First Reading, Exodus 17:8-13

The Story Thus Far: The Israelites are not far in miles or months from their slavery in Egypt. They are still learning the ways of the Lord to whom Moses has introduced them when he rallied them for their escape. But in this story, happily though it ends for the people, the Lord is conspicuously absent. As Father Roger Karban notes, "Though we presume Yahweh ultimately brings about the Israelite victory, the Sacred Author never mentions Yahweh in this reading. Moses alone tells Joshua to engage Amalek in battle, and Moses alone keep his hands raised (with the help of Aaron and Hur) to assure his peoples triumph."

The Literature: The events that underlie the book of Exodus took place in the 13th century, B.C.E. The book as we have it now is a synthesis of several threads of tradition, created and refined over long periods. Here's a summary of John F. Craghan's treatment of Exodus as literature in The Collegeville Bible Commentary - Old Testament (Collegeville, Minnesota: 1992 (out of print, but see here for a newer edition).

It is popular literature, not scientific history, with several sources. Of the sources, Craghan says, "Given the centrality of the Exodus for Israel's faith, one should not be surprised to find a number of theologians at work. Exegetes [Bible scholars] usually point to at least three theologians in the composition of this work. The first is the Yahwist ( = J ) who writes in the tenth century B.C.E. during the heady days of the Davidic-Solomonic kingdom. The second is the Elohist ( = E ) who reflects a period of religious turmoil and syncretism in the eighth or ninth century B.C.E. The third is the Priestly Writer ( = P ) who struggles to offer a picture of hope during the debacle of the Exile in the sixth century B.C.E. It would be wrong for the reader to attempt to harmonize their sometimes conflicting views. Rather, the reader must allow such theologians the requisite freedom to interpret. Such a stance recognizes that these writers judged the past in the light of their present and with a view to the future needs of Israel."

(Ambitious readers may want to tackle this article: Hendel, Ronald. “The Exodus in Biblical Memory.” Journal of Biblical Literature 120 (2001):601-620. (Click here (link verified 9/1/2022)) for more on the literary composition of Exodus.)

Interesting to you, I hope, but not much help in getting prepared to read the passage to a Sunday assembly, is it? Ideally, we would learn what situation prompted the ancient editor to craft the passage this way. We'd have some certainty about how he applied his tradition to the needs of his people. We'd know from what aberration or temptation he was calling them back to the basics. The lector would try to take on that purposeful mind-set, perhaps with an "Aha!" recognizing similar needs in the life of the listening congregation. (So should the preacher.) But it's hard in this instance to figure out what those original needs were. Something prompted the editor to emphasize the steadfastness of Moses, and to praise Moses to the point that the Lord Yahweh is only barely mentioned. So my advice to the lector is to meditate a bit on the stature of Moses. What a daring thing he undertook with a band of slaves. How resolute he had to be in rallying them to overcome their fears. How well he knew the Lord.

Your Proclamation: This story has some vivid images that you should get across with careful phrasing and contrasts in your tone of voice. Joshua is Moses' military commander. The name of the enemy leader is pronounced "AM uh lek" with a short a in the first syllable.

Moses clearly saw his staff as an awesome thing. Let a trace of awe be heard in your voice when you say, "I will be standing on the hill with the staff of God in my hand." When you get to the sentence, "As long as Moses kept his hands up, ..." slow down so that your hearers have a chance to fix this image in their minds. Your slowing down will also help them catch the elegant but archaic phrase, "had the better of the fight."

The translator, if not the original author, certainly enjoyed turning the phrase, "And Joshua mowed down Amalek ..." You should read it aloud with a certain relish, too.

Second Reading, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2

Every lector's favorite passage? Lector, here is your raison d'etre. Scripture makes those who belong to God competent and equipped for every good work. For the moment, your good work is to proclaim the very scripture, and competently.

The Historical Setting: Of course, Timothy had an office in the early church that included the proclamation and teaching of scriptures as part of a larger charge. Paul, seasoned senior apostle, through this whole letter, has been giving his young friend (and Timothy's local church, too) advice on a number of things. They're all built on the foundations mentioned here:

• remain faithful to the tradition
• learn wisdom from the scriptures
• maintain your faith in Christ Jesus above all
• stay at it whether it's easy or difficult

Proclaiming it: Your proclamation should sound like a senior giving advice and encouragement to a beloved junior. But this is not a speech; rather, it's a written exhortation, so the sentences are longer than they would be in locker-room pep talk. You'll have to speak slowly and break the sentences into phrases that your assembly can take in by hearing.

Break briefly before the final paragraph, and invoke God and Christ Jesus solemnly. After all, there's no higher power a writer or speaker can invoke to back up the imperatives that follow.