Archive for the ‘Psalm 86’ Tag
Above: Jesus Blessing Children
Image Source = Father Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D., New Catholic Picture Bible: Popular Stories from the Old and New Testaments (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1955, 1960)
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Children and the Kingdom of God
JANUARY 17, 2024
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The Collect:
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful redeemer,
for the countless blessings and benefits you give.
May we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day praising you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 22
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 16:1-14
Psalm 86
Luke 18:15-17
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Turn to me and have mercy upon me;
give your strength to your servant
and save the child of your handmaid.
–Psalm 86:16, Common Worship (2000)
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Abram had received a promise from God that he would become the father of nations. There was just one problem: he had no children. Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands, thereby creating a mess and causing injury immediately to Hagar and later compounding it and extending it to Ishmael. The boy, whose existence was due to faithlessness, became a pawn.
Children were people without social standing in our Lord and Savior’s cultural context. Sometimes parents even sold them into slavery to pay off debts. One function of the Kingdom of God in the Gospels was to point out the ways in which the dominant society fell short of the divine mark. Hence the Beatitudes (and, in the Gospel of Luke, the corresponding Woes) were counter-cultural. Blessed are poor? Woe to the rich? Blessed are the peacemakers? In the Kingdom of God, yes! The description of the way things ought to be condemned the way they were.
That description continues to condemn societies. For example, the exploitation of children–from child labor to sexual slavery to conscription as soldiers–constitutes current events. Some patterns never change, although the places, dates, and certain other minor details regarding them do. I live just outside the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Atlanta is a hub of human trafficking, unfortunately.
In the Gospel of Luke the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14) and the conversation between Jesus and the rich ruler attached to his wealth (18:18-30) bookend the pericope about receiving the Kingdom of God as a little child does. The cumulative message, therefore, is that social standing counts for nothing in the eyes of God and that wealth is irrelevant in the same context. No, pride must go away and we must approach God humbly, aware of our powerlessness and limitations.
The exhortation in Luke 18:15-17 also points to inherent human dignity and links well with the plights of Hagar and Ishmael. May we never use people as pawns, for that is unfair to them. It also violates the commandments to care for one another and to be responsible to each other–orders which undergird much of the Law of Moses and are consistent with our Lord and Savior’s ethical teachings and lived example.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD WATSON GILDER, U.S. POET, JOURNALIST, AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF HENRY FRANCIS LYTE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF LEO TOLSTOY, NOVELIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT MECHTILD OF MAGDEBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/children-and-the-kingdom-of-god/
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Above: Saul Rejected as King
Image in the Public Domain
Excuses
JANUARY 15 and 16, 2024
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The Collect:
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful redeemer,
for the countless blessings and benefits you give.
May we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day praising you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 22
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 9:27-10:8 (Monday)
1 Samuel 15:10-31 (Tuesday)
Psalm 86 (Both Days)
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 (Monday)
Acts 5:1-11 (Tuesday)
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Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
knit my heart to you that I may fear your name.
–Psalm 86:11, Common Worship (2000)
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The assigned readings for these two days pertain to the theme of commitment to God.
The lessons from 1 Samuel tell us of King Saul of Israel. We read first of God choosing him and Samuel anointing him. In Chapter 15 we find one account of God and Samuel rejecting the monarch for violating the rules of holy war. Saul’s army did not kill enough people and destroy enough property, apparently. (1 Samuel 15 does not reflect my understanding of God.) Two facts attract my attention:
- Saul simultaneously seeks forgiveness and shifts the blame.
- 1 Samuel 13 contains a different account of God and Samuel rejecting Saul. There the monarch’s offense is to usurp the priest’s duty. Making an offering to God properly was a major issue in the Old Testament, for some people died because they made offerings improperly.
