Gomer: Give a Hearing to the Silenced

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“When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, get yourself a promiscuous wife and children of promiscuity… so he went and married Gomer daughter of Didlaim. She conceived and bore him a son…” (Hosea 1:2-3)

So begins a description of Hosea’s marriage with Gomer. As the Lord instructs, the prophet names the three children she gives birth to as “Jezreel” (“for I will soon punish the house of Jehu [aka Israel] for the bloody deeds at Jezreel”), “Not Accepted,” and finally “Not My People.” Gomer gets the idea–her husband does not accept her or her children. Continue reading Gomer: Give a Hearing to the Silenced →

The Luminous Servant

Women of the Bible

Naaman, servant of1

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At first glance the servant is a minor, unnamed character. On second glance she is both anonymous and the star of the story. How is it possible to reconcile these two attributes? As Maurice Samuel notes regarding the many unnamed people of the Bible, “Many of them are given only a few lines, and yet their presence can be as solid as that of the principals. They are like great actors with short roles; they are there for a few moments, but they are mightily there.” Are we anonymous stars in our own lives? Are we mightily present in our own destinies? I invite you to ask your own questions of the story and come away with new insights about not just the Bible, but of your place in the world. Continue reading The Luminous Servant →

Jephthah’s Daughter: How to Regard the Silence of God

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Jephthat's daughter1

“Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand… Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.’ And she said to him, ‘My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.’So she said to her father, ‘Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.’ ” (Judges 11:29-37)

The judge and general Jephthah maked a vow to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house when he returned victorious from battle. When it was his daughter who danced out of his house, he maked no effort to rescind his oath. To further complicate matters, Jephthah made his vow under the influence of the Spirit of Yahweh. His military victory seems to be a tacit acceptance by God of the terms of his vow.  Lev. 27:1-8 stipulates a payment can be made to annul a vow made to God. My first question is obvious. Wasn’t there a way to avert this tragedy? Continue reading Jephthah’s Daughter: How to Regard the Silence of God →

Shelomith, Lone Woman of Leviticus

Women of the Bible,

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John Singer Sargent – “Egyptian Woman”

“There came out among the Israelites one whose mother was Israelite and whose father was Egyptian. And a fight broke out in the camp between that half Israelite and a certain Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name in blasphemy, and he was brought to Moses-now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan-and he was placed in custody, until the decision of the Lord should be made clear to them.” (Lev. 24:10-12)

Everyone has heard of Shelomith. You know, the only named woman in Leviticus. She’s practically a household name. Ok, seriously. Of all the unnamed women with minor and pivotal roles, why is this one woman’s lineage and name given? In an unusual reversal in biblical narratives, her son and the father remain anonymous. Though Shelomith is named, in many ways she is anonymous for she does not speak or act. Her name then draws attention to the “hole” left in the story. We can’t help but wonder why she is mentioned. It is almost as if the text is inviting us to imagine the narrative from her point of view in order to find the missing pieces. What life experiences would lead a former Hebrew slave to give birth to a child by an Egyptian man? Was she raped or did she consent to the union? Did Shelomith and the Egyptian man marry? Perhaps he converted and followed his wife and son into the wilderness. Let’s look to the text to see if we can narrow down the possibilities. Continue reading Shelomith, Lone Woman of Leviticus →

The Witch of Endor: Kind or Cunning?

Women of the Bible,

Witch of Endor1

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We learn in 1 Samuel 28:6 that the Lord is no longer communicating with King Saul through dreams, the Urim (a divinatory device), or prophets. So he seeks out a “Mistress of the Spirits” even though he has abolished witchcraft and personally persecuted its practitioners. In disguise and under the cover of darkness, Saul searches out a particular witch who resides in Endor. He asks her to bring forth the spirit of the prophet Samuel that he might receive information about God’s will. Continue reading The Witch of Endor: Kind or Cunning? →

Michal’s Frame of Reference

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“Michal Despises David”, James Tissot

 

Michal first appears in 1 Sam. 18:20 where we learn that she loves David. Not only was she the only woman in the Bible we are told loved a man but it seems that she also publicly declared her romantic interest in David. Even her father, King Saul, knew of her affections. Being mentally unstable, Saul found the giant-killing upstart a threat to his kingship. Saul promised David his daughter Michal’s hand in marriage if David could slay 100 nasty Philistines and bring back their foreskins. Saul thought that Israel’s enemies would kill David and rid him of the beautiful young warrior. When David delivered not just 100 bloody foreskins but 200, the King Saul had no choice but to deliver on his promise. Continue reading Michal’s Frame of Reference →

Jochebed: The Ark Builder

Women of the Bible,

Jochebed1

Moses in his Mother’s arms was painted by the British artist Simeon Solomon (1840–1905).

In a study of the many woman of Exodus, the first women we encounter are the midwives Puah and Shiprah. In an attempt to control the Hebrew population of slaves, the king of Egypt commanded the midwives to kill all the Hebrew boys as they were born. The midwives make up a story about how quickly Hebrew women give birth and thereby thwart Pharaoh’s plan. If it weren’t for their defiance, Moses would not have lived. Continue reading Jochebed: The Ark Builder →