Archive for the ‘2 Kings 2’ Tag
Above: Christ Blessing the Children, by Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli
Image in the Public Domain
Good Society, Part I
OCTOBER 13, 2024
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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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Leviticus 19:1-18 or 2 Kings 2:1-15
Psalm 68:1-6, 32-35
Hebrews 7:22-8:12
Mark 9:38-50
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MAKE LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR GREAT AGAIN.
–A sign I saw on a bulletin board in the copy room at St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia, in 2019
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What else am I supposed to think when I cannot possibly reconcile the Biblical commandment to welcome the strangers among us with news stories about refugees at the southern border of the United States treated as criminals and worse than feral four-legged animals?
The divine law–the one we, as human beings, are supposed to have written on our hearts–teaches the following timeless principles, among others:
- We depend entirely on God.
- We depend on each other.
- We are responsible to each other.
- We are responsible for each other.
- We have no right to exploit each other.
The Law of Moses abounds with culturally-specific examples of those timeless principles. We can think of effective, culturally-specific ways of fulfilling those timeless principles in our societies, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, et cetera. Whenever, wherever, and whoever one is, one has a divine vocation to practice the Golden Rule. When one’s life ends, others will continue that vocation.
I ask you, O reader, to read Leviticus 19:1-18. Identify the timeless principles and the culturally-specific examples of them. Then ponder your society. How could your society improve with the application of the timeless principles? Ask yourself what the best tactics may be. Examine yourself spiritually, also. How could you improve with the application of the timeless principles? Trust God to help you do so.
Society is people. Society shapes people and influences their opinions. However, people also shape society.
May we shape our societies for the better–for the common good and the glory of God–with the help of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 26, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANNE AND JOACHIM, PARENTS OF SAINT MARY OF NAZARETH
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/07/26/good-society-part-vi/
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Above: Elisha
Image in the Public Domain
2 Kings and Ephesians, Part II: Respect and Edification
SEPTEMBER 5, 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:
2 Kings 2:19-25; 4:1-7
Psalm 116 (Morning)
Psalms 26 and 130 (Evening)
Ephesians 4:25-5:14
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Sometimes, when I read assigned Scriptural passages, I find at least one nice and happy theme which ties the lessons together. Other times, however, such as now, I find a contradiction instead.
The summary of Ephesians 4:25-5:14 is to behave constructively toward each other, building each other up, respecting each other, and not grieving the Holy Spirit. All of that is a unit. In contrast, bears maul–not kill, notes in The Jewish Study Bible tell me, as if that makes a difference–forty-two children who show great disrespect for Elisha by calling him bald. That story does not edify, does it? I will emphasize Ephesians 4:25-5:14, trying to live according to that standard instead.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID I, KING OF SCOTLAND
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FOX, QUAKER FOUNDER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/2-kings-and-ephesians-part-ii-respect-and-edification/
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Above: The Harrowing of Hades
Image in the Public Domain
2 Kings and Ephesians, Part I: The Empowering Spirit
SEPTEMBER 4, 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:
2 Kings 2:1-18
Psalm 96 (Morning)
Psalms 132 and 134 (Evening)
Ephesians 4:1-24
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The readings assume that God and Heaven are above the surface of the Earth and that the realm of the dead is below the surface. So, from that perspective, to go to God, one must ascend. Hence readings say that Elijah and Jesus went up. I read accounts of assumptions and ascensions and interpret them as poetic elements. But, whatever really happened, somebody went to God; that mattered.
We read in Ephesians that Jesus descended before he ascended. This explains a line from the Apostles’ Creed:
He descended to the dead.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 120
The implication is that those Jesus visited in the realm of death were not beyond hope. If nobody who has died is beyond hope, neither are we who have pulses. And what does God expect of us but to renew our minds and spirits, to be humble and gentle, and to put up with each other’s failings in a spirit of love? (It is difficult, I know.) We have work to do, and we need to help each other do it. Elisha needed a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. We have the Holy Spirit and each other. Shall we proceed or continue?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF MIEP GIES, RIGHTEOUS GENTILE
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID I, KING OF SCOTLAND
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FOX, QUAKER FOUNDER
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/2-kings-and-ephesians-part-i-the-empowering-spirit/
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Above: An Arab Plowing (1898-1946)–See Luke 9:62
Image Source = Library of Congress
Servanthood in Christ
The Sunday Closest to June 29
Third Sunday After Pentecost
JUNE 26, 2022
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 and Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
or
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 and Psalm 16
then
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62
The Collect:
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/prayer-of-confession-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-pentecost/
2 Kings 2:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/week-of-proper-6-wednesday-year-2/
1 Kings 19:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/proper-14-year-a/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/week-of-proper-5-saturday-year-2/
Galatians 5:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/week-of-proper-23-tuesday-year-2/
Luke 9:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/devotion-for-the-twenty-third-and-twenty-fourth-days-of-easter-lcms-daily-lectionary/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/week-of-proper-21-tuesday-year-1/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/week-of-proper-21-wednesday-year-1/
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Jesus modeled servanthood, which, according to Galatians 5, is the proper use of Christian liberty. Our Lord, as the author of the Gospel of Luke put it poetically, turned his face toward Jerusalem. Jesus rejected excuses for not following the difficult path he proclaimed, the path which led to his crucifixion. Following God can put one at risk, he said. The examples of Elijah, once on the run from Queen Jezebel, and Elisha, whose path led to the fomentation of a palace coup, testified to the truth of that statement.
