Reading for January 8th

Read Ezekiel 13.17-23: In verses 17-23: Ezekiel then condemns the women who prophesy falsely and practice divination. Miriam (Ex 15.20-21), Deborah (Judg 4-5), and Hudldah (2 kings 22) demonstrate that female prophets appeared in both Judah and Israel. He points to the divinatory side of their activities in which they employ wristbands and veiled (see Moses' veil in Ex 34.29-35), and he indicates that they are paid for their services in barley and bread. Prophecy was a profession in the ancient world (1 Sam 9.7, but contrast Am 7.10-17). The false prophetesses and diviners appart=rently play a role in deciding capital cases in which person's life is at stake. God will tear beads from their hands and let the lives of such people go free like birds. Birds were frequently employed in divination in the ancient world (see Isa 8.18). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 7th

Read Ezekiel 13.1-16. In 13.1-23: Ezekiel must condemn prophets who announce peace (compare Jer 27-28). In verses 1-7: Ezekiel charges the prophets with false prophecy, claiming that they prophesy out of their own imagination rather than speak the word of God. He compares them to jackals who live in the ruins of others rather than do something useful. In verse 8-16: God is against those prophets who announce "Peace" when there is no peace. Much like Hanniah in Jer 27-28, prophets of peace would have relied upon the Davidic tradition of God's promise of security for the monarchy and Jerusalem. Ezekiel compares these prophecies to a wall that is whitewashed and then destroyed by rain, hail, and wind. Walls made of sun-dried brick are fequently destroyed in heavy rain and wind. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 6th

Oracles concerning prophets and prophecy. In 12.21-14.11: Ezekiel's oracles affirm the imminent fulfillment of God's vision and challenge those phrophets and prophetesses who proclaim false messages of peace. In verses 21-25: Ezekiel responds to those who claim that his visions will not be fulfilled. Proverb here refers to both visual and auditory experience (see Isa 2.1). In verses 26-27: Ezekiel responds to the charge that his visions will be fulfilled only in the distant future by stating that they are about to be realized. Comments ot Questions..

Reading for January 5th

Read Ezekiel1-20. In 12.1-20: Symbolic actions concerning the Exile. In verses 1-7: The first represents the exile of the house of Israel. God calls Israel a rebellious house, but adds who have eyes to see, but do not see, who have ears to hear, but do not hear, apparently in reference to Isa 6.9-10. Ezekiel is to prepare his baggage, dig through the wall, and depart with his face covered so that all may see that the exile of Israel is taking place. I have made you a sign for the house of Israel (compare Isa 7.14; 8.18). In verses 8-16: Ezekiel's action provokes questions. He relates the symbolic action to the exile of the Davidic king, which strikes at the foundation of Judean identity and the promise of God's protection of Jerusalem and the house of David (2 Sam 7; Ps 89; 132). Some understand prince as a reference to Zedekiah, who served as the Babylonian-appointed regent while Jehoiachin was in exile. Ezekiel's scenario of the prince's escape and capture reflects Zedekiah's capture near Jericho and blinding at Riblah prior to imprisonment in Babylon (2 Kings 25.1-7; Jer 52.4-11). In verses 17-20: Eating meals in fear dramatizes the realities of exile. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 4th

Read Ezekiel 11.14-25. In verses 14-21: God claims to be a sanctuary to them for a little while: God's presence in the world, rather than the Temple's presence in Jerusalem, ensures their future. God promises to gather the people from exile, to give them the land of Israel, and to purify the people from abomination in a manner characteristic of priestly purification. The promise of one heart (some manuscripts read "a newheart") and a new spirit within them takes up a theme from Jeremiah (Jer 32.39; see also Ezek 18.31; 36.26) concerning a new covenant in which God's Torah is written upon their hearts (Jer 31.33-34; see also Ezek 16.59-63). "They shallbe my people, and I will be their God" is a formulation that characterizes the covenant between God and Israel/Judah (14.11; 36.28; 37.23; Jer 7.23; 31.33; 32.38; Hos 2.23; Zech 8.8). In verses 22-24: Ezekiel is returned to Chaldea (Babylonia) to report to the exiles. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 3rd

Read Ezekiel 11.1-13. In 11.1-25: Ezekiel prophesies both judgment and restoration for the people. In verses 1-4: The spirit or "wind" transports Ezekiel to the east gate of the Temple where he sees twenty-five officals, probably those worshipping the sun in 8.16. Their statement, "The time is not near to build houses," rejects Jeremiah's call to build and to plant (Jer 1.10; 31.28). The staement,"This city is the pot, and we are the meat," indictaes their belief that Jerusalem is to be sacrificed (24.1-14). In verses 5-13: God insructs Ezekiel to hold the twenty-five leaders responsible for the deaths of the people in Jerusalem. In stating that the dead will become the meat, and the city the pot, Ezekiel turns their statement against them, but indicates that they will be excluded because the sacriifice of the city is meant to purify Jerusalem. He alludes to their fear of foreign invaders and again turns their fears against them by stating that they will die at the borders of Israel (see 2 Kings 25.18-21; Jer 52.24-27). The immdeiate death of Pelatiah son of Benaiah confirms Ezekiel's word (Amos 7.10-17; Jer 27-28). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 2nd

