Reading for January 8th

Read James 5.7-11 In 5.7-11: Patience unto judgment. The exhortation to patience comes in two parts: vv. 7-8 and 10-11. Patience, moreover, awaits the great judgment, both its coming (vv. 7-8) and the appearance of the great judge. In verse 7: James reflects agricultural patterns in the Middle East with winter and spring rains. In verse 9: The warning against judgments connects with similar remarks in 4.11-12 and echoes Mt 7.1-5. In Rev 3.20 Jesus the judge stands at the door, although the Judge here is more likely God. In verses 10-11: Like the examples in 2.21-26, the prophets exemplify endurance and faithfulness in difficult times. The premier example if Job. This is the only mention of Job in the New Testament. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 7th

Read James 4.13-5.6. In 4.13-5.6: pride of the rich. The criticism of the rich in 1.10-11 and 2.1-4 returns. In 4.13-15: Evil speech expresses arrogance focused on getting rich. In contrast, virtuous speech entrusts one's life and prosperity to God. In verses 16-17: Boasting, another form of evil speech, expresses pride in a repeat of "faith and work" (2.14-26), wholeness is lost when someone knows the right thing to do, but fails to do it. In 5.1-4: Continuing his censure of the rich, James first devalues clothing and jewelry as corruptible (Mt 6.19-21). Then, echoing the popular saying that the wealthy are all theirves, he notes that they withhold wages from laborers. In verses 5-6: Finally, the fruits or injustice simple make the wealthy fat for judgment's slaughter, James next topic. Coomments or Questions..

Reading for January 6th

Read James 4.11-12. In 4.11-12: Evil speech again. Continuing 1.19 and 3.1-12, James resumes his censure of internal divison (3.14-18; 4.1-2). Again, James focuses on wrong speech: speak evil against one another and speak evil against the law and the judges. Such people lack wholeness, judging the law but not doing it. This concludes with a reference to God, who both gave the law and will be its judge; see 2.8-13. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 5th

Read James 4.1-10. In 4.1-10: Friendship with the world; hatred of God. In verses 1-3: In question-and-answer format, James describes the genesis of evil. Conflicts that spring from envy (3.14, 16) lead either to murder or covetousness. In verse 4: Using contrasts, he juxtaposes friendship with enmity, humility with pride, and God with the devil. Friends of the world are God's enemies, and God's friendship means enmity with the world. In verses 5-6: God's jealousy reffers to God's desire to protect what is God's; it is the opposite of envy in 3.16, which seeks to hurt another. Prov 3.34 proves that God resists the proud and enriches the humble, a theme found frequently in James. In verses 7-8: Using spatial metaphors, James urges his addressees to flee from the devil and draw near to God. The path to purity means cleansing one's hands and purifying one's heart, being wholly in God's service. Impurity lies in being double-minded, or mixing contridictory things. In verses 9-10: A return to the theme of humility (v. 6), now with a strong call to repentance. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 4th

Read James 3.13-18. In 3.13-18: Evil envy. Continuing his justapostion of evil and good. James contrasts two types of wisdom: True wisdom from above is both practical and pure; it yeilds meekness, peace, and mercy, which are manifested in the practice of a good life. In contrast, false wisdom is earthy, unspiritual and devilish; it manifests itself in highly aggressive behavior, such as envy, ambition, and disorder. One is reminded of the description of lowliness in 2.5. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 3rd

Read James 3.1-12. In 3.1-12: Unbridled tongue equals pollution. Echoing 1.19, James again urges control of bodily orifices. In verses 2-4: Perfection comes from making no mistakes with the tongue. He refers here to strong control of the mouth, noting how a mere bridle guided the horse, as a rudder does a ship. In verses 5-6: The destruction of a large forest by a tiny fire illustrates the power of an uncontrolled tongue. In the world of purity concrns, something so small as a tongue can stain the whole body, the way yeast was thought to corrupt flour. In verses 7-8: He likens the tongue to the animal never tamed, the snake. Both contain poison in their mouths. In verses 9-12: Since holiness is whleness one cannot bless God and curse others. Wholeness applies to natural examples. Springs cannot yeild both pure and brackish water; fig trees produce figs, not olives, and grapevines yeild grapes not figs. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 2nd

Read James 2.14-26. In 2.14-26: Perfection of active faith. James performs here like a teacher anticipating objections and answering them. In verses 14-17: Some object that faith alone counts; James counters that faith which does not feed the hungry and clothe the naked is dead or unclean. Perfection, then, means wholeness; both faith and works. In verses 18-20: To those who boast of their works, James counters that faith can be manifested only by works, bit without works it is useless. Mere understanding of God's supremacy counts for nothing, unless faithful obedience follows. In verses 21-26: As proof, James cites from the Bible male and female examples of perfect faith. Abraham, a righteous believer (Gen 15.6), showed perfect faithfulness by offering isaac as a sacrifice (Gen 22). Rahab, who extended hospitality to Israelite spies (Josh 2.1-12), is considered holy in spite of being a prostitute. In concusion, James labels the position of faith without works as the ultimate pollution, death. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 1st

Read James 2.1-13. In verses 1-7: Rich and poor again. Devloping 1.9-11, James contrasts the group's reception of poor and rich. In verses 1-4: Favoritism to the wealthy cancels faith in the risen Lord, because it ignores the fact that Jesus, humbled and brought low, was exalted by God. In verse 5; God obvisously does not evaluate as we do for God chooses the poor to be rich (1 Cor 1.26-30). In verses 6-7: In James' world of opposites, the rich are the oppressors and the poor are their victims; by siding with the rich, they dishonor members of the group and ths blaspheme God's holy name. In verses 8-13: Wholeness as purity. In verses 8-9: James presents two laws: the general law of love (Mk 12.28-33) and some specific commandments. Love means impartiality (2.1-8; Rom 10.12-13; Acts 10.34) and mercy. In verses 10-11: Twice he emphasizes the seriousness of failing to keep even one commandment: perfection means being accountable for all. he interprets this in terms of jewish purity: Failure is pollution, corrupting what is good. In verses 12-13: Fearing lawlessness, he emphasizes God's law ofliberty. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 31st

Read James 1.19-27. In verses 19-21: Ears and mouths. James introduces a topic that will receive detailed treatment in 3.5-12. Since holiness and anger cannot both abide in a pure heart, believers must uproot the weeds to make room for the word of God. In verses 22-27: Ears, eyes, hands, mouth. Continuing the body metaphor, James encourages bodily wholeness, a basic Jewish purity concept. In verses 22-23: Wholeness requires ears that hear God's word to connect with hands acting on it. In verse 25: God's law does not constrain us, but is a perfect guide bringing liberty, not slavery to passion. In verses 26-27: James contrasts good and bad religion in terms of holiness. An uncontrolled tongue corrupts the whole person, but hands that care for the needy indicate pure and undefiled faith. True believers, moreover, keep themselves pure, unstained by the world. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 30th

Read James 1.1-18. In 1.1-8: Faith and faithfulness. James annouces one of the letter's main themes, faith or faithfulness. In verses 3-4: Faithfulness or endurance in trials leads to maturity, thus adult faith is pure and whole; complete, lacking in nothing. In verses 5-7: Next, faith means petitioning God with wholeness of mind. Jewish purity concerns affirm what is whole, but shun what is of two kinds (doubt and faith; see Lev 19.19; Deut 22.9-11). This theme will be developed in 5.13-18. In verses 9-11: Rise of poor, fall of rich. James repeats the tradition that the rich will fall and the lowly rise (Lk 1.51-52; 1 Cor 1.18-29). He likens the fate of the rich to that of desert flowers which quickly wither, thus echoing Jesus' parable (Mk 4.5-6; 1 Pet 1.24-25). In verses 12-18: Temptation and benefaction. In verse 12: James honors with a victor's crown those who faithfully endure trials (2 Tim 4.8). In verses 13-15: Whence come temptations? Not from God, but from human passions; the human life cycle (conception, birth, fully grown) demonstrates how even a small pollution grows into total depravity. In verse 17: Again God's person and gifts are pure: with God there is no variation, and every perfect benefaction descends from God. In verse 18: God who does not tempt, is our best benefactor, whose gift of birth comes through the preaching of the gospel. This is contrasted to the birth of evil in 1.15. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 29th

Read Nehemiah 13.19-30. In verse 19: i set some or my servants over the gates, apparently to ensure that Nehemiah's orders to shut the city gates at the beginning of the sabbath were fulfilled. Cordoning off the city on the sabbath makes the entire city a holy precinct on that day. In verse 22: This explains why Nehemiah commands the Levities that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates. With the entire comunity turned into a "house of God," the Levities should guard the entryways just as they had previously guarded the entrances into the Temple precincts. In verse 27: This great evil: Just as in Ezra, the intermarriage of the community with the surrounding peoples is porttrayed in graphic terms as a most serious vilation of divine order. The discovery of intermarriage was contrary to the pledges of the community in 10.30. While in ch. 10 the community voluntarily takes an oath, here Nehemiah made them take an oath, with a strong public display of anger. In verse 28: One of the sons of Jehoiada: Just as Tobiah's relationship to certain of the priests presented a problem at the beginning of this section, now Sanballat's relationship to a member of the high priestly family presents another challenge. In verse 30: I cleansed them from everything foreign: The community, as a "house of God," has ben cleansed of patterns that would pull them away from their strict observance of the law. Just as david and Solomon made specific provisions for the care of the Temple personnel. Nehemiah places himself in the same company for establishing the duties of the priests and Levities, each in his work. In verse 31: For good, that is all the good that Nehemiah as accomplished on behalf of the community. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 28th

