INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

Year A - PROPER 25

DEUTERONOMY 34:1-12. There are still some who cling to the belief that the first five books of the Bible were dictated by God to Moses. It is obvious from this passage that this cannot be so. He could not have described his own death and burial. In fact, this is an editorial appendix to the Book of Deuteronomy written relatively late in Israel's history, long after the return from exile Babylon. Much of Deuteronomy itself was most likely written during the reform of King Josiah (621 BC) when Israel's religious practices were centralized in the temple in Jerusalem.

PSALM 90:1-6, 13-17. This psalm is still used to celebrate the transitory nature of nature of human life and the eternal security we have in God. It may originally have existed in two different parts, verse 1-12 and 13-17.

LEVITICUS 19:1-2, 15-18. (Alternate) These brief excerpts from the Holiness Code (Lev. 17-26) assume that Moses authored the first five books of the Old Testament. In all probability, they were composed over a long period of time during the development of Israel’s religious rituals and social conventions. The whole Book of Leviticus did not reach its final form until after the return from the exile in Babylon. Its rituals were those used in the Second Temple rebuilt circa 520 BCE. the purpose of the Holiness Code was to fulfill the requirements of the formula defined in vss. 1-2 presumed to have been dictated by God to Moses.

PSALM 1. (Alternate) Some scholars believe that this psalm was originally composed if not as an introduction to the whole Psalter, or at least to a special collection known as Wisdom Psalms. It presents the striking contrast in the two ways of life which every person may choose. It declares realistically that sooner or later all must reckon with the Lord.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:1-8. Paul expresses his gratitude further for the warm reception he received. In spite of his wariness at being mistreated in his previous mission in Philippi, he had boldly preached the gospel in Thessalonica and was deeply touched by their hospitality.

MATTHEW 22:34-46. Efforts to entrap Jesus continued, but he turned their challenges into teaching opportunities. He responded to a lawyer's question by stating the two great commandments: Love God and love your neighbour. He also turned the Pharisees' opposition against them by asking who the Messiah is. When they gave the typical Jewish answer, "The Son of David," he confounded them by quoting a verse from Psalm 110. To the people of that time, the reference was obvious, but not to us. They believed that the Psalms were written by David inspired by the Spirit, which is not so.

DEUTERONOMY 34:1-12. An old modernist trick trotted out to confound literalist interpretations of scriptures often refer to this passage. It is obvious from this lesson that the first five books of the Bible could not have been dictated by God to Moses. This is the narrative of Moses' death and burial, and his succession by Joshua. Moses could not have described his own death and burial. In fact, this is an editorial appendix to the Book of Deuteronomy written relatively late in Israel's history, long after the return from exile Babylon. Much of Deuteronomy itself was most likely written during the reform of King Josiah (621 BC) when Israel's religious practices were centralized in the temple in Jerusalem. On the other hand, it is possible that the work developed over a much longer period of the 7^th century BCE during the reigns of Manasseh (696-642 BCE) and Josiah (639-609 BCE) when the domination of Assyria was ending.

A frequently disputed scholarly consensus agrees that behind the present composite form of the book lay several predecessors including a narrative tradition usually assigned to the Jahwist/Yahwist (J) and Elohist (E) sources. The detailed calendar of festivals appears to be an elaboration of parts of Exodus 23 and 24. In some respects, it stands as a national constitution in that it includes the three basic elements of nation's identity: Israel is one people; it must worship Yahweh alone; the sole place of worship where the altar of Yahweh is to be set up and sacrifices offered is in Jerusalem. In other respects, this passage forms an introduction to what some scholars have called "the Deuteronomic history of Israel" contained in the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings.

I have a picture in my photo collection of the scene taken from the traditional site where Moses viewed the Promised Land. A small Christian chapel stands there dating from the Byzantine era (3^rd-7^th century CE). From there it is not possible to see the whole of the land described in vss. 1-3. One does see, however, the southern outlet of the Jordan River and a large part of the Dead Sea. Beyond lie the cliffs of the Judean mountains. Modern irrigation has reduced the outflow of the Jordan to a mere trickle, but has created a broad plain of rich agricultural land, especially on the eastern (Jordanian) side. For the most part, the western side, shared by Palestinians and Israelis, is parched and barren except for widely scattered oases and the small city of Jericho.

