5/28/11
2 Samuel 1-4
David Mourns for Saul and Jonathan
2 Samuel 1:1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 On the third day, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance. 3 David said to him, "Where have you come from?" He said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." 4 David said to him, "How did things go? Tell me!" He answered, "The army fled from the battle, but also many of the army fell and died; and Saul and his son Jonathan also died."
5 Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?" 6 The young man reporting to him said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa; and there was Saul leaning on his spear, while the chariots and the horsemen drew close to him. 7 When he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. I answered, 'Here sir.' 8 And he said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' 9 He said to me, 'Come, stand over me and kill me; for convulsions have seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' 10 So I stood over him, and killed him, for I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord."
11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did the same. 12 They mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 David said to the young man who had reported to him, "Where do you come from?" He answered, "I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite." 14 David said to him, "Were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?" 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, "Come here and strike him down." So he struck him down and he died. 16 David said to him, "Your blood be on your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the Lord's anointed.' "
17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:
19 Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.
21 You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor bounteous fields!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!
David Anointed King of Judah
2 Samuel 2:1 After this David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" The Lord said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron." 2 So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David brought up the men who were with him, every one with his household; and they settled in the towns of Hebron. 4 Then the people of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
When they told David, "It was the people of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul," 5 David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him! 6 Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you! And I too will reward you because you have done this thing. 7 Therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
Ishbaal King of Israel
8 But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
The Battle of Gibeon
12 Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool, while the other sat on the other side of the pool. 14 Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men come forward and have a contest before us." Joab said, "Let them come forward." 15 So they came forward and were counted as they passed by, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 Each grasped his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his opponent's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. 17 The battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he followed him. 20 Then Abner looked back and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "Yes, it is." 21 Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn away from following him. 22 Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?" 23 But he refused to turn away. So Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. He fell there, and died where he lay. And all those who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a single band; they took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, "Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you order your people to turn from the pursuit of their kinsmen?" 27 Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have continued to pursue their kinsmen, not stopping until morning." 28 Joab sounded the trumpet and all the people stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or engaged in battle any further.
29 Abner and his men traveled all that night through the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and, marching the whole forenoon, they came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had killed of Benjamin three hundred sixty of Abner's men. 32 They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
Abner Defects to David
2 Samuel 3:1 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
2 Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3 his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 4 the fourth, Adonijah son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
6 While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?" 8 The words of Ishbaal made Abner very angry; he said, "Am I a dog's head for Judah? Today I keep showing loyalty to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me now with a crime concerning this woman. 9 So may God do to Abner and so may he add to it! For just what the Lord has sworn to David, that will I accomplish for him, 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba." 11 And Ishbaal could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
12 Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron, saying, "To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and I will give you my support to bring all Israel over to you." 13 He said, "Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall never appear in my presence unless you bring Saul's daughter Michal when you come to see me." 14 Then David sent messengers to Saul's son Ishbaal, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, to whom I became engaged at the price of one hundred foreskins of the Philistines." 15 Ishbaal sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 But her husband went with her, weeping as he walked behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back.
17 Abner sent word to the elders of Israel, saying, "For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18 Now then bring it about; for the Lord has promised David: Through my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from all their enemies." 19 Abner also spoke directly to the Benjaminites; then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin were ready to do.
20 When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 Abner said to David, "Let me go and rally all Israel to my lord the king, in order that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires." So David dismissed Abner, and he went away in peace.
Abner Is Killed by Joab
22 Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for David had dismissed him, and he had gone away in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, "Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has dismissed him, and he has gone away in peace." 24 Then Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Abner came to you; why did you dismiss him, so that he got away? 25 You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you, and to learn your comings and goings and to learn all that you are doing."
26 When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know about it. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway to speak with him privately, and there he stabbed him in the stomach. So he died for shedding the blood of Asahel, Joab's brother. 28 Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May the guilt fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is leprous, or who holds a spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food!" 30 So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner." And King David followed the bier. 32 They buried Abner at Hebron. The king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 The king lamented for Abner, saying,
"Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound,
your feet were not fettered;
as one falls before the wicked
you have fallen."
