{"id":847841,"date":"2021-06-08T12:29:29","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T16:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=247841"},"modified":"2026-06-23T18:42:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:42:17","slug":"bible-study-pentecost-7-b-july-11-2021","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-pentecost-7-b-july-11-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Proper 10 (B) \u2013 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/proper-10b\/\">RCL: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/P10-2021-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-247847\" width=\"512\" height=\"268\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We often hear this passage cited as support for liturgical dance. These 13 verses, however, can be interpreted as a challenge to reflect on the possibilities as well as the serious dangers of linking religious symbolism with political power. Scripture scholar Bruce C. Birch\u2019s comments on this passage highlight the ambiguities of the king\u2019s creation of a new capital city centered on an object that symbolizes God\u2019s presence &#8211; \u201cDavid\u2019s intense personal involvement is either a genuine recognition and honoring of true power in the Lord (represented by the ark) or a manipulation of religious symbols for the sake of his own enhanced power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The merging of religion and politics remains a spiritually charged, ambiguous matter today. Religious symbols and prayers at inaugural ceremonies, for example, remind us of the accountability leaders have to God, as well as the grave responsibilities entrusted to those who serve. Recent events in American politics are as \u201cexhibit A\u201d of the shadow side of such symbolism \u2013 political figures being interpreted in Messianic terms, political contests being cast as a struggle between God\u2019s people and Satan, and prominent religious leaders unabashedly endorsing politicians. Our experiences show us how religion has the power to constellate deep, unconscious, primordial energies, and politics can trigger our base tendency toward tribalism. While religious symbolism can have an appropriate place in our politics, our reading from 2 Samuel stands as a warning to those who cavalierly link the two!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How can we responsibly use religious symbolism in our politics and exercise of secular authority? Is it at all possible?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 24<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psalm 24 might have been a \u201csong of ascent\u201d, i.e., a hymn pilgrims sang as they approached the holy city of Jerusalem. As they climbed the hill to the Temple, we can imagine them singing in call and response \u2013 \u201cWho can ascend the hill of the Lord?\u201d \u201cThose who have clean hands and a pure heart!\u201d (vv 3-4). This beautiful poem invites one to ask &#8211; as children of Israel\u2019s God, how ought we to live personally and collectively?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our psalm echoes the Decalogue and foreshadows the Sermon on the Mount. All three sacred texts are instructions on how one is called to live in light of the reality that \u201cThe earth is the Lord\u2019s and all that is in it\u201d (v. 1). All choices, all actions, all activities take place under this foundational principle \u2013 we live and have our being within God\u2019s reign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Psalmist references seas and rivers (v.2) \u2013 ancient symbols of chaos over which the God of Israel brings order and then creation (cf. Genesis 1). Verses 7-10 underscore the power and strength of this Warrior King who achieves a decisive victory over these anarchic energies. Those who pray with this psalm are invited to become co-creators with God, participating in the ongoing work of bringing order to the forces of moral chaos and injustice which continually threaten human dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How are you being called to co-create with God a more just, moral, dignified world?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ephesians 1:3-14<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scripture scholar Pheme Perkins writes, \u201cEphesians indicates that the purpose of our election is to praise God\u2019s glory. We cannot engage in that praise without the ability to perceive God\u2019s redeeming power at work.\u201d The opening verses of the letter are a call to recognize how our lives have been transformed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, how we are transformed in the way we see the universe, the way we understand ourselves, the way we live our lives. Whereas the gospels tell us about the earthly ministry of Jesus, Ephesians speaks of what Jesus is doing now. In the understanding of our author here (traditionally Paul, but in reality pseudonymous), Jesus has brought us spiritual blessing, forgiveness of sin, and adoption as God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We notice that redemption (Greek <em>apolytrosin<\/em>, meaning \u201crelease effected by a payment of ransom\u201d) is mentioned twice in our text. The author might be building on a metaphor used by Paul in earlier letters \u2013 enslavement to Sin (with a capital S). Paul understood Sin to be a cosmic power that has enslaved all. It\u2019s a power that forces us to be self-centered; to live by the false values of the world. The only way to escape this power was to die and go to a different mode of existence. Jesus escapes the power of Sin through his death, a journey we participate in through baptism. What\u2019s more, in the resurrection, Jesus is raised in power, a power that is shared with us. This energy creates a new life for us, a life in community where we work to counter the power of Sin and mitigate its effects in the world. This is redemption. It\u2019s a new way to live, the way God dreamed and planned it to be, God\u2019s will \u201cfor the fullness of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our verses from Ephesians invite us to claim our \u201cinheritance,\u201d to claim this power to live a transformed life. This is an invitation to do something great; to partner with God in the work of transformation, to bring this experience of \u201credemption\u201d to all \u2013 because it is their birthright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How can we claim our \u201credemption\u201d (as this text understands it) and share it with others?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mark 6:14-29<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of stories from the Hebrew scriptures foreshadow the tale of Herod and John \u2013 for example, Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah, Jephthah\u2019s daughter, Esther, who convinces a king to pledge half his kingdom, and Judith, who seduces Holofernes, only to cut off his head! Mark, in composing this story, was using an ancient form of biblical interpretation called typology, wherein stories about God\u2019s saving work throughout history are shown to correspond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our gospel story bears a warning to those who have the privilege of exercising authority \u2013 beware the temptation to \u201csave face\u201d. Herod Antipas, an otherwise able administrator, talks himself into a situation where he finds it necessary, in order to maintain his persona, ego, and grip on power, to sacrifice an innocent. This must be an archetypal dynamic, as we see it repeated and replayed throughout history, including in our own era. We also note that sex has tentacles running through this episode, as well. Herod violated the Mosaic Law by marrying his brother\u2019s wife, then her daughter beguiles the leading men of Galilee with a dance. Sex and power, along with money, exercise an influence over the human psyche that is bewitching! Of course, the Herods of the world ought to be condemned for their sacrificing of truth and justice to save their own skin, but then again, isn\u2019t there a bit of this Herod in each of us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How does this reading invite you to face your own Herod-like shadow, that part of yourself that will do almost anything to save face, to avoid humiliation, to win?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-a56a5dd6-2d6e-4638-9bdf-30ed8072ca01\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bible-Study-Proper-10B-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Pentecost 7 (B) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bible-Study-Proper-10B-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-a56a5dd6-2d6e-4638-9bdf-30ed8072ca01\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-e6093926-fa77-4d04-a931-67552c926a97\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bible-Study-Proper-10B-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Pentecost 7 (B) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bible-Study-Proper-10B-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-e6093926-fa77-4d04-a931-67552c926a97\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RCL: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 We often hear this passage cited as support for liturgical dance. These 13 verses, however, can be interpreted as a challenge to reflect on the possibilities as well as the serious dangers of linking religious symbolism with political power. Scripture&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,52,33,3],"tags":[329],"class_list":["post-847841","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-10b"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":329,"label":"Proper 10B"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/847841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/847841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952066,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/847841\/revisions\/952066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}