The narrative of the death and burial of Moses (vss. 5-8) has the appearance a standard formula found in the later historical books. So also does the hyperbole of vss. 10-12 which concludes the narrative. No amount of scholarly exegesis can diminish the significance of Moses in the history of Israel and of the faith of Jews throughout the more than three millennia since his death.

PSALM 90:1-6, 13-17. This psalm may originally have existed in two different parts, vss. 1-12 and 13-17, but scholars who adopt that view are not too sure just where to separate the two. The most natural break would seem to come at the end of vs. 12, thus making this reading an excerpt from both parts. Its title in the Hebrew scriptures, "A prayer of Moses, the man of God," gave it a supreme distinction rather than definitive authorship. Hence it was placed at the beginning of the fourth collection of the Psalter. Of all the psalms this one may have greater familiarity for most church people because of its frequent use in the service of Christian burial.

The theme of the poem is the eternity of God in contrast to the transitory nature of human life. This presentation of the theme appears "to skirt the very edge of pessimism, and might well lead the poet down into the abyss where men say, 'All is vanity'.... But the native Hebrew is saved from the final descent by a deep understanding and a fierce moral earnestness.... The Psalmist ... may have had his doubts at times, but in the light of his initial certainty, which he never lets go, all doubts are resolved. The Everlasting Nay is finally overcome by the Everlasting Yes." (John Paterson. *The Praises of Israel*. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1950. 126-7.)

One is reminded of similar beautiful passages of the unnamed prophet of the Babylonian exile (cf. Isa. 40; 55) which also expressed the same prophetic message. Can the similarity of Isa. 40:6-8 and Ps. 90:5-6 be accidental? Beginning with the affirmation of the permanence of God in vss. 1-2, the psalmist delved deeply into the fragile and ephemeral quality of human life. In vs. 12 he drew the natural conclusion that wisdom brings to every reflective person of faith. The shortness of life compels one to make wise use of our brief span of years. In the latter part of the poem, the psalmist returns to the original theme and acknowledges how dependent we are on the compassion and steadfast love of God (vss. 13-15).

Many senior women of The United Church of Canada may recall that the Women's Association used vss. 16-17 as their motto in the years prior to amalgamation with the Women's Missionary Society to form the United Church Women.

LEVITICUS 19:1-2, 15-18. (Alternate) These brief excerpts from the heart of the Holiness Code (Lev. 17-26) assume that Moses authored the first five books of the Old Testament. In all probability, they were composed over a long period of time during the development of Israel’s religious rituals and social conventions. Moses in thought to have lived no later than the 13^th century BCE. The whole Book of Leviticus did not reach its final form until after the return from the exile in Babylon. Its rituals were those used in the Second Temple rebuilt circa 520 BCE. Ezra 6:1-21 gives some of the details which may have historical validity. Many of these same rituals would have been in use during the time of Jesus.

The purpose of the Holiness Code was to fulfill the requirements of the formula defined in vss. 1-2 presumed to have been dictated by God to Moses. This attribution gave the document greater authenticity in the same way that quoted words of Jesus in the four Gospels also do.

The essential message of vss. 15-18 recalls both the Decalogue of Exodus 20 and the strong emphasis on social justice found in Amos, Isaiah, Micah et al. In particular, loving one’s neighbour as mandated by vs. 18 is the core of both Jewish and Christian holiness. It was this passage which Jesus linked with Deuteronomy 6:4 to frame his summary of the whole Law of Moses as in the Gospel lesson below.

It is surprising that the psalmist’s description happiness of the holy begins with a negative. At first glance it seems to describe a “holier than thou” attitude. Yet this approach is frequently found in other books of the group known as Wisdom literature. For instance, Job 10:3 speaks of schemes of the wicked while Proverbs 13:1; 21:24; 22:10; 29:8 all make specific references to scoffers. Teachers of wisdom used this device to warn their students of the dangers they would have to confront.

The psalmist described the contrasting way of life in a metaphor that could not be misinterpreted. In Israel wherever a stream of water is found invariably has trees growing near it. Elsewhere in this dry climate, vegetation is very sparse and usually low to the ground. Irrigation accounts for almost all productive agriculture except close to the Mediterranean Sea.