When we turn to the New Testament readings we find fatal lack of commitment in Acts 5 and a stern Pauline warning regarding human relationships in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. The unified message of the pericopes is to commit to God–not to be content with half measures. We should, I propose, feel free to ask questions about people dying because of deception in Acts 5 and why Saul’s offense in 1 Samuel 15 was such a bad thing to have done, for asking intelligent questions is not a faithless act. Nevertheless, I recall the words of Jesus to a man who used an excuse to refuse our Lord and Savior’s call to discipleship. Christ said:
Once the hand is laid on the plow, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
–Luke 9:62, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
At that point in the Lukan narrative Jesus was en route to Jerusalem for the climactic week of Passover. He was neither offering nor accepting excuses. Who dares offer one?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 20, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD WATSON GILDER, U.S. POET, JOURNALIST, AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF HENRY FRANCIS LYTE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF LEO TOLSTOY, NOVELIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT MECHTILD OF MAGDEBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/excuses/
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Above: Pebbles
Image Source = Steve Shattuck of Canberra, Australia
Job and John, Part XIV: The Power of Words
FEBRUARY 21, 2022
FEBRUARY 22 = ASH WEDNESDAY IN 2022
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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:
Job 16:1-22 (February 21)
Job 17:1-16 (February 22)
Psalm 143 (Morning–February 21)
Psalm 86 (Morning–February 22)
Psalms 81 and 116 (Evening–February 21)
Psalms 6 and 19 (Evening–February 22)
John 7:1-13 (February 21)
John 7:14-31 (February 22)
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A Related Post:
A Prayer for Those Who Have Harmed Us:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/a-prayer-for-those-who-have-harmed-us/
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Why do you want to kill me?
–Jesus speaking in John 7:19b, The New Jerusalem Bible
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What afflicts you that you speak on?
–Job speaking in Job 16:3b, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
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Job 16 and 17 consist of Job’s reply to the second speech of Eliphaz the Temanite. The speaker has no patience with anything he has heard so far, nor should he. Whoever speaks of “the patience of Job” as if Job were patient, does not understand the Book of Job.
Jesus, in John 7, is living under death threats. He is trying not to die just yet because
for me the time is not ripe yet (verse 8, The New Jerusalem Bible).
The words of our Lord’s adversaries afflicted him.
Words have power. According to Hebrew mythology God spoke the universe into being. What realities do we create with our words? What realities do we create with our silences? There is a time to speak. And there is a time to remain silent. There is also a time to say a certain amount and nothing more. May we know the difference and act accordingly.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 26, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICHT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET
THE FEAST OF SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HUNT, FIRST ANGLICAN CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/job-and-john-part-xiv-the-power-of-words/
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Above: Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun and Her Daughter, by Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun
Job and John, Part VII: Good and Bad Examples
FEBRUARY 12, 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 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:
Job 8:1-22
Psalm 123 (Morning)
Psalms 30 and 86 (Evening)
John 4:27-45
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Bildad the Shuhite, alleged friend #2, insults Job for expressing himself and goes on to repeat arguments Eliphaz the Temanite had made. Understandably, Job does not find this helpful. In contrast, the woman at the well becomes a gateway for Jesus to reach out to many of her fellow villagers. I know which person I wish to emulate.
Too often we human beings feel as if we must say something to a person in distress. Frequently this takes the form of a platitude such as
I know how you feel
when, in fact, the speaker has no idea how the other person feels. But at least the speaker in such a case means well. That, nevertheless, does not excuse the unhelpful words. I have tried to be present and helpful for a suffering person. I have tried to be properly cautious in choosing my words, with affects in mind. Sometimes these words have fallen flat and even just being present has proved to be no help, so far as I have been able to tell. But at least I have not blamed her or told her that I knew how she felt. Overall, I think, I have succeeded in performing a good work. As I type these words, the next chapter in that story is unfolding. Maybe what I did to help my friend will help others as well. Even if it does not, at least it proved useful to her.
Until the next segment of our journey….
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR B
THE FEASTS OF SAINT OLGA OF KIEV, REGENT OF KIEVAN RUSSIA; ADALBERT OF MAGDEBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; ADALBERT OF PRAGUE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP AND MARTYR; AND BENEDICT AND GAUDENTIUS OF POMERANIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAMIEN DE VEUSTER, A.K.A. DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT EGBERT OF LINDISFARNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND SAINT ADALBERT OF EGMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MELLITUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/job-and-john-part-vii-good-and-bad-examples/
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Above: Peter’s Vision of the Sheet with Animals, by Henry Davenport Northrop
Scrupulousness
JANUARY 25, 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 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:
Zechariah 1:1-21/1:1-2:4
Psalm 86 (Morning)
Psalms 6 and 19 (Evening)
Romans 14:1-23
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Do not wreck God’s work for the sake of food.
–Romans 14:20a, The New Jerusalem Bible
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TECHNICAL NOTE:
Zechariah 1:-21 in Protestant Bibles equals Zechariah 1:1-2:4 in Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox ones.
