If Social Media Had Been Around in the Days of Solomon

"Get me a sword. Cut the baby in half."--King Solomon

One of the things I've observed about social media--especially Twitter, though other platforms as well--is that some people have to weigh in with opinions on every single thing. Many of these people feel compelled to weigh in as quickly as possible, totally forgetting the admonition to be quick to listen but slow to speak.

This means that we don't see a lot of nuanced thinking taking place. People want to react fast and first, which means that quite often there is little thought at all, and seldom any effort to determine if what they're reacting to is even true.

This past weekend I was reading the famous Old Testament story about King Solomon, who was labelled the wisest man that ever lived. This seems like a hard title to live up to, but the Bible illustrates an example here to substantiate this claim. Here's a paraphrase of the story.

Two prostitutes came to the king seeking help resolving a private conflict. The two women lived in the same house and had each had a baby the same week. During the night, the one woman unintentionally crushed or suffocated her baby by lying on him. To solve this matter she switched the babies. Naturally the mother who had her baby stolen recognized that the dead child was not the one she gave birth to. The other woman, however, was adamant and claimed the living one was hers.

They brought their argument to the king, the true mother of the baby telling her side first. The other woman, who accidentally killed her infant son presented her side next. After listening to each Solomon said, "Bring me a sword." He then ordered one of his underlings to cut the living baby in half and give half to each.

The true mother of the living child was practically hysterical and said, "Give her the living baby. Don't kill him!"

The other woman seemed quite satisfied with the verdict and said, "Go ahead, cut him in two."

Solomon announced, "Give the baby to the first woman. Don't kill him; she is his mother."  

Within minutes, though, what Solomon had initially said had been posted on Twitter. In less than an hour it had gone viral and had over one million views and re-tweets that went like this: "King requests sword and says 'Kill the baby!'"

Other Tweets said that the Solomon himself killed the baby. By the time the actual true account appeared in the Jerusalem Post, everyone had already concluded that King Solomon was a beast and the Post story must be fake news, probably planted by the Philistines.

* * * 

Obviously I made up the last segment here. What this Old Testament passage said at the end was, "When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice."

It would be nice if today's national and global issues were as small as resolving a dispute between two prostitutes. We ourselves could use a little wisdom in our approach to social media. It wouldn't be a bad thing to see a little more wisdom in our  leadership right now as well. Then again, in light of the way our media (social and otherwise) distorts everything, would we recognize wisdom if we saw or heard it?

--The origin of this anecdote was I Kings 3:16-28

How Should We Then Tweet? Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs is one of three Old Testament books categorized as "wisdom literature." Nestled between the Psalms and Ecclesiastes, it's a book loaded with practical advice and observations. 

While reading the 15th chapter recently I noticed a number of passages that were relevant for people using social media today, which is cool because these ideas, maxims and instructions are probably 3,000 years old. I wasn't looking for them. The maxims and admonitions seemed so apropos.

We 21st century moderns think everything is different now with things so advanced. The reality is that very fundamental ways people today are just like the ancients of one, two or three millennia ago. Like ourselves, they were trying to learn how to get along with others, learning how to live meaningful lives, and wondering how we should live. 

Here are some proverbs that seem quite relevant for users of social media, especially Twitter. If you mull these over I think you'll see how relevant they are. (I've included a few from Proverbs 19 as well.)

* * * 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, 
     but a harsh word stirs up anger.
        (Don't be that guy.)

* * * 

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
        (Don't be this guy either.)

* * * 

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
   but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit
         (Can't we just get along?)

* * * 

The lips of the wise spread knowledge,   <-- Let's aim to be this one
    but the hearts of fools are not upright.

* * * 

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will not go free.
        (Fake news creators.)

* * * 

A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty
     rescue them, and you will have to do it again. 

* * * 

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
     but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
       (Patience is a virtue. Why is it so hard?)

* * * 

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
    but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
        (There's a little too much gushing today.)

* * * 

A fool gives full vent to his anger 
    but a wise man keeps himself under control.

* * * 

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
    and how good is a timely word! 

* * *

What do you think?