And all the people wept over him again. 35 Then all the people came to persuade David to eat something while it was still day; but David swore, saying, "So may God do to me, and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down!" 36 All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; just as everything the king did pleased all the people. 37 So all the people and all Israel understood that day that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner. 38 And the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39 Today I am powerless, even though anointed king; these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too violent for me. The Lord pay back the one who does wickedly in accordance with his wickedness!"
Ishbaal Assassinated
2 Samuel 3:1 When Saul's son Ishbaal heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Saul's son had two captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon a Benjaminite from Beeroth—for Beeroth is considered to belong to Benjamin. 3 (Now the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim and are there as resident aliens to this day).
4 Saul's son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled; and, in her haste to flee, it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
The story of Mephibosheth is a very interesting story. I hope you will read the article linked above. It is my attempt to capture, at least hint at some of the anguish this man must have felt.
5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ishbaal, while he was taking his noonday rest. 6 They came inside the house as though to take wheat, and they struck him in the stomach; then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. 7 Now they had come into the house while he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber; they attacked him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night long. 8 They brought the head of Ishbaal to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ishbaal, son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring."
9 David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 when the one who told me, 'See, Saul is dead,' thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag—this was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more then, when wicked men have killed a righteous man on his bed in his own house! And now shall I not require his blood at your hand, and destroy you from the earth?" 12 So David commanded the young men, and they killed them; they cut off their hands and feet, and hung their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. But the head of Ishbaal they took and buried in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.
David certainly did a lot of terrible things, but he has a certain integrity regarding Saul, Abner, Ishbaal and later Mephibosheth that make it easy to see why the people ... and God ... loved him.
Devotionals, Videos and more ...
by Bill Federer
Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.
He left Yale for four years to fight in the Revolutionary War. After graduation, he became a lawyer and taught school in New York. Dissatisfied with the children's spelling books, he wrote the famous "Blue-Backed Speller," which sold over one hundred million copies. After twenty-six years of work, he published the first American Dictionary of the English Language. His name, Noah Webster, who died this day, May 28, 1843. Noah Webster wrote: "All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice… proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
by whoever
The self-appointed spokesmen for God
incline to shout;
He, Himself, speaks only in whispers.
--- Martin H. Fischer
A lot of people are willing to give God credit,
but so few ever give Him cash.
--- Robert E. Harris, Laugh with the Circuit Rider
... from here, there and everywhere
by D.H. Stern
Better open rebuke
than hidden love.
Wounds from a friend
are received as well-meant,
but an enemy's kisses
are insincere.
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
Unquestioned revelation
And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing. --- John 16:23.
Chambers, O. (1993). My Utmost for His Highest
When is “that day”? When the Ascended Lord makes you one with the Father. In that day you will be one with the Father as Jesus is, and “in that day,” Jesus says, “ye shall ask Me nothing.” Until the resurrection life of Jesus is manifested in you, you want to ask this and that; then after a while you find all questions gone, you do not seem to have any left to ask. You have come to the place of entire reliance on the resurrection life of Jesus which brings you into perfect contact with the purpose of God. Are you living that life now? If not, why shouldn’t you?
There may be any number of things dark to your understanding, but they do not come in between your heart and God. “And in that day ye shall ask Me no question” —you do not need to, you are so certain that God will bring things out in accordance with His will. John 14:1 has become the real state of your heart, and there are no more questions to be asked. If anything is a mystery to you and it is coming in between you and God, never look for the explanation in your intellect, look for it in your disposition, it is that which is wrong. When once your disposition is willing to submit to the life of Jesus, the understanding will be perfectly clear, and you will get to the place where there is no distance between the Father and His child because the Lord has made you one, and “in that day ye shall ask Me no question.”
the Poetry of R.S. Thomas
Salt
The centuries were without
his like: then suddenly
he was there, fishing
in a hurrying river,
the Teifi. But what he caught
were ideas; the water
described a direction;
his thoughts were toy boats
that grew big; one
he embarked on; Suez,
the Far East - the atlas
became familiar
to him as a back-yard.
'Spittle and phlegm
Listen. sailor,
to the wind piping
in the thin rigging;
go climbing there
to the empty nest
of the black crow. Far
is the deck and farther
your courage.'