THE POSTLOGUE In 13.4-31: Having described the communal confession of sin, the entry into a solemn covenant, the dedication of the walls, and the redefinition of the community as the "house of God," it remains for the author to clarify what happened to Nehemiah. This postlogue offers a sort of conclusion to Nehemiah's mission, showing the reformer forcefully addressing a number of wrongs in the community. The section as a whole is based on the covenant contents of ch. 10, but in reverse order. For example, where the covenant begins with a vow to end intermarriage (10.30), the present section ends with the same issue (vv. 22-27). Nehemiah's efforts are aimed at trying to get the community to live up to its promises. Read Nehemiah 13.4-18. In verse 5: Prepared for Tobiah a large room in the Temple precinct: Tobiah was not only one of Nehemiah's primary adversaries, but was an Ammonite, a group to be excluded from the Temple (13.1-2). They had priviously put the grain offering suggests that the offerings are not coming in as they had been, allowing for the room to be put to other uses. In verse 6: I was not in Jerusalem: Nehemiah apparently was called back to the court for reasons not directly relating to his governance of the district. The thirsty-second year of Artxerxes would be 432 BCE. In verse 8: I was angry: By making such a public show, Nehemiah may have been hoping to bring the priest Eliashib, a relative of Tobiah, under control. This entire incident is a follow-up to the actions of the community in 13.1-3. In verse 10; The protions of the Levities had not been given them: This is contrary to the pledge made in 10.35-39 not to "neglect the house of our God." It also specifically violates the pledges made in 12.44-47 to ensure the singers could remain in thir posts. In verse 17: Profaning the sabbath day? This is contary to the pledgees made in 10.31 to keep the sabbath, even if foreign merchants come with goods to sell. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 27th

Read Nehemiah 13.1-3. In 13.1-3: The separation of foreigners. Slipping back into first-person form, this brief notice highlights again the now sacred character of the community as a whole. In verse 1: On that day is unclear, but in context it must mean on the day of dedication of the walls. No Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God refers to Deut 23.3-6, where "the assembly of God" is the worshipping community appearing in the Temple. In verse 3: They separated from Israel all of those of forgein descent, presumably including non-Ammonite and non-Moabite persons. The Deuteronomic law is being extended to the community as a whole, not just the worshipping body, and to all foreigners, not just Ammonites and Moabites. This marks a further redefinition of the community as a sacred body. Note that intermarriage is not raised here. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 26th

Read Nehemiah 12.44-47. In 12.44-47: The community ensures Temple service. Shifting back to a third-person narrative, this section recounts efforts the community made to ensure that the contributions to the Temple stores were properly accounted for. The foucus is exclusive on the community and its support for the Temple personnel. In verse 44: Men were appointed: The appointment was by the consensus of the community, not by an individual. Being over the stores included the inventorying and distribution of offerings. Such care was taken because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levities who ministered. Taking care over the offerings that support these persons was an act of thanksgiving for the joy worship provided to the community. In verse 47: The daily portions: The offering that provided daily rations to the Temple personel. Paralleling Zerubbabel, who rebuilt the Temple, and Nehemiah who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, serve the same function as Ezra 1-6 serves in mixing the two efforts together: The rebuilding of the walls and subsequent solemen covenant reformed the house of God just as the physical rebuilding of the building did. To speak of Nehemiah in this manner makes it sound like his term as governor is over. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 25th

Read Nehemiah 12.27-43. In 12.27-43: the dedication of Jerusalem's walls. This section briefly returns to a first-person style, similar to the other sections of the "Nehemiah memior." It recounts the elaborate dedication ceremony, with the community divided into two large portions processing along the walls until they meet at the Temple. The dedication is given a religious dimension with priests and Levities actively participating in the ceremony. In verse 27: They sought out the Levities in all their places: tThe Levities, who lived in common villages, were needed to ensure the full complement of music and praise. In verse 30: Purified themselves: A necessary preparatory step for a religious ceremony. Also necessary was the purification of the people, though purifying the gates and walls respresents a new level of concern for correctness. Such an act extends the arena of God's presence from the Temple to the entire walled city. In verse 36: And the scribe Ezra went in front in recognition of the importance of his contributions to the community. In verse 40: Both companies ... stood in the house of God: No formal entry into the Temple itself has preceded this point. This makes more sense if the entire walled city is being considered the "house of God." In verse 43: The joy of Jerusalem was heard: This offers a conclusion to the rejoicing and jubilation the community had experienced. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 24th

Read Nehemiah 12.1-26. In 12.1-26: Lists of priests and Levities. Though the list appears fairly well organized (priests and Levities from the time of the return , vv. 1-9, high priests during the period of the sixth to fifth centuries, vv 10-11; priests and Levities from the generation after the return, vv. 12-25; and a chronological summary, v. 26), there is evidence the lists have been expanded over time. While th question of sources and historicity are highly debated, the list in its present position serves to emphasize the sacred character of the newly populated holy city. In verse 24: According to the commandment of David: See the account in 1 Chr 23.30, where David sets several families of Levities aside for this purpose. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 23rd

Read Nehemiah 25-36. In 11.25-36: A note about villages outside Jerusalem. This brief account touches on some of the settlements outside Jerusalem that constitued the territory of Judah. Several of the places on the list were not settled by Jews until the Hellenistic period, so this list may be an idealized fiction, approximating the settlements of Judah as described in the tribal allotments of the book of Joshua (Josh 15.1-12). In effect, this makes the same point as the notice of the Festival of Booths earler (8.17). Comments or Qustions..

Reading for December 22nd

Read Nehemiah 11.1-24. In 11.1-24: The community repopulates Jerusalem. Further focusing on the community's dedication to the law, this section depicts the repopulation of Jerusalem, ending with another lengthy list of those who moved into Jerusalem. In verse 1: One out of ten: This applies the tithe (Deut 12.17) to the community's total population. This is the first time Jerusalem is called the holy city, an extension of the Temple precinct's acredness to the entire city now that it is marked by the completed walls. In verse 2: The people blessed ... live in Jerusalem: the community's desire to undertake this task is emphasized. The listing that follows offers leaders (divided into those of Judah and Benjamin), priests, Levities, and gatekeepers. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 21st

Read Nehemiah 10.1-39. In 10.28-39: The terms of the covenant. Having made an extensive confession before God, the community now offers a solemn covenant that covers a wide range of obligations. All these will reform the community and bring it into accord with the law of God. In verse 28: The rest of the people, that is, other than the named signatories. In verse 30: We will not give our daughters ... or take their daughters: The first major commitment is to oppose intermarriage and cease its practice. The dissolution of existing ethnically mixed marriages is not called for. In verse 31: We will will not buy ... on the sabbath or on a holy day: This involves observing thhe sabbath withnew rigor, since the law does not prohibit buying onthe sabbath, though selling on the sabbath may have been customarily forbidden (Am 8.5). Forego the crops of the seventh year: Crop land is to receive a sabbath (Lev 25.1-7), combined with rules regarding the release of debts (Deut 15.1-18). These rules had not previously been linked. In verse 32: One-third of a shekel: This was an annul temple tax that continued intot he Roman period (Mt 17.24-27). The Temple tax was instituted after the Exile since there was no source of regular royal underwriting of Temple functions. In verse 34: The community also commits to supply the wood offering to support the Temple service. In verse 35: First fruits: while the first cuttings of grain are specified in the law (deut 26.1-11), no provision is required for the produce of fruit trees. The remaining obligations commit the community to the support of various aspects of Temple service. In verse 39: The main thrust of this covenant extends the coverge of the law, placing a larger sphere of life intothe realm of the holy as part of service for the house of our God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 20th

Read Nehemiah 9.26-38 In verse 32: Keeping covenant and steadfast love emphasizes God's enduring relationship with Israel. Do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us is an appeal that God not add to the community's burden but accept the deep contrition being expressed. In verse 36: Here we are, slaves to this day: Though overly dramatic, the community most likely did find itself in a bound condition under imperial constraints. In verse 38: We make firm agreement: The confession has noted the community's present predicament, which now calls for a response that takes the law very seriously, not repeating the sins of the past. To commit to the agreement in writing further affirms the serious intent here. The author has made this intent more apparent by listing the names of the community leadership affirming this covenant in 10.1-27. Surprisingly, Ezra is absent from the list. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 19th

Read Nehemiah 9.9-25. There are no comments for this section.

Reading for December 18th

Read Nehemiah 9.1-8. In 9.1-10.27: A day of community confession. This account explains a solemn covenant to which the community will bind itself. Most of the section is a lengthy prayer, possibly offered by Ezra, which implores God to see the sufferings of the community in the present. God will spare them any additional hardship in spite of their failure to observe the law. The account closes with the names of those who affirmed the covenant. Many have suggested that all or parts of the account fit best after the material of Ezra 10. In 9.1: The twenty-fourth day of this month: Following the author's chronology, the Feast of Weeks, lasting eight days, would have ended on the tenth day of the month. The community had clearly prepared for the expresssion of grief by fasting and being dressed in sackcloth. In verse 2: Seaparated themselves: Possibly a reflection of the "semding away" of the foreign wives of Ezra 10, though the wording here clearly relates to foreign men as well. Since the confession is rooted in the particular experiences of Israel, the wording may simply mean that obly those who have continuity with pre-exilic Israel continued with the confession, while converts to Judaism did not participate. In verse 6: Ezra said: This reading follows the Greek transaltion of Nehemiah. The Hebrew text implies the prayer is offered by the congregation as a whole. The prayer goes on to recount God's special kindness to Israel and the problem with idolatry that led to judgment, though characterzing these transgressions by the more general casting of the "law behind their backs" (v. 26), or particular note is the emphasis on God as a "gracious and merciful God" (v. 31). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 17th

Read Nehemiah 8.13-18. In 8.13-18: The community keeps the Festival of Booths. One of the specified holy times of the seventh month was the Festival of Booths (Lev 23.33-43), slated to be observed for a week beginning on the fifteenth day of the month. Along with the celebration of the deliverance from Egypt that is the prime focus of the festival, this account continues the reading, and resumably explanation, of the law. In verse 13: On the second day keeps the chronology of 8.2, even though it technically doesnotobeserve the festival specifications of the law. This may be an indication that the precise limits of the festival had not been set in the Persian period. In place of the community as a whole, this gathering consists only of the leadership. In verse 17: All the assembly ... made booths: The whole community is involved. From the days of Jeshua is a reference to the period of conquest and Israel's inheritance of the land. The completion of the city walls and the reformation of the community are parallel to Israel's beginnings. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 16th

