This blog provides a meditation on the Episcopal daily readings along with a headline from world news.

EGYPTIAN JIHADIST TO SUCCEED BIN LADEN

1 Samuel 4:1-11

41And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

In those days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle was joined, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.’ 4So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, ‘What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?’ When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7the Philistines were afraid; for they said, ‘Gods have come into the camp.’ They also said, ‘Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, in order not to become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.’ 

10 So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot-soldiers. 11The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

This is a great story. When the Israelites attempt to use the symbol of God’s presence to bolster their chances of military victory, the Philistines recognise the supernatural power marshalled against them and resolve to fight like men. And they win! They use their human ability against the power of Jihad. They may, however, have mistakenly thought that their victory disproved the reality of Israel’s God. The opposite is the writer’s message: the true God proves his reality by refusing to be co-opted as WMD.

Luke 12:4-12

4 ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. 7But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

8 ‘And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. 10And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.’

The Devil is careless: he kills the living and casts them into hell; but God is careful: he cares for the sparrows and numbers the hairs of our heads. This gives us an infallible test for deciding which policies come from God and which from the Devil. In the light of this text what Britain and its allies are doing in Afghanistan and Libya doesn’t look too clever.

The “unforgivable sin” has caused much anguish. Luke is saying that opposition to Jesus and his people (The Son of Man) can be forgiven, but opposition to the forgiving Spirit cannot, because either you want forgiveness or you don’t; and God won’t force your hand.