'Captain,
captain, long
is the wind's tongue and cold your porridge.
Look up now .
and dry your beard:
teach me to ride
in my high saddle
the mare of the sea.'
He fell.
Was it the fall
of the soul
from favour? Past four
decks, and his bones
splintered. Seventeen weeks
on his back. No Welsh,
no English; but the hands
of the Romanians
kind. He became
their mouth-piece, publishing
his rebirth. In a new
body he sailed
away on his old course.
On brisk evenings
before the Trades
the sails named
themselves; he repeated
the lesson. The First
Mate had a hard boot.
Cassiopeia, Sirius,
all the stars
over him, yet none of them
with a Welsh sound.
But the capstan spoke
in cynghanedd; from
breaker to breaker
he neared home.
'Evening, sailor.' Red
lips and a tilted smile;
the ports garlanded
with faces. Was he aware
of a vicarage garden
that was the cramped harbour
he came to?
Later
the letters began:
'Dear -' the small pen
in the stubbed hand -
'in these dark waters
the memory of you
is like a -' words scratched
out that would win a smile
from the reader. The deep
sea and the old call
to abandon it
for the narrow channel
from her and back. The chair
was waiting and the slippers
by the soft fire
that would destroy him.
'The hard love I had at her small breasts:
the tight fists that pummelled me ;
the thin mouth with its teeth clenched
on a memory.' Are all women
like this? He said so, that man,
my father, who had tasted their lips'
vinegar, coughing it up
in harbours he returned to with his tongue
lolling from droughts of the sea.
The voice of my father
in the night with the hunger
of the sea in it and the emptiness
of the sea. While the house founders
in time. I must listen to him
complaining, a ship's captain
with no crew, a navigator
without a port: rejected
by the barrenness of his wife's
coasts, by the wind's bitterness
off her heart. I take his failure
for ensign, flying it
at my bedpost, where my own
children cry to be born.
Suddenly he was old
in a silence unhaunted
by the wailing signals;
and was put ashore
on that four-walled
island to which all sailors must come.
So he went gleaning
in the flickering stubble,
where formerly his keel reaped.
And the remembered stars
swarmed for him; and the birds, too,
most of them with wrong names.
Always he looked aft
from the chair's bridge, and his hearers
suffered the anachronism of his view.
The form of his
life; the weak smile;
the fingers filed down
by canvas; the hopes
blunted; the lack of understanding
of life creasing the brow
with wrinkles, as though he pondered
on deep things.
Out of touch
with the times, landlocked
in his ears' calm, he remembered
and talked; spoiling himself
with his mirth; running the joke
down; giving his orders
again in hospital with his crew
gone. What was a sailor
good for who had sailed
all seas and learned wisdom
from none, fetched up there
in the shallows with his mind's
valueless cargo?
Strange grace, sailor, docked now
in six feet of thick soil,
with the light dribbling on you
from the lamps in a street
of a town you had no love
for. The place is a harbour
for stone sails, and under
it you lie with the becalmed
fleet heavy upon you. This
was never the destination
you dreamed of in that other
churchyard by Teifi.
And I,
can I accept your voyages
are done; that there is no tide
high enough to float you off
this mean shoal of plastic
and trash? Six feet down,
and the bone's anchor too
heavy for your child spirit
to haul on and be up and away?
Thomas, R. S. Selected Poems, 1946-68
Bekhorot 28b
The president of the United States is wounded by an assassin's bullet. He is rushed to a hospital where doctors work frantically to save his life. The vice president, in the meantime, is on board Air Force Two, thousands of miles away. The president's chief of staff rushes into the White House press room and informs the country: "I'm in charge here …" Fortunately, the president recovers, the vice president returns to Washington, and the chief of staff continues his normal duties. But for several hours, there is total confusion. What if there were a world crisis that required an immediate decision? Who was empowered to make those critical choices? Who was really in charge? In every bureaucracy, there has to be a decision-making process, and there must be, ultimately, one person who has the final responsibility. Two kings cannot share one crown because the people need to know who is in charge, whom to obey, and whom to listen to.
