It's a great day to be alive! So said a speaker at a fundraising event yesterday for the Ace in the Hole Foundation. Established by my brother-in-law and one of his sons, Ace in the Hole is a fundraising organization that honors the memory of my nephew, 1st Lt. Michael LiCalzi of the United States Marine Corps, who was killed in Iraq seven years ago yesterday. The speaker is part of the Wounded Warrior Project, himself a former Marine who was seriously injured in Iraq.
Yesterday was a sad, difficult day, but likewise a great day to be alive--to thank God for the many gifts and blessings. Including mothers--mine, of course, and for my wife, the (wonderful) mother of my children. I am very thankful for them today and every day. Happy Mother's Day to all!
As for the this week past, it was all about the kings in 2 Kings. Some good and inspiring, like Josiah, but many more were men who misled their people and displeased the Lord. Ultimately, due to the inconstancy of the kings and the people of Israel and Judah, the kingdom and the temple of God are destroyed and the people exiled. All that, and a Quentin Tarantino cameo.
2 Kings 1-5
2 Kings 6-10
2 Kings 11-16
2 Kings 17-21
2 Kings 22-25
Here is the link to the Sunday Snippets for May 12.
Enjoy and have a great week!
John
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
2 Kings 22-25
Josiah, king of Judah, pleases the Lord as Davd had. The kings that follow? Well, not so much. Josiah is presented with the book of laws, discovered by the high priest in the temple. When the book is read to him, Josiah is filled with anguish, because he realizes ho far the Israelites have strayed from their covenant with God. So he undertakes to set things right. It is not enough to rescue the Israelites from the end they have earned, but the Lord does promise to put off that day until after Josiah dies.
Before [Josiah] there had been no king who turned to the Lord as he did, with his whole heart, his whole soul, and his whole strength, in accord with entire law of Moses; nor could any after compare with him. Yet, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had given, the Lord did not desist from his fiercely burning anger against Judah.
In time, Judah is defeated, overrun, and her people scattered--driven into exile. The temple of the Lord is dismantled and destroyed.
What a sad story of unrequited love. Not romantic love, of course, but God's love for His people. I find the ending of this book to be particularly frightening. God is angry and His people suffer. He seems to have abandoned them. Yet He is also clearly willing to acknowledge and reward the man (Josiah) who strives to be righteous and obedient by loving God and observing His commands.
Before [Josiah] there had been no king who turned to the Lord as he did, with his whole heart, his whole soul, and his whole strength, in accord with entire law of Moses; nor could any after compare with him. Yet, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had given, the Lord did not desist from his fiercely burning anger against Judah.
In time, Judah is defeated, overrun, and her people scattered--driven into exile. The temple of the Lord is dismantled and destroyed.
What a sad story of unrequited love. Not romantic love, of course, but God's love for His people. I find the ending of this book to be particularly frightening. God is angry and His people suffer. He seems to have abandoned them. Yet He is also clearly willing to acknowledge and reward the man (Josiah) who strives to be righteous and obedient by loving God and observing His commands.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
2 Kings 17-21
With one notable exception, the next group of kings of both Israel and Judah displease the Lord greatly. In the case of the kings of Israel, so much so that the Lord permits the king of Assyria to capture Israel and carry its people off to a distant land. Only Hezekiah, a king of Judah, acts in a way pleasing to the Lord.
He put his trust in the Lord, the God of Israel, and neither before him nor after him was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah. Loyal to the Lord, Hezekiah never turned away from him, but observed the commandments which the Lord had given Moses.
The Lord rewards Hezekiah with a long life. The Lord sends to him Isaiah, a prophet, to guide him. Isaiah advises Hezekiah when the king of Assyria tries to conquer Judah. Isaiah's counsel, and Hezekiah's heartfelt prayers to God, help turn back the Assyrians. But Isaiah also foretells the ruin of Judah--of its future conquest by Babylon. After Hezekiah's death, his son, Manasseh, succeeds him. Manasseh displeases the Lord greatly, pushing Him past the breaking point, and He speaks through the prophets, promising the destruction of both Jerusalem and Judah: "I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a dish, wiping it inside and out."
