Today's Daily Lesson comes from 2 Samuel chapter 5 verses 6 through 9a:
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. 8 David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David.
This is the story of the conquest of Jerusalem, a city formerly called Jebus because it belonged to the Jebusites. It was a city not altogether taken by the Joshua generation as they came into the Promised Land.
Archaeologists have now found what they believe was the ancient water shaft David and his men used to take the city. You can find good video presentation of this on YouTube if you like.
But as triumphal as the reading is about the conquest, it is disturbing to read that the lame and blind are kept out of the city perpetually because, apparently, they were the ones who fought David in the City -- which makes sense, given that they would have been left behind along with women and children to defend the walls while the able-bodied men were out for war. Even so, the injunction came down -- the blind and lame could not enter the Temple at the center of the City of David once it was built.
How interesting then that the two miracles we have recorded of Jesus while he was in the City of David were healings of the blind and lame.
Which is a way of telling us that those who are victimized by their circumstances ought not to be treated as criminals and all those locked out of the Temple ought to be let in . . .
NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson will come from Psalm 133.
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