Today was my second day of teaching at New Dawn and once again it went well. We were scheduled to drive in Washira's bus which was just big enough to seat us all now that Maggie, Sanna, Judy, Lance, Ann, and Nina are back from Kangundo and will be working also at New Dawn. We did get a late start because we had to stop at a supermarket to buy water first. Then once we got to New Dawn, the person who had the key to the computer lab where I am teaching did not show up so we could not get in and we had to wait. I am really learning to be patient and take it all in stride. This is Kenya, after all. Well, finally he arrived with the key, but then it turned out that the lights were off and could not be turned on for some obscure reason, so I decided to open the curtains wide and use the natural daylight. It was darker than I wanted it to be, but it was good enough.
Today I was to finish the book of Ruth since we got only half way through it yesterday. They all loved this book which is so special since it deals with three people--Naomi, Ruth and Boaz--who are delightful and give us an opportunity to look in detail at what we can learn from them. We spent some time sharing our insights. Then I asked the men to share (most are not married) what characteristics they would expect to see in a woman of integrity. Then I asked the women what a man of integrity would be like. This spawned some interesting thoughts and good discussion.
Then we began to study David's adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. This too led to a pretty good discussion, especially between those who said that Bathsheba should just have said no and others, like me, who believe that she has no choice in the matter. Later most all of came around that at that time in that culture the wish of an absolute monarch like David would be a command that could not be ignored.
They were very interested in the little poem that Joab gave to the messenger to report to David that he had complied with David's wishes and that Uriah had been killed in the manner David had suggested. This is found in II Sam. 11:20b-21a, where Joab instructs the courier to say to David:
A- Why did you get so close to the city (wall) to fight?
B- Didn't you know they should arrows from the wall?
C- Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth?
B'- Didn't a woman throw a millstone on him from the wall? (so that he died in Thebez)
A'- Why did you get so close to the wall?
B- Didn't you know they should arrows from the wall?
C- Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth?
B'- Didn't a woman throw a millstone on him from the wall? (so that he died in Thebez)
A'- Why did you get so close to the wall?
The Chiastic structure of this little poem is named after the Greek letter X or Chi. Joab used this poem to let David know in a very subtle way that he understood that, just like Abimelech who was killed by a woman throwing a millstone down from the wall of Thebez, Uriah was killed by an arrow shot from the wall of Rabbah because of a woman. This woman was, of course, Bathsheba who was now pregnant after David had committed adultery with her. So he decided to have Uriah killed in battle to be able to claim the baby as his own. Anyway this little poem is very interesting and clever.
We got as far as the prophet Nathan rebuking David with his little parable about how a rich man takes the pet lamb from a poor farmer to cook up a feast to impress an unexpected guest. When David says this rich man deserves to die Nathan springs the trap and says, "You are that man!" David then becomes the David of old and in the crowded court room confesses, "I have sinned against the LORD!" Then the LORD says, "Your sin will be forgiven, but there will be consequences. The sword will not depart from your house, someone close to you will lie with your wives in public (Absalom), and the baby in Bathsheba's womb will die."
That is where we left it for the day and so tomorrow we will finish this story by looking at what it is we can learn from this.
When we got home it was good to find out that Lois had been discharged from the hospital and was now back home. But then when I tried to call her we found out that somehow Lois had left the phone off the hook making it impossible to get through to her. But Jon Straalsund came to the rescue and drove over to help Lois and her friend understand what was the matter and soon we got connected and had a good talk.
So life is looking up, Lois is back home, and we can talk again by phone.
God bless you all,
Hans
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