More Sarcasm
For this coming Sunday, June 16th, the lectionary offers us two horror stories from the Old Testament. Though the characterization is off, there’s little wonder that folks speak of “the angry God of the Old Testament” as opposed to “the New Testament God of love.” The points, however, are not the anger of God but the evil of God’s people, including the leaders of God’s people. From 1st Kings there’s the horrifying story of the wicked King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel murdering Naboth in order to take his vineyard. One might wish Naboth had simply given in and accepted the king’s offer in the first place; but that’s not what happened, and the storyteller is simply reporting the facts. For “lessons learned,” one might suspect that whoever owned the vineyard on the other side of Ahab’s palace fearfully accepted the king’s generous offer. But seriously (as the comedian says), before the story is over, Ahab’s atrocity will bring down God’s judgment very harshly upon Ahab and Jezebel. I’m glad it’s not my Sunday to preach.
From 2nd Samuel, the second horror story is better known to us. It’s chapter two of King David’s treacherous sin against his faithful soldier Uriah, and against God. In chapter one, lusting for Uriah’s seductive wife Bathsheba, David has impregnated her. Then when Uriah refused to go home to his wife as David intended so that David’s sin would be covered, David had Uriah murdered in battle and married her. In chapter two, David is brought up short and repents. But the child of the adultery is made to become ill and die (the child’s death is not part of our reading, as the lectionary framers didn’t want to upset us, likely thinking there might be women and children present).
Couple of things here. First, as with Naboth above, we wish that Uriah hadn’t been such a goody goody, better he should go home and enjoy being with Bathsheba during his furlough, but that didn’t happen, so it’s irrelevant. Besides, the true story serves to highlight Uriah’s innocence, just as Naboth was innocent, and make David’s sin even more despicable. Interestingly, in both stories the woman is the un-indicted co-conspirator, which jogs our memories of Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Second, if we compare the two OT stories, it should be evident to anyone with good sense that David's sin is just as horrendous as Ahab's sin but that David gets off easy. We might wonder if God is showing favoritism toward David, and the answer is that there is no doubt whatsoever that David was God's beloved all-time favorite. Anyone who doesn't understand this probably hasn't been a parent.
Second, if we compare the two OT stories, it should be evident to anyone with good sense that David's sin is just as horrendous as Ahab's sin but that David gets off easy. We might wonder if God is showing favoritism toward David, and the answer is that there is no doubt whatsoever that David was God's beloved all-time favorite. Anyone who doesn't understand this probably hasn't been a parent.
The other thing about the David story is that the death of the child is told as God’s doing to punish David. In the mind of the ancient storyteller and his audience, and for the values of his day, this seemed quite right, true justice from a just God. But to me, it is most extremely offensive, most extremely offensive: if this is God’s doing, I’m out of here. So I prefer to look at the story as an etiological explanation of why the baby died, as understood and told by someone in a day and age with values and theologies far different from mine. I would have preferred that in this story Moses had come present from the ages of ages and chastised God as he did up on the mountain, so that again we might read, "... and God repented of the evil that he thought to do ..." (Exodus 32:14 KJV).
I wouldn’t care to preach the David story either, but I’d be happy to fight about it in my Adult Sunday School class.
I wouldn’t care to preach the David story either, but I’d be happy to fight about it in my Adult Sunday School class.
In any event, the good news is that only one of the horror stories will be read in church Sunday.
1 Kings 21:1-21 (NRSV) Sin of Ahab (Naboth's Vineyard)
1 ... Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” 4 Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?” 6 He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; 10 seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.” 11 The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. 13 The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18 Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules[a] in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, 21 I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel;
OR THIS
2 Samuel 11:26-12:15 (NRSV) Sin of King David, chapter two
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son.
But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord,
1 and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; 6 he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; 8 I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. 11 Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,[a] the child that is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.
The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became very ill.
Let whoever doesn't read the stories be anathema!
W+