Raymond Massey Reads the Bible: Man’s Choice, David & Bathsheba & Rules of Living

Transcript (Download)

You Our readings today are about man's choice Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me In recent years I've come to believe that to be on the Lord's side a man must choose between good and evil Without choice there is no morality I Read Joshua the 24th chapter I Have given you a land for which you did not labor and Cities which she built not and ye dwell in them now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord Choose you this day whom ye will serve The people answered and said God forbid that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods For the Lord our God he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage In days of old when the boy Solomon was come unto the throne of Israel The Lord appeared and asked him What I should give thee I? Read Solomon's answer from first king Oh Lord my God Thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father and I am but a little child I know not how to go out or to come in and Thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen a great people That cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude give therefore thy servant an Understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad I'd like to read that last line again Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad Young Solomon could have asked for anything, but all he asked for was the power of choice I And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing and God said unto him because thou hast asked this thing and has not asked for thyself long life Neither has fast riches for thyself nor has to ask the life of thine enemies, but has to ask for thyself understanding to discern judgment Behold I have done according to thy word lo I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart So that there was none like thee before thee neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked both riches and honor So that there shall not be among the Kings like unto thee all thy days And Solomon awoke and behold These readings have been from Exodus the book of Joshua in the book of Kings The book of Kings Today our readings are about David and Bathsheba And it came to pass in an evening tide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the King's house and From the roof he saw a woman washing herself and the woman was very beautiful to look upon Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and David desired her for his own So he sent a letter to Joab the commander of his army And he wrote in the letter saying set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire ye from him That he may be smitten and die And as David had plotted so it was done and accomplished And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead She mourned for her husband and when the morning was past David sent and fetched her to his house And she became his wife and bear him a son But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord What follows is one of the great chapters of the Bible for even a king Must do righteously.

It is a lesson in the equality of justice.

I read from the 12th chapter of the second book of Samuel And the Lord sent Nathan unto David and he came unto him and said unto him There were two men in one city the one rich and the one poor The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds But the poor man had not but one new lamb Which he had bought and nourished and it grew up together with him and with his children it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup and Lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter and They came a traveler unto the rich man and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd but took the poor man's one new lamb and David's anger was greatly kindled against the man and he said unto Nathan as the Lord liveth the man that hath done this thing shall surely die and he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity and Nathan said to David Thou art the man Thus said the Lord God of Israel I anointed thee king over Israel and I delivered the other the hand of Saul and I gave thee thy Master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah And if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things Wherefore hast thou killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and has taken his wife to be thy wife David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord These readings have been from the first and second books of Samuel My readings today are about rules of living The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge In the book of Ecclesiastes and in the book of Proverbs you'll find a vast storehouse of wisdom For today we have brought together the Lord God of Israel and the Lord God of Israel The Lord God of Israel has been chosen from the book of Proverbs and chosen from its maxims which are a guide to life Happy is the man that findeth wisdom Length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honor Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her powers are peace She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her and happy is everyone that retaineth her The Lord by wisdom have founded the earth by understanding have he established the heavens By his knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew My son keep sound wisdom and discretion so shall they be life unto thy soul and grace to thy neck Then shall thou walk in thy way safely and thy foot shall not stumble when thou liest down Thou shalt not be afraid Yea thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet These are familiar sentences Phrases come down to us almost With our mother's milk listen now and tell me if these are not words as familiar as speech The soft answer turneth away wrath But grievous words stir up anger a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith A wrathful man stirreth up strife But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honor is humility And before honor is humility only five words, but important words Like all things in the book of Proverbs.

They disclose new meanings each time you hear them.

I Read on When a man's ways please the Lord he make of even his enemies to peace with him Better is the little with righteousness than great revenues without right Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud Pleasant words are as a honeycomb sweet to the soul and health to the bones He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleeth his spirit than he had taken the city These readings have been from the book of Proverbs

Identifier

F.2008-04-0021

Date Of Production

1951

Abstract

Three four-minute episodes of a syndicated television show where actor Raymond Massey reads and discusses excerpts from the Bible. Shot live in one take with a 3 camera setup, Massey reads at a desk in a private study. In the first episode Massey discusses how “man’s” choice between good and evil is the root of morality. The second episode is on David and Bathsheba and how even the powerful must observe the law. The third episode is on the simple truths one gain’s from reading Proverbs.

Description

00:01 Opening title over CU hand opening bible, MS of Massey sitting down in chair, announces today’s reading is on “Man’s choice”, ZOOM IN to Massey reading about Moses, CU Massey reading from Joshua 24, cuts between 2 MS and 1 CU as Massey reads from 1 Kings on Solomon, end credits.
03:55 Opening title over CU hand opening bible, MS Massey sitting at desk and announces topic of David & Bathsheba, CU Massey read from 1st Samuel, cuts between 2 MS and 1 CU, Massey stands up and sits on desk in CU and reads from 2nd Samuel 12, end credits.
07:45 Opening title over CU hand opening bible, cut between 2 MS of Massey leaning on desk talking about the fear of god and how the book of Proverbs is a guidebook to life, shots alternate between 1 CU and 2 MS while he reads Proverbs,Massey sits down and continues to read. Out 11:26.

Log

Run Time

0:11:32

Format

16mm

Extent

415 feet

Color

B&W

Sound

Optical

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Element

Genre

Religious
Educational

Form

Television series

Subject

Christianity

Related Collections

SERIES I: Films & Audio Materials

Distributor

Imperial World Films

Additional Credits

Imperial World Films (is contributor)

Davis, Sylvia (is contributor)

Davis, Russell (is contributor)

Participants And Performers

Massey, Raymond (is actor)

Haug, Art (is participant)

Pingitore, Carl (is participant)

Wishengrad, Morton (is participant)

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