Stroll through Scripture for October 22, 2023

Stroll through Scripture for Sunday, October 22, 2023 assigned reading — 2 Samuel 5:1–5; 6:1–5; Psalm 150 (Narrative Lectionary)

Since the beginning of September, we have been following the Narrative Lectionary. A lectionary is simply a schedule of readings, a sort of path through Scripture and the church year. One of the wonderful things about the Narrative Lectionary is its focus on people’s stories, hence the name “Narrative.”

We’ve heard small sections of some pretty important figures of the Hebrew Scriptures — Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Ruth, and this coming week we get a small but significant part of David’s story — when he is anointed king of Israel and moves the Ark of God to Jerusalem.

There are few important items to make note of in this passage. Location is important. Whenever Scripture mentions a location, we need to pay attention. Location sets up context. This is still true today. If I tell you a story is based in Washington, DC, certain things probably come to mind. If I were to tell you that a story was taking place in Swatara Township, you’d have a different set of expectations.

This Sunday’s passage talks about Hebron. This is an ancient city approximately 20 miles south of present-day Jerusalem. It’s where Abram traveled to after he and his nephew Lot separated and where God made a covenant with him in Genesis 13. Abraham lived in Hebron and bought a cave as a burial site for him and his family and is still known in the Jewish faith as the…