The Old Testament: 2 Chronicles II – A Closer Look at a Prophet’s Advice.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by virgowriter

When I write, because I can get too invested in a draft, I often have a different idea about what is happening on the page than what is ACTUALLY happening on the page.  Occasionally I take my own advice and set a story aside.  Then, after weeks, perhaps months, I revisit a piece and all kinds of glaringly obvious issues.  This is one step of the writing process, and it’s a skill a writer has to learn.  But at some point, a writer needs feedback from others, and this is another skill a writer must learn to handle.

The benefit of feedback from people who have no emotional attachment to a story is that their distance allows them to react impartially.  In theory this allows them to offer direct feedback on what is working and what isn’t.  Usually, this advice is given with the story’s best interest in mind. Yet some people who like you might prefer to praise (because they know how hard writing can be).  Perhaps they see this as encouragement, but if you’re not saying a story is in bad shape when it is, you’re not helping the author.

An honest, brutal critique can be hard to take, especially if I think a story is in better shape than it is.  And because my mind is prejudiced towards the advice that’s kind rather than harsh—the kind that means I have less work to do—I have to remind myself who I should really be listening to. Basically, a writer needs to find a reliable set of opinions, from people who can be trusted to be honest.

Being able to revisit some of the events from 1 and 2 Kings and in 1 and 2 Chronicles shows how writers aren’t the only ones who need good, honest feedback.  And the way kings tended to receive this input speaks to how well they ruled.  In particular, take King Ahab’s interaction with the prophet Micaiah.

Israel’s king Ahab—even though he’s an evil king with whom Judah has a strained relationship—manages to enlist the help (though provisional) of Judah’s king Jehoshaphat.  Ahab wants war with a common enemy (18:3).  Jehoshaphat is on board, although he wants God’s input.  So Ahab rallies 400 local prophets, all of whom say yes, God says go to war.  Jehoshaphat is unmoved, for none seem devoted to God; isn’t there an actual priest of God, he wonders?

Turns out there is, though Ahab has all but banished him because he didn’t like what he EVER had to say—turns out Micaiah only had bad visions for Ahab (18:7).  So they send for Micaiah and ask his advice.  He parrots the other priests.  But when challenged, he conveys a dire vision of Israel’s future. So instead of heeding the advice he should, Ahab imprisons Micaiah (18:26).

Sometimes the best lesson is conveyed by watching other people do what you do.  Though on a different scale, Micaiah’s experience is similar to what people in writing workshops often deal with.  And how he is received doesn’t just demonstrate how writers react when they receive unfavorable (though necessary) input.  Sometimes the truth hurts, but only if you are too rigid to not want to change.  If your goal is to create the best situation possible (be it a work of art, a work environment, a happy home life), you should welcome a different point of view, understanding how nothing is ever perfect, and even less so when it only relies on one person’s way of looking at things.

In the end, wisdom doesn’t mean knowing everything; rather, being wise means knowing when to speak, when to listen, and what to do with the information you are given. Too bad king Ahab (and so many other rulers in the Old Testament) never learns this lesson.

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The Old Testament: 2 Chronicles I – Alternate Takes Reveal

Posted on May 10, 2013 by virgowriter

If a movie is real popular (or the exact opposite, real bad), a studio will sometimes try and milk the film by releasing a director’s cut (or, in the case of a flop, redeem a movie). I like these director’s cuts.  These tend to offer a much different take on the story.  For example, Aliens 3.  David Fincher’s first feature film did so-so at the box office (considered a flop by many), and left most fans cold.  The problem is that the film shown in theaters (and later on VHS) was not the film he made.  When he screened the film for the Fox execs, they balked.

Studios have a reputation of trimming and also re-cutting a film based on how well they think the film will work with an audience, eliminating nuisances, flourishes for which a director is known or they cut any detours that are not deemed interesting enough.  Sometimes—often—they order reshoots to simplify a story, which in most case makes it less interesting. This is what they did to Aliens 3, and the changes so pissed off Fincher that he doesn’t even discuss this film.  (For a fascinating look at the story behind this film, check out the special edition of Aliens 3—where you can also watch Fincher’s original cut, which is MUCH better and feels more complete).

What’s cut—if a full-on director’s cut is not released—often ends up as outtakes on a DVD, and these scenes often add depth to how you understand a character (and his or her motivations). If all you’re after is the story, story, story—say what you have to say and be done with it—these might not appeal to you.

Given that 2 Chronicles offers a slightly different spin on events and people previously covered in the Old Testament, this book of the Bible functions as some of these outtake-like stories, and they often shed fresh, interesting light on a component.

