Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Lectionary: 326

“I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, ‘If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.’”

On his death bed, King David speaks to his regal son, Solomon, who will assume the throne and build the first temple. To our everlasting gratitude, he will also invest in scholarship, creating history’s first Jewish school. His professional scribes will adapt an alphabet to fit their Hebrew language. Until his time the proverbs, stories, songs, genealogies and history of the chosen people resided in the oral traditions of poor mountain folk who struggled for basic survival. Until the end of time, the Jewish religion will be protected between the covers of a book. The scribes will also introduce Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom to the Hebrew tradition. Some of the oldest writings of the Bible, found in Proverbs, were translated from the hieroglyphs of pagan Egypt.

I am struck by David’s urging his son to “be a man” and to “keep the mandate of the Lord.” In his book The Reformation, Diarmaid MacCulloch speaks of the disappearance of men in the churches after the Protestant Reformation. This occurred on both sides of the divide. But, to my knowledge, no one has been able to say why that happened.

David’s last message to his son reflects a father's preoccupation with his son's being a man. Despite David’s faults – and they were numerous – he was both devout and manly. He did not doubt his right to rule even when he committed terrible sins and deplorable mistakes. The Uriah-Bathsheba affair was a great scandal, and his census was ill advised, but David took responsibility for these acts without passing the blame on others.

To say these are manly characteristics is not to say they are un-womanly, but it is to recognize his strength of character. The dying father of the nation hopes his son -- who never knew poverty, never led men into battle, is adept in palace politics and has a wealth of book learning -- will have whatever it takes to lead a nation through a turbulent future. David must know his kingdom will never be a great nation. It is only a widening in the road between Mesopotamia and Egypt, a pawn on the near-eastern chessboard. 

More than manliness, Solomon will have to "Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses. 

Historians are not as kind to Solomon as the authors of the scriptures. The kingdom remained intact through his years but split immediately upon his death, never to be rejoined. Solomon built a sturdy city with a good school, but he also created a mares nest of alliances by marriage to dozens of princesses from nations far and near. His city was too luxurious and his army too large for a small mountain country. Samuel's prophecy of a tyrant king was fulfilled in him. 

The prophets consistently urged the kings of Judah and Israel to rely on the Lord. As Jesus would say, "Just have faith!" The kings preferred to dabble in realpolitik, pandering to foreigners even as they strutted like peacocks before their own subjects. This was not a manly display of courage. 

In his day, Jesus would urge his disciples to trust in God rather than pandering to the rich and powerful, "Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick –no food, no sack, no money in their belts."

So long as we live in this world, we will have deal with it courageously, even as we practice fidelity to the covenant God has given us. At times we must compromise, at times we will obstruct. Always we must remain obedient to the Spirit of God.