that they will fall behind in an ever-changing world. We want them to succeed in life, and rather than choosing time-honored values and slowly reinforcing methods of teaching, we opt for quick fixes and fads.
Similarly, there are times when we infantilize our elderly, treating them like children. We assume that someone who is getting hard of hearing also cannot think so well. We imagine that those who were born many years ago cannot cope with change, when the reality is that they have had to manage change repeatedly in their lives. We may assume, incorrectly, that those who are retired and no longer have a job likewise no longer have a purpose in life. Each of these instances treats the elderly like children.
While some believe that youth is wasted on the young, we know that youth is for the young, just as the older years are for the elderly. Treating our youngsters like children and our seniors like elders is exactly what we are supposed to do. In the case of our children, it allows them the pleasure, the opportunity, and the privilege of growing up, a process that truly cannot be hurried. In the case of our elders, it confers upon them the dignity and honor they deserve.
Should a vessel that was used for holy be used for everyday?
Text / As he was about to die, he [Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon] said to his wife: "I know that the Rabbis are angry with me and will not treat me well. Lay me out in the loft and do not be afraid of me." Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: "Rabbi Yonatan's mother told me that the wife of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon told her: 'I kept him in the loft no less than eighteen years and no more than twenty-four years. When I went up there, I would check his hair, and when hair fell out, blood would flow. One day, I saw a worm come out of his ear, and I became weak. He came to me in the dream and said to me: "This is nothing! One day I heard a scholar insulted and I did not protest it as I should have." When two came for judgment, they stood at the entrance, each one making his case, and a voice came forth from the loft, saying: "So-and-so, you are guilty! So-and-so, you are innocent!" ' " One day, she was arguing with a neighbor who said to her: "May you be like your husband, unworthy of burial!" The Rabbis said: "This is not the right way." Some say that Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai appeared to them in a dream, telling them: "There is a single pigeon of a pair among you, and you won't let him come to me?" The Rabbis went to take care of him, but the people of Akhbariya would not let them, for all the years that Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon rested there, no wild animal came to them. One Yom Kippur eve, when they were busy, the Rabbis sent word to the residents of Biri to carry out his bier. They carried him to the burial cave of his father, but they found a snake encircling it. They said: "Snake! Snake! Open your mouth and let a son enter with his father." It opened for them. Rabbi sent to speak [of marriage] to his [Rabbi Elazar's] wife. She sent back to him: "Should a vessel that was used for holy be used for everyday?"
Context / The Talmud is not ashamed to present unpopular and even derogatory views of the Rabbis. Some scholars suggest that the purpose of such stories is not to show off the fine qualities of one rabbi as opposed to those of another, or to advocate a specific position. Most likely, these stories attempt to teach the reader a lesson about the world around them.
Context / This is probably the case in our Gemara from Bava Metzia, for even though Rabbi Elazar is portrayed as a righteous man by his widow, we know that there are places in the Talmud where he was seen as a traitor. Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon lived in the second-century C.E. and was the son and student of the famous Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai. Together, we are told, they hid in a cave for thirteen years to escape punishment from the Romans for having taught Torah. Yet, while the father, Shimon, continued to defy Rome, the son, Elazar, later worked for the Roman administration, becoming an official responsible for reporting on thieves. This put him in a position of conflict with many of the Rabbis of the time, leading his teacher Yehoshua ben Korḥah to condemn him: "Vinegar son of wine (i.e., a spoiled son of a vintage master)! How long will you continue to hand over the people of our God to be killed?" Despite his association with the Romans, Rabbi Elazar is pictured as a saint and martyr in the narrative which follows our text.
This story tells of the death of Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon, a scholar who was seen by many as a traitor for the help he gave the conquering Roman army during its occupation of Israel. Rabbi Elazar may have been fearful of his colleagues' reaction to his death, afraid that they would not treat him respectfully. He therefore asked his wife that, upon his death, his body not be buried but left in a loft or upper chamber of their house. This she did. Not only did she keep the body there, but it kept its original, natural state, even producing blood (after all the years) when hair fell out.
Once, she felt guilty for not having buried her husband properly, but he reassured her that the worm coming forth from his ear was punishment for not having stood up for a fellow rabbi when he was being insulted. Even more amazing than the lack of decomposition of the body is the fact (according to the story) that Rabbi Elazar issued judicial rulings even after his death. People would present their cases at his doorway, and a voice would be heard announcing the verdict.
However, when a neighbor mocked the wife, she knew it was time to have her husband buried. One tradition says that the Rabbis wanted to bury Rabbi Elazar. Another tradition holds that his father, Rabbi Shimon, appeared to them in a dream. His words—"There is a single pigeon of a pair among you, and you won't let him come to me?"—mean "My son and I are a pair. I am already in the World-to-Come, and you will not allow my son to join me here?" The people of Akhbariya feared that his burial would mean the end of the protection that they had been given while Rabbi Elazar's body remained in his loft. Still, the Rabbis sought to bury Elazar. The next obstacle to overcome was a snake, blocking the entrance to the burial cave.
Some time after the burial, Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi ("Rabbi") sent emissaries to Rabbi Elazar's widow ("his wife"). The message they brought was a proposal for marriage: Now that your deceased husband has been buried, you can marry me. She rebuffed Rabbi, and her response "Should a vessel that was used for holy be used for everyday?" has become a classic. The unnamed wife means: Are you worthy to take the place of such a holy man? While Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi was one of the greats of his day (and of any day in Jewish life, seen both from his title and his status), the widow of Rabbi Elazar considered Rabbi Yehudah as ordinary compared to her beloved, holy husband.
