🦁 Epiphany 4-6

Readings: Psalm 35:1-10; Numbers 22:22-28; 1 Corinthians 7:32-40. 

Reflection

Good morning. This is Tim Tribble, broadcasting from Sacramento, California. Today's readings come to us from Psalm 35, verses 1 to 10 numbers, Chapter 22, verses 22 to 28, and first Corinthians Chapter seven, verses 32 to 40 and some 35. David is asking for God's help and he is being unfairly attacked as the King of Israel. Enemies have laid out the pit for him. They ask God to take hold of shield and buckler. Rise to my help. We all know what a shield is. That's a common term we're very familiar with. Buckler is a little bit different. It is literally a smaller shield. The shield, the large version was used. That was the When the enemy is far away against arrows and things like that. The buckler was a smaller shield, easier to maneuver across the forearm with two straps, and it was used for close quarter combat. So this would have been their their one on one sword fighting type of thing that they had going on there. So that's that's where the buckler is. And David, again, is asking God to arm himself. So we're using lots of military terms, air weaponry and rise up through my help. Draw your spear and your javelin against my pursuers. So, again, David invoking in some military terms in asking God to help. And at the end of the reading today in verse ten, all my bones, she'll say, Oh, Lord, who is like you delivering the poor from those who are too strong for him? The poor and needy from him who robs him. So this is invoking protection. Talking about how God protects those that cannot protect themselves, which is something that we are called upon to do as Christians and followers of Christ. It is our job to protect those who cannot protect themselves and are reading today and Paul's first letter to the church of Corinth. He's addressing marriage. He feels that we states and unmarried men is more anxious about the Lord and how to please the Lord. A married man is more anxious about worldly things than please his wife. Same thing An unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about things in the Lord. But a married woman is anxious and worldly thinking how to please her husband. And he's got. He comes off as being against getting married, feeling that you be holier if you're not married. And then farther down, talking about the marriage itself. And the wife is bound her husband for as long as he lives. 

One of the things we have to be very careful of this is were biblical literacy. Being literal comes into play. We find out it doesn't work so well. If we were to take literally everything the poll says, we would be doing two different things at the same time. 

We have to look at the whole picture. This is a time period. We're still in the time period. We're still in the cultures. Very patriarchal run by men. So Paul is also reflecting the views of the time, the Roman culture, the Middle Eastern culture. At that time was very much run by men. Women had little to no say in it. They couldn't own property. Everything hinged around getting married to the right man to have status and to have belongings and things. And this is the as I call, I try to caution people, we're followers of Christ, not followers of Paul. Paul was one of the first theologians of the church. Remember, he was trained. He was a Jew named Saul, very well trained in Jewish law and customs. Before he had his conversion on the road to Damascus. We read the teachings of Jesus. Jesus does not regard and has never regarded women as being inferior to men. And that's the larger take away is we're all equal. Children of God does not matter what our gender is. 

So just bear that in mind when we're reading scriptures and things and we're setting a goal. Well, that doesn't quite compute. 

We can't always take things literally. And we also have to look at the time frame it was written in. In the things of people's writing is very much influenced by their culture. So just bear that in mind when you're when you're reading this and going through it. We're not subjecting women to men. That doesn't work that way. And just be aware that we can't always take everything literally on it.