Read Nehemiah 7.73b-8.12. In 7.73b-8.12: The community gathers to hear the law. This section brings back into the narrative the figure of Ezra, of whom nothing has been said since the close of the book of Ezra. This sudden reemergence of Ezra and the focus on the importance of the law has led many scholars to conclude that this narrative was originally part of the account of Ezra and was moved to its present position by the editor who has brought Ezra-Nehemiah into its present form. The focus, howeve, remains on the community's request for the reading of the law, and the way the section is placed makes it clear that the goal is to reform itself into a more obeient community on the even of the dedication of the city walls. This ceremony also forms the backdrop to the conclusion of this large section in 13.1-3. In verse 73b: When the seventh month came: the walls were completed inthe month of Elul (6.15), the sixth month of the year. A rough chronological sequence is maintained by the placement, though there is some question if enough time is allowed for the people to return to be settled in their towns before reassembling in Jerusalem. The seventh month was traditonally the time of the day of Atonement (on the tenth day) and the Feast of Tabernacle (for a week starting on the fifteenth day). Several scholars have noted that this was also the month specfied in Deut 31.10-13 for an assembly of the people to hear a reading of the law every seven years. This is apparently the model on which the account is structured. In 8.1: They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book: The way Ezra is portrayed as subservient to the wishes of the "assembly," rather than the forceful leader of the community as in the Ezra tends to weigh the idea that this narrative was originally part of the book of Ezra. In the account of this gathering Ezra is variously termed scribe (vv. 1, 4), the priest (v. 2), and the priest and scribe (v. 9), both being roles attributed to him in the book of Ezra. In verse 7: The Levities helped the people to understand: One of the traditional roles of the Levities was to teach the meaning of the law to Israel (deut 33.10), and this may have involved a brief exposition of the passage. The Levities may have moved about the crowd answering queries since the people remained in thir places. In verse 9: Nehemiah ... and Ezra: This one of only two places inthe Hebrew text of Ezra-Nehemiah where the two reformers appear together. This day is holy: The day of the assembly is a specific sacred occasion. While the specific time of of the reading of the law could be considered a holy day, the account may imply that the day is the Feast of Trumpets, set onthe first day of the eventh month, which was a sacred day (Lev 23.23-25), although no reading of the law is connected with the Feast of Trumpets. Possibly recognizing how far they had strayed from the law, the people wept. In verse 10: Then he said to them: The he may be Ezra. The specified foos are typical of a feastive meal celebrating a scared occassion. The phrase the joy of the Lord is your stregth uses an unusual term for joy, one the occurs here and in 1 Chr 16.27, when strength and joy are in his place. In verse 12: All the people went their way ... to make great rejoicing: Unlike 1 and 2 Chronicles, where the rejoicing takes place in a great corporate sscenes, this account portrays the people retiring to their homes to rejoice. Their ablity to understand the law provides the opportunity to live in accord witht he divine will (Ps 119.34-35). Commenst or Questions..

Reading for December 15th

FORMING THE HOUSE OF GOD In 7.6-13.3: This section drops the first-person style of the "Nehemiah memior" and the concern with the opponent to the rebuilding efforts. Instead, the focus is on the community's concern and corporate commitments. These are presented by means of several large gatherings of the "assembly" of the people interspersed with lengthy lists of the people involved. The culmination is an extended description of the dedication of the city walls and the separation of "Israel" from those of "foriegn descent," thus paralleling the physical separation of the city from the surrounding peoples. Read Nehemiah 7.6-73a. In 7.6-73a: The list of those who returned from Babylon In verse 6: These are the people of the proince: largely repeats the list found in Ezra 2.1-70. Variations between the two lists are minor, but often this list represents a slightly fuller version of the list in Ezra 2. The focus is clearly on the people, and the reduplication of the lists shows the author's concern to focus on the community's efforts. In verse 7: Nehemiah: Notice that this is in the third person, rather than the first-person accounts of the "Nehemiah memior." Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 14th

Read Nehemiah 7.1-5. In verse 1: The gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levities: The addition of the singers and the Levities is unexpected, though since these groups were well organized they may have served as supplementary help to the gatekeepers, who would have to undertake their duties without prior experience. In verse 3: The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, perhaps as an additional security measure. In verse 5: The book of the genealogy: there is no explanation for where and how the book was found. Those who were the first to come back: Perhaps those who first returned from the exile, or those who first returned with one of the subsequent waves of exiled persons who migrated to Jerusalem. Coments or Questions..

Reading for December 13th

Read Nehemiah 6.15-19. In 6.15-7.5: The walls are completed. This section which recounts the completion of the physical work of refortifiying the city, ends with a note on the relatively few people in the city. The building of the walls is not the final completion of the formation of the "house of God." In 6.17: The nobles of Judah are an indefinite group, but presumably related to a traditional aristocracy. In verse 18: For many in Judah were bound by oath to him: The reasons are not specified. Presumably their support of Tobiah results not from opposition to Nehemiah as much as being bound by their oaths. Commenst or Questions..

Reading for December 12th

Read Nehemiah 6.1-14. In 6.1-14: Nehemiah's life is threatened. While the account of ch 4 deals with threats against the whole community, this section continues a focus on Nehemiah as an individual, revealing a series of plots by the "adversaries" to destroy him. Nehemiah's persistance in directing the rebuilding effort preserved him from being entrapped by their plots. In verse 2: The plain of Ono lay to the northwest of Jerusalem. It may have been in a boundary area between Sanballat's district and Nehemiah's. The intended to do me harm: The account provides no reason forthis conclusion. In verse 6: You and the Jews intend to rebel: In general, walled cities were not built in the Persian empire. The refortification of Jerusalem would provide an opportunity to defy the empire. Sanballat uses the threat of reporting this to the king (v. 7) to draw out Nehemiah out. In verse 10: Shemaiah ... was confined to his house: Though the accound is not clear on the timing, there seems to be some time between Sanballat's efforts to get Nehemiah to meet with him, and this plot. It is not certain why Shemaiah was closed in his house, nor why Nehemiah went to see him. Tonight they are coming to kill you: Perhaps Shemaiah had sent word to Nehemiah thathe had an important message to convey. His advice to meet in the Temple and close the door because the adversaries were coming to kill Nehemiah would have made the governor look cowardly. In verse 13: He was hired for this purpose: It takes Nehemiah time to see through the plot, but Shemaiah may have been a reputable prophet, making the deception difficult to detect. In verse 14: Remember ... O my God: One of Nehemiah's direct appeals to God to keep something before him. Here Nehemiah wants his opponent to be repaid according to their deeds, as well as the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets whomay have engaged in the same kinds of deceit as Shemaiah. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 11th

Read Nehemiah 5.14-19. In 5.14-19: Nehemiah's refusal to collect the food tax. Having hihlighted his generosity in making his own wealth available to those struggling in the famine crisis, in this section Nehemiah shows his refusal to place additional burdens on the populace, despite his right to collect a "food allowance." In verse 14: From the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, or from 445 to 434 BCE. The food allowance was apparently the privilege of the local imperial officials to draw their living support from a taxation surcharge. In verse 15: Former governors suggests the Yehud (as region around Jerusalem was known) had been politically independent for some time prior to Nehemiah. In verse 16: I ... aqucired no land: Imperial priviledges included the ability to amass land holdings. Nehemiah's single-mindedness excluded a concern to build wealth. In verse 17: There were at my table one hundred fifty people: Apparently there were all members of his entourage and lesser officals for who the governor was expected to provide food rations, thereby showing that Nehemiah had every reason to exact the food allowance. In verse 19: Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people: This is the first of five separate appeals for God to bear in mind some particular action by, or against Nehemiah. These appeals make it difficult to asses the character of the so-called "Nehemiah memior," since such pietistic asides would not be expected in an offical report. They do, however, provide insight into the emotions and faith of Nehemiah. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 10th

Read Nehemiah 5.1-13. In 5.1-13: Economic crisis and Nehemiah's solutions. Told in a first-person fashion, this section recounts a grave economic crisis made worse by the profiteering of some members of the community. Faced with a possible revolt, Nehemiah forcefully takes dramatic steps to allevate the crisis. In verse 1: Now there was a great outcry: The implication of the placement of this account is that the work of rebuilding was continuing when the crisis reached its potential breaking point. Three differnt issues are raised by the crowd, all the result of a periodic famine (v. 3). The first issue is the difficulty getting grain for food (v. 2); the second, the use of fields as collateral to obtain loans for purchasing grain (v. 4); and most seriously, the use of the labor of children as collateral on borrowing money to pay the king's tax (v. 5). Normally taxes were paid in grains in the Persian empire, but when grain was not available; taxes could be paid in the monetary equivalent (usually in terms of weight, such as as "so many mina of silver") of the amount of grain owned. In a famine, as the cost of grain escatlated, so would the relative value of the taxes owed to the empire. Also, famine was usually triggered by drought, making it difficult for farmers to raise the necessary crop yield to repay a debt. Brokers could loan grains or silver in return for receiving pledges on the future yeilds of the land or on the available labor in the family group. If the loan was not repaid in the time frame agreed to, the broker could sieze all the yield of a given crop, or take mmbers of the family into indentured servitude, often exacting interest on the remaining balance due until the whole loan plus accured interest was repaid. Nehemiah attampts to address this situation by first calling a great assembly (v. 7), announcing the release of new resources intothemarkets (v. 10). He also requires that productive lands be returned to the debtors so that they will have some means of raising capital to make the debt good ((v. 11). The call to stop this taking of interest (v. 10) is most likely a reference to the additional interest on the loan when the original repayment schedule cannot be met. This seems to be what the brokers agree to in pledging they will demand nothing more from them (v. 12). In verse 13; May God shake out everyone from the house and from property: having forced the brokers to take a solemn oath before the priests (v. 12), Nehemiah engages in a symbolic action, placing a curse on all who violate the pledge. The brokers, being people of means, would take seriously the possibility of losing their wealth. The peole did as they promised suggests Nehemiah's solution worked. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 9th

