Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; 4 July 2021; Proper 9B (RCL); 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13.
This week’s lessons present an interesting contrast between David on the one hand, and Jesus and Paul on the other. The reading from 2 Samuel narrates Israel’s choice of David to be their king. He has already been the king of Judah for some time, and now Israel chooses to unite with Judah in the person of David. The stories of the Old Testament hold David up as the archetype of the righteous king, despite (or perhaps because of) his many flaws. We are told he is ruddy, and has beautiful eyes. He has a certain charisma that attracts people to him. Despite his many moral failings, the biblical story looks back to the united kingdom under David as the definitive moment of history.
Continue reading “A prophet’s honor”