Take King Rehoboam (10:7).  In places, his story is drawn out in ways compressed in other bible books.  For example, his glaring downfall stems from his flexing his military muscles just because he can.  When he hears Israel’s concerns about having their burden lifted, he ignores his wise, older counsel in favor of the young, inexperienced counsel, who suggests he be a jerk to his people, threatening that he can make their lives worse (10:14-15).  The Book of Kings rushes through this moment.  The added benefit is that by handling the story again, you can better appreciate how painful it is to watch someone so clouded by power that they make the wrong choice.

Basically, Kim Jong-un.

But some of these alternate takes on events previously discussed in the Old Testament are altered (as in 1 Chronicles, so that the message is not obscured by pesky details) and the resulting effect reduces some of these stories to the equivalent of an Afternoon Special.  The reversal or epiphany is arrived at too easily.  And without appreciating the true struggle, can you truly appreciate the goal?

For example, with Egypt’s army attacking Jerusalem, a prophet informs Rehoboam that, since he’s been so wicked (turning his back on the lord, etc.) the lord won’t be around to defend him this time.  So the king, along with the other leaders of Israel “humbled themselves” (12:6).  Chapters and chapters have been devoted to how bad of a king (and perhaps a person in general) Rehoboam is.  And then one uttered phrase—he humbled himself—gets the lord to change his mind. There’s no developed sense of a struggle—the brevity makes the action look so simple.

Handling the story in this way makes it seem like you can basically do whatever you want and then when you are backed into a corner you can say a sentence and be all good.  Life doesn’t work this way, and other books in the Old Testament make people work harder to undo all of their awful actions.  Here, though, it seems that all you need is a group hug and all is wiped clean.

Perhaps the author of this Bible book thought this was a better way to deliver the message?  But in doing so, the attention is then focused only on the awful actions, not the context—the lesson being: don’t do this.  But lessons are so rarely learned in this way.  Given how frequently—and quickly—people in the Old Testament stray from God, you’d think they’d have tried a different tactic to get them in line.

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The Old Testament: 1 Chronicles I – The Devil’s in the Details?

Posted on May 8, 2013 by virgowriter

I’ve often heard that some of the best singers of my generation could sing the phone book and create a hit. Adele, for example.  And although this might be true, in part because of her ability to know which elements of a song to stress and where to use her unique inflections, I still couldn’t sit through a whole song of her singing said phone book, even if I did appreciate the effort

No, if I were to see her live (I had tickets—a birthday gift from Jared—but then her voice problems sidelined her), I’d revel in the songs to which she does such a fantastic job infusing her palpable verve, sadness, despair, longing, etc.  And, of course, if someone asked me how the show went, I’d have to distill my opinion into a quick clip—it’s was great, phenomenal, etc.  Who would have the time to sit through a point by point recall of each song, each memorable moment—just provide the bottom line, right?

Although this is fine for some people—not everyone likes dealing with a concert (the expense, the crowd, the noise, etc).—I like to know HOW a person sounds, how well the singer/band departs from the recording, and what they say in the banter between. The details provide a true sense of the experience, and no short version provides this.

1 Chronicles serves as a recap of (what the author of this book considers) relevant history for the Israelites who return from Babylonian exile.  Since they are working to rebuild their lives in Jerusalem, and most of them have no idea about their history, the author of 1 Chronicles borrowed from previous texts and constructed a narrative of the key rulers of Israel.  The beginning of the book is built on a series of lists of important individuals—Israel’s historical phone book, if you will.  And it’s about as interesting to read as the credits from a film.

But, understandably, that’s not the point. When the meat of the book arrives, we get a trimmed version of key people and events. In fact, he expunged the nuisances and context in these stories in favor of highlighting their strong moral messages.

Take 1 Chronicles discussion of David, for example.  We jump right into his assuming the throne after Saul’s death: no exploration of his confrontation with Goliath, no rendering of his constant struggles with Saul.  No, this book focuses on his military achievements and how he instilled the importance of unity among his people (12:22).  Sure, this provides important models for being successful, but when you leave out the struggles and human element (when he falls short), this creates an almost unattainable figure to emulate.  It robs the listener of the true experience.

It also suggests, because this account acts as a historical record, how people can manipulate a story to reflect their version of what’s important. This problem is especially noticeable in light of how much effort is given to describing what the key people went through in earlier books of the Old Testament. Without the other accounts to illustrate the disparity, one would not know what had been omitted. It also seems that some people probably just don’t care: tell me the important stuff and hold the rest.

To put this in a different context, it’s like listening to only the hit single off of an album without listening to the whole work.  For some people this is fine—they get what they come for.  For the people who do take the time to experience the album, they get a better, more well-rounded sense of an artist’s vision.  Though, of course, some artists are more gifted than others.  But if you rely on someone else’s opinion of what’s worthy of your attention, who misses out? Sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing if you only ask for someone’s opinion of the “important” part.

Next: The fun continues in 2 Chronicles.

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