What is true of kings of flesh and blood is also true of Heavenly Kings: In the Midrash, the Rabbis often use the figure of a king as a metaphor for God. By telling us that two kings cannot share one crown, perhaps they were also attacking the philosophy of Dualism that was prevalent in the ancient world. Dualism held that there were two great equal forces in the universe, the power of light, or goodness, and the power of darkness, or evil. These two opposing forces were constantly at war with one another. Consequently, the adherents of Dualism believed that conflict was at the heart of all existence and were never quite sure which power to turn to for help. The Rabbis rejected this notion. They believed that there was but one God, one King to wear the crown, one authority to go to with our prayers. This meant that unity, not divisiveness, was the central principle of existence. It also meant that there was hope of bringing all peoples together as one. God may have sinned, according to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, by being too quick to make sure that two kings didn't share one crown. However, we can understand God's concerns—both here on earth as well as in Heaven; there is just too much at stake.
There goes your donkey, Tarfon!
Text / Mishnah (4:4): It once happened that a cow had its womb removed, and Rabbi Tarfon fed it [the cow] to the dogs. The incident came before the Sages in Yavneh and they permitted it. Todos the physician said: "No cow or pig leaves Alexandria without their cutting out its womb so that it will not give birth." Rabbi Tarfon said: "There goes your donkey, Tarfon!" Rabbi Akiva said to him: "Rabbi Tarfon, you are a court expert, and every court expert is exempt from repayment."
Text / Gemara: Let him [Rabbi Akiva] derive it from the fact that he had erred in a matter of Mishnah, and an error in a matter of Mishnah can be retracted! He [Rabbi Akiva] gave a first reason and then a second: First, an error in a matter of Mishnah can be retracted, and second, even if your mistake was in a case of opposing views, you are a court expert, and every court expert is exempt from repayment.
Context / Rabbi Tarfon was a great tanna, a teacher from the time of the Mishnah. The Talmud relates that Rabbi Tarfon was a man of great wealth and kindly character. Upon scaring off a thief eating from his vineyard, Tarfon was distressed that he had used his rabbinic title, thus diminishing the Torah. Rabbi Abahu, in the name of Rabbi Ḥananiah ben Gamliel, commenting on this incident, said: "All his life, that righteous man [Rabbi Tarfon] was saddened over this incident!"
Context / "The three oldest sons of Jesse had left and gone with Saul to the war. The names of his three sons who had gone to war were Eliab the first-born, the next Abinadab, and the third Shammah; and David was the youngest [smallest]." (1 Samuel 17:13–14)
Context / Elsewhere, the generous character of Rabbi Tarfon is illustrated with a story of his saving three hundred poor women by marrying each of them. (Polygamy was still permitted in talmudic times.) This occurred during a drought, when these women otherwise might have starved to death. By marrying Tarfon, who was a kohen, they would be allowed to eat from terumah, the portion of grain harvest brought to the kohanim in the Temple. Thus, while it may be surprising that this scholar made such an error in judgment concerning the cow, it is not surprising—given the many stories of his generosity and kindness that appear in the Talmud—that Rabbi Tarfon felt that, as both a judge and a man of considerable means, he should repay the cow's owner for his error in judgment.
A cow that was born without a womb would be treif, literally "torn," that is, ritually unfit and not allowed for consumption by Jews. Thus, when Rabbi Tarfon determined that this particular cow was treif because it had no womb, he fed it to dogs, in fulfillment of the admonition in Exodus (22:30): "You must not eat flesh torn [treifah] by beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs." However, when this case was brought before the Rabbis in Yavneh, the seat of learning at the time, it became clear that Rabbi Tarfon had erred. This was not an instance where a cow had been born without a womb and was therefore defective, but rather one in which the cow's womb had been surgically removed. This was probably done because Alexandrian animals were highly regarded; removal of the womb would prevent breeding of these cattle elsewhere and would keep the monopoly on this prized breed in Alexandria.
When Rabbi Tarfon realized what he had done, he exclaimed: "There goes your donkey, Tarfon!" As Rashi explains this idiom, Rabbi Tarfon thought that he would have to sell his donkey in order to pay for the damage he had caused the owner of the cow by rendering an incorrect decision. We know that people often speak of themselves or to themselves in the third person, especially in anger or surprise. Rabbi Tarfon is no different. His words are similar to the English-language phrase "You've cooked your own goose."