Do we think of our fellow human beings as people to serve or to exploit? A barrage of news stories regarding skulduggery in very large banks reveals that some people prefer the latter option. The manipulation of interest rates, the foreclosing on homes without checking whether the homeowners have made payments recently and consistently, et cetera do not indicate an ethos of mutual servanthood.
In the Kingdom of God, Jesus said, the first will be last, the last will be first, and the servant of all will be the greatest. Our worth flows from who we are and whose we are, not how much we have. In the Kingdom of God he who dies with the most toys does not win and greed is not good. The Kingdom of God turns power, wealth, and prestige on their heads. It is properly subversive of the human-created socio-economic realities. Why, then, do not more churches proclaim the kingdom? Why do so many function as apologists for an exploitative system?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 17, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BENNETT J. SIMS, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ATLANTA
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF COMPIEGNE
THE FEAST OF SAINT NERSES LAMPRONATS, ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF TARSUS
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WHITE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/servanthood-in-christ/
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Above: Elijah’s Departure
For the Glory of God
JUNE 19, 2024
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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2 Kings 2:1, 6-14 (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures):
When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha had set out from Gilgal.
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Elijah said to him,
Stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.
Elisha said,
As the LORD lives and you live, I will not leave you,
and the two of them went on. Fifty men of the disciples of the prophets followed and stood by at a distance from them as the two of them stopped at the Jordan. Thereupon Elijah took his mantle and, rolling it up, he struck the water; it divided to the right and left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry land. As they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha,
Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?
Elisha answered,
Let a double portion of your spirit pass on to me.
He said,
If you see me as I am being taken from you, this will be granted to you; if not, it will not.
As they kept on walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses suddenly appeared and separated one from another; and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw it, and he cried,
Oh, father, father! Israel’s chariots and horsemen!
When he could no longer see him, he grasped his garments and rent them in two.
He picked up Elijah’s mantle, which had dropped from him; and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Taking the mantle which had dropped from Elijah, he struck the water and said,
Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?
As he too struck the water, it parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
Psalm 31:19-24 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
19 How great is your goodness, O LORD!
which you have laid up for those who fear you;
which you have done in the sight of all
for those who put their trust in you.
20 You hide them in the covert of your presence from those who slander them;
you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD!
for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a besieged city.
22 Yet I said in my alarm,
“I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes.”
Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty when I cried to you.
23 Love the LORD, all you who worship him;
the LORD protects the faithful,
but repays to the full those who act haughtily.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD.
Matthew 6:1-18 (An American Translation):
[Jesus continued,] “But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you are going to give to charity, do not blow a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and the streets, to make people praise them. I tell you, that this is all the reward they will get! But when you give to charity, your own left hand must now know what your right hand is doing, so that your charity may be secret, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.
When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, to let people see them. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get! But when you pray, go into your own room, and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not repeat empty phrases as the heathen do, for they imagine that their prayers will be heard if they use words enough. You must not be like them. For God, who is your Father, knows what you need before you ask him. This, therefore, is the way you are to pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Your name be revered!
Your kingdom come!
Your will be done
On earth as well as in heaven!
Give us today bread for the day,
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.
And do not subject us to temptation,
But save us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will forgive you too. But if you do not forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you for your offenses.
When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they neglect their personal appearance to let people see that they are fasting. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get. But when you fast, perfume your hair and wash your face, that no one may see that you are fasting, except your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret, will reward you.”
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The Collect:
Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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A Related Post:
Week of Proper 6: Wednesday, Year 1:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/week-of-proper-6-wednesday-year-1/
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The Canadian Anglican lectionary skips over some material, so here is a summary of what we have not avoided on the way to Elijah’s departure:
- Ahab died in battle against the forces of King Jehoshapat of Judah in 852 B.C.E.
- Ahaziah, son of Ahab, became King of Israel.
- Ahaziah had a brief reign. In the second and final year of that reign the king fell suffered a severe injury when he fell through a wooden lattice window at his palace. He sent messengers to make inquiries of Baal, not Yahweh. Elijah intercepted three groups of fifty messengers, each commanded by a captain. Groups #1 and #2 died when the prophet called down fire from heaven upon them. The captain of Group #3 had the good sense to beg for mercy. Then Elijah visited the king and predicted his death.
- Ahaziah died childless, so his brother Jehoram became King of Israel.
This concludes the summary.
The stories of Elijah and Elisha contain wonders and miracles. Elijah, we read, called down fire from heaven, parted water, and raised the dead. We will go on to read also about Elisha parting water and raising the dead. Such stories defy modern scientific thinking, of which I try to be a practitioner. But, as a mentor of mine liked to ask of biblical texts, “What is really going on here?’
The reading from Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes reminds us to seek God’s glory, not ours. The accounts of Elijah and Elisha tell us that these prophets lived by that rule. There is a useful life lesson.
We have not read of Elisha since his calling in 1 Kings 19:19-21. Now he becomes prominent in the story. First, however, Elijah must exit the narrative, which he does in spectacular fashion. His parting gift to Elisha is a double portion of his spirit. As Hebrew Bible scholars have pointed out, the texts record eight miracles Elijah performed, but sixteen by the hand of Elisha. So the “double” part of the double portion of Elijah’s spirit was literal.
Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, had found Elisha working behind a plow in a field. The plowman became a great prophet after an apprenticeship and the departure of his mentor. Elisha made the most of his calling, for the glory of God. Your calling, O reader, is probably not as dramatic, but it is important. May you make the most of it, for the glory of God.
KRT
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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