Read Nehemiah 4.10-23. In verse 10: But Judah said, "The stregth of the burden bearers is failing": Facing not only external pressure to cease, Nehemiah now had to contend with wavering resolve among the builders. Judah is a metaphor for the whole community. The burden bearers hauled materials up to the points on the wall where they are needed. In verse 12: They said to us ten times is an idiom for "repeatly." These informants want to be sure the community understands that rebuilding may provoke a general raid. In verse 13: So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places: Nehemiah's strategy was to place the people where they would be ready to respond to an attack anywhere along the wall line. The lowest parts may have been chosen to conceal the force from any attacker. In verse 14: Do not be afraid ... remeber the Lord: In the Biblical tradition of the holy war the armed forces is promised that God will fight on their behalf. In verse 15: We all returned to the wall: The immediate threat of military challenge having passed, the community could now return to the task of rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah's subsequent orders are designed to maximize the work on the wall while demonstrating a preparedness for defense. In verse 16: Half of my servants: Probably a chosen group of individuals under direct employ of Nehemiah and whose loyalty he could count on. With such careful provision,the danger of general military action aagainst the community was stymied. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 8th

Read Nehemiah 4.1-9. In 4.1-23: Opposition and the community's response. Though written as a first-person narrative, presumably from Nehemiah's view, the focus is on the community. The account alternates between the scorn and plots of the adversaries of the rebuilding, and the community's determination to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Will they restore things? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? The taunt relates to restoring Jerusalem to its former glory, a task that would take a great deal of time. The coomunity's enthusiasm maybe strong at the moment, but as time passes, Sanballat believes they will give up the task. The issue of sacrifce relates to dedicating the walls at the completion of the project (see 12.43). In verse 6: All the wall was joined together to half its height: it is unclear if this was half the original hieght, or half of its planned height (which may have been considerably less, given the restricted resources). In verse 8: All plotted together to come and fight, maybe not as an "offical" military force, but perhaps in a series of raids designed to destablize the building project. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 7th

Read Nehemiah 3.1-14. In 3.1-32: The community organizes to rebuild the walls. This section marks the center point of the combined work Ezra-Nehemiah and places th emphahsis squarely on the community' efforts. While Ezra and Nehemiah are marked by having "the hand of God" on them, the heros of the narrative are the community members, elaborated in various lists, who willingly undertake the formation of the "house of God." The historical value of this list has been under discussion, and many believe it reflects an authentic, if only partial record of the organization of the rebuilding effort. In verse 1: Then the high priest ... with his fellow priests ... rebuilt the Sheep Gate: This gate was located in the northeast corner of the city adjacent to the Temple precinct and was the principal entry for animals brought for sacrifice. Perhaps because of this, the section of wall is consecrated or "made holy." Another possiblity is that this section was most vulnerable to attack, and consecrating the wall in effect called on God to help defend it. In verse 5: Tekoites: Tekoa was on the fringe of the Judean desert to the south of Jerusalem. It was the traditional village of the prophet Amos (Am 1.1). The common people's willingness is contrasted with the nobles, whose reasons for opposing Nehemiah are not given. It is possible that Tekoa lay near the boundary between Yehud's administrative area and Gershem's, and the nobles may have feared their involvement would bring difficulies with Gershem. Their Lord is a probable reference to Nehemiah. In verse 7: Gibeon and of Mizpah ... under the jurisdiction of the governor of the province Beyond the River: the Hebrew phrasing is difficult, but it may be that Mizpah and the city of Gibeon which lies slightly south of it, were under some special status. Mispah was not destroyed by the Babylonians and it became the administrative center for their rule over the devastated Judean kingdom (Jer 40.7-10). It may have retained some special status as a provincial center as Jerusalem reemerged as the regional capital. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 6th

Read Nehemiah 2.17-20. In 2.17-20: Nehemiah's decree to the people and opposition to the project. Just as the previous section introduced Nehemiah's determination to fulfill the commision given him, and introduced the main personalities who would oppose him, this section brings the community into the picture by Nehemiah's leadership, yet notes the opposition. In verse 17: Then I said to them: The whole community, as defined in v. 16. Disgrace was a term often associated with the Exile as God's punishment of the community, in other words, the refortification of the city would finally put to an end the negative results of God's punishment of the community. In verse 18: They committed themselves to the common good: Just as Ezra had found a willingness to undertake the difficult task of separation from the surrounding poples, Nehemiah finds the community ready to undertake rebuilding the walls. In verse 19: Geshem the Arab is a new figure among the opponents, thought to be the governor of a region in the Shephelah with an adminsitrative center at Lachish. Are you rebelling against your king? would be a normal assumption about the effort to rebuild a city's fortifications since it would provide the means to defy imperial power. It is a hallow taunt since Nehemiah was directly commissioned by the imperial court. In verse 20: You have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem was a stinging rebuke to his opponents that essentially undercut their intrusion into Nehemiah's admisnistrative affairs. THe expression strongly parallels the rejection of help from "adversaries" in rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 4.3), joining the theme of reestablishing the "house of God" to the rebuilding of the walls. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 5th

Read Nehemiah 2.9-16. In 2.9-16: Nehemiah's coming to Jerusalem. As with the account of Ezra, there are few details of the lengthy journey from Persia to Jerusalem. The focus is on significant opposition to Nehemiah's task and his consequent need to be cautious in his planning. In verse 9: Gave them the king's letters: Since Nehemiah came directly fromthe imperial court, it would be convenient for him to carry vital dispatches as well as offical declarations of his office. The king had sent officers of the army and calvalry with me highlights both the military nature of Nehemiah's comminssion and the importance the imperial court placed on his success. In verse 10: Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite offical: Sanballat is a Babylonian name and is known from Aramaic documents of the persian period to have been the name of the governor of the Persian district of Samaria. Horonite probably means his family was from Beth-honron, two Israelite cities located some 12 miles north of Jerusalem (2 Chr 8.5) and controlling a strategic pass. Tobiah is a Hebrew name; his exact role is less certain. The Ammonite offical is perhaps a reference to his region of administrative responsiblity. Some have linked him to a powerful family of the same name of a later period that had significant interests in the Transjordan. Others have suggested he is the same as the Tabeel of Ezra 4.7, apparently a junior offical inthe regional administration. As an Ammonite (if this is a reference to family orgin), Tobiah would be excluded fromthe "assembly" of Israel (Deut 23.3-6). It displeased them: Perhaps because of the new perfence the imperial court is showing to Jerusalem, which will bring new revenues and pestige to the city. In verse 11: The account of the rest of the three days parallels Ezra's account (Ezra 8.32). In verse 13: I went out by night by the Valley Gate: Nehemiah's inspection of the city's fortifications, ahd it been obeserved, might have raised objections that could be communicated to the king and cause a delay in the project. His inspection tour seems to follow the area known as the "City of David," a spur of land that lies along the western edge of the Kidron Valley south of the Temple area. Nehemiah moves from the northwest corner of this region along the city walls, which streched southwestward until they turned an went back north above the Kidron. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 4th

Read Nehemiah 2.1-8. In 2.1-8: Artaxerxes' grant to Nehemiah. Just as Ezra's mission was the result of a gracious act by Artaxerxes, so nehemiah's appointment as governor is by the favor of the same king. This account shows the conditions of Nehemiah's appointment and underscores God's working through both Artaxerxes and Nehemiah. In verse 1: In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year: Nisan, is in early Spring, roughly March-April in our calendar, some three months after receiving the report of 1.3. The twentieth year of Artaxerxes would place this in 445 BCE, about 13 years after Ezra's mission. In verse 3: The city, the place of my ancestors' graves, lies waste is a some what exaggerted descritption, though it is probable that sectionns of the city remained uninhabitable from the ruins of the Babylonian conquest. In verse 6: How long will you be gone, and when will you return? Artaxerxes' reply assumes the granting of Nehemiah's request to rebuild Jerusalem, and the value of Nehemiah to the court. In verse 8: To give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city: Nehemiah's task in rebuilding the city will include refortification, something the Persian empire would not allow without royal dispensation. Since the beams over the gateways need to be of larger and stronger wood than is redily avavilable in the region, Nehemiah asks for timber from the imperially controlled sources, probably the cedar forests of Lebanon. The granting of timber supplies was also the empowering of nehemiah to refortify the city, an act undertaken because of troubled conditions inthe Egyptian holdings of the empire. The gracious hand of my God was upon me parallels Ezra's claim of divine support (Ezra 7.6, 28). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 3rd

Read Nehemiah 1.1-11. I. 1-11: Nehemiah's concern over Jerusalem. The opening explains Nehemiah's appointment as governor and his relentess pursuit of the rebuilding of the city walls. The section ends with a lenghty prayer that gives voice to another concept of the proper approach to God. In verse 1: The words of Nehemiah: the Hebrew term for words can also be rendered "matters." The opening does not necessarily support the existence of a "Nehemiah memoir." In the twentieth year: Apparently the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes (see 2.1). Susa was a seasonal palace for the Persian monarchs, though Artaxerxes seemed to have favored it and spent protracted periods there. In verse 2: One of my brothers may indicate a family member (see 7.2) or may simply mean a colleage. The Jews that survived: It is unclear what specific group or groups Nehemiah is asking about, but the main point is his concern with the entire community's welfare as well as the city's. In verse 3: The wall of Jerusalem is broken down: This should have been well known, following on the destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. Some believe the report must relate to a more recent event, and suggest that the events of Ezra 4.23 may provide the background, through nothing in that account would suggest a destruction of the work that had been accomplished. Possibly the report is taken as a sign of the royal diapproval of Ezra 4.23: the wall of Jerusalem is still broken down, and thus Nehemiah must try a different means to aid Jerusalem. Given the use of terms such as great trouble and shame, another possiblity is that the wall and its gates are metaphors for the separation that Ezra was trying to achieve. In verse 4: I sat down and wept, and mourned for days: This is a sign of grief, and also a sign of the literary character of the account, since it is hard to conceive of a figure as forceful as Nehemiah acting so victimized for several months. In verse 5: God of Heaven was a characteristic title for God in the Persian period (see Ezra 7.12, 23). In verse 10: They are your servants and your people: After confessing his own guilt, Nehemiah calls on God to remember his people since Nehemiah's prayer is on their behalf. In verse 11: Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man: Nehemiah apparently has formed a plan to address the misfortunes of Jerusalem, but the reader does not yet know what it is. Man is clearly a reference to Artaxerxes. In the Persian court, cupbearer was a formal office, with reponsiblity for ensuring the safety of the king's wine supply as well as acting as a royal adviser. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 2nd