The Lord's departure from Jerusalem. In Chs. 10-11: God's throne chariot will return in 43.1-12 when the city is purified and the Temple is reestablished. Read Ezekiel 10.1-22. God commands the man clothed in linen to take burning coals from among the cerubim and scatter them over the city. Much like the sin offerings presented at the Temple (Lev 4-5), the purpose of the sacrificeis to purify Jerusalem from its iniquity and impurity so that it can be reeestablished at a later time (chs 40-48). God's presence is sigified by the cloud of the Lord as it moves about the Temple complex. Because of the sanctity of the throne chariot or ark, the man clothed in linen is unable to appraoch, and a cherub hands him the fire (2 Sam 6.6-11). Ezekiel's detailed description of the cereubim and the wheels differs from ch. 1 in that one of their four faces is a cherub rather than an ox. Many medieval commentators speculate that the face of the cherub might encompass the four individual faces. The glory of the Lord above the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord is the main or processional enterance to the Temple (Ps 24.7-9; 118.19-20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 1st

Read Ezekiel 9.1-11. In 9.1-11: The slaughter of Jerusalem. Sacrifical slaughter at the altar of the Temple portrays the killing of the people of Jerusalem. In verses 1-2: The six men come from the upper gate to the north with weapons in their hands to begin the slaughter. The Babylonian army would have entered Judah from the north (see Jer 1.13-16). The man clothed in linen wears the apparel of a priest who serves at the altar (Ex 28.39; Lev 6.10) and carries a writing case to record the sacrifices. The bronze altar had been moved to the north by Ahaz to accommodate an Assyrian altar (2 Kings 16.14). In verses 3-11: The living beings are now named cherubim. God commands that a mark (the ancient Hebrew letter "taw," translated "mark," looks like an X) be placed onthe foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations, to protect them from death. A mark on the door post protects the Israelites from God's plague against the Egyptians (Ex 12.23). All who lack the mark are to die, defilling the sanctuary. Ezekiel attempts to intercede as Moses did (Ex 32.1-14; Num 14), but God states that the people believe God lacks power. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 31st

Read Ezekiel 8.14-18. In verses 14-15: Women weep for Tammuz, the Babylonian vegetation god who dies at theonset of the dry season and must be brought back to life to inagurate the rains. In verses 16-18: Ezekiel sees twenty-five men engaged in sun worship. The sun god Shamash was the Babylonian god of law and justice. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 30th

EZEKEIL'S VISION OF JERUSALEM'S DESTRUCTION Chs. 8-11: Ezekiel portrays the destruction of Jerusalem as a priestly sacrifice that cleanses the city from impurity. Read Ezekiel 8.1-13. In 8.1-18: The impurity of the Temple. In verses 1-4: The sixth year: 592 BCE. Ezekiel returns to the imagery of his inaugural vision to describe a human-like being. The imagery if fire and brightness like gleaming amber describes a being that cannot be defined in earthly terms. The entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north places the prophet at the entry of the most sacred areas of the Temple. The glory of the God of Israel; The throne chariot of ch 1 is present. In verses 5-6: The image of jealousy: North of the altar was a pagan idol placed in the Temple precincts. In verses 7-13: Mention of the seventy elders of the house of Israel and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan indicates that the highest leadership of the nation is involved in pagan worship inside the Temple. Shapan playes a major role in Josiah's reform (2 Kings 22); his sons Ahikam, Elasah, and Gemariah, and grandson Micaiah supported Jeemiah (Jer 26; 29; 36). The claim that the Lord has forshaken the land idicates the belief that God could not protect Jerusalem from Bbabylon. Comments or Qyestions..

Reading for December 29th

Read Ezekiel 7.10-27. The third oracle elaborates the imagery of the land's destruction in the "Day of the Lord." In verses 10-11: The blossoming rod represents Aron's rod, which designates Levi as the priestly tribe (Num 17), but Jeremiah, a priest descended from Eli (1 Sam 1.11-12). The silver almond-shaped cap, recently discovered by archeologists in Jerusalem, on adorned the rod of a priest. The budding pride also translates as "insolence," indicating Ezekiel's view that the great rod is now employed for the punishment of Israel, just as Moses' rod punished Egypt (Ex 7-11). In verses 12-13: Normal life will end. In verses 14-17: Ezekiel again takes up the imagery of sword, pestilence, and famine (chs. 5-6). In verses 18-21: Compare Isa 2.6-21, which anticipates that people will throw away their silver and gold idols on the "Day of the Lord." In verse 22: God's intention to hide the divine face raise tremedous tehological problems. God's treasured place was themost holy place in the Temple. In verses 23-27: The leaders are responsible for the punishment. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 28th