Ecclesiastes: Gaining a Better Perspective on What Matters

When I was younger I'd read or heard that Reformer Martin Luther had a problem with the book of Ecclesiastes. He did not believe it belonged in the canon. How many times does its author declare "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." Or as the NIV translates it:  

“Meaningless! Meaningless!"

 says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!    

Everything is meaningless.”

That's a rather dire starting point. Not a lot of basis for hope there. It would be easy for a scholar, priest or reformer to want to yank it from the sacred texts and leave it in an alley somewhere. 

Now personally, I have found it to be one of my favorite Old Testament books, along with Proverbs and Psalms. And it didn't bother me to be out of sync with Luther on a point of relatively minor contention, so I never gave the matter much thought. It had always been a bit of interesting trivia, nothing more. 

NOW just this past week I came across a blog that dug a little deeper on this matter, and brought to light some facts that weren't highlighted when I first learned of it. The blog is titled Beggars All -- Reformation & Apologetics. The site's subtitle spells out its aim: "Setting the Record Straight on the Protestant Reformation."

The title of the blog post of November 12, 2016 is Luther: "Ecclesiastes ought to have been more complete. There is too much incoherent matter in it..."

Ah, but did Martin Luther really say this? It would appear, digging through the details of James Swan's analysis, that Luther was referring to the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, a.k.a. The Wisdom of Sirach, which is not included in our Protestant Bibles.  

* * * 
One reason Ecclesiastes is a favorite for me personally is that it is so intellectually stimulating. And on another level, it is simply beautiful writing. It is lively prose, and a very direct presentation of true truths that help keep us grounded in a world that promises the moon, sun and stars. 

For those Narcissists who think they're hot stuff, who delight in projecting an image of self-importance, the author offers this reminder:

No one remembers the former generations,
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.

* * * 
Much has been written about Ecclesiastes. One of the books that caught my eye recently was  David Gibson's Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End. I've not read the book (yet) but grasp almost viscerally its central precept.

As reviewer Jesse Green puts it, Live with an understanding and a constant view of death. This may seem morbid but will lead to a joyful life. 

Having lost a few friends recently, and turning seventy soon, the message is utterly relevant. My time on earth is finite. Don't squander it.

Another reviewer's summary similarly goads one to find a copy to read. If Ecclesiastes is a book for our times, then Living Life Backward is the book to unpack it.

* * * 

Jacques Ellul, in his book of meditations on Ecclesiastes, Reason For Being, explores the real meaning of the word translated as vanity in some texts and meaningless in others. Wordsmiths love digging into the roots of words because of the imagery words often evoke. In this case, the first word of the book, after the author's introduction, has been somewhat slippery. Or rather, misty, smokey. The word is hebel which some scholars have translated as vapor.

What I like about that idea is illustrated in C.S. Lewis's wonderful novella, The Great Divorce. The story is about a busload of people who leave earth's shadowlands and are transported to the edge of heaven. Although their bodies seemed so substantial on earth, when they reach heaven they are so vaporous that the grass feels hard when they step on it. 

That's but one picture that comes to mind for me with the word hebel. For scholars who have studied the word's usage in other ancient literature it conveyed mist, smoke and breath. Getting a handle on what the word conveys seems fairly important since it is used no less than 33 times in this book alone.

Ellul suggests that the word is also associated with destiny, that destiny being insignificance, and life is a mist that dissipates as it rises from the ground in the morning sun. Elsewhere in the Old Testament it is translated as something fleeting, deceptive, without result. 

And yet, are our lives really meaningless?  The right way to understand Scripture is in the context of the whole. How does this verse relate in the context of the chapter? And this chapter within the context of the book? And this book in the context of the canon?

They say it is a mark of intelligence to be able to hold two opposing thoughts in our mind simultaneously. On the one hand we are made from dust and to dust we shall return. We are dust. Or vapor, a fleeting mist. On the other hand we are persons created in the image of God. We were designed to reflect that. Therefore every person we meet is worthy of honor or respect. 

Related Links
Ecclesiastes, Chapter One
The Viewpoint of Ecclesiastes: Realism or Cynicism

Wedding Belles: How To Get A Wife The Old Fashioned Way

Today's a very special day for us... our daughter is getting married.  While sifting through a folder titled "Idea Starters" I came across this list of Biblical ways to get a wife. Note: These are shared here to serve as examples of why historical stories in the sacred texts should not be taken as laws to obeyed.

