October 11, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Aaron Was Too Busy to Marry Elisheba?

“Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.” Exodus 6:23

“Elisheba was the daughter of Amminadab, and sister of Nashon, captain in Judah’s army. She became the wife of Aaron, the high priest and brother of Moses – and as the wife of Aaron, she became the mother of the priestly tribes in Israel. Her children were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar” (Exodus 6:23)

Isaac Williams writes in his Female Characters of Scripture this interesting comparison—

“It is not only in the New Testament that Elisabeth and the Holy Mary are those associated together: their types in the Old Testament are in like manner combined, for there is a remarkable circumstance which sets forth beforehand what was now taking place, and there we find them brought into a like connection. Elisabeth herself was, it is said by Luke, of the daughter of Aaron, but it is mentioned in the Book of Exodus that Aaron’s own wife was named Elisheba, that is Elisabeth (Exodus 6:23); again, we find in Luke, that the Virgin Mary was the cousin of Elisabeth, so in the former instance the sister of Aaron was named Miriam, that is, Mary, for it is the same name; Miriam or Mary, the virgin prophetess, who took the lead of all the other women in singing the song of thanksgiving for the miraculous deliverance of Israel (Exodus 15:20). Thus even now the Blessed Mary is followed by all other women in singing her Magnificat; the virgin and the prophetess, she leads the sacred company in the Church unto this day.” (biblegateway, All the Women of the Bible, Elisheba)

In other words, in the Gospel of Luke Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary is the daughter of Aaron. Elisheba, a derivative of the name Elizabeth, is the wife of Aaron, the brother of Moses. The sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses, is named Miriam, a derivative of the name Mary. It is Miriam who sings the song of thanksgiving when the people of Israel have been delivered. (Exodus 15:20). It will be Mary who sings her famous Magnificat (Luke 1:46) while in the home of her cousin Elizabeth. It all comes together, the Old Testament and the New Testament – two Elizabeth’s attached to an Aaron – two Mary’s who sing songs of deliverance. Isn’t it great when we can make these connections in the Biblical story.

Pastor Dave

October 10, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Rizpah Was Weak and Forlorn?

“Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah.” 2 Samuel 3:7

“The king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the LORD. The seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest. Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies[c] by day, or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who had been impaled. They buried the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of his father Kish; they did all that the king commanded. After that, God heeded supplications for the land.” 2 Samuel 21:8-14

Rizpah was an amazing mother. Her story is heart breaking. The story is repeated in the scripture above – “the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the LORD. The seven of them perished together.”

Rizpah could have run and left the bodies to be eaten by the birds. She could have cowered in fear. But she stays with the bodies as they begin to decompose. She did not have the power to prevent the death of the seven, including her two sons, but no one could keep her from her vigil with the bodies. She spread sackcloth on the rock, a material that is not only associated with mourning for the dead, but also a public expression of penitence. She sat vigil with the deceased until the rain came. The rain signaled to the people that G-d had finally withdrawn his judgment. She alone sat vigil over the remains of Saul’s seven sons. When David heard of her motherly devotion and long vigil, he remembered that the uncared-for bones of Saul and Jonathan were still exposed in the streets of Beth-shan. David commanded that they should be recovered and mingled with the precious bones which Rizpah had guarded and buried in the family grave at Zelah.

This is a story of unspeakable horror – but it is also a story of unmatched courage and honor for the deceased. Rizpah is a story we should all remember, and we hope we can offer the same respect for our deceased relatives – no matter the circumstances.

Pastor Dave