Archive for the ‘1 Kings 12’ Tag
Above: A Yoke
Image in the Public Domain
Yokes
JULY 16, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Zechariah 9:9-12
Psalm 45:1-2 (3-13), 14-22 (LBW) or Psalm 119:137-144 (LW)
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:25-30
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God of glory, Father of love, peace comes from you alone.
Send us as peacemakers and witnesses to your kingdom,
and fill our hearts with joy in your promises of salvation;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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Grant, Lord, that the course of this world
may be so governed by your direction
that your Church may rejoice
in serving you in godly peace and quietness;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 68
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Zechariah 9:9-12 depicts a future scene, in which the Messiah, an ideal king, approaches Jerusalem at the culmination of history–the Day of the LORD. This is the scene Jesus reenacted during his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, without being a regnant type of Messiah.
The image of YHWH as king exists in the assigned readings from Psalms.
In Romans 7:15-25a we read St. Paul the Apostle’s confession of his struggles with sins. We may all relate to those struggles.
My tour of the readings brings me to Matthew 11:25-30 and the topic of yokes.
Literally, a yoke was a wooden frame, loops of ropes, or a rod with loops of rope, depending on the purpose. (See Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; and Jeremiah 28:10.) A yoke fit over the neck of a draft animal or the necks of draft animals. Alternatively, a captive or a slave wore a yoke. (See Jeremiah 28:10; 1 Kings 12:9; 2 Chronicles 10:4; and 1 Timothy 6:1). Also, a yoked pair of oxen was a yoke. (See 1 Samuel 11:7; 1 Kings 19:21; Luke 14:19).
Metaphorically, a yoke had a variety of meanings, depending on the circumstances. It often symbolized servitude and subjection. Forced labor was an unjust yoke (1 Kings 11:28; 12:11, 14). Slavery was a yoke (Sirach 33:27). Hardship was a yoke (Lamentations 3:27; Sirach 40:1). The oppression and humiliation of one nation by another was the yoke of bondage (Jeremiah 27:8; 28:4; Hosea 11:7; Deuteronomy 28:48; and Isaiah 47:6). To break out of subjugation or slavery was to break the yoke (Jeremiah 28:2; Isaiah 9:4; 14:25). God promised to break the yoke of Egypt in Ezekiel 30:18. To break away from God was to break God’s yoke (Jeremiah 2:20; 5:5; Sirach 51:39). Sin was also a yoke (Lamentations 1:14).
The yokes of God and Christ carry positive connotations. The yoke of obedience to God is easy. It is also the opposite of the yoke of subordination and subjugation. This positive yoke is the yoke in Matthew 11:28-30. It is the yoke St. Paul the Apostle wore (Philippians 4:3). It is the yoke in Psalm 119:137-144.
Draw near to me, you who are untaught,
and lodge in my school.
Why do you say you are lacking in these things,
and why are your souls very thirsty?
I opened my mouth and said,
Get these things for yourselves without money.
Put your neck under the yoke,
and let your souls receive instruction;
it is to be found close by.
See with your eyes that I have labored little
and found for myself much rest.
Get instruction with a large sum of silver
and you will gain by it much gold.
May your soul rejoice in his mercy,
and may you not be put to shame when you praise him.
Do your work before the appointed time,
and in God’s time he will give you your reward.
–Sirach 51:23-30, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
You, O reader, will serve somebody or something. That is not in question. Whom or what you will serve is a germane question. Why not serve God, the greatest king? In so doing, you will find your best possible state of being. The path may be difficult–ask St. Paul the Apostle, for example–but it will be the best path for you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 14, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS MAKEMIE, FATHER OF AMERICAN PRESBYTERIANISM AND ADVOCATE FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERATION
THE FEAST OF SAINT CARTHAGE THE YOUNGER, IRISH ABBOT-BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA DOMINICA MAZZARELLO, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODORE I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS VICTOR THE MARTYR AND CORONA OF DAMASCUS, MARTYRS IN SYRIA, 165
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: Rehoboam, by Hans Holbein the Younger
Image in the Public Domain
Divisiveness
SEPTEMBER 3, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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1 Kings 12:1-20
Psalm 119:57-64
Romans 7:7-13
John 7:40-44
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The Law of God is holy; both the Psalmist and St. Paul the Apostle agree to that proposition in two of the assigned readings for today. Yet St. Paul admits that he also finds the definition of sin that the Law proves to be a temptation to sin. This passage precedes the famous portion of scripture in which the Apostle confesses that he knows the difference between right and wrong yet often commits the latter, even though he wants to do the former. He is divided within himself.