Katz, M., & Schwartz, G. (1998). Swimming in the Sea of Talmud: Lessons for Everyday LIving
by Diana Wallis
Let him who walks in the dark,… trust in the name of the LORD. --- Isaiah 50:10
We understand by the name the revealed character of God. Twelve sermons for the troubled and tried: Delivered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle
By the name of the Lord is also meant his dear Son, for it is in Jesus Christ that Jehovah has proclaimed his name. When it is dark around you and within you, then get to your Savior, and think of him and all his sorrow and his victory. As you hear his cries and perceive the flowing of his blood, you will gain comfort and joy such as will turn your darkness into day.
It is also good, dear friends, when you are thinking of the name of the Lord to remember that to you it signifies what you have seen of God in your own experience. This is his memorial, or name, to you. A grand thing it is, when at present you have no consolation, to recollect the consolation you enjoyed in years gone by. Oh, the days when he did help us! You said, "What a deliverance I have had! I will never doubt him again!" O poor stupid, you are doubting him now! But why? Jehovah is with you, therefore do not be afraid.
Furthermore, the text says, let him "rely on his God." Let him lean on his God, make God his stay, his prop, his rest. You have taken God to be your God, haven't you? If so, he has also taken you to be his own. There is a covenant between you: lean on that covenant. Lean wholly and fully on him who is your covenant God.
--- C. H. Spurgeon
(27). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.Teacher's Commentary
The Philistines were a sea people who settled along the Mediterranean coast around 1200 B.C. They established five major cities, from which they spread inland. These people maintained a military advantage from the time of Samson until the age of David. This was due to the fact that they alone in the area knew the secret of working iron. Their iron weapons were far superior to any weapons of the poverty-stricken Israelites.
Humanly speaking, war with the Philistines could only bring disaster. It's no wonder that, in the first battle mentioned in this section, Israel was defeated with about 4,000 men killed on the battlefield.
Israel's response was to bring the ark of the covenant into battle. This ark was to be kept in the tabernacle, the tent which served as Israel's worship center.
The ark contained several special items. It contained manna, the special food given to the people of Israel in their wilderness wanderings. Manna spoke of divine provision. The ark also contained the Ten Commandments, etched on stone tablets. They spoke of the covenant to which Israel was committed, and the holy way of life God set down for them. Even more important, the ark usually rested in the inner chamber of the tabernacle, the holy of holies. There, once a year, the high priest was to come to offer a blood sacrifice that made atonement for all the sins of Israel (cf. Leviticus 16). Thus the ark spoke of the absolute holiness of God and of the need to hold God in awe and approach Him respectfully.
But in sending for the ark, the Israelites lost sight of its true meaning. They wanted the ark to serve as a magical talisman. Somehow God's presence was thought of as tied to the ark. If the ark were with them in battle, God must be with them as well. The ark, rather than symbolizing the holiness of God, was to manipulate God into sending a battlefield victory. For, if Israel lost, the ark would be lost! This was a blatant attempt to manipulate God!
Israel's act also revealed a pagan view of God. When the Philistines heard Israel shouting gladly when the ark was brought into their camp, these pagan peoples said "a god [had] come into the camp." How tragic that Israel had no more spiritual perception than the idolatrous Philistines. Neither saw beyond the symbol to realize that God is God of the whole earth, whose presence cannot be captured in any material object. And how revealing that Israel thought God could be manipulated by placing His ark in their vanguard.
In fact, the Israelites were again defeated. The two sons of Eli were killed. And the ark was taken captive.
The next events teach us that the God who cannot be manipulated will be honored as holy.
The ark was placed as a trophy in the house of the Philistine's deity, an idol they called Dagon. The idol fell, its extremities broken off. And the people of the Philistine city, Ashdod, were stricken with a painful disease. The ark was moved to another Philistine city, but again there was an outbreak of disease. Finally the Philistines hitched two cows that had recently calved to a new cart, put the ark on the cart, and turned the animals loose. Rather than going to their calves, the cows went straight to Israelite territory, lowing all the way.
The Philistines were healed. And the people of Israel rejoiced. But some of the Israelite men peeked curiously into the ark. God struck them down, killing 70. The people of Israel still were not sensitive to the holiness of God. In fact, this three-chapter section of 1 Samuel records a painful lesson God taught to His people Israel, and through them teaches to us. Israel had failed to treat God with respect. Even Eli permitted his own sons to defile the priesthood. The people tried to manipulate God by bringing the ark to the battlefield "so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies" (1 Samuel 4:3). This basically pagan view of the ark failed to sense that it was a symbol, pointing to God, but with no magical or divine power in itself.
Yet the ark was associated with God. It had been set apart to God, and as such was a holy thing. The Philistines discovered that Israel's God was supreme when He judged them and their god for treating the ark as a victory trophy. And when God's own people failed to show respect for the holy, they too were struck down.
Why? Because Israel desperately needed to recover a sense of the holiness and the power of God. Only when the people of God honored Him again could He bring His people blessing.
Mizpah: 1 Samuel 7 / The Wanderings of the Ark of the Covenant
During the next 20 years Samuel led a spiritual revival. The Bible says that "all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord" (1 Samuel 7:2). During this time the Israelites got rid of their idols, and confessed their sins to God.
When the revival was climaxed with a great assembly at Mizpah, the Philistines decided to attack. The terrified Israelites begged Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us" (1 Samuel 7:8). Now, with their sins purified, and with their trust in God Himself rather than in the ark that symbolized His presence, God acted. A terrible storm struck the Philistines. They fled in terror from this divine visitation, and the men of Israel pursued them, killing many. As a result of this decisive battle some of the land taken by the Philistines was recovered by Israel and the Philistines were unable to invade Israelite territory again during Samuel's lifetime.