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Was it lawful to eat meat once offered to imaginary deities or to consume food impure by the standards of the Law of Moses? Paul understood the answer to that question to be yes, although he chose to abstain from certain culinary options for the sake of others. It was difficult to find meat not sacrificed to idols, so one might have become a vegetarian to avoid even the appearance of something considered improper. On the other hand, since those gods did not exist, why let good food go to waste?
Scrupulousness is good, but it can go too far. A lack of scrupulousness, in Zechariah, had prompted God’s anger. Yet there would be mercy for the punished Hebrews. Once again judgment and mercy came in proximity to each other. Paul’s personal deprivation aside, I feel no need to deny myself proper pleasures which others might interpret wrongly. The truth is that anything I do might offend someone of a certain rigidity of attitudes. I refuse to permit such rigidity dictate my lifestyle choices. Yet neither will I confront them about their choices. Their business is theirs, as mine is my own.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 9, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, MARTYR AND GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/scrupulousness/
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Above: Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, by Gustave Dore
Freedom in Jesus
JANUARY 14 and 15, 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 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:
Ezekiel 36:33-37:14 (January 14)
Ezekiel 37:15-28 (January 15)
Psalm 136 (Morning–January 14)
Psalm 123 (Morning–January 15)
Psalms 97 and 112 (Evening–January 14)
Psalms 30 and 86 (Evening–January 15)
Romans 5:1-21 (January 14)
Romans 6:1-23 (January 15)
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The Ezekiel and Romans readings function best when one reads them continuously. Lectionaries are useful, but sometimes they are too choppy.
We begin with the lessons from Ezekiel. Exiles will return to their ancestral homeland; that is one meaning of the Valley of Dry Bones. Another traditional interpretation infers the resurrection of the dead before the last judgment. I see no reason that is flawed. But, as a narrative matter, the former reading of the text takes me my next point, which is that, in the homeland, God and the people will commune:
I will make a covenant of friendship with them–it shall be an everlasting covenant with them–I will establish them, and I will place My Sanctuary among them forever. My Presence shall rest over them; I will be their God and they shall be My People. And when My Sanctuary abides among them forever, the nations shall now that I the LORD do sanctify Israel.
–Ezekiel 37:26-28, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
What Ezekiel understood as the Second Temple applies nicely to Jesus, in whom we have reconciliation with God, in whom our offenses are lifted from us and through whom we have justification. It is in Jesus that we are free from slavery to sin. Voltaire said that we human beings are free as we choose to be. If we choose to give ourselves over to someone’s authority, we lose a measure of freedom. And even coercion cannot deprive a person of inner freedom if he or she opts to retain it. Mohandas Gandhi was a free man in some prison cells, for example. Likewise, if we choose to enslave ourselves to sin and shame, we have ourselves to blame. But, if we seek liberty in Christ, we have grace and enough free will to choose to follow him to thank.
One of the most difficult forms of slavery to break is that of honor and shame. What others think of us does affect us, so we have to care about that somewhat. What other people say about influences whether we obtain certain employment (or keep it), for example. Yet the most important assessment comes from God. May the divine assessment be,
Well done, good and faithful servant.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 25, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR B
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/freedom-in-jesus/
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Above: The Death of Absalom, by Gustave Dore
He Who Lives By the Sword…
JANUARY 30, 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 Samuel 18:9-15, 24-19:3 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab,
Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
Joab said to the man who told him,
What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.
But the man said to Joab,
Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not put forth my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, “For my sake protect the young man Absalom.” On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.
Joab said,
I will not waste time like this with you.
And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive in the oak. And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
…(Joab orders Ahimaaz not to tell David what has happened. Then Joab sends a Cushite to update David and decides after all to let Ahimaaz run after the Cushite. Ahimaaz then passes the Cushite.)…
Now David was sitting between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said,
If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth.
And he came apace, and drew near. And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gate and said,
See, another man running alone!
The king said,
He also brings tidings.
And the watchman said,
I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.
And the king said,
He is a good man, and comes with good tidings.
Then Ahimaaz cried out out to the king,
All is well.
And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth, and said,
Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.
And the king said,
Is it well with the young man Absalom?
Ahimaaz answered,
When Joab sent your servant I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.
And the king said,
Turn aside, and stand here.
So he turned aside, and stood still.
And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said,
Good tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the power of all who rose up against you.
The king said to the Cushite,
Is it well with the young man Absalom?
And the Cushite answered,
May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man.
