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..