May 22

Journey-through-the-Bible-with-us

READING FOR MAY 22, 2025: 2 SAMUEL 10, MARK 6, PSALM 45:1-9                                               2 SAMUEL 10   Once again, a quick comparison of today’s text with yesterday’s text of 1 Chronicles 19 gives one the impression of Deja vu. Once again, this writer is consulting Bible Hub for an analysis of the differences. The site, quoted below, first gives some of the broader reasons for the differences and then addresses some of the details of these two chapters:

“Chronicles often focuses on priestly and administrative details, while Samuel focuses          more on narrative and personal accounts of David’s life and reign. This shift in emphasis                can lead to variations in details such as the exact count of forces. In ancient Hebrew,           numbers could be expressed or copied differently, leading to slight inconsistencies. For                  instance, one text may emphasize total chariots, while another text may detail total   infantry. In some cases, Chronicles condenses multiple segments of battle into a single      summary (1 Chronicles 19:6-7). Samuel, meanwhile, can include separate tallies of allied troops (2 Samuel 10:6). Each account thus stresses different aspects of the same                           coalition force. Both accounts describe the identical conflict. The figure of 32,000                                    chariots in 1 Chronicles 19:7 can incorporate overall forces that included mounted                  horsemen and combat-ready charioteers. Meanwhile, 2 Samuel 10:6 enumerates 20,000 infantry from Aram, 1,000 from Maacah, and 12,000 from Tob, totaling 33,000. Variations in how these forces are subdivided or tallied underscore distinct authorial objectives rather than incompatible narratives.”

One specific numerical difference between the chapters Bible Hub does not directly address is the number of Aramean charioteers David killed, although it does generally state that what one account might place in the chariot category the other might label as infantry. 2 Samuel 10 states David killed 700 charioteers while 1 Chronicles 19 has 7,000—a tenfold difference. This writer is not informed enough to explain the reason for this discrepancy. William Arndt sug- gests the following resolution: “The difference in the number of chariots is best explained as due to the error of a scribe, who especially if letters were used as numerals, could easily write seven thousand instead of seven hundred, or vice versa.” Such a scribal error would certainly not change the basic message!

READING FOR MAY 22, 2025 CONTINUED: MARK 6, PSALM 45:1-9                                        MARK 6 Often we categorize people and are blind to the facts in front of us. Jesus returned to Nazareth healing and speaking wisdom, but the people could not get past their own familiarity with Him. They knew Him as the son of Mary, perhaps, remembering the timing of His birth, not as the son of Joseph. They knew Him as a carpenter, not as a teacher or healer. They knew his many brothers and sisters. Their familiarity with Jesus blinded them to the reality of Jesus. How many of us have been familiar with Jesus through decades at church? But do we know Him personally as God the Son who alone can save us from death. Do we know Him as Lord whose words we either completely obey or reject because this cultural moment finds them outdated? Does our faith save us or does our unbelief prevent Him from working among us?

As we read before in Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His disciples for ministry. As in Matthew, He told them to travel very light and not be dismayed if they were not well received. We learn here that he sent them out in pairs. This is a model that Paul later followed in his own successful missionary trips and still has merit. Mark’s account also gives a slightly different, but complementary, slant on the message they should convey: “They went out and preached that men should repent” (6:12). How does this align with the outreach ministries of our church?

King Herod heard of this outreach because it succeeded in attracting huge attention. It is no wonder that he associated this message of repentance with John the Baptist, repentance being the focus of John’s ministry. John even specified the sin of which Herod should repent: marrying his brother’s wife. An extra fact we learn in Mark is that Herod enjoyed listening to John. The Rev. Billy Graham met with every president from Harry Truman to Donald Trump (https://billygraham.org/gallery/billy-graham-pastor-to-the-presidents/). They also enjoyed listening to him, but did they repent and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior? It is not for us to say (Rom. 2:1-4), but there is a day coming when this will be judged (Rom. 2:5-10).

We learn two new facts in Mark’s telling of the feeding of the 5,000:  

  • Jesus compassionately viewed the 5,000 as sheep without a shepherd: directionless and even lost.
  • Jesus then commanded the 5,000 to rest in green grass and organize in smaller groups of 50 and 100. 

We also see two differences from Matthew in Mark’s telling of Jesus walking on the water:

  • Peter’s aborted walk on the water is not mentioned, likely because Peter recounted the story to Mark.
  • Mark says that the disciples didn’t apply any insights from the feeding to their storm experience.

PSALM 45:1-9 This Psalm clearly references Jesus as the second person of the Trinity. How do we know? Heb.1:8-9 quotes verses 6-7: “But regarding the Son He [God the Father] says, 'Your throne, God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your companions.’”  This last statement is comprehensible only via the concept of the Trinity.