WMJ Oct 2007 - Freemasons of Wisconsin

SCRIPTURE READINGS(1ST DEGREE)By Wade D. Bridges, P.M.Georgia Lodge of ResearchThis Short Talk Bulletin for September2007 was taken from apaper by Bro. Wade D. Bridges,P.M., of the Georgia Lodge ofResearch. In the entire paper thescripture readings for all threedegrees were explained.This portion of the paper dealsonly with the Scripture lesson of theEntered Apprentice Degree. Thepaper was published in Vol. XIX,Transactions 2005, Georgia Lodgeof Research.(Note: This paper has been compiledfrom a set of three by W Bro.Wade D. Bridges, P.M. of GeorgiaLodge of Research, who expresslyasserts they are not his original workbut a compilation of, and commentaryon, the work of others.Unless otherwise stated, Bible referencesare to the Standard KingJames Version.)THE ENTEREDAPPRENTICE DEGREEPsalm 133A “Song of Degrees” of DavidVerse 1: Behold, how good andhow pleasant it is for brethren todwell together in unity!Verse 2: It is like the precious ointmentupon the head, that ran downupon the beard, even Aaron’s beard;that went down to the skirts of hisgarments.Verse 3: As the dew of Hermon,and as the dew that descended uponthe mountains of Zion; for there theLord commanded the blessing, evenlife for evermore.History of the Book of PsalmsWhile some ascribe all of thePsalms to King David, the heavierweight of authority is that the greaterpart of them were written by David.The most widely accepted breakdownis 73 are attributed to KingDavid; twelve to Asaph; eleven tothe sons of Korah; two to KingSolomon (the 72nd and 12th); oneto Etna and one to Moses (the 90th).There is no widespread agreementon the authorship of the remainingPsalms: a few attribute some of themto the aforementioned men, whilesome are designated as “Anonymous.”Many of the Psalms were composedover the course of many yearsand were begun to be collected intoa body of literature in the time ofKing David. As the book contains150 independent compositions, it isnot susceptible of any logical analysis.Psalms 120 to 143 are sometimesreferred to as Pilgrim psalms orSongs of Degrees which may havebeen sung by the Jews as theyascended the heights of Jerusalemfor annual feasts.The Psalms present a wide rangeof human experiences: men burdenedwith affliction; struggling withtemptation; or triumphing in thehope or enjoyment of deliverance,admiring perfection of the Divinity,thanking God for his mercies, meditatingon His truths, or delighting inHis service; all of these and more areexhibited in the Book of Psalms.King DavidSince King David is considered bymost authorities to have written the133rd Psalm, a brief biographicalScripture Readings:The Entered Apprentice DegreeA Short Talk BulletinPublished by The Masonic Service Association of North Americasketch on him is in order.David, the second king of Israel,was the great-grandson of Boaz andRuth (Ruth, iv, 18). He was theyoungest of the eight sons of Jesse ofthe tribe of Judah, dwelling in Bethlehem,where David was born.According to the usually acceptedBiblical chronology, David was bornin 1085 B.C. and reigned as Kingfrom 1055 to 1015 B.C. Somerecent writers now date his reignfrom 30 to 50 years later.David first appears in Scripture as ashepherd lad, tending his father’sflocks in the fields near Bethlehem.While his three elder brothers were inKing Saul’s army, fighting against thePhilistines, David was sent to thearmy camp with some provisions:there he heard that the giant,Goliath, had challenged all Israel tosingle combat. David volunteered toaccept the challenge.David’s victory over Goliath wonfor him the friendship of Jonathan,the son of King Saul, and a permanentposition at the King’s court.However, David’s popularityaroused the jealousy of Saul.David, being made captain of athousand men, encountered manydangers in order to win the hand ofMerob, Saul’s eldest daughter, but inspite of the King’s promise, she wasgiven to another man. Michol, Saul’sother daughter loved David: KingSaul, hoping that David would bekilled by the Philistines, promised togive her in marriage, provided Davidcould slay one hundred Philistines inbattle.David succeeded and marriedMichol. This success, however, madeSaul even more paranoid