Read Titus 3.12-15. In 3.12-15: Epistolary closing. In verse 12: Artemas, Tychicus, those coming to Crete to replace Titus. Tychicus, see Acts 20.4; Eph 6.21; Col 4.7-9; 2 Tim 4.2. Nicopolis, possibly a city in Epirus on the western coast of Greece. In verse 13: Apollos, see Acts 18.24-28; 19.1; 1 Cor 1.12; 3.4-9; 4, 6; 16.12. In verse 15: Though the letter is addressed to Titus, its use of the second person plural form (all of you) here suggests that it was intended for a wider audience. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 1st

Read Titus 3.1-11. In 3.1-11: Public behavior. An explanation of expected behavior toward the authorities and other outsiders, its motivation, and more extended reminder of Titus' authority. In verse 1: Be subject to, see 2.5, 9, where the word (or a related term) is translated "be submissive." See 1 Tim 2.11; 3.4. Authorities, see Rom 13.1-7; 1 Pet 2.13-17. In verse 8: The saying is sure, 1 Tim 1.15; 3.1; 4.9; 2 Tim 2.11. In verse 10: Divisions, Greek "hairetikon," the word from which we get "heretic," is perhaps only a reference to 1.11, not to an unorthodox group as in later church history. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 30th

Read Titus 2.1-15. In 2.1-3.11: Teachings on appropriate behavior. In 2.1-15: Private behavior. The letter explains appropriate behavior and its motivation and gives a general reminder of Titus' authority. In verses 2-10: A domestic code: admonitions to older men (v. 2), older women (v. 3), younger women (vv. 4-5), younger men including Titus (vv. 6-8), and slaves (vv. 9-10). Absent is any admonition to masters. In verse 2: Prudent is related lingistically to word that are translated self-controlled in vv. 5, 6, 12. In verse 12: Wordly passions, see 3.3. In verse 13: The writer speaks not about the "coming" of Jesus, but about his manifestation or "appearing," words used to describe the apearance of an earthly ruler. In verse 15: Let no one look down on you (perhaps because of age, vv. 6, 7), see 1 Tim 4.12. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 29th

Read Titus 1.5-16. In 1.5-16: Instructions on church order. The letter contrasts the elders and the false teachers: The false teachers are motivated by sordid gain (v. 11); the elders must not be greedy for gain (v. 7). The false teachers upset whole families (v. 11); the elders must be able to control their own families (v. 6). In verse 5: Paul, while a captive, spent time at Crete (Acts 27.7-15), but niether Acts not his letters says he started a mission there. Furthermore, after Crete Paul is taken on to Malta, not Nicoplolos (Acts 28.1). Inverses 5-7: Elders and bishops seem to be the same. In verse 9: The determination of sound (healthy or correct) doctrine is based on the reasoning of a community; see 1.13; 2.1, 2, 8; 1 Tim 1.10; 6.3; 2 Tim 1.13; 4.3 In verse 12: A sterotype attributed by some early Christians (Clement of Alexandria, Chrysostom and Jerome) to Epimenides, a Creatan poet from the sixth century BCE. In verse 16: Work, see 1,16; 2.7, 14; 3.1, 8). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 28th

Read Titus 1.1-4. In 1.1-4: Epistolary opening. The longest opening in the Pastorals names the writer, the recipient, and God as agents of truth, preparing for the attack on the false teachers (1.12-14). In verse 1: Servant, literally "slave," of God, form the roots of this expression in the Hebew Scritpures, see 2 Sam 7.5; Jer 7.25. In the undisputed letters Paul uses "servant of Christ" (Rom 1.1; Gal 1.10; Phil 1.1). In verse 3: Command, literally "order upon." The Greek word is related to other terms in the letter: "directed" (1.5); "submissive" (2.5, 9); "authority" (2.15); "subjected (3.1). Savior, see 1.4; 2.10, 13; 3.4, 6; see also 2.11; 1 Tim 2.3; 4.10. In verse 4: Loyal child, see 1 Tim 1.2; 2 Tim 1.2; 2.1. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 27th

Read Ezra 10.16-44 In 10.16-44: The listing of men who had married foreign wives. Moving back to a third-person narrative, the account now describes the process by which the community was examined, and the results of that examination are listed. The emphasis on the actual persons who willingly sent away their foreign wives underscores the community's willingness to take on this level of separation, forming a distinct, "holy" community. In verse 17: By the first day of the first month: The process took three months. In verse 18: The list is ordered along three lines- the priests, the Levities, and Israel-considering the small enclave of Jerusalem and its surroundings as the totality of the community. In verse 44: The Hebrew text here is difficult and the translation follows the Greek of 1 Esdras. The Hebrew suggests the children stayed and only the foreign wives were sent away, the children being counted as legitimate members of the community. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 26th

Read Ezra 10.6-15 In 10.6-15: Ezra's decree against intermarriage. Rather than issue a proclamation in his role as imperial representative, Ezra convenes as assembly of the community to deliver the regulation to separate themesleves from the people of the lands. The narrative underscored the willingness of the community to reform itself, with few exceptions. In verse 6: Ezra withdrew: having intercede on behalf of the community, Ezra could now retire to another less public place to plan how the community would enact its reforms. His fasting is a traditional means of expressing sorrow for sin. In verse 7: A proclamation: The call to convene an assembly goes to the returned Exiles, perhaps to differentiate the community from non-Israelite populations that may have moved into the region after the fall of the Judean kingdom. In verse 8: Property ... forfeited: a penalty the presupposes community control over each indidual's possessions. There is evidence that the Persian empire orgainized some districts into economic collectives in which the individual had wealth only as a part of the collective. Being excluded from the collective would have dire economic consequences. Congregation: the same word in Hebrew as "assembly in 10.1. In verse 9: Then ninth month: Kslev, approximately December of the modern calendatr, a time of cold rains in Palestine. In a humman touch,the author notes the people were trembling from the awe someness of the matter at hand and the cold rains. In verse 10: Tresspassed: The violation of separateness has not only caused individual alienation from God, but has afeected the community's relationship with God. In verse 11: Separate yourselfs: It is not clear if the order to separate is a general one, for which sending away the foriegn wives is the specific action, or if an additional issue is involved. In verse 14: The whole assembly agrees with Ezra's proposal but makes a series of practical suggestions for its implemention. The work of sorting through those marriages that needed to be dissoloved would continue until intermarriage was no longer the guilt of the community. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 25th

Read Ezra 10.1-5. In 10.1-5: The people's response. The narrative now returns briefly to a third-person form to describe the community's reaction to Ezra's sermon in prayer form. The function of the brief notice is to empower Ezra to act on behalf of the community's own request. In verse 1: A very great assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel: One of the keys to this section is the idea of an assembly. A large number of persons heard Ezra's prayer and wept bitterly, indicating their deep grief. In verse 3: Now let us make a covenant: Recognizing the gravity of their situation, the assembly calls for action to remove the foriegn wives from the community's midst as a sacred act, to be done as dictated by Ezra and those who tremble at the commandment of our God, the members of the community particularly concerned with obedience to the law. In verse 5: The leading priests and levities, and all Israel: reversing the order of the report from the "officials" in 9.1, accounmt ensures that the community as a whole observes the new covenant. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 24th

Read Ezra 9.10-15 In verses 10-11: For we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets. The quotation comes from fragments of various texts pieced together, notably Deut 7.1-4; 11.8; 23.6;Isa 1.19; and Lev 18.24-30. In verse 13: After all that has come upon us relates to the destruction of Jerusalem and the sunsequent Exile of a number of leading citizens under the Babylonians. In verse 14: Shall we break your commandments again and intermarry: This phrasing equates the idolatry of the late Judean kingdom with the practice of intermarriage in Ezra's day. In verse 15: You are just: Despite God's character as a just God (which would mean the community should have been oblierated), the community survived, yet guilt has again come on the community from it intermarriage with surrounding peoples. The implications is that the community must remove the guilt (that is, intermarriage) or face certain destruction at the hands of a just and holy God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 23rd

Read Ezra 9.5-9 In verse 6: Our iniquities ... and our guilt are reference to the practice of intermarraige, both terms are often used for servere transgressions of the law. In verse 7: To utter shame, as is now the case: Though the Persian monarchs have greatly been supportive, there is still the sense of a diminished community because of theneed to rely on Persian support. In verse 8: Who has left us a remnant, and given us a stake in his holy place: God's recent gracious acts are reviewed, including allowing the community to survive at all and providing a point of security in Jerusalem. In verse 9: For we are slaves: Despite the favor the monarchy has granted, the comunity is still is servitude to the empire. The expression will be echoed in Neh 9.36. To set up the house of God serves as the general heading, the specific actions being to repair its ruins and to provide a wall in Judea and Jerusalem. The wall is a metaphor, standing for a boundary or separartion from the surrounding region by staying away from intermarriage. To violate this wall becomes all the more serious, a rejection of God's gift intended to help establish the house of God. Comments or Questions..

Reading fpr November 22nd

Read Ezra 9.1-4. In 9.1-15: Acknowledgement of intermarriage and Ezra's response. The narrative dealing with Ezra comes to a dramatic point in this chapter. Portions of the community reveal that intermarriage has taken place, and Ezra offers a long prayer of confession trusting that God will not destroy the community because of this sin. The entire framework is expressed in graphic terms, in whiich intermarriage is colored by terms associated with the most severe violations of God's sancity. The aura of holiness and purity which must surround the Temple as God's dwelling place is now transferred to the community as a whole. The community becomes the house of God. In verse 1: After these things: Ezra has disposed of some of the formalities of his mission, and then is confroonted by the issue of intermarriage. This list of peoples contains the seven stock enemies of Israel that appear in a number of places in the Hebrew Bible. While marriage with foreigners was not prohibited, marriage with any of these enemies was considered unacceptable because of the dangers of idolatry (example, Deut 7.1-4). There is nosuch evidence that such peoples would still have been identifiable in the time of Ezra. In verse 2: The holy seed has mixed itself extends language from the "holiness code" of Lev 19 to the population. In Lev 19.19, mixing with different seeds is prohibited as an affront to God's holiness. Such action is characterized as faithlessness in this narrative, or acting without regard for God's holiness. The entire condemnation of intermarriage here is a process of creatively combing ideas and themes into a new teaching. In verse 3: I tore my gramentand my manttle, and pulled hair from my head and beard: these are traditional signs of deeply felt grief. In verse 4: All who trembled at the words of the God of Israel is a reference to those who took seriously the commandments of God, reflecting the original awe of the people when God first revealed his law upon the mountain (Ex 19.16-20). Comments or Qustions.

