Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
Proper
21 B
Num. 11.4–6, 10–16, 24–29 Ps.
19.7–14
Num.
11.4–6, 10–16, 24–29
1. The
name “Numbers” comes from the Greek title, which refers
to the
census figures given in chs. 1
& 26.
a. The title ignores that most of the book
is narrative,
poetry, and legal material.
b. One of the Five Books of Moses, but
reflects “P”
(Priestly) redaction.
2. The march through the desert: Sinai to the plains of
a. The
Eldad and Medad incident
appears after the rain of
quail and the appointment of the seventy elders.
b. Just before the threshold of the
Promised Land.
3. Numbers
reflects:
a. The dependence upon God of the priestly
office.
b. The conflict between a priestly focus
on the Lord and
the people’s focus on daily wants.
c. The need for ministry to be shared.
d. That the prophetic office is
independent of insitutional
controls.
Psalm
19.7–14 Caeli enarrant (Cf. J.
Haydn’s “Die Schöpfung”)
1. Psalm
19 is a hymn:
a. vv. 1–6 a creation hymn
b. vv. 7–14 a wisdom
hymn.
c. These may, originally, have been
separate.
2. The
psalmist prays that he be blameless, as a reflection of the
blamelessness
(perfection) of the Law: a Wisdom theme.
a. A theology of Creation.
b. The created order as the source of
wisdom’s insights.
§
compare to R. Hooker’s “Reason”
James 4.7–12
1. vv. 7–10 include
ten imperatives (e.g., submit, resist, draw near to, cleanse, purify):
a. v.
6 sets the theme, with a quotation from Prov. 33.4
(LXX): “God resists the proud, but gives grace to
the lowly.”
b. 1 Pet. 5.5–9 quotes the same Proverb in
a similar context. (Contemporary
writers quoting a common stock of instruction.)
2. vv. 10–12 refer
to the sins of speech. This continues
the theme from 1.26 and 3.2–10.
3. 5.1–6 continue as a “woe to the rich”
reflection:
a. reminiscent of Old Testament prophets
b. addressed rhetorically, as a warning
to the faithful, and
as
a consolation to those now oppressed
§
the warning
is to those who abuse wealth.
Mark
9:38–43, 45, 47–48
1. This
story follows the instruction in v. 37:
“whoever receives
one such child in my name”:
a. The unknown exorcist is using Jesus’
name.
b. v. 41 follows: an act “because you bear the name of
Christ”: we are called to an identity.
2. “stumbling block” (skandalón,
skandalwn) connotes sin as a
fall from a
state of grace.
3. “if
your hand ...”:
the structure throughout is the same.
If one
part of the
body causes sin, preserve the healthy whole.
a. The body here refers to the Body (the Church)
§
“you” is used in a plural form of address
b. The early Church justified excommunication, in part,
through these verses.
4. Gehenna: the description is taken from Isa. 66.24
a. The
eternal punishment of the wicked
b. “their
worm”: punishment is self-inflicted
c. unquenched fire: the valley of fire (gē’
hinnôm) as the
23.10).