aboutDavid, so he ordered (that) David bekilled. Through the intervention ofJonathan, David was spared, butSaul’s hatred obliged David to flee.A meeting with Jonathan convincedDavid that reconciliation withSaul was impossible, so for the rest ofSaul’s reign, David was an exile.Samuel, the Prophet and last ofthe Judges, had been sent to anointDavid as King in place of Saul,whom God had rejected for disobedience.Seven years after David wasanointed, King Saul and Jonathanwere killed in a battle.By God’s command, David wentto Hebron to claim the throne. Themen of Judah accepted him as king,and he was again anointed. Civilwar lasted for some time, but David’spower continued to increase. Aftermany military victories, David wasanointed King of all Israel.King David was successful in makingIsrael an independent state.Jerusalem was made the capital andpolitical center of Israel. There he builta palace, took more wives and concubines,and begat many children.He resolved to make Jerusalemthe religious center of his people bybringing to it the Ark of theCovenant. This he accomplished,but later, when David proposed tobuild a temple for it, he was told bythe prophet Nathan that God hadreserved this task for David’s successor,David being a man of blood.While King David’s army was inthe field during the campaign againstthe Ammonites, he fell into the sinsof adultery and murder, thus bringinggreat calamities on himself andhis people.The last days of David were aggravatedby the ambition of Adonijah,whose plans for the succession werefrustrated by Nathan the prophet,and Bathsheba, the mother ofSolomon. Solomon, who was bornafter David’s repentance, was chosenin preference to his older brothers.To make sure Solomon wouldsucceed to the throne, David hadhim publicly anointed.The last recorded words of theaged king are an exhortation toSolomon to be faithful to God, toreward loyal servants, and to punishthe wicked.David died at the age of seventy,having reigned for some seven yearsin Hebron and thirty-three years inJerusalem.To Solomon had been reservedthe privilege of building God’sHouse, but David made amplepreparations for the work by amassingenormous treasures and materials,as well as by transmitting to hisson a plan for the building.Explanation of Psalm 133First Verse:“Behold, how good and howpleasant it is for Brethren to dwelltogether in unity!” (Note differencesin Contemporary English Versionand Hebrew Scriptures.)Abingdon’s “Interpreters’ One VolumeCommentary” says this wisdompsalm was intended to combat apractice which threatened to destroythe traditional structure of Israelitesociety. If brothers continued to dwelltogether after the death of theirfather, then the estate remainedundivided and the family’s inheritancein the Holy Land was keptintact.The development of commerceand the urbanization of society hadinduced many young men to selltheir share of the inheritance and gooff on their own. Here King Davidurges that the old custom is goodand pleasant.The opening word, Behold, maysuggest King David was referring to aparticular instance of the blessing ofbrotherly concord; of that we canonly guess. At least, he was telling usto “observe” or “take note” of the joyand pleasure that is derived fromunity or harmony among brethren.This peaceful unity is of extremeimportance to Masons as it is thecement which binds us together as afraternity; Peace and Harmony arethe strength of our Fraternity.Second Verse:“It is like the precious ointmentupon the head, that ran down uponthe beard, even Aaron’s beard, thatwent down to the skirts of his garments.”The Hebrew Scripture says that theoil runs down “over the collar of hisrobes.” Most authors of commentariesagree that the “collar” ratherthan the bottom of the robe is what iscontemplated.In the “Dictionary of Biblical Theology”is the following: “Anointing:for the Hebrews, oil penetratesdeeply into the body (Psalm 109:18)and it gives the body strength,health, joy, and beauty. On the religiouslevel, it is understandable thatanointings of oil were consideredsigns of rejoicing or of respect. Theywere also used as rites of healing orconsecration.”With this definition of anointing inmind, we can understand the purposeof, or