He put his trust in the Lord, the God of Israel, and neither before him nor after him was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah. Loyal to the Lord, Hezekiah never turned away from him, but observed the commandments which the Lord had given Moses.
The Lord rewards Hezekiah with a long life. The Lord sends to him Isaiah, a prophet, to guide him. Isaiah advises Hezekiah when the king of Assyria tries to conquer Judah. Isaiah's counsel, and Hezekiah's heartfelt prayers to God, help turn back the Assyrians. But Isaiah also foretells the ruin of Judah--of its future conquest by Babylon. After Hezekiah's death, his son, Manasseh, succeeds him. Manasseh displeases the Lord greatly, pushing Him past the breaking point, and He speaks through the prophets, promising the destruction of both Jerusalem and Judah: "I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a dish, wiping it inside and out."
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
2 Kings 11-16
The focus shifts from prophets back to kings, as this section is a catalog of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah. For the most part, the kings of Israel displease the Lord, as they worship--and lead the Israelites in Samaria to worship--false gods. The kings of Judah are mostly pleasing to the Lord, although not as pleasing as the great King David, since they do not destroy the "high places" nor do they prevent the people from burning incense there.
There are various battles between the kings of Israel and Judah. At times, they join forces to fight a common enemy; at other times they fight each other. There is a great deal of palace intrigue and even murder in the name of ambition. Seems ripe for a cable TV miniseries.
There are various battles between the kings of Israel and Judah. At times, they join forces to fight a common enemy; at other times they fight each other. There is a great deal of palace intrigue and even murder in the name of ambition. Seems ripe for a cable TV miniseries.
Monday, May 6, 2013
2 Kings 6-10
Today is something of a milestone (or a millstone, depending on your perspective). This is the 100th blog entry of On Jacob's Ladder! And they said it wouldn't last!!
Elisha is the key figure in the victory over Ben-hadad and the Arameans. Samaria is attacked, but saved through Elisha's miracles. Elisha weeps for Israel as he foretells the death of Ben-hadad to the king's servant, Hazael, because he sees that Hazael will succeed the current king and bring gray suffering upon the people of Israel. Jehoram and then his son, Ahaziah, become king of Judah in turn. They are evil and displease God, as Ahab had before them.
Elisha, at the Lord's instruction, anoints Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel. Jehu leads men loyal to him to Jezreel, where both kings--of Judah and of Israel--are staying. He kills them both. He then sees to it that Jezebel is killed, and her body is left in the street to be torn apart and eaten by dogs. As Elisha had foretold, Jehu has the entire line of Ahab's descendants killed. Indeed 70 of them are killed, their heads put in baskets, and the baskets sent to Jehu. Soon after, Jehu oversees the destruction of the Temple of Baal, and the slaughter of all the Baal worshipers within it.
So very Quentin Tarantino!
Elisha is the key figure in the victory over Ben-hadad and the Arameans. Samaria is attacked, but saved through Elisha's miracles. Elisha weeps for Israel as he foretells the death of Ben-hadad to the king's servant, Hazael, because he sees that Hazael will succeed the current king and bring gray suffering upon the people of Israel. Jehoram and then his son, Ahaziah, become king of Judah in turn. They are evil and displease God, as Ahab had before them.
Elisha, at the Lord's instruction, anoints Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel. Jehu leads men loyal to him to Jezreel, where both kings--of Judah and of Israel--are staying. He kills them both. He then sees to it that Jezebel is killed, and her body is left in the street to be torn apart and eaten by dogs. As Elisha had foretold, Jehu has the entire line of Ahab's descendants killed. Indeed 70 of them are killed, their heads put in baskets, and the baskets sent to Jehu. Soon after, Jehu oversees the destruction of the Temple of Baal, and the slaughter of all the Baal worshipers within it.
So very Quentin Tarantino!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
2 Kings 1-5
The focus shifts away from the kings to the prophets as 2 Kings opens. Elisha is the faithful follower and heir apparent to Elijah. He travels with him wherever he goes--"I will not leave you," he promises. And he keeps that promise until Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, riding in a flaming chariot drawn by flaming horses. Elisha takes up Elijah's mantle--literally and figuratively.
