Bible notes
Genesis 15.1-12,17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3.17–4.1; Luke 13.31-35
Genesis 15.1-12,17-18
‘After these things’ (v.15) refers to a battle that Abram, his servants and local allies had fought and won to free his nephew Lot and the people of Sodom, who had been taken prisoner by the Kings of Elam and Goiim.
Within the chapters of Genesis, Abram and Sarai make their way several times to the oaks at Mamre and to ‘the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai’ (Genesis 13.3). Abram also has several visions. God tells him to try to count the grains of dust and to walk about in the land (Genesis 13). Here God sends him out at night to count the stars and do a cutting ritual. The night ritual with the smoking fire-pot and the flaming torch are mysterious to us. We are far away in time and culture from these events, so it is not surprising that we cannot easily understand a ritual from the late Bronze Age. Some commentators take these stories to be different versions of a single ‘call’ narrative. This is certainly possible, but misses the insight that, for many if not most people, any calling or vision takes time to develop. Abram circled around, both in the physical land and in his own thinking. He needed to hear this message more than once and in more than one way. It took a while for such an extraordinary promise to become an idea that shaped his day-to-day decisions. Are we any different?
Psalm 27
This psalm fits well with the experiences of Abraham and especially the generations that followed – a world of tents, rocks, desert, and attacks from enemies. The desire to seek God’s face and trust entirely to God’s goodness is timeless, however. The urging to ‘be strong, and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord’ (v.14) continues to echo true.
Philippians 3.17–4.1
Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate him and observe those who live according to his example. He is underlining here the importance of values and beliefs making the journey from high-sounding ideas into the actions of daily life. He is also implying that making this connection wisely and well is by no means automatic. For instance, it is possible to use the same religious words and yet mean something very different by them, as the ‘super-apostles’ did (e.g. 2 Corinthians 11.5,13). When Paul speaks of those who ‘live as enemies of the cross of Christ’ (v.18), he is surely not talking about pagans here, but people that the Philippians might mistakenly imitate as role models. He talks about where we see our identity, where we invest ourselves. For some it is ‘the belly’, the deepest seat of inward life, feelings and desires. This can be a place of close connection with God (see John 7.38, where living water flows out from here), but when the belly’s priorities usurp God this inward life becomes a darkened place.
Luke 13.31-35
‘At that very hour’ (v.31) is at the time when Jesus is teaching that entrance to the kingdom of God will be on a different basis from what many expect: to have shared a dinner table with Jesus and hear him teach will not be enough to claim him as an acquaintance. Meanwhile, strangers from the four points of the compass will be welcomed in. The way in is through the narrow door and we should strive to enter through it. By beginning this narrative ‘At that very hour’, Luke is linking this teaching about the kingdom of God with the suffering of Jesus that is foreshadowed here. ‘Today, tomorrow, and the next day’ (v.33) speaks of Christ’s faithful service despite the risks, and the use of the specific phrase ‘on the third day’ (v.32) immediately makes a link to his death and resurrection. He knows (as perhaps any astute commentator of the time could guess, cf. John 11.16) that his journey to Jerusalem will be a journey to his death, but he does not speak about it in terms of his own courage, nor as a scornfully fierce martyrdom to expose the corruption of Jerusalem. He would far rather gather the people to him to protect them, but they are not (and will not be) willing. While Herod is a fox, wily and dangerous, Jesus describes himself as a hen. A rallying slogan such as ‘I am lion, hear me roar’ is always popular. How many of us would rally to ‘I am hen, see me gather’?
See also: In conversation with the scriptures: A season of sifting