Difference between revisions of "Sermon for March 14th, 2021"

Revision as of 19:44, 12 March 2021

Job 39:13-30 (OT p.486)

13 The ostrich’s wings flap wildly,
    though its pinions lack plumage.
14 For it leaves its eggs to the earth,
    and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them,
    and that a wild animal may trample them.
16 It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;
    though its labor should be in vain, yet it has no fear;
17 because God has made it forget wisdom,
    and given it no share in understanding.
18 When it spreads its plumes aloft,
    it laughs at the horse and its rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its might?
    Do you clothe its neck with mane?
20 Do you make it leap like the locust?
    Its majestic snorting is terrible.
21 It paws[c] violently, exults mightily;
    it goes out to meet the weapons.
22 It laughs at fear, and is not dismayed;
    it does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon it rattle the quiver,
    the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;
    it cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, it says ‘Aha!’
    From a distance it smells the battle,
    the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
    and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
    and makes its nest on high?
28 It lives on the rock and makes its home
    in the fastness of the rocky crag.
29 From there it spies the prey;
    its eyes see it from far away.
30 Its young ones suck up blood;
    and where the slain are, there it is.”

All Creatures of our God & King: Ostrich, Horse, Hawk, Eagle

Some churches and preachers would have you believe that the Bible is a simple, straightforward text. You just read what it says, do what it says, and that's it. But for anyone who actually reads AND studies the Bible, it doesn't take long to realize that things are not quite so simple. Take our scripture passage today, the opening lines of verse 13. I'm going to read this verse to you in several of the most well-known and respected English translations:

NRSV: The ostrich’s wings flap wildly, though its pinions lack plumage. NIV: The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork. ESV: The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love? KJV: Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? STG: The peacock has a beautiful wing: if the stork and the ostrich conceive, it is worthy of notice.

If you happen to have one of our pew bibles handy (NRSV translation) I want you to look at the footnote for verse 13 at the bottom of the page. It says, "Meaning of Hebrew uncertain." Now look at the footnote to verse 18, just a few verses down. What does it say? "Meaning of Hebrew uncertain." Now flip through some of the pages of the Book of Job and look at all the footnotes. You'll see that same note, "Meaning of Hebrew uncertain", oh, I don't know--probably about one or two HUNDRED other times throughout the book.

It's true that the Book of Job contains some of the most challenging Hebrew language in the Bible. It's also a good reminder that if even the world's foremost experts and Biblical scholars (in every generation going back for over a thousand years) still can't agree on what SO MANY verses of the Bible actually say...MAYBE we should approach the Bible with humility and wonder, instead of with certainty and over-confident judgment (as, unfortunately, many Christians do). Nor should we be too quick to dismiss it entirely on the basis of our limited understanding of it (as, unfortunately, many non-Christians do today).

The Bible contains wisdom--things worth knowing and practicing. But it also contains mystery--things worth studying, pondering, and simply soaking in...even if they don't make a lot of sense at first.

For the purposes of this sermon, however, I'm going to assume (along with the NRSV) that we're probably talking about Ostriches here.