May 9

May 9
NT—John 6:1-21
The Feeding of the 5,000 is the second story in John that is in all 4 gospels. John adds the tag line about the making him king by force, causing Jesus to withdraw. But otherwise, the story is the same. What are we to make of this miracle? Is it something special that there were *12* baskets left over? Left over! The twelve tribes would not ‘consume’ Jesus’ living bread? Numbers in 1st century Rome had great weight. They were never just flung around. If you used one, it had specific meaning.

OT – 1st Samuel 5:1-7:17
While I was reading the account of the tumors and destruction that having the Ark had on the Philistines, I kept thinking about Raiders of the Lost Ark. I kept thinking that if Hitler and that nasty villain archeologist Rene Belloq had only read 1st Samuel, they would not have messed with the Ark. Especially since Hitler was busy exterminating God’s chosen people. It never occurred to me in 1981 when I saw that movie that there was something really twisted about HITLER, Mr. I Hate Jews, using the Ark for his purposes. It was only years later the first time I studied the Bible in mostly whole portions in a course called Kerygma that I got that.
Steven Speilberg is Jewish. He knew all about that plot twist and yet he kept that mostly undiscussed. He would have made a great Midrash scholar if he hadn’t gone into the movie business.
A note about the god mentioned – Dagon. This is from Wikipedia:
“Dagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain (as symbol of fertility) and fish and/or fishing (as symbol of multiplying). He was worshipped by the early Amorites and by the inhabitants of the cities of Ebla (modern Tell Mardikh, Syria) and Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra, Syria) (which was an ancient city near the Mediterranean containing a large variety of ancient writings and pre-Judeo-Christian shrines). He was also a major member, or perhaps head, of the pantheon of the Biblical Philistines.”

I always find it interesting when other gods and goddesses are mentioned in the OT. It is amazing that in an area no bigger than Georgia in totality and much of it uninhabitable due to desert, you could have that many kingdoms, that many languages, that many religions all in conflict with one another.

Proverbs 14:32-33
Just a quick question about, “Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.”
Why is it if Wisdom is known by fools that they do not follow Wisdom? I am primarily speaking of myself when I do something I *KNOW* is bad but I do it anyway. Just askin’

Grace and peace to each of you. May you be a light unto the world.