for, anointing with oil. Letus look at some examples:Anointing is a sign of joy or ofhonor, especially when done withperfumed oil (see Proverbs 27:9 andEcclesiastes 9:8). It was used particularlyin festivals (Amos 6:6). Theimage of anointing served to expressthe joy of the people of Israel assembledat Jerusalem for the great festivals.It also played a part in thedescription of the Messianic banquet:On the mountain they willdrink joy, they will drink wine, theywill be anointed with perfumed oilupon this mountain (Isaiah 25:6,Septuagint).It is especially in this context ofMessianic joy that there recurs theformula, “Oil of Gladness” (Isaiah61:3, Psalm 45:8, Hebrews 1:9). So,dwelling together in unity is as the“oil of gladness”. Psalm 133 showsthat obedience to God’s law, or systemof living together, is a joy, happiness,and gladness.Verse 2 illustrates the “good” ofVerse 1, by recalling the oil of joy(ointment), thinking of the oil thatwas used to anoint a High Priest.Aaron stood as the personification ofHigh Priesthood and the representationof the Hebrew nation. The copiousanointing which poured downover his garments symbolized thesolidarity of Israel.The first two verses of the Psalmtogether thus present to us the ideathat brotherly unity is the spirit ofGod coming effusively upon theanointed one. Conversely, we mayconclude the spirit of God is productiveof loving goodwill and brotherlyharmony.Third Verse: As the dew of Hermon,and as the dew that descendedupon the mountains of Zion; forthere the Lord commanded theblessing, even life for evermore.Mount Hennon is one of, if not the,most notable mountains in northernIsrael, as well as the highest mountainin the region of Palestine. It risesto the north and east of Dan, traditionallythe extreme northern limit ofIsrael. Zion was, in biblical times, thehill upon which the temple stood inJerusalem. In poetical imagery wehave a linking together of the twomost prominent peaks of the northernand southern kingdoms, alludingto unification and therefore harmony.Verse 3 illustrates the “pleasant” ofVerse 1, by referring to the dews ofHennon, which are proverbial. Thisdew was known as nature’s way ofcompensating for her failure to giverain, and symbolized refreshmentand quickening. Palestine was asdesolate as the desert until thebrethren came together in brotherlyfellowship; then, like the dews ofHennon, they brought freshness andlife, and the resurrection of ideals.There, God decreed the blessingupon this great brotherhood, whichwould mean life and prosperity forever,a promise by God of his blessingof immortality, an endowmentfor obedience to God’s law, for followingGod’s way of life.Context of Psalm 133At the heart of the first verse of thisscripture is the necessity for Brethrento live in peace and harmony. Twoexamples are given here of howvaluable the unity is. The first is thatof the precious “ointment” or oil withwhich Aaron, Moses’ older brotherand spokesman, was consecrated asIsrael’s first High Priest.The second example is that of thedew of Hennon, which was essentialto the success of Israelite agricultureand therefore life itself. They usuallygot the earlier and later rains, but thedew was necessary for their cropsduring the long hot summers. In thatarid region, the dew was essential tosustain life itself.Unity is essential in a MasonicLodge; unity of purpose and of execution.The 133rd Psalm then is aglorification of the beauty and necessityof brotherly love and unity,which is why this Scripture is an integralpart of the Entered ApprenticeDegree. wmjMasons In Southwest Enjoy SummerMasonic Float in Potosi & Mineral Point ParadesJerry Patter, a member of Warren Lodge No. 4, Potosi, and a plural memberof Mineral Point Lodge No. 1, takes this float to most parades in SouthwestWisconsin. This picture was taken in Mineral Point at the July Fourth parade.Anyone recognize those Masons on the float?Summer Picnic in Mineral PointMineral Point Lodge No. 1 held a summer picnic on July 22 this year hostedby the former Rewey Lodge members. There were over 50 members andtheir families in attendance.– Submitted by Bro. Bill Buckingham, Mineral Point Lodge No. 1WISCONSIN MASONIC JOURNAL - OCTOBER 2007 - PAGE 13