The Mishnah ends with Rabbi Akiva reminding Rabbi Tarfon that he, as a recognized expert in legal matters, is under a court exemption and will not have to repay. The Gemara then asks why Rabbi Akiva uses this line of reasoning, since there is another teaching that would just as easily exempt Rabbi Tarfon: He had erred in a matter of Mishnah, and an error in a matter of Mishnah can simply be retracted! The answer from the Gemara is: He, Rabbi Akiva, really gave two reasons why Rabbi Tarfon is exempt: first (not recorded in our Mishnah), a Mishnah mistake can be retracted, and second (recorded in our Mishnah), even if he did render a wrong decision, he is not required, as a court expert, to make amends.
Katz, M., & Schwartz, G. (1998). Swimming in the Sea of Talmud: Lessons for Everyday LIving
by Diana Wallis
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. --- John 21:9
Christ once more stands among the common things of life—the fire, the fish, the bread; a group of tired, hungry fishers—all common men. The World's Great Sermons, Volume 10 Drummond to Jowett, and General Index
"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore." Jesus speaks, and it is not of the mysteries of God, the secrets of the grave, but of nets and fishing—the simple concerns of simple people engaged in humble tasks.
We have forgotten the dignity of common life. We have not learned even the alphabet of Christ's gospel unless we have come to see that the only true indignity in human life is sin, malevolence, and small-heartedness and that all life is dignified where there are love, purity, and piety in it.
We boast that a single human soul is of more value than all the splendors of matter, but our actions treat the boast as mere rhetoric. There is nothing so cheap as men and women—[ask] the lords of commerce. But Christ acted as though the boast were true. He deliberately inwove his life into all that is commonest in life. Where childhood is, there is Bethlehem; where sorrow is, there is Gethsemane; where death is, there is Calvary; where the laborer is, there is the poor man of Nazareth; where the beggar is, there is he who had no place to lay his head. The true dignity of life is this, that Christ is in all people, defaced, half-obliterated, but there, and the church that forgets this has neither impulse nor mandate for Christ's work among them. The moment Christ is shut up in a church he becomes the priest's Christ, the thinker's Christ, the devotee's Christ, but he ceases to be the people's Christ.
Lift up your eyes and see this risen Christ, a fisher on the shore, busy preparing a meal for hungry people. Unlock your church doors, let Christ go out among the common people; no, go yourselves, for it is here that he would have you be. Wherever there is toil, there is the Christ who toiled, and there you should be, with the kind glance, the warm hand-grasp, and the warmth of human kinship.
--- William Dawson
(27). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.The Teacher's Commentary
Now the Old Testament record focuses on David.
With the death of Saul, David's fortune changed. He was no longer a fugitive, and was quickly acknowledged as king by the southern tribe of Judah, his own tribe. In the north Ish-Bosheth, a surviving son of Saul, was propped up as king by the military leader, Abner.
Over the next years there were minor skirmishes between the two kingdoms. But David's strength showed itself, as did Ish-Bosheth's weakness. Then Ish-Bosheth was assassinated (and the assassins executed by an outraged David). It was seven and a half years after David had become king of Judah that he was recognized as king by all of Israel.
David's accomplishments as Israel's ruler are unmatched. He is a type of Jesus, who will rule as God's coming King. His personal qualities and faith provide examples for believers of every age.
Commentary / David's rule was strong and aggressive and his accomplishments were unparalleled. Other men of history have demonstrated military and administrative capacity, but David overshadows them all by the breadth and depth of his ability. To cap it all, David is one of the great men of faith.
To understand the significance of this remarkable man it is necessary to survey the accomplishments that are reported in these biblical passages, and to examine his role in Old Testament prophecy.
