During the reign of Jehoahaz of Israel, the northern kingdom experienced an exodus (2 Kings 13:1-6): 1) Israel had sinned and therefore the Lord became angry and gave them into the hand of Aram, as often happened during the times of the Judges. 2) Jehoahaz “became ill.” The word is translated in the NASB as “entreated the favor” but it is the normal word in Kings for illness (cf. 2 Kings 1:2; 13:14). The text says that Yahweh “heard” Jehoahaz,... Read more
Augustine’s de doctrina Christiana is most relevant to contemporary theological and philosophical concerns. It anticipates Wittgenstein, Peirce, and Eco, as well as the cultural anthropologists; it has an almost postmodern feel at certain points; it is a text in theological hermeneutics. Augustine’s answers are sometimes (in my view) deeply wrong; but he asks all the right questions. Or most. de doctrina deserves every bit of the scrutiny and commentary it has received over the past millennium and a half. It... Read more
Augustine’s de doctrina Christiana is most relevant to contemporary theological and philosophical concerns. It anticipates Wittgenstein, Peirce, and Eco, as well as the cultural anthropologists; it has an almost postmodern feel at certain points; it is a text in theological hermeneutics. Augustine’s answers are sometimes (in my view) deeply wrong; but he asks all the right questions. Or most. de doctrina deserves every bit of the scrutiny and commentary it has received over the past millennium and a half. It... Read more
Luke 14:21: Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” Pastor Wilson has reminded us this morning that the older members of our congregation are not pitiable stragglers in the church’s pilgrimage. Instead they are in the vanguard; they are the trailblazers, marking out that path that we, by God’s grace,... Read more
Zechariah 8:4-5: “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. And the squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in the squares.” Zechariah prophesied in Jerusalem after the people of Judah had returned from exile in Babylon. His prophecy was an encouragement to the people of the restoration to continue their work on the... Read more
America has always been committed to equality; “all men are created equal” is a cornerstone of our founding documents. The promise of America is not that everyone will turn out the same. America promises instead to minimize “artificial” inequities of birth or privilege, and give everyone a chance to pursue his dream on a more or less level playing field. Government will at least refrain from introducing any imbalance that gives an unfair advantage to one class or the other.... Read more
God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth: have mercy upon us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world: Have mercy upon us. God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful: have mercy upon us. You are the God of all nations, and we confess that You, Father, Son and Spirit, rule and judge our nation. We confess today our sins as Americans, and plead with you to deliver us in Your mercy from all our sins and from Your... Read more
A couple of insights from the redoubtable Aaron Wildavsky’s The Rise of Radical Egalitarianism (1991): He points out that early American individualists saw the central government as the main source of corruption and inequality. That all changed after the Civil War. Wildavsky poses some historical questions that go to the center of contemporary politics: “How . . . after the Civil War, did the heirs of Jefferson and Jackson slowly alter their heritage so as to give a greater role... Read more
Son of seven years [was] Yeho’ash in his reigning-as-king. In the seventh year to Yehu’ reigned-as-king Yeho’ash And forty years he reigned-as-king in Yrushalaim. And the name of his mother was Tzivyah from Be’er-sheva’. And did Yeho’ash the upright-thing in the eyes of Yahweh All the days which Yehoyada’ the priest instructed him. Except the high places they did not turn aside. Still the people sacrificing and turning-to-smoke on the high places. And said Yeho’ash to the priests, “All the... Read more
Now ‘Atalyah mother of ‘Achazyahu And she saw that her son died And she arose and she destroyed all the see of the kingdom. And took Yehosheva’ daughter of the king Yoram sisterof ‘Achazyahu Yo’ash son of ‘Achazyah and stole him from the midst of the sons of the king who were being caused-to-die, him and his suck-nurse, in the inner chamber of the bed. And they hid him from the face of ‘Atliyahu And he was was not caused-to-die.... Read more
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