March 21

NT – Luke 4:31-5:11
Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when the OJ Simpson verdict came down? I was at work and we had a little tv in one of the offices. My mom kept saying over and over again, “OJ didn’t do it. He wouldn’t have left those kids alone in that house with their dead, butchered mother outside.” That was her reason. He wouldn’t have left his kids alone.
Which is why the story of the calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John has always rankled at me. I knew that Peter was married because of the problem with the mother-in-law’s fever (which also rankled my feminist soul. Just wait until we get to the Mary and Martha story. I preached on that one, too.) And if he had a wife, he probably had kids though none are mentioned.
Regardless, that Peter would up and leave his wife and presumably his mother-in-law to follow a roving preacher struck me as the epitome of irresponsibility. And then not to even know who or what he was???
Matthew and Mark both record the calling of the first disciples. Neither mentions the big fish catch. Luke is the only one. He knew that there would be people like me, fretting over how poor Mrs. Peter would feed her family and how Zebedee would make it on his own. The big haul does make me feel better.

OT – Numbers 32:1-33:39
Moses makes a deal with the people of Gad and Reuben then he calls his head priest and general at arms to witness the deal.
Rashi said it was a good thing otherwise the Children of Israel wouldn’t have occupied both banks of the Jordan and there would be constant conflict over water rights with pagans.
We think it was a good thing because one of the best funeral hymns would never have been created – The Balm of Gilead.
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In all seriousness, both Moses and Joshua think and act like great leaders. They definitely have to make some really unpleasant decisions. We know some of the back stories but not all.
One of the marks of a great leader who does not fall prey to bad negotiations is to employ the strategy that Moses uses with the Gadanites and the Reubenites. You have to have witnesses (impartial or close to) and the carrot needs to be before the horse. Once you pay someone, it is darn hard to get them to complete the work.
And one more learning thing for today and then I am done.
Here is what Rashi had to say about chapter 33:
“In this chapter, The Torah summarizes the entire route followed by Israel from the Exodus until they stood poised to cross the Jordan to enter the Promised Land. The list of journeys emphasizes God’s compassion, because it shows that notwithstanding the decree that they wander in the Wilderness for forty years, the people enjoyed extended periods of rest. In all, there were forty-two encampments, the first fourteen of which were before the mission of the spies and the last eight encampments were in the fortieth year, after Aaron’s death. “ Stone Chumash p.918
This means that in 37 years, the children of Israel moved 20 times.
For some reason, I had it in my head that they moved every day.

Proverbs 11:22
“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”
Preach it, Solomon.
If you grew up on a farm, you know this but I am a city girl. Pigs have rings in their noses not to catch them but to keep them from doing what pigs love to do – root around and make wallows. Which is okay if they are in woods or by a stream or lake. Bad for pasture land. They literally root up your perennial grasses and their roots and cause runoff.
A ring in a pig’s nose causes some discomfort and while it doesn’t eliminate rooting, it does slow it down some.
No one, not even a pagan king would put a gold ring in a pig’s nose because what do pigs like to wallow in? Mud and poop. Bad use of a really precious metal.
All this to say, the equation of an indiscreet woman with a pig’s ring is really disgusting. And I am not a Jewish mama with kashrut laws hanging over my head.

Many blessings to you and your meditations.