Another unique aspect of Wisdom literature appears in the reference to judgment in vs. 5. Generally, teachers of wisdom did not think in terms of a single eschatological day of judgment. They thought in terms of divine judgment as an on-going process. The image of divine judgment as wind blowing chaff away from grain at the threshing floor seems particularly appropriate. During the harvest season this would be a continuing process until all the grain had been separated and stored for winter use and future planting. The psalmist was not only a good teacher but a keen observer of everyday life in almost every community.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:1-8. Paul expresses his gratitude further for the warm reception he had received. Despite wariness at being mistreated in his previous mission in Philippi, he had boldly preached the gospel in Thessalonica and was deeply touched by their hospitality. Yet his message had also received considerable opposition there too.

Apparently his opponents had sought to undercut his ministry by making false accusations as to his purpose; so Paul felt it necessary to clarify his true motives. His only aim had been to proclaim he true gospel as God had given it to him, not the deceit, trickery or indulgent self-promotion of which he had been accused. He had carefully avoided the flattery and greed so common among other teachers of his time.

The background of these comments bears some expansion. Thessalonica had notable centres for the worship of two pagan sects, the Dionysiacs and the Cabeiri. These were Greek and Near Eastern mystery cults respectively. Both were known by their extended festivals with much drunkenness and phallic symbols expressive of sexual promiscuity. The leaders of these cults appear to have functioned in much the same way as modern television evangelists who bring shame on themselves and cause others to despise the Christian gospel through their unethical, Elmer Gantry style of preaching and their sexual misconduct.

In contrast, Paul's style had been rigorously ethical. Though he and his companions could have claimed support from the Thessalonians, they had not. Their behavior had been as gentle as a nurse "tenderly caring for her own children" (vs. 7). In fact, they had shared not only the gospel but themselves, which probably implies that they had been willing to participate in the life of the community to the extent of sharing their humble poverty.

The extended biographical section of the letter (2:1-3:10), of which this is only a brief

introduction, had a very real purpose: to remind the Thessalonians of Paul's recent visit as a substitute for his personal presence and to lay the groundwork for his subsequent exhortation (4:1-5:22). He was using their own experience of his ministry among them as the basis for calling them to a higher standard of behavior and than their opponents as they await the return of Christ.

MATTHEW 22:34-46. Two pericopes have been grouped together for this reading

about continuing efforts to entrap Jesus. Both deal with the opposition to Jesus' ministry, but in the first (vss. 34-40), a lawyer is the initiator of the challenge, while in the second, Jesus takes the initiative himself.

Lawyers do not appear extensively in the NT, and mostly in Luke. The Letter to Titus has make reference to one Zenas, a lawyer (Titus 3: 13), without clarification of who he is other than a companion of Apollos. Here in Matthew the word stands in lieu of "scribes." (Matt. 22:35). The six references in Luke always have a negative connotation. It would seem that in this passage, the lawyer was a Pharisee and likely had special training in the interpretation of the law of Moses. While returning from a visit to Israel in 1998, my son and I had as a seat mate a man who said he was "a lawyer." For most of the journey he studied the Hebrew scriptures. We concluded that he was one of the same type of lawyer as Jesus' challenger.

The question put to Jesus had only one intention: "to test him." Jesus responded to the question by stating the two great commandments: Love God and love your neighbour. Matthew gave relatively short shrift to this statement in contrast to Luke's lengthy parable of the Good Samaritan. Undoubtedly the different audiences of the two gospels had much to do with these contrasting styles.

It would seem that these two incidents occurred in close sequence or whether Matthew used the transitional device to show that Jesus had taken a vigorous initiative against his opponents. He turned the Pharisees' opposition against them by asking what they thought of the Messiah, whose son he is. When they gave the typical Jewish answer, "The Son of David," he confounded them by quoting a verse from Psalm 110.

To the people of that time, the reference was obvious, but not to us. They believed that the Psalms were written by David inspired by the Spirit, which is most scholars no longer accept for a variety of critical reasons. The conundrum Jesus posed as a result of this quotation, however, shows how clever he was in making use of the Hebrew scriptures as they were then known. This approach, however, should not be used as proof of the Davidic authorship of the Psalter. Nor can it be used as an argument that Jesus, the Son of God, was either omniscient or not.

The point of telling the story was to show how Jesus confronted his opponents and used their own skill at interpreting the Hebrew scriptures to silence them. One of the more consistent aspects of Jesus' character reported in the four gospels was his understanding of the meaning of the Hebrew scriptures. So many centuries later, we cannot tell whether this is "the Jesus of history" or the Jesus in which the apostolic church so profoundly believed after his resurrection.

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