Reading for November 21st

Read Ezra 8.31-36. In 8.31-36: The return to Jerusalem. This section provides a clean closure to the basic duties of the partly returning with Ezra: delivery of the Temple treasures being donated by the Persian monarchy and the initation of newly endowed sacrifices. In verse 31: The hand of our God was upon us: The same concept of divine empowerment is found in 7.28. In verse 333: On the fouth day: Possibly the party needed the time to rest before engaging in their business. The gifts were weighed out in order to ensure the quantities entrusted to Ezra and his group were fully delivered. In verse 35: Those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles: This enigmatic reference may mean just the group that has returned with Ezra or the entire Jerusalem community. Most likely, giventhe end of v. 36, the reference is intended to be the group thathas just returned. The sacrifices that are offered bear symbolic numbers representative of all Israel. Verses 35-36 are related in a third-person form, leading several to suggest they are the work of a later editor. In verse 36: They supported the people and the house of God, the ultimate commendation of those who came with Ezra. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 20th

Read Ezra 8.21-30. In 8.21-30: Preparation for the journey to Jerusalem. There are two distinct parts to this section: a concern about physical dangers (vv. 21-23) and some details on the precious metals being carried for the Temple (vv. 24-30). In the author's view, it may be that carrying so much gold and silver made the expedition a target for robbers, leading to the concerns for security. In verse 21: Then I proclaimed a fast there; Following the Exile, fast in seems to have become a more common practice to affirm to God and the community the seriousness with which appeals to God were being made. In this case, the fast underscores the commity's desire for God to protect them. In verse 23: And he listened to our entreaty anticipates what the reader is told later, that the journey was made safely. In verse 24: Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: In Ezra-Nehemiah various groupings of twelve appear frequently, possibly as a way of retaining some sense of the twelve-tribe organization that traditionally made up the members of Israel, even though most of the persons inthese groups are from the tribe of Judah. In verse 28: You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy summarizes several Pentateuchal rules regarding priests (Ex 29.1; Lev 21.6) and vessels used in worship (Ex 29.44;30.29). Only temple personnel decreed as holy council could transport holy objects (Lev 3.31;4.12-15). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 19th

Read Ezra 8.15-20. In 8.15-20: An aside concerning the Levites. In the list above (vv. 1-14), although these are priests, there are no Levities. Yet Levites were necessary for the proper functioning of the Temple since certain duties were exclusively theirs. This section explains how Ezra was able to solve this problem. In verse 15: The river that runs to Ahava: An unknown place in Babylonia. In verse 17: The place called Casiphia: Another unknown place,though the presence of Temple servants there suggests some form of formal worship may have been conducted in this location. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 18th

Read Ezra 8.1-14. In 8.1-14: Listing of those returning with Ezra. Presented in the form of a list, this section has a very atificial structure, leading many to question its authenticity. In verse 2: Of the the descendants of Phineas: the list begins with priests first, followed by the descendants in 1 Chr 3 carries the list three or four generations after these individuals. In verse 3: Of Parosh, Zechariah: what follows are twelve distinct family groups of persons with no specific occupations. Given the figures for thenumber of males in each family group, a total of 1, 500 men, and an estimated total of 5, 000 men, women, and children whould have been part of this group. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 17th

Read Ezra 7.21-28. In verse 22: Up to one hundred talents of silver: Instructions for the imperial treasurers to support Ezra within limits. The quantities for most of the commodities were not unreasonable., but the amount of silver is almost a third of the royal taxation of the province Beyond the River. In verse 24: It shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll: The exemption of professionals involved in staffing temples from any taxation is attested in other parts of the Persian empire, so it would not be out of character for such an exemption to be extended to the Temple personnel in Jerusalem. In verse 25: Appoint magistrates and judges: Ezra is charged to reform the judiciary. God-given wisdom: Though it is unlikely that a Persian king would have credited Ezra's wisdom to God, this connection appears in several places in the book of Deuteronomy (Deut 4.6;16.19-20). In verse 26: All who will not obey the law of your God refers not to all people of any cultural hertiage living in the province, but those who know the laws of God, that is, other Jews. In verse 27: To gorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: Since Ezra's offical mission has little to do withthe physical Temple, it is likely that the "house of the God" is not the Temple as such but the community's adherence to the distinctive customs of Israel. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 16th

Read Ezra 7.11-20. In 7.11-28: King Artaxerxes' commission to Ezra. The letter that Artaxerxes purportedly gave to Ezra elevates Ezra from a religious teacher to an imperial offical, undertaking an important mission at the request of the king. While portions of the letter may well be genuine, there are serious questions about the authenticity of other sections, and the author seems to have taken some significant liberties in editing the document. In verse 12: Artaxerxes, king of kings: Persian kings did refer to themselves this way, suggesting part of an authentic Persian letter. In verse 14: You are sent by the king and his "seven counselors" Persian monarchs had a high council of seven trusted advisers who were called upon to help with significant decsions. Ezra is instructed to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem, a vague task. According to the law of your God may suggest that Ezra is ensuring that the worship in the Temple is being properly conducted. Which is in your hand has been varuously interpreted. On its simplest level, it means that Ezra is physically carrying a copy of the Pentateuch from Babylon to Jerusalem, although in Hebrew that are more direct ways to express this. The phrase in your hand is attested in several Persian period documents as meaning "in your power" or "in your sphere of authority." In this understanding, Artaxerxes is directing Ezra to conduct his inquiry in terms of the laws that are relevant to the inquiry, laws that apply to Ezra's task. In verse 19: The vessel that have been given you: Like the vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken and Cyrus had returned to the Temple (1.7-11), these vessels are a royal gift bestowed on the temple as a sign of gratitude for God's granting Artaxerxes' rule. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 15th

EZRA'S iNQUIIRY In Ch. 7-10: With little in the way of transition, a first-person narrative recounts the conditions under which Ezra was authoritzed to undertake a trip to Jeusalem, and his initial concerns once there. The use of a first-person narrative may be the result of the author's use of an authentic source (an "Ezra memior") or may be a lterary device intended to give immedicy and emotional power to the narrative. Rea Ezra 7.1-10. In 7.1-10: Introduction to the mission of Ezra. The purpose of this third person narration is to give the reader a sense of who Ezra was and what was significant about his role in relation to the community. In verse 5: Son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron: Ezra is given a distinguished lineage, concluding with the most important of the primary line of priests in ancient Israel. In verse 6: A scribe skilled in the law: The ability to read and write led people to expect scribes could also explain legal issues. Law of Moses: apparently the Pentatuech in some form. The king granted him all that he asked for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him: There is no explanation of how a person who was a specialist in a religious tradition whose followers were a small minority whithin the empire could get repeated access to the king. Hand of the Lord ... was upon him: A common expression of the presence of God in some sense guiding a person's career. In verse 7: Some of the people of israel: Presumably only a small portion of the Jewish community in Babylonia chose to return to Jerusalem. Life in Exile was more likely not too difficult, and the prospect of returning to a land devasted by warfare and economic ruin not very attractive. The seventh year of King Artaxerxes would be 458BCE if this was Artaxerxes I of Persia. Since Ezra's opposition to intermarriage receives no mention in the account of Nehemiah, and Nehemiah addresses the same issues as if they had never been raised before, some have argued Ezra really came under Artaxerxes II (the seventh year being 398 BCE). The confusion over Ezra's chronological relation to Nehemiah comes about from trying to read Ezra-Nehemiah as straight history rather than as an apologetic. The author intends the reader to believe that Ezra came first. In verse 10: Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it: Not only was Ezra a student of the law, but he sought to observe its requirements in his everytday life. Out of his study and experience, Ezra would teach the people. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 14th

Read Ezra 6.19-22. In 6.19-22: The first Passover in the rebuilt Temple. The shift back to Hebrew from Aramaic draws attention to this central festival. Just as Israel was not a physical nation until they could worship God following theiir escape from Egypt, celebrated in the Passover, so the Exilic community could not be considered a nation until the house of God was fully functioning. With Temple in place, the Passover clebration had a renewed importance for the community as a sign of their coming into a new status. The author skillfully connects this with the physical separation of the community from the surrounding people, a point that Ezra will hammer on as the centerpiece of reforms. In verse 20: The priests and the Levities had purified themselves: Following the return from Exile, there was a new emphasis on the purity regulations of the Pentateuch and on extending the areas of life they afflected. Before undertaking the Passover, the ritual purity of the priests and levities had to be assured. In verse 21: The people of Israel who had returned from exile, and ... all who joined them and separarted themselves from the polllution of the nations: As a celebration of God miraculous deliverance and the formation of the people into a nation, Passover was a powerful symbol of identity. Those who had been exiled and returned clearly would be recognized as part of Israel. The population that remained behind joined the Exile community by separating from the surrounding peoples. Pollutions: a term normally reseerved for severe violations, according to some parts of the Hebrew Bible, that God removed the Canaanites from the land (Lev 20.22-24). In verse 22: Had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work: An echo of Ezra 1.1-4. The use of the title king Assyria is unclear, though the Persian king did adopt this title since the former Assyrian territory was under his rule. It may be a deliberate reference to King Esarhaddon of Assyria (Ezra 4.2); some of the peoples he transported to the territory north of Jerusalem had indeed "come over" to the side of the returning exiles in opposition to their fellow countryfolk, who opposed the Temple. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 13th