Although I believe that Elisha is ultimately a less significant prophet than Elijah, Elisha's actions nonetheless echo and prefigure those of Moses and Jesus, respectively, in many ways. He divides the river so that he may cross it on dry land; he provides water for the people when they are thirsty; he appears to turn a body of water to blood; he multiplies oil (instead of wine) into many jars and a small number of loaves (instead of loaves and fish) into enough for a hundred men to eat; he brings someone back from the dead (as both Elijah and Jesus did); he cures a leper.
This last is an especially moving story. Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram was highly respected and esteemed. But he had leprosy. A little girl is the one who suggests that Naaman go to Elisha. When Naaman presents himself, Elisha does not see him in person, but instead sends a message to Naaman instructing him to bathe seven times in the waters of the Jordan. Naaman is angry that Elisha did not deign to meet him in person, and leaves, intending to ignore the instruction. But Naaman's servants prevail on him to follow Elisha's direction, and Elisha is cured. Indeed, "his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." When Naaman returned to Elisha to accept a thanksgiving offering, Elisha would not accept it. Elisha, instead, tells him (as Jesus often did) to "go in peace."
The cure of Naaman speaks to me about God's work in our lives, about the power of the sacraments--mysteries that we believe, whose power we witness, but that we don't "see" in the traditional sense. Baptism and Reconciliation wash us clean, as Naaman was washed clean. As adults we can somehow "feel" the renewing power of Reconciliation, yet we cannot point to the how or the where of it.
Although I believe that Elisha is ultimately a less significant prophet than Elijah, Elisha's actions nonetheless echo and prefigure those of Moses and Jesus, respectively, in many ways. He divides the river so that he may cross it on dry land; he provides water for the people when they are thirsty; he appears to turn a body of water to blood; he multiplies oil (instead of wine) into many jars and a small number of loaves (instead of loaves and fish) into enough for a hundred men to eat; he brings someone back from the dead (as both Elijah and Jesus did); he cures a leper.
This last is an especially moving story. Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram was highly respected and esteemed. But he had leprosy. A little girl is the one who suggests that Naaman go to Elisha. When Naaman presents himself, Elisha does not see him in person, but instead sends a message to Naaman instructing him to bathe seven times in the waters of the Jordan. Naaman is angry that Elisha did not deign to meet him in person, and leaves, intending to ignore the instruction. But Naaman's servants prevail on him to follow Elisha's direction, and Elisha is cured. Indeed, "his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." When Naaman returned to Elisha to accept a thanksgiving offering, Elisha would not accept it. Elisha, instead, tells him (as Jesus often did) to "go in peace."
The cure of Naaman speaks to me about God's work in our lives, about the power of the sacraments--mysteries that we believe, whose power we witness, but that we don't "see" in the traditional sense. Baptism and Reconciliation wash us clean, as Naaman was washed clean. As adults we can somehow "feel" the renewing power of Reconciliation, yet we cannot point to the how or the where of it.
Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival
Jumpin' Jehoshaphat! This week was spent reading through 1 Kings, where we find some of the Old Testament's more memorable characters and stories--including Solomon, Jezebel, Ahab, Elijah, and, yes, Jehoshaphat. We find God everywhere, from the impossibly ornate temple built by Solomon to the whispering wind in Elijah's ear. And a cameo by Michael Corleone (yup, really).
1 Kings 1-5
1 Kings 6-10
1 Kings 11-14
1 Kings 15-19
1 Kings 20-22
Here is the link to the Sunday Snippets:
http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2013/05/sunday-snippets-catholic-carnival.html
Enjoy and have a great week.
John
1 Kings 1-5
1 Kings 6-10
1 Kings 11-14
1 Kings 15-19
1 Kings 20-22
Here is the link to the Sunday Snippets:
http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2013/05/sunday-snippets-catholic-carnival.html
Enjoy and have a great week.
John
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