Thinking on Judges, Samuel, David

Listening to the Bible

One thing with a reading the Bible in a year reading plan, is that hundreds of years of history can pass in just a week or so. Especially when doing it twice a day, like I’ve been doing. (It works out to between 8 and 10 readings a week, rather than just 7). It’s just a quick overview, with no time for anything in-depth.

So, my thots this week are also going to be from previous readings years ago, as well as what comes to mind from listening.

• Think about poor Abner, Son of Ner. What a redundant name! It would be like calling him Ner’s son, Nerson. Though we don’t see him complaining. However a quick look up tells me that Abner actually means the father of Ner (light), not the son. How embarrassing. I’ve had it wrong all this time.

• Likewise, Absalom means the Father of peace. Considering the life that poor boy had it is quite ironic.

• Looking at the history of Eli, Samuel, and David, a pattern appears. Eli is a man of God, a good leader, but a lousy father. His sons turn out bad. He raised Samuel. Samuel is a man of God, a good leader, but a lousy father. His sons also turn out bad. Samuel was a mentor to David. David was a man after God’s own heart, a good leader, but a lousy father. Unlike the other two, we get to see some of the ways that David reacted with his children, especially in the story of Amnon, Absalom, and Tamar.

• Speaking of the story of Absalom, Jonadab was a meddler and an interferer. One of the major villains in a story that doesn’t lack for villains. He both advised Amnon on how to get his sister Tamar alone so he could have his way with her, and advised Absalom on how to get revenge on Amnon. (The later was implied more than said, but how else would he be the only one who really knew what was going on with Absalom and the king’s sons?) Though if David had acted when the offense occurred, Absalom would have no need for revenge.

• It seems like for every woman who is treated with respect and honor, like Deborah the judge, there are several who are just treated like trading chips, at best. Like the poor girl in the horrid last story of Judges.

• Speaking of the last story in Judges, was the husband supposed to be sympathetic? Because at least to this modern reader, he isn’t. In fact, I regard him as being only faintly above the men of the city.

• I have always thought that David was in the wrong when he insisted on getting his wife Michel back. She had been given to a man who loved her, while I don’t think she was anything more than a pawn to David. She certainly was well over her crush on David by the time she was returned to him.

I’m sure I have more ideas than I’ve listed in this poor assorted collection of thots, but right at the moment they’ve all gone from me.