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..