Read Ezra 6.13-18. In verse 14: They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia: In a literal historical reading this makes no sense, since the physical Temple was completed in the reign of Darius, and Artaxerxes had nothing to do with it. However, the formation of the "house of God" involved not only the rebuilding the Temple, but also rebuilding the city and separating the community from the surrounding peoples by prohibiting intermarriage. These later steps, under the reformers Ezra and Nehemiah, occured under the time of Artaxerxes. In verse 15: The third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius: 515 BCE. Some believe the day was originally the twenty-third day of Adar, which would put the complete rebuilding near the anniversary of Solomon's celebration of the completion of the original Temple (2 Chr 7.10) and approximately 70 years after the destruction of the Temple. In verse 17: As a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel: Without a functioning Temple, it was not possible for the priesthood to maintain the regular purification offering for the nation. The offering may be indebted to the vision of a renewed Temple by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 43.22-27) in whch the sin offering purifies the Temple from the pollutions of Israel's past. In verse 18: As it is written in the book of Moses: in 1 Chr 23-26 it is David who sets up the courses of the priests and Levites for worship in the Temple. There is no prescription for these orders as described in the Pentateuch, normally what the author means by the book of Moses. With the arrangements for the offerings and who would be responsible for them, the Temple is now fully functioning. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 12th

Read Ezra 6.1=12. In verse 2: Ecbatana, the capital of the province of media: the search began in Babylon since important royal decrees would be archived there. Ecbatana, at a higher elevation than the main capital of Persepolis, was the location of the persian Kings' summer palace. In verse 4: Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury: Cyrus detailed specifications of the size and form of construction limit how much the rebuilding would cost., since imperial funds were paying for it. In verse 10: So they may offer pleasing sacrifices ... and pray for the life of the king and his children: Persian imperial support for local religious centers is well attested. It was part of a larger policy of bringing local customs into the framework of loyalty to the empire. Darius probably did not worship Israel's God, but that did not prevent him from seeking to convince those who did that Israel's God was concerned with the King's well-being. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 11th

Read Ezra 5.6-17. In verse 6: The copy of the letter: The author offers extracts from official memoranda to fill out the story line. While there can be no certainty, it appears the author was working from actual documents, which may have been modified slightly to fit the narrative. In verse 12: But because our ancestors had angered God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar: The case for rebuilding the Temple depends in part on the assertion that the Temple was destroyed not because the southern kingdom rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and imperial king but because God was angry. In verse 13: King Cyrus ... made a decree: See 1.1-4. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 10th

Read Ezra 5.1-5. In 5.1-6.18: Overcoming opposition and rebuilding. Thhis section of the book highlights the continued commitment of the community to rebuilding the house of God, understood as both the physical Temple and the renewed Jerusalem. This section is in Aramaic and as in the earlier sections, carries the narrative forward by extensive quotation from various official documents. In 5.1: Haggai and Zechariah: This section opens at the end of the sixth century, where ch. 4 ended with a mention of two prophets who, along with Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, directed a new effort to rebuild the Temple. These are probably the prophets behind the canonical books bearing their names. In verse 3: Who gave you a decree: The officals who are inquiring about imperial permission may not be opposing the rebuilding of the Temple as much as showing concern that all is being done in accord with imperial sanction. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 9th

Read Ezra 4.17-24. In verse 19: I made a decree and someone searched: The command was to investigate the charge the Jerusalem had a history of rebelllion. Brief accounts of major events were kept for administrative purposes, such as the Babylonian Chronicles, which record the succesive revolts of Jerusalem against the Babylonian empire until the city's destruction. In verse 20: Jerusalem has had mighty kings who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River: This would seem to refer to either David or Solomon, who exercised control over a large territory. This makes little sense, however, either in the context or in the kinds of records avaialble to the Persian monarch. The same wording could ne translated, "Morover, there have been powerful kings over jerusalem who ruled over the whole province ... ," placing Artaxerxes in a series of imperial rulers who had successfully controlled Jerusalem and Beyond the River. In verse 21: This city not be rebuilt, until I make a decree: By stopping the rebuilding, Artaxerxes was not making a permanent decision. A future royal decree is exactly what the narrative concerning Nehemiah envisions. In verse 23: By force and power made them cease: The prompt response of Rehum and Shimshai is accompanied by terms that may refer to infantry and cavalry units whose presence would underscore the imperial concern over the rebuilding effort. In verse 24: At that time the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped: If read as a historical narrative, the phrase at that time makes lttle sense. Artaxerxes I makes the decision to have the work halted some time after 465 BCE, butlater the note until the second year of the reign of King Darius would have to be 521 BCE. Either the author is hopelessly confused reguarding chronology, or the purpose of the narrative is not historical but thematic. The notation here returns the narrative to the issue of rebuilding the Temple, bringing it back to v. 5. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 8th

Read Ezra 4.7-16 In verse 7: And in the days of Artazerxes: He came to the throne in 465 BCE and remained in power until 423 BCE. The names of the officals sending the memo are Aramaic: The normal language for conducting businessin the Persian empire was Aramaic. By making not of this detail, the author affirms the seriousness of this exchane. It was translated so that the Jerusalem community could understand it. The footnote points out that the Hebrew text goes on to read in Aramaic, indicatiing that the author is quoting fromthe Aramaic original as opposed to the translation. From this point until 6.18, the narrative is in Aramaic. In verse 8: Wrote a letter against Jerusalem indetifies the city with the house of God. In verse 10: The rest of the nations ... deported and settled refers to vv. 1-2, where the deportees sttled to the north of Jerusalem were the "adversaries" seeking to join in rebuilding the Temple. Here, they oppose the rebuilding of Jersalem's walls. Osnapper is a variant name for the Assyrian king Asshurbanipal (699-633 BCE). Beyond the River was the offical name of the adminsitrative unit of Syria-Palestine (in Aramaic, "Abarnahara"), from the perspective of Mesopotamia and Persia, the territories of Syria-Palestine were acroos or "beyond" the river Jordan, terminating at the coast of the Mediterranean. In verse 12: They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city: The neigboring peoples charge that Jerusalem, with ist history of rebellion against empires, should not be rebuilt. Persian imperial pratice was to decentralize populations. Only where secuirty or economic concerns were of central importance were cites rebuilt. In verse 13: If this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute: A renewed and refortified Jeusalem will follow its earlier history and will revolt against the taxes and dues that propvided the economic lifeblood of the empire. In verse 14: We share the salt of the palace: An expression, exact meaning unclear, perhaps, syaing that the writers are paid in part directly by the palace in the form of salt, a more valued commodity in antquity than now. In verse 16: You will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River: With hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point) the opponents imply that Jerusalem's revolt would lead to the loss of the whole province. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 7th

Read Ezra 4.6. 4.6-26: Opposition to rebuilding the Jerusalem. The author now moves from opposition to the Temple rebuilding to opposition to building a wall around Jerusalem. After a brief effort at a chronological transition, there is an exchange of memoranda between several imperial officals and King Artaxerxes 1 of Persia. As a result, the king orders the suspnsion of any rebuilding of the city, which the author then ties to opposition to the Temple. While there is no way to authenticate these memos, they have the form and general structure of know imperial memos from the Persian empire, although some elements may have been introduced to carry forward the larger purposes of the book. In verse 6: In the reiign of Ahasuerus, in his accession year: Ahasuerus, in his accession year: Ahaserus is the Hebrew version of thename of the Persian King the Greeks called Xerxes. The main royal figure in the book of Esther,Xerxes came to the Persianthrne late inthe year 486 BCE. The contents of the accusation are not specified, nor the consequences of the report. This notice serves to bring the narrative through a chronlogical sequence of Persian Kings (Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes) to the communications with Artaxerxes. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 6th

Read Ezra 4.1-5. In 4.1-5: Opposition to rebuilding the Temple. This section shows the surrounding peoples opposing the rebuilding of the Temple, just as the following section will detail opposition by surrounding peoples to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem over a half of century later. Such opposition to sacred actions furthers the prohibition of intermarriage witht he surrounding peoples. In verse 1: The adversaries of Judah and Bejanmin: By charactererizing these persons as adversaries, the author makes their subsequent request less than truthful. In verse 2: We worship your God as you do: As deportees who have been settled in the land by the Assyrains, the "adversaries" would not have known the Pentateuch nor the orders of the Temple service attributed to King David. Consquently, they could not approach God inthe same way as the returned exiles. In verse 3: We alone will build to the Lord ... as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us: The community determines to show its devotion on its own, and claims this is reuired by Cyrus' orders. There is nothing in the decree that restricts who can participate in the rebuilding. In verse 4: The people of the land discouraged the people of Judah: Here the people of the land is defined by what preceeded it, namely they are deportees who were brought into the land by the Assyrains. However, the author will use the term simpley as a generic label for those who are not of Judah. The Hebrew term tranlated as discourged is better rendered "undermined." Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 5th

Read Ezra 3.8-13. In 3.8-13: Laying the foundation of the Temple. The author highlights the momentous beginning of the building of the Temple, emphasizing the devotion of the community. In verse 8: In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem may relate to the third year of Darius, around 519 BCE if the earlier reference was to a time in the reign of Darius. The community arrived at Jerusalem to find the Temple in ruins, hence the need to begin rebuilding. But the author, wanting to connect the Jerusalem community with the sanctified dwelling place of God, has the exiles arriving at the house of God. They appointed Levites: Most likely Zerubbabel and Jeshua appointed them. In verse 10: The priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets recalls the priestly trumpeters in 2 Chr.5.12 at the dedication of the Temple in the days of Solomon. According to the directions of King David empasizes the continuity between this Second Temple and the worship conducted in the First Temple. Despite the trauma of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the exile in Babylon, nothing has changed in the way the community worships God. In verse 11: They sang responsively: The leaders sang first and the assembly responded. Another possible meaning is "antiphonally," with one part of the choir initiating a verse and the other part completing it. The hymn that is sung appears as part of a number of Psalms (for example, Ps 106.1; 107.1; 136.1). In verse 12: Old people who had seen the first house: Sixty-eight years had elapsed since the destruction of the first Temple. Wept with a loud voice when they saw this house. Presumably what was planned for the rebuilt Temple was less is size and/or granduer than that of the Temple of Solomon (as in Hag 2.3). The weeping over what had been lost was drowned out by those who shouted for joy, shifting the focus to what could be anticipated for the future. Comments or Questions..