Ten Ways To Obtain A Wife*

1. Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. She's yours. ~ Deuteronomy 21:11-13

2. Find a prostitute and marry her. ~ Hosea 1:1-3

3. Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. ~ Ruth 4:5-10

4. Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. ~ Judges 21:19-25

5. Cut off 200 foreskins off your father-in-law's enemies and get his daughter for a wife. ~ I Samuel 18:27

6. Become emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. ~ Esther 2:3-4

7. When you see someone you like, go tell your parents, "I have seen a woman. Get her for me." If your parents question your decision, repeat, "Get her for me. She's the one for me." ~ Judges 14:1-3 (Sounds like a bit of dialogue from Terminator.)

8. Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. ~ Ruth

9. Get involved with someone else's wife. Kill her husband. ~ II Samuel 11

10. A wife? Who needs a wife? ~ I Corinthians 7:32-35

* * * *

Well, we're beginning to get excited about this special day where two people in love make a commitment to share life's journey together.

*Discliamer: When I Googled this list, I discovered many of these listed in someone else's blog. Their blog post was 2012, my file was created in 2008, leading me to surmise that our lists were purloined from still someone else's labors. Thank you to whoever did the original compilation. 

Bread and Circuses

Are Americans indifferent to the events in the larger world because of their preoccupation with bread and circuses?

In the course of a lifetime I’ve often seen writers compare our American empire to that of Rome. As with all the great empires beforehand Rome, too, fell. In Gibbon’s classic analysis, the cratering of that empire was due to internal factors, not external.

By means of bread and circuses the ruling class of ancient Rome maintained their power and control of the people. As long as the masses were happy, their labors could be used to fuel the wheels of progress... or at least maintain the status quo.

Starvation, infant death, malnutrition, terror, slaughter, oppression, torture, violence… these things abound in our world today. Simultaneous to these global maladies, we have in this country a 24 billion dollar amusement park industry, a 30 billion dollar entertainment industry, a 200 billion-plus sports industry, and an even larger gambling industry. (Called “gaming” because gambling has negative connotations.)

Meanwhile, according to the World Hunger Organization, 800 million people go to bed hungry every night, mostly women and children. 24,000 die every day. Two hundred million children under five years of age are underweight due to lack of food, which can lead to mental retardation and stunted physical stature. And while you read this, one child will die of starvation every seven seconds.

By way of contrast, according to A.C. Nielsen stats from a recent year, the average American watches 3 hours and 46 minutes of TV each day (which would add up to more than 52 days of nonstop TV-watching per year). By age 65 the average American will have spent nearly 9 years glued to the tube. A few may be watching educational television, but most are simply watching whatever distraction the channel is tuned to at the time.

As tensions rise between India and Pakistan, most Americans have no clue what the fuss is about. As tens of thousands visit the grave of Benazir Bhutto, how many understand the significance of this woman who was killed in a gun-and-suicide attack one year ago already? How many understand that the Mumbai incident has significance nearly as important as our 9/11? Just because it is not longer in our U.S. newspapers, it doesn’t mean there have been no reverberations set in motion.

I’d be half willing to bet that most Americans don’t even know where Pakistan is located, let alone that there was a 1971 war fought between India and Pakistan that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. We were pre-occupied that year with All in the Family, Flip Wilson, Marcus Welby, Gunsmoke, and earning money for our next Disneyland vacation.

I realize I am being a little harsh. Let me say that I am not aiming to impose new restrictions to behavior. (“Don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do.”) I am simply making an appeal to conscience. We live in a world where there is suffering, and the aim of our lives needs to be something bigger than next weekend’s bash. An Old Testament maxim from the Book of Ecclesiastes comes to mind here. “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”

Is it possible that those who control the marionette strings love the power they hold? Who gets the bailouts? Who has the golden parachutes? Who gets the wool when the sheep are fleeced?

A lot of questions in life have no easy, clear cut answers. One of the toughest: What should our relationship be to the culture we find ourselves in? Sure, the gladiators are putting on quite a show for us today. Is that what it’s all about? More bread? More circuses?