Tuesday, 7/9/13
Many people with the best of intentions take everything in the
Bible as factual, but in doing so, they distort what God is telling them. The
fact is that the Bible, in teaching us the truth uses many types of literature
that do not lay out the facts. The Bible uses poems and parables; and in today’s
first reading, it uses fables to get its point across.
Fables have at times used a twist that has an other-worldly
creature working at carrying travelers across wild streams. St. Christopher was
such a ferryman. In carrying the child Jesus across a stream he found him
growing heavier, but on his life he struggled on keeping him safe. That was
fable, not fact.
Fables can use a twist that allows one combatant to win a
struggle if he can only get to know his combatant’s name. The fable of
Rumplestiltskin revolves around that gimmick.
In today’s reading, Jacob came on a mysterious stranger
guarding the ford of the Jabbok. They struggled all night, with it ending by the
stranger, who would not reveal his name, gave Jacob the new name of Israel. Isra means “to struggle,” ad El means “God.”
Jacob was the founder of the whole race of the Israelites.
They have remained a cantankerous people who will even fight with God.
The story’s message for us is that when we are kept awake by
all kinds of worries, we should offer our problems up to God, and fight them
out with him.
To the tune of “Glory, Glory, Halleluiah” from the “Battle
Hymn of the Republic” I had my Sixth Graders singing. “Night time troubles when
they’re on you, Night time troubles when they’re on you. Night time troubles
when they’re on you, just fight them out with God.”
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