Events of David's Reign
David made king
2 Sam. 5:1–5; 1 Chron. 11:1–3
David takes Jerusalem
2 Sam. 5:6–9; 1 Chron. 11:4–9
David organizes the mighty men
1 Chron. 11:10–12:40
David defeats the Philistines
2 Sam. 5:17–25; 1 Chron. 14:8–17
David brings the ark to Jerusalem
2 Sam. 6:1–12; 1 Chron. 13:1–14; 15:1–15
David offers praise
2 Sam. 6:12–23; 1 Chron. 15:6–16:36
David receives a covenant promise
2 Sam. 7:1–16; 1 Chron. 17:1–15
David wins more victories
2 Sam. 8:1–14; 1 Chron. 18:1–13
David organizes his government
2 Sam. 8:15–18; 1 Chron. 18:14–17
David honors Mephibosheth
2 Sam. 9:1–13
David defeats the Ammonites
2 Sam. 10:1–19; 1 Chron. 19:1–19
David's Accomplishments
Military achievements. Establishing the kingdom first of all required defeating Israel's enemies and setting up a perimeter of safety. As archeological digs have shown, up to David's time Israel was restricted to the hilly areas of Palestine; the rich plains were in the hands of the ancient Canaanite peoples. Then, in a series of battles (2 Sam. 5; 8; and 10), David destroyed the power of the Philistines, Israel's principal enemy since the days of Samson. David's neutralization of the Philistines was complete; they never again posed any threat to God's people.
In a further series of battles, David brought Moab and Edom under his control. The kingdom of Israel proper then extended from north of the Sea of Galilee south to Beersheba and encompassed both sides of the Jordan River.
David's conquests set up a number of vassal states, which insulated Israel from distant potential enemies. These states also made available the natural resources of iron and coal which Israel needed to maintain military strength, and the conquered peoples provided the skills in metalworking which were not known in Israel. No longer would iron, the Philistines' ancient "secret weapon," be unavailable to the Hebrews!
Summarizing the position David had attained for Israel, Leon Wood (A Survey of Israel's History, Zondervan) notes of all the territory which acknowledged Israelite sovereignty, "This was the area which God had promised to Abraham for his posterity centuries before (Gen. 15:18). It did not rival the vast territories of Egypt, Assyria, or Babylonia in their empire days. But in David's time, Israel became one of the larger land areas then held, and David was no doubt the strongest ruler of the contemporary world."
(323). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.The Apologetics Study Bible
Several distinct types of history can be found in the Bible. On the human plane are personal histories or biographies, family histories and national histories (which can be the history of Israel, God's chosen nation, as well as of various pagan nations). The Bible also tells the story of actions in which God is a direct actor or protagonist. As part of his master history, God oversees human histories. This combined history of the Bible, often called "salvation history," is the metahistory of the Bible.
The Bible's picture of history is strongly linear, moving toward a goal of consummation to be followed by eternity. In all spheres history is given a strongly providential cast, with the outcome of human actions regarded as either produced or influenced by God's activity. Biblical history is also viewed through a moral lens in which people's success or failure is attributed to whether they do good or evil. The primary form in which this history is embodied is narrative, but we also infer history from such genres as law, lyrics, epistles and prophetic utterances. Significant shifts occur as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
Genre Features. It is safe to say that the ancient world did not regard historical writing in the same way that we view it in the modern era, where history is a largely scientific record of verifiable events, governed by evidence and proof. As modern historical methods emerged in the nineteenth century, modes of criticism sprang up that were suspicious of the biblical text for not conforming to this new genre and for the alleged scientific unreliability of its narrative. Understanding the forms of history in the Bible itself can help to correct some of the misleading claims.
The Bible itself never refers to any of its genres as history. Yet this should not obscure the extent to which the Bible consciously deals with historical events from start to finish. Sometimes the genres advertise their preoccupation with history, as with "chronicles" or genealogies. Certainly there is implicit evidence in the Old Testament of a vocation of court chronicler; and we find references to underlying historical sources, such as the "Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel," the "Book of the Wars of the Lord" (Num 21:14) or the "Book of Jashar" (Josh 10:13; 2 Sam 1:18). Even narrative sections of the Bible that do not have the feel of official history are rooted in space-time history and deal with events that are recorded as having really happened. The history narrated in these parts of the Bible is virtually never universal or comprehensive. It deals instead with only a short segment of time and is limited to a small group of people. Yet paradoxically this carefully limited history claims to be a complete and sufficient revelation of God's purposes.
Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J., & Powell, The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe