HGS Live Regrets
And why fly-kissers made it into this episode
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
The Christmas Show
I’m delighted to tell you the Holy Ghost Stories Live team is bringing you two evenings of Christmas joy this year. If you’re looking for a special date night, evening out with the family, or a fun to-do with your group of friends, this is an evening you’ll remember for years to come.
I received an email recently from someone who came to the Exodus show we did in Fort Worth earlier this year. She began with this: “First of all, I regret not inviting every single person I knew. It was an incredibly moving night.”
I’m so grateful for the way the Lord inhabits these evenings, and I’d love for you to experience Him alongside us in December.
On December 12 in Bella Vista, AR we’ll gather in the extraordinary Mildred Cooper Chapel:
On December 17 in Nashville, TN we’ll gather in Scarritt Bennett Center’s gorgeous Wightman Chapel:
See you there!
Artist Spotlight: MaryGrace Bender
I’ve teamed up with MaryGrace on several shows so far, and she’ll be bringing her talents to bear once again at both the Nashville and Bella Vista, AR shows.
MaryGrace serves as the director of the Nashville Chamber Music Society and teaches cello in addition to her performance and studio work. She’s a gifted cellist and a joy to work with.
MaryGrace will be joined by several wonderful musicians, some of whom I’ll feature in coming editions of The Latest.
Grab your tickets to the Christmas Show here.
Listening Outreach in Australia
This is wonderful. St. Mark’s Anglican, a church about an hour outside of Sydney, has invited their community to experience the story of the Exodus by arranging a Holy Ghost Stories Season 4 listening hour at the church once a week. Their hope is to engage irreligious folks with Scripture and the God we find revealed inside.
It seems this effort has been well-received and they’ve had a good number returning each week to hear the next part of the story. Sharon, a member of St. Mark’s, was kind enough to send along this photo of one of the sessions:
I must say: when I began Holy Ghost Stories almost four years ago, I never would have guessed things like this might happen. But that’s how it goes when you say yes to Him. Praise God.
(Hey, patrons: this is what you’re enabling by supporting the work of Hazefire Studios. Thank you!)
This One’s A Lot
Fresh out of the oven this week: “The Victor and the Bramble”—Episode 9 of HGS Season 6, sourced from Judges 9. This story is a collage of drama, violence, and tragedy—it’s complicated, engaging, and very Book of Judges. Given its level of intrigue and very detailed treatment in the Biblical text, I’m surprised it’s as obscure as it is. Perhaps its location adjacent to the more popular (and sermon-friendly) story of Gideon is to blame. (I feel this way about King Saul’s story—it’d be much more well-known if it wasn’t for the shadow cast by the David narrative next door.)
In the end, the story of Abimelek (one of Gideon’s sons) serves as both a cautionary tale to those who’d empower despots and a glimpse of the God who promises to repay wickedness.
Too, it’s always interesting to see where and how Yahweh finds us in these stories. Sometimes He’ll sneak up on us and we’ll find ourselves surprised by emotion or revelation we wouldn’t have felt if not for spending a half hour immersed in meditation. (That’s what you’re doing when you listen to Holy Ghost Stories, by the way. Did you know that?) As my wife said in a comment on this episode’s IG post, “I cried in the last scene and didn't stop crying for a solid two minutes. And I don't even know why exactly. God just finds me in these stories. This is a hard one. But there He is, chasing me down…”
Here are some details of interest.
BITS AND BOBS
Previously on Holy Ghost Stories…
If you’d like to listen to the episodes that serve as a prequel to the Abimelek story, here you go: S3E1—“The Commissioner and the Axe Man (part 1)” & S3E2—“The Commissioner and the Axe Man (part 2).” Oh—and there’s a bonus episode for patrons that tells the exciting, tragic, final chapter of Gideon’s story.
Jerub-Baal = Gideon ≠ Abimelek
In Judges 9, Gideon is called by the name given to him by his neighbors after he destroys the altar to Baal in Judges 6: “Jerub-Baal.” (“Because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, ‘Let Baal contend with him.’”) Jerub-Baal means “let Baal contend”—in other words, “Baal’s gonna get him.”) This lends a note of sad irony to the Abimelek narrative, given that Jerub-Baal’s son is a full-fledged worshipper of Baal. Gideon’s enmity with the false Canaanite god has faded completely into his son’s idolatrous devotion.
Shechem has history
This story plays out in a place loaded with history for the people of Israel. For one, Shechem is located in the small valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, the mountains on which Joshua proclaimed the blessings and curses of loyalty (and disloyalty) to Israel’s covenant with Yahweh. (See Deut 11:29; 27:1f; Josh 8:30-35). Shechem is also the first place Jacob purchased land when he entered Canaan—and the site of the abduction of Dinah and its horrible aftermath. (You may remember that story from Episode 4 of this season: “The Justice, the Pragmatist, and the Maniacs.”) These events are certainly intended to give color to our hearing of the Abimelek story—just another example of how the Bible is puff pastry.
Trees as characters
In addition to the dark role of a hilltop forest in this story (and the fable mentioned below), two landmark oak trees feature in this story: One called the Oak (“great tree,” NIV) of the Pillar (9:6), another called the “Diviner’s Oak” (9:38). The former has a significant history, as you’ll hear in the episode. (You’ll also hear me nod to this arboreal theme when I describe the woman who takes action at the story’s climax.)
Baal-Berith - Lord of the Flies?
The incarnation of Baal worshipped in Shechem during Abimelek’s time was known as Baal-Berith—“Lord of the Covenant.” According to some Jewish thought, Baal-Berith was portrayed in the form of a fly, and worshippers would carry around clay fly figurines in their pockets, frequently taking them out and kissing them—the way a rabbit’s foot might have been used back in the day. Some scholars believe it was this iteration of Baal who later became known as Baal-Zebub/Beelzebub, or “Lord of the Flies.” (In fact, this whole Abimelek episode feels a lot like Golding’s story, no?)
Animosity from where now?
When Yahweh decides to repay Abimelek and the people of Shechem for their evil, he catalyzes a series of conflicts between the Shechemites and their king. But how does he do this? Here’s the NIV’s rendering: “God stirred up animosity between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem.” He “stirred up animosity”—pretty vague. But here’s the ESV’s rendering of that same text: “God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem.” (Almost every other translation, by the way, goes the “evil spirit” route.) So what are we to make of this?? To do this fascinating question justice would take much more space than we have here (and would surely include an exploration of 1 Sam 16:14-23), but give the episode a listen and see what you think of how I depict this moment. (Makes you wonder whether and where such spirits may be at work today…)
The King of Trees
During an unwanted sermon from an unexpected survivor, we get an interesting fable about the trees choosing a king. I’ve taken the whole thing from the text—in spite of the fact that some will think I’m making it up to add interesting things to the story. (May I remind you, dear reader, this is not something I ever need to do—the Old Testament is wild.) Commentators agree that this fable seems to be a well-known Canaanite tale, based on certain aspects of its Hebrew. It seems Jotham (by inspiration?) is adapting/apropriating it for Yahweh’s purposes—much like, say, Paul quoting the pagan poets Epimenides and Aratus in Acts 17. All truth is God’s truth, no?
By the way, there’s a ledge halfway up Mt. Gerezim that’s come to be known as “Jotham’s pulpit.”
Easter Egg
Judges 9:25 (“…the citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by…”) is reminiscent of Deborah’s allusion to the consequences of highway lawlessness in her Judges 5 song (“In the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths). To underscore this parallel, I mirrored a bit of the language from HGS S2E4, “The Muse, the Magistrate, and the Mud”:
S6E9 - “The Victor and the Bramble”:
“No one travels the highways anymore. A spiderweb of back roads, alternate routes, and secret passages created by desperate Hebrews bears witness to the ever-present danger posed by the Shechemite bandits descending at will from the mountains.”S2E4 - “The Muse, the Magistrate, and the Mud”:
“No one travels the highways anymore, for fear of their lives. A spiderweb of back roads, alternate routes, and secret passages created by desperate Hebrews bears witness to the ever-present danger posed by Sisera’s wandering army.”
How tall are these mountains?
With all the talk of heading up and down Mt Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, it’s helpful to know that they’re relatively low (Gerizim—2,890’; Ebal—3,068’). They’re quite gradually sloped, as well, with gently rounded summits—more big hills than what we Americans think of when we hear the word “mountain.” (The US Geological Survey, by the way, makes no official distinction between a hill and a mountain, though it’s generally understood that anything rising more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape is a “mountain.”)
The Axe Man revisited
You’ll remember, perhaps, that Gideon (whose name means “cutter of trees” or “wielder of an axe”) tore down the altar of Baal in his town—presumably, with an axe. Surely, the Judges storyteller is echoing this when he makes sure to include this detail in the Abimelek story: “He took an axe and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, ‘Quick! Do what you have seen me do!’” It’s just another study in contrast between Jerub-Baal and his Baal-worshipping son—Gideon uses his axe to bring down an idolatrous altar, while Abimelek uses his to burn his countrymen alive.
Here’s to the strong ones…
How about that woman at the end of this story, though? This book of Yahweh’s…it never ceases to challenge and surprise. By the way, in my research I found commentators balking at the likelihood that a woman could lift a stone weighing as much as 300 pounds, intimating that she likely had help doing it. I have two beefs with that idea. No…three. One: That’s not what the text says—at all. Two: Do you know how much a strong woman can lift? Lucy Underdown holds the current female deadlift record at 713 pounds. Three: How are we fine with God making Samson strong but not this lady? sure, there’s. not an explicity mention of His Spirit coming over her, but the same could be said of Jotham’s (pretty clearly inspired) speech in 9:7f.
TIME TO LISTEN
Hope this episode blesses you. If you haven’t already, would you be so kind as to leave a super-quick review on Apple Podcasts or a rating on Spotify? And do share your impressions—I love hearing from you.
Listen on: APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | WEB
3 Cool Things
Bradbury, baby - This clip is great. (And if you’re into writing at all, have you read his Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity? So much bang for buck.)
The Dark Is Rising - This 12-part audio drama from BBC is really good. Geared at younger listeners (but not exclusively—kind of how Narnia is YA, but not really), it’s adapted by Robert MacFarlane (maybe my favorite writer?), with music by Johnny Flynn (who did the Detectorists theme!) and voice acting from Toby Jones. Lots of good stuff to talk about if you listen with your kids in the car.
These chapels, though - Immersive story and evocative song in a breathtaking space? You’ve got to join us for the Christmas Show.
That’s the latest! Hope you’re blessed by “The Victor and the Bramble,” and I hope to see you in December.
Gratefully,
Justin
I like the way you teach me things without me really realizing I'm being taught.
okay, lots of good stuff here . . . will need to carve out some chunks of time to get it all...thank you, as always!
(sooooo excited about nashville again!)