In 1 Kings 12 the foolishness of the newly crowned King Rehoboam leads to the division of the Kingdom of Israel. He ends up as the King of Judah instead. So begins the decline of the realm King Saul once led. We know via hindsight that both kingdoms will fall and ten tribes will become lost.
We also read of division in John 7. Is Jesus the Messiah? Or is he a blasphemer? His life is certainly at risk.
As David Ackerman writes in Beyond the Lectionary (2013), unity does not require unanimity. In the Christian context Jesus is the source of unity and the Christian Church
is a group of unlike-minded people who live out their faith and practice discipleship together.
–Page 96
Yet frequently one reads and/or hears of and encounters denominations and congregations formed or divided by the quest for like-mindedness and founded by the act of schism. Even those who seek to reject denominationalism create new denominations, although many members of officially “undenominational” bodies object to that statement.
Part of the problem of divisiveness is that it is inherently human. We like to keep company with people similar to ourselves. Although the variety of denominations certainly keeps many people in the Christian fold by providing options, the scandal of denominations is that they divide the body of Christ. I belong to a denomination–a fairly liberal one, in fact. I like attending church where nobody will call me a heretic, for I know the sting of hearing that accusation. Nevertheless, I also understand denominational inertia and am willing to surrender certain minor points of doctrine and practice for the sake of organic unity with a denomination or denominations with which mine is quite similar. When organic union is not yet an option or never will be, perhaps ecumenism is on the table. But how common are these attitudes?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 18, 2017 COMMON ERA
PROPER 6: THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINTS DELPHINUS OF BORDEAUX, AMANDUS OF BORDEAUX, SEVERINUS OF BORDEAUX, VENERIUS OF MILAN, AND CHROMATIUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF ADOLPHUS NELSON, SWEDISH-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF ANSON DODGE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM BINGHAM TAPPAN, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/divisiveness/
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Above: Design Drawing for Stained-Glass Window with Elijah
Image Source = Library of Congress
1 Kings and 2 Corinthians, Part VII: The Face of God
AUGUST 30 AND 31, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34 (August 30)
1 Kings 16:29-17:24 (August 31)
Psalm 86 (Morning–August 30)
Psalm 122 (Morning–August 31)
Psalms 6 and 19 (Evening–August 30)
Psalms 141 and 90 (Evening–August 31)
2 Corinthians 8:1-24 (August 30)
2 Corinthians 9:1-15 (August 31)
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The political narratives of the royal houses of Israel and Judah continue in 1 Kings 12-16. In the northern Kingdom of Israel, as the story goes, old habits of faithlessness continued and dynasties came and went. One of the more common means of becoming king was assassinating the previous one.
The narratives build up to the Omri Dynasty and the stories of the prophet Elijah. Today’s Elijah story concerns a drought, a desperately poor widow, and the raising of her son from the dead. God, via Elijah, provided for the widow. That story dovetails nicely with 2 Corinthians 8-9, with its mention of fundraising for Jerusalem Christians and exhortation to generosity, cheerful giving, and trusting in God to provide that which one can give to help others. In other words, we are to be the face of God to each other. When God helps others, one of us might be a vehicle for that aid.
To whom is God sending you, O reader? And which person or persons is God sending to you?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PROXMIRE, UNITED STATES SENATOR
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/1-kings-and-2-corinthians-part-vii-the-face-of-god/
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Above: The Divided Monarchy
Image in the Public Domain
1 Kings and 2 Corinthians, Part VI: Authority and Actions
AUGUST 29, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 11:42-12:19
Psalm 143 (Morning)
Psalms 81 and 116 (Evening)
2 Corinthians 7:1-16
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King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. He said, “What answer do you advise [me] to give to this people? They answered, “If you will be a servant to those people today and serve them, and if you respond to them with kind words, they will be your servants always.” But he ignored the advice that the elders gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.”
–1 Kings 12:6-8, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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We have not injured anyone, or ruined anyone, or taken advantage of anyone.
–2 Corinthians 7:2b, The New Jerusalem Bible
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Paul, by his own admission, had the authority to tell people to do things; he had earned his bona fides via many sufferings. But he encouraged and coaxed (and, more than once, fussed at) people. He was a man of strong opinions, so some people took offense at him. But he did not abuse his rightful authority.
In contrast, Rehoboam, son of Solomon, did abuse his authority. He doubled down on his father’s most exploitative policies, such as forced labor. The rebellion was predictable.
Each of us has some measure of power over others. We can, for example, choose to behave graciously or abusively toward another person. Our decisions will affect others and ourselves, for all of us are parts of the web of humanity. When we harm another, we injure ourselves. Likewise, when we aid another, we help ourselves. That is reality. May we act in socially constructive ways.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PROXMIRE, UNITED STATES SENATOR
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/1-kings-and-2-corinthians-part-vi-authority-and-actions/
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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