Read Ezekiel 7.1-9. In 7.1-27: Ezekiel's prophecy of the end. Ezekiel's three oracles draw upon the "Day of the Lord" taditions to announce the end of Israel (Am 5.18-20; 8.1-14; Isa 2.6-22; 13). The "Day of the Lord" functioned originally as an announcement of God's defense of Israel, but various prophets reconfigured it as an announcement of God's punishment of Israel. In 7.1-4: The first oracle announces the end of Israel. End is drawn from Amos' prophecy against Bethel (Am 8.1-3), which includes the imagery of dead bodies scattered about the altar as in 6.1-7. The four corners of the land indicates the complete destruction of the land and reheares the four cardinal directions that underlie the symbolism of the four living creatures in ch. 1 (see Isa 11.12). In verses 5-9: Ezekiel again employs the statement the end has come, but he shifts his language to that of the "Day of the Lord" tradition. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 27th

Read Ezekiel 6.11-14. Ezekiel returns to the imagery of sword, pestilence, and famine (5.1) to tie his oracles against Israel to the fate of Jerusalem. Altars, on every high hill, on all the mountain tops, under every green tree, and under very leafy oak: A common formulaic description of pagan worship (Deut 12.2; 1 Kings 14.23; Jer 2.20). The wilderness designates the Negeb Desert in southern Judah, and Riblah ("Diblah" in Hebrew; the Hebrew letters "resh" and "dalet" are similar and sometimes confused) is in Syria (2 Kings 23.33). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 26th

Ezekiel's oracles against the land of Israel. Chs. 6-7: Ezekiel does not distinguish between Israel and Judah, but addresses the entire land and people of Israel arrayed around the Temple (Num 2; Ezek 48). The most holy place serves as the sacred center of the Temple, the Jerusalem Temple as the sacred center of Israel, and Israel as sacred center of the world. Read Ezekiel 6.1-10. In 6.1-14: Oracles against the mountains of Israel. The mountains of Israel: the homeland of Israel in the hills of Samaria and Judah. In verses 1-7: Ezekiel identifies the cause of punishment in the various altars and high places where people worship which compromise the sanctity of the Land. As a Zadokie priest, Ezeliel holds that legitimate worship of God must take place only in Jerusalem Temple (Deut 12). The scattering of dead corpses around the altars renders the land impure (Num 19; see also Lev 21.10-12). The prophet employs the prophetic "proof saying," then you sahll know that I am the Lord, throughout the book to identify God as the source of the prophet's words (Ex 20.2; Lev 19.3-4; see also Ex 3.13-22; Deut 5.6). In verses 8-10: Ezekiel relies on Isaiah's concept of a remnant of Israel (Isa 4.2-6; 6.13; 10.20-23) to demonstrate God's power to destroy and punish. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 25th

Read Ezekiel 5.5-17. God sums up the theology of punishment that Ezekiel's symbolic actions illustrate. Charging that Israel acts like the nations (see 1 Sam 8.4-5) by defiling the Temple, God states that the people will suffer war and exile, and will perish by pestilence, faminie, and sword. God's threat to make Israel a desolation and an object of mocking among the nations and to unleash famine, wild animals, etc, against the people recalls threats made in Jer 24.9-10 (see also Deut 28.37; 1 Kings 9.7). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 24th

Read Ezekiel 5.1-4. The sword of barber's razor (Isa 7.20) symbolizes the weapons of the Babylonians. One third of the hair is burned to represent those who die when the city is burned, on third is struck with the sword to symbolize those killed around the city, and one third is scattered to symbolize thoe who escape only to be pursued by the Babylonians. Some of the hair is burned once again to symbolize the suffering of the people. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 23rd

Read Ezekiel 4.9-17. Ezekiel uses a variety of grains to demonstrate that there is insuffient grain to make an entire loaf. Twenty shekels: about ten ounces. One-sixth of a hin: About two-thirds of a quart. In order to demonstrate the difficult conditions of the coming siege, God command Ezekiel to bake bread using human dung as fuel. When he protests that this is a breach of priestly purity, God allows him to use cow's dung. In verses 16-17: see Isa 3.1. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 22nd

Read Ezekiel 4.1-8. In verses 1-8: Prophets perform symbolic actions to damatize their statements and enable them to take effect (Isa 20; Jer 1; 19). Ezekiel builds a model of Jerusalem under siege. The action draws upon the imagery of Jer 1.18. The background of three hundred and ninety and forty is not entirely certain, and the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebew Bible) contains entirely different figures. If one counts backwards from the destruction of the Temple in 587 BCE. the total of 430 years points to the time of the establishment of the united monarchy of Israel under Saul in 1017 BCE. Counting forward 390 years from that date takes one to 627 BCE, the twelfth year of Josiah's reign, the year in which his reforms begin (2 chr 34.3; compare 2 Kings 22.3). Josiah failed in his attempt to reunite Israel and Judah. The remaining 40