Inspirational Archives - Bob on Books

Wisdom from the Witch of Endor, Tikva Frymer-Kensky. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2024.

Summary: A modern midrash on the witch of Endor and four lessons or rules we may draw from her story.

Tikva Frymer-Kensky was a biblical scholar from the University of Chicago Divinity School who passed away in 2006. She authored Reading the Women of the Bible and represented a school of scholars who platformed the voices of minor and marginalized figures in scripture. Often these stories are more significant than many, mostly male, dominant culture interpreters have credited (and there were reasons for their inclusion).

This book, drawn from the author’s papers offers us a close reading of the story of the witch of Endor, commending her as an exemplar of four qualities that we do well to follow to live effectively. In the Preface, this is described as a modern midrash on the biblical text.

The first part of this brief book re-tells the biblical story, and explains her work with the ‘ob, an instrument of unknown character used to communicate with the spirits of the dead. The author helpfully differentiates this practice, known as necromancy, from other forms of witchcraft involving incantations, potions, and spells. Nevertheless, she downplays the uniform prohibition of this practice in scripture, emphasizing Saul’s prohibition.

The second part of the book emphasizes “life lessons” we might draw from her. First she knew her power, even though forbidden, and did not give up but exercised determined commitment and self-knowledge. Second, she strove to excel, exercising proficiency in the use of the ‘ob. Third, she chooses the moment, after securing Saul’s promise that no harm will come to her. In her wisdom, she is cautious. Finally, she “won well.” She uncovers the king in his desperate hypocrisy and is an instrument by which the spirit of Samuel foretells Saul’s death. Instead of crowing or taunting, she persuades him to eat and is benevolent.

While in themselves, there may be nothing wrong with these rules or lessons (although, as I will contend, not all powers are good or pleasing to God), this platforming of the witch distorts the story and wrongly valorizes her. Here are my reasons:

The uniform prohibition of necromancy. God speaks through the law, through Urim and Thummim, and through his sent prophets. Turning to necromancy is turning away from God’s ways of disclosing God’s self, and seeking knowledge God, in God’s wisdom, chooses not to disclose.
The story of Saul offers a case study in disobeying God’s disclosures and, when God refuses to speak, he turns to means he himself has forbidden.
The four lessons, good perhaps, are examples of moralizing. They may well be modern midrash but do not represent good biblical interpretation.
Finally, good interpretation centers not on self-help principles but on the character and work of God.

This book reminds me of Bruce Wilkinson’s Prayer of Jabez, which was also questionable hermeneutically, but wildly popular. I suspect the title, the cover design, and the format (similar to The Prayer of Jabez) will be a draw for some. But I cannot commend the book.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Sacred Endurance, Trillia J. Newbell. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.

Summary: Using the analogy of running a race, sets out the promises of God and the practices of the believer that enable us to finish the race of faith.

…being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…” Colossians 1:11, NIV

Years ago, my first ministry supervisor and I were studying through the book of Colossians together when we came to this verse in the middle of Paul’s intercessory prayer for the Colossians. He asked me why “great endurance” is so important as a believer. As a young believer, I’m not sure I fully grasped why this mattered. But the question stayed with me, as well as the promise of God’s strengthening glorious might. The years since have made sense of the necessity of endurance through the parenting years, through disappointments, serious illnesses, deaths of close family and friends, failures, conflict, and the gradual encroachments of age on one’s body. Equally, there are those seasons of the ordinary, the routine tasks that we get up and do over and over. Most of us have wondered at some point, “how can I keep going on?” “How can I finish well?”

Trillia Newbell has written a marvelously encouraging book exploring this crucial topic of endurance. A former runner, she describes running the anchor leg of a 4 X 400 relay, running swiftly until the last 100 meters, when exhaustion left her summoning every last ounce to finish ahead of those on her heels. Throughout the book, she uses the image of a race to speak of both the provision of God to enable us to finish our race of faith, and what it means for us to live into that promise.

The book is filled with biblical passages, grounding our hope for enduring in the promises and instructions of God. She reminds us of the “great cloud of witnesses” cheering us on, and the necessity to strip away any encumbering sins and to focus on Jesus. She explores our running motivations, particularly the “love of Christ” that compels. She confronts the lies of the gospel of success and prosperity and explores how the presence and power of God meets us in our suffering, troubles, and weakness. She addresses the importance of the mind to endurance and the call to be renewed in our minds.

I was particularly impressed with her chapter on enduring amid the troubles of society and the world. She acknowledges the particular challenges she faces as an African-American female confronting blatant racism, even white supremacism. She describes her own disciplines of stopping to remember God, taking heart in the truth that the Lord has overcome the world, that people are not the enemy, to persist in doing good, not giving way to cynicism, and knowing toward whom we are running when we can be distracted by other loyalties.

She explores abiding in Christ, and practical disciplines of abiding, particularly the word of God and prayer. She speaks of how God meets us in our brokenness and contrition, helps us press on when we fall and fail, the provision of running companions in the church, and the prize toward which we run. Even her appendix, on those who don’t endure, stresses how God is fully able to help us run to the finish.

There is nothing startlingly new here, but perhaps in our preoccupation with so many challenges in life, we need to hear these words afresh. Trillia Newbell is like the good track coach who keeps telling us the things we need as often as we need to hear them. She coaches out of her own journey with honesty, humility, and a contagious joy that arises from her own experience of the promises of God that help her run and endure with joy. She reminds us of all the resources God provides, the practices that help us keep running, the things we need to let go of, and the God who meets us at our weakest places and the Christ toward whom we run.

If you are asking yourself how you will get through the next year, or month, or even day, this is a great book to read. It is a good book for young parents balancing work, childcare and other responsibilities. It is good for those in the mid-life “sandwich,” wondering where they will find the strength to handle it all, and why it is worth it. It is a good book for those in their senior years, approaching the finish line, wanting to do it well. Endurance never goes out of season.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.