And the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said,
O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
It was told Joab,
Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.
So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people heard that day,
The king is grieving for his son.
And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
Psalm 86:1-6 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Bow down your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and in misery.
2 Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful;
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for you are my God;
I call upon you all the day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer,
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
Mark 5:21-43 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at this feet, and begged him, saying,
My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.
And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said,
If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well.
And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said,
Who touched my garments?
And his disciples said to him,
You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?”
And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her,
Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.
While he was still speaking, there came fro the ruler’s house some who said,
Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?
But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue,
Do not fear, only believe.
And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them,
Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.
And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her,
Talitha cumi;
which means,
Little girl, I say to you, arise.
And immediately the girl got up and walked; for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
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The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; 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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A Related Post:
Week of 4 Epiphany: Tuesday, Year 1:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/week-of-4-epiphany-tuesday-year-1/
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He who lives by the sword will die by the sword. I refer to Joab, not Absalom. This is what the 1968 Encyclopaedia Britannica says about Joab:
JOAB (fl. 1000 B.C.), Jewish military commander under King David, his mother’s brother, figures chiefly in the biblical second Book of Samuel. He led the commando party which captured Jerusalem for David, and as a reward was appointed commander in chief of the army. He played a leading part in many of David’s victories (e.g., against the Ammonites and Edomites) and led the loyal force which crushed the rebellion of David’s son Absalom. Utterly devoted to David, Joab thought he knew David’s interests better than David himself did; hence his killing of Absalom when David had commanded that his life be spared. Joab showed characteristic ruthlessness in the treacherous murder of two of his potential rivals: Abner, Saul’s former commander in chief, who had killed Joab’s brother Asahel, and Amasa, who mustered the men of Judah for David against the revel leader Sheba. Joab obeyed under protest when ordered by David to carry out a national census. During David’s last words he supported his son Adonijah’s abortive bid for the throne, and was executed by the successful Solomon.
This entry comes from Volume 13, page 2, by the way.
The 1962 Encyclopedia Americana (Volume 16, page 148) says this about him:
JOAB, King David’s nephew and commander in chief of his armies. He helped put David on the throne by defeating Abner, military leader of Saul’s forces. Later he killed Abner to avenge the earlier slaying of his own brother Asahel, and possibly to remove a dangerous rival to his power. He conducted David’s foreign wars and put down Absalom’s revolt, slaying Absalom with his own hands. David then attempted to supercede him with Amasa, Absalom’s general, whom Joab also assassinated to retain his position. He assisted David in putting to death Uriah the Hittite, the first husband of Bath-sheba. Finally, he supported Adonijah, David’s rightful heir, against Bath-sheba’s son Solomon. For this Solomon had put him to death, allegedly at the behest of dying David (I Kings 2:28-34).
Sometimes Joab obeyed his uncle and king; other times he did not. Joab killed others who threatened his position, until Solomon had him killed. The pattern of Joab’s life led to the manner of his death.
Of course, bad things do happen to good people, and sometimes nonviolent people die violently. For example, Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., advocated nonviolent social and political change but each man died because somebody shot him. And Jesus, was not violent, but agents of the Roman Empire put him to death via execution. Often people who seek to appeal to the best elements of human nature die because they anger people interested in nurturing the worst elements of human nature.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that those who live by the sword have set themselves on a course which will end badly. This rule applies to nations as well as people; those nation-states, kingdoms, and empires which seek enemies more often than friends succeed in that goal, but fail in the long term to establish stability and peaceful relations with neighbors. They might gain short-term military glory, but, in the long term, it is better to have more allies and friends than enemies.
God, as I understand God via Jesus, is the deity of shalom, a word with many meanings. Translated as peace, hello, and goodbye, shalom means far more. The Oxford Companion to the Bible explains (on page 578) that shalom can refer to all of the following:
- Health
- Restoration to health
- General well-being (including sound sleep, length of life, a tranquil death, and physical safety)
- Good relations between peoples and nations
- Tranquility and contentment
- Wholeness
- Soundness
- Completeness
- Peace in God
Joab was not on the path of shalom.
May you, O reader, and I be on and stay on that path, however. Shalom to you. Shalom to your relatives, friends, and neighbors. Shalom to your enemies. Shalom to people you will never know. Shalom to the United States. Shalom to all nations. Shalom to the State of Israel. Shalom to the Palestinian Authority. Shalom to everybody.
KRT
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/he-who-lives-by-the-sword/
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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