Mar.1: Divine Rescue

Psalm 25: 1-10
Genesis 9: 8-17
Mark 1: 9-15
1 Peter 3: 18-22

A vector running through the lectionary readings for the first week of Lent is the theme of divine rescue. In the acrostic Psalm 25, the writer reminds the Lord of the mercy shown to him in the past, appealing for forgiveness of sin and deliverance from enemies. Genesis 9:8-17 contains the first “covenant” described as such in the Hebrew Scriptures. It applies to all of humanity, the animal world, and the earth. Following the covenant concept, Mark 1:9-15 describes the genesis of the new covenant: Jesus is baptized, receives the Holy Spirit, and begins to proclaim the approach of the kingdom of God. Finally in 1 Peter 3:18-22, recounting Christ’s resurrection from death “in order to bring you to God,” the writer describes the possibility of salvation God extends: “And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience”.
Psalm 25 is also one of nine acrostics in the Book of Psalms, a form of poetry that elsewhere in the Bible only seen in Lamentations. The first word begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second line with the second letter, and so on through the end of the alphabet, although the sixth and nineteenth letters are missing. In The Book of Psalms: a Translation and Commentary, Robert Alter writes that this structure might have been used as a mnemonic device because of the text’s liturgical use. The Hebrew noun in the phrase “I lift my heart” is nefesh, “essential self” or “life breath.”
It can be inferred from verse 7 that the speaker has erred: “My youth’s offenses and my crimes recall not. In your steadfast love, recall me—You; for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.” Alter writes that the juxtaposition of the pronouns “me” (li) and “You” (‘atah) is unusual in Hebrew in the line “recall me—You”. After the imperative verb “recall,” the second-person “You” would not be necessary. While the word hata’im in line 8 can be translated “sinners” or “offenders,” Alter also notes that the etymology of the word suggest missing a target. Asking the Lord for forgiveness, the speaker also appeals specifically for wisdom: “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths."
In this passage we thus see the speaker alternating requests for help with expressions of trust in God’s faithfulness. The speaker directly asks God to recall earlier love and mercy, appealing as if to a person who can be swayed by rhetoric. We see the word hesed, or “steadfast love,” which also figures prominently in the Book of Jonah characterizing divine love. At the conclusion of that book, Jonah addresses God (4:2), saying, “That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.” Hesed can also refer to the mutual loyalty of the partners in a marriage, as seen in the description of Hosea as husband and covenant partner. The appeal to hesed shows that the speaker views himself as having an ongoing relationship with God, a sense of continuity that dovetails with the lectionary’s next passage, Genesis 9: 8-17.
In order to understand the lectionary reading 8-17, it’s necessary to read it in the context of the whole chapter. 9:1-7 contains the basis for the Noachide laws in Judaism, considered binding upon Gentiles as well as Jews and referenced in Acts 15:20 and 21:25. The laws are given in response to the acts of violence preceding the flood: God stipulates that humans, bearing God’s image, may not be killed.
Genesis 9:8-17 thus contains the first covenant described in the Bible, preceding the Ten Commandments. After giving the Noachide laws, God in turn declares, “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” As a sign of the covenant, God places a bow in the sky turned away from humanity: “When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” We also see the bow depicted as God’s weapon in Ps 7:12-13 and Hab 3:9-11. The anthropomorphic way that God is portrayed here is noteworthy.
A great information source for the concept of covenant (berît) in the Bible is The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures by Michael D. Coogan. Coogan compares structure of covenants in the Bible to that of political treaties in the ancient Near East. He writes that in this region and time period, Israelites were the only group known whose texts describe a relationship with a deity in terms of a treaty. Coogan uses two classifications for treaties: those between parties that are presumed equal, like Solomon and Hiram the king of Tyre, and “suzerainty treaties,” where one party is presumed to be superior to the other. A typical structure of the second kind of treaty includes identification of the suzerain or stronger party; history of the relationship, emphasizing the suzerain’s benevolence; stipulations, or obligations imposed on the weaker party, which might include prohibition of relationships with other powers, requirement to respond to a call of assistance from the suzerain, or payment of tribute; and blessings for observing the treaty. This basic structure characterizes the communication we see from God to Noah in Genesis 9. Other covenants central to the Bible include those between Abraham and God, between God and Israel (The Book of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20), and what Christian theology calls the New Covenant, or New Testament.
Mark 1:9-15 shares in common with the Hebrew Scripture lectionary readings a depiction of hope for a new beginning. In Psalm 25, the speaker appeals to God’s mercy and steadfast love for forgiveness of sin; Genesis 9 shows God committing to protect humanity in the form of a covenant; and Mark 1 portrays the beginning of Christ’s ministry. According to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, the Gospel of Mark has traditionally been attributed to John Mark of Acts 12:12 and 15:37, who is thought to have composed it in Rome summarizing Peter’s preaching (1 Pet 5:13.) The narrative associated with Christmas is absent; we first encounter Jesus, not in a manger, but with the other figures of the Trinity:

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. (9-11).

Jesus goes through a trial in the wilderness, as did Elijah in 1 Kings 19, then begins to proclaim the Gospel. The NOAB annotation describes his mission: “At the right time, in fulfillment of long-standing yearnings and hopes, God is finally acting to reestablish his beneficent will for the people. (Repent means) return to God’s way, in response to the good news of God’s action.” 1 Peter 3:18-22 describes the culmination of those hopes in the form of the resurrection: “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit . . .”
For parishioners who have not read the New Testament cover to cover, 1 Peter 3:19, “. . . also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,” might come as a shock. I did not grow up in a tradition in which this passage made frequent appearances in sermons and Bible studies, unlike what one might call “Greatest Hits” like the Parable of the Sower. Typical questions one might ask include, “Which spirits? When did this happen? What happened to them as a result?” I found one of the more extensive glosses in Begegnung fürs Leben: Die Studienbibel für jeden Tag: Neues Testament, published by the Hänssler Verlag. The annotation lists several possible readings, including linking this passage to Matthew 27, when rocks burst, graves open, and the dead rise. When I asked Rev. William Rich at Trinity Church Boston for clarification, he explained that this passage holds great importance in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and was well-known during medieval times. It is the subject of many icons, including one with Christ standing over a grate of hell with a massive hook, pulling out souls. “Google ‘Harrows of Hell’ to the see icons,” he said.

--Elizabeth Fels

Sources:
Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms.
Coogan, Michael: The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures.
Coogan, Michael, ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible (3rd ed).
Begegnung fürs Leben: Die Studienbibel für jeden Tag: Neues Testament, Hänssler Verlag.
(Adapted from Life Application Bible, by Tyndale House Publishers, 1988.)