Reading for Novemeber 4th

REBUILDING THE HOUSE OF GOD. Chs. 3-6: This section, in the form of historicl narrative, includes citations from various documents designed to authenticate the contents. There are disruptions in the chronological order of the narrative, however, and in ch.4 there is a sudden shift from the Hebrew to the Aramaic language. Recounting events in chronological order is therefore probably not the intention of this section. Rather, the author is interweaving two actions by the community: The rebuilding of the Temple and the reconstitution of the community as the "house of God." The first happens within a generation of the return to Jerusalem from Exile, but the second can take place only serveral generations later, after Jerusalem community is separated by its walls and its covenant to refrain from inter-marriage. Read Ezra 3.1-7. In 3.1-7: The reinstitution of worship. This section describes the resumption of worship at the site of the ruined Temple as a prelude to the effort to rebuild the Temple, as decreed bythe Persian King Cyrus in the opening of the book. In verse 1: When the seventh month came is an enigmatic reference since the year is not disclosed. It may be the seventh month of the earlier date formula of 1.1, that is, the first year of Cyrus (around 539 BCE), though this presents a problem with what follows. The notices of Jeshua and Zerubbabel (v. 2) focus on two individuals who are usually dated to the early years of the rign of Darius (522-486 BCE). The seventh month may refer to the second year of Darius' rule, when a renewed commitment to rebuilding the Temple was made (Hag 2.1). In verse 2: As prescribed in the law of Moses, the man of God relates to rules on the compsition of the altar found in Ex 20.25. In verse 4: And they kept the Festival of Booths, as prescribed, relecting perhaps a concern to follow the rules found in Lev 23.33-43, where the fifteenth day of the seventh month is reserved for the beginning of this important festival. In verse 6: But the foundation of the Temple of the Lord was not yet laid distinguishes the resumption of worship from the beginning of rebuilding the physical Temple. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 3rd

Read Ezra 2.36-70. In verse 36: The priests: The decendants of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua: Jedaiah is named as one of the first priestly figures to return to Jerusalem after the Exile (1 Chr 9.10), and Jeshua was an important chief priest under the administrartion of Zerubbabel in the late sixth century (Ezra 3.8). Apparemtly, Jedaiah was regarded as the founder of a renewed line for the chief priesthood. In verse 43: The Temple servants is a technical name for a group devoted to serving the Levites. In verse 55: Solomon's servants appear to have been a similar group. In verse 59: Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer are place names of uncertain identification. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 2nd

Read Ezra 2.1-35. In 2.1-70: The first list of those who returned from Babylon. At first glance, the list would seem to be a well- organized, coherent presentation broken into sections by category of occupations. A closer examination reveals that some persons are idenitifed by their family lineage, others by their place of resdence. This and other differences suggest the list is a composite product, possibly listing returnees from several different stages of the formation of the community in Jerusalem. From the meager records have survived, the usual conclusion drawn is that following Cyrus's decree several different groups left Babylon for Jerusalem at different times. The list is repeated with some variations in Neh 7.6-73. From a close comparison of the two lists, the list here in Ezra 2 appears to summarize the information in Neh 7, and consequently may be derived from that list. The use of duplicate lists in Ezra-Nehemiah is a deliberate framing device by the author, directing the reader's attention to the level of the individulas who form the "house of God." In verse 2: They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah ... : Several of these names are well-known govenors of Yehud, the persian province centered in Jerusalem, who were in office at various times from the sixth century onward. Others, such as Jeshua, were among the high priests. Some of the individuals were contemporaries of Nehemiah, bringing the close of the list to the mid fifth century. The incorporation of persons over such a range of time shows the essentially nonhistorical interest of the author. The number of the Israelite people: This term for number is more apporpriately "listing," since formal census does not follow. The first section (vv. 2b-20) lists names by clan group, the second (vv. 21-35) mainly by location, the third (vv. 36-39) lists priestly clans, the fourth (vv. 40-42) Levitical groups, and the fifth (vv. 43-58) various orders of Temple servants. These are followed by a miscellaneous group that could not demonstrate a connection to known family lineages (vv. 59-63). A numerical summary of the primary attributes of the community follows (vv. 64-67), then there is a report of the devotion of these goups to the Temple (vv. 68-70). The various numbers given are possible in some cases, though some of the amounts may be artifical, such as 666 (v. 13). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 1st

Read Ezra 1.1-11. In 1.1-11: The decree of Cyrus and its results. The legitimation pattern is opened by having Cyrus, the dominat founder of the Persian empire as Israel experienced it, decree that all those from Jerusalem should return and rebuild the house of the Lord. In verses 1-2: In order that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished: Jeremiah had claimed the Exile in Babylon would last 70 years (Jer 29.10). The first year of Cyrus is probably a reference to his first year over the Babylonian empire, which he captured in 539 BCE. The decree that follows is substantially the one the closes 2 Chr 36. Charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem is not the confession of Cyrus's belief in Israel's God, but rather a balanced polytheistic way of claiming that all subjugated people's gods have empowered Persian rule. Thus the persian king, by virtue ofhaving rule, should honor the gods who have permitted it. In other ancient sources, Cyrus claims the same divine approval from Marduk, the chief Babylonian god. In verse 3: He is the God who is in Jerusalem reflects the common ancient Near Eastern concept that gods and goddesses are especially presenet and should be worshipped in particular locations. In verse 4: For the house of God in Jerusaelm is an expansion of the decree in 2 Chr 36 that allows for the collection of offering for the Temple in Jerusalem by all those living outside the city. In verse 5: The heads of the families of Judah and Bejamin, and the Priests and the Levites: The primary tribes populating the southern kingdom of Judah were Judah and Benjamin. The Priests and Levites were usually counted separately from the tribes. In verse 7: King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of the house of thr Lord the Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem: When Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 587 BCE, the Babylonians looted the Temple precinct, including the gold and silver vessels used in the Temple service. The return of these vessels links the Temple of Solomon that had been destroyed by the Babylonian with the Temple that will be built after the Exile. In verse 8: Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah: There is no consensus on what this title may have meant in this time period. In Ezra 5.14 Sheshbazzar is called "govenor" of the province, so it may be that the author is using "prince" to indicate a leading citizen. In verse 9: And this was the inventory: This list possibly has been copied from an authentic inventory of the returned vessels. Coments or Questions..

Reading for October 31st

Read 2 Thessalonians 3.16-18. In 3.16-18: Epistolary closing. Peace and grace for all of you suggests a desire to draw in the erring members. In verse 17: With my own hand in light of 2.2 suggests that the writer feels the need to authenticate his letter. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 30th

Read 2 Thessalonians 3.1-15. In 3.1-15: Commands and exhortations. Two sets of commands and encouragements to virtue (vv. 1-4 and 6-11) surround a prayer (v. 5). In verse 1: Finally, the last section of the letter. In verses 6-15: Commands and exhorations to the entire community (vv. 6-10) and to the offending figures in the congregation (vv. 11-12) precede a command on how to deal with disobedient (vv. 13-15). In verse 6: In idelness could also mean "in disorderliness." Apparently expecting the Lord to return very soon, some in the congregation stopped working. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 29th

Read 2 Thessalonians 2.16-17. In 2.16-17: Another prayer. As in 1.11-12, this prayer anticipates sunsequent concerns, in this case God's role in strengthening the community (3.3) and "work" (3.8-12). In verse 17: Comfort your hearts, see Isa 51.12; 61.2. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 28th

Read 2 Thessalonians 2.1-15 In 2.1-15: A refutation. False teaching about the day of the Lord is stated (vv. 1-2) and refuted (vv. 3-12). In contrast is thanksgiving for the different fate of believers (vv. 13-15), who hold on to the truth (v. 13). In verse 3: Lawless one, perhaps a false prophet or one of the emperors. In verses 6-7: The identity of the unknown one restraining the lawlss one is impossible to determine, but the conflict between the two belongs to what must occur before the day of the Lord. In verse 13: We must always give thanks, see 1.3. In verse 15: Stand firm: see 1 Thess 3.8. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 27th

Read 2 Thessalonians 1.3-12. In 1.3-10: Perseverance and future vindication. This long sentence includes a thanksgiving (vv. 3-4) and commentary on affliction (vv. 5-10). In verses 3-4: The thanksgiving report relates the community's progress and steadfastness. In verse 4: Persecution ... afflictions, both mean suffering, but the first, external suffering, is more specfic. They may mean the woes of the end times; see Dan 12.1. In verses 5-10: These verses teach that suffering is a sign of being chosen and that those who suffer will be vindicated at the judgment. That day anticipates 2.1-12, which refutes those who think their recent afflictions mean that the "day of the Lord' has already appeared. In verses 7-10: Descriptions of God in the Hebrew Scritptures and other Jewish writings now apply to Jesus (see the angels in Zech 14.5: Enoch 1.9; flaming fire in Isa 66.15-16; glorified in Ps 89.7). In verses 11-12: A prayer. These verses are the letter's main teahing. Resolve, work of faith anticipate the refutations in 2.1-12 and 3.1-15. In verse 12: see Isaiah 66.5, but it is Jesus who will be glorified. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 26th

Read 2 Thessalonians 1.1-2. In 1.1-2: Epistolary opening. The greeting is similar to 1 Thessalonians but longer. On Silvanus and Timothy, see 1 Thess 1.1 Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 25th

Read 2 Kings 25.27-30. In 25.27-30: The elevation of Jehoiachin. The year is around 562, so that there is a gap of about 25 years between the events described in these verses and those in the verses immediately preceding. This may indicate that these verses are a later addition. There prupose is not clear, but some have suggested that they subtly express the possibility that God may again restore the Davidic monarchy. In verses 27-28: Evil-merodach was Awil-Marduk. His reason for releasing Jehoiachin from prison is not made clear. In verses 29-30: Even though he remained a captive, probably until he died, Jehoiachin's status was enhanced and his life made more comfortable. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 24th

Read 2 Kings 25.22-26. In 25:22-26: The rule and assassination of Gedaliah. In verse 22: The word governer does not actually appear in the Hebrew text. Gedaliah is not given any title. In verse 23: The admistrative capital was moved from Jerusalem to Mizpah. In verse 25: Perhaps because he was not a descendant of David, Gedaliah wwas regarded as an illegitimate ruler and was assassinated by members of the royal family. Comments or Questions..