WHY AM I READING SO MUCH? Probably because I'm so fantastic? And now that I've accidentally set a challenge for myself, I'm determined to try and meet it, or die trying... Maybe not die trying. But heck, I'm on page 299, and the new testament starts on 877, so if between now and Saturday I read about 192 and 4/6ths pages a day... Uh. Well, I'll try.
So! We have Judges first. The book is named for the fact that it chronicles the doings of the judges, though it is prone to a huge tangent or two.
So, first of all, after a while, the Israelites stop worshiping God and they start worshiping other gods, like Baal and Astartes. What interests me is that later, when they repeat who is being worshiped, Baal is mentioned again but instead of Astartes Asherahs is named. A fumble in translation? A minor detail overlooked? I'm pretty sure Astartes is the root of Astaroth, and Asherahs appears to be some sort of mother goddess... Two different figures completely. It's inconsequential, I guess, to everything but my insatiable curiosity.
What I find interesting too is when Samson's mother (before she conceives) is visited by an angel to warn her of the conception and greatness of her son. The angel warns her against drinking wine or other "strong drink" (Judges 13:4) because she will be having a son. Okay, the son thing aside, I find it interesting that apparently it was common knowledge that alcohol was bad for developing babies when it took the modern world pretty much until the 1960's/70's to figure it out. Apparently nobody got the memo? Or read their Bibles/Tanakhs?
Another thing I like about that section is the angel himself. Manoah (the father of Samson) does not realize the angel is an angel and offers to cook him a meal. The angel politely declines, but suggests Manoah sacrifices the kid to God instead. Manoah then asks if he can at least know the angel's name so that he may honour the angel when his promise comes to fruition--and the angel responds with: "'Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful'" Judges 13:18. I don't know why that line should strike me so, but I love it, I really do. It sounds very right.
Okay, cool. We're onto 2 Samuel now! (Ruth is only four pages and I guess I didn't have much to say about 1 Samuel, probably because that's what I know best out of the Bible, other than all of the parables. I daresay that I could probably recite all the parables in my sleep, no matter how long that it's been since I've actually heard them or stepped inside a church.)
Bathsheba, as you may or may not be aware, was a lady who David (David of David and Goliath fame, after he was crowned king) saw bathing on her roof. David was, uh, enamoured with the lady and summoned her to his bedchambers. Now as if adultery wasn't bad enough, it turns out that Bathsheba was bathing to purify herself after her period. There is a certain amount of time you're supposed to wait before 'uncovering' a woman who has just had her period, and clearly David didn't wait. Just to throw a little bit of salt on the wound there... I actually didn't even know David was married before this. I knew Bathsheba was (David has her husband killed by 'accident' in war), but not David...
...Okay, this really was short. I apologize again. It's like that month where I read pretty much every book from my childhood... I guess I also shouldn't assume that the reader, whoever it may be, just knows stories of the Bible... in which case, Samuel is the story of Saul, Samuel, and David. So... Yeah. I'll work harder next time! The next four books are a little over 100 pages, so hopefully I'll be able to stop looking like a slacker in the very, very near future....
MLA citation information: Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Edition. American Bible Society: New York, 1989.
Answer to last post's cryptic song lyrics: 3rd Planet by Modest Mouse
This post's cryptic song lyrics: Now I've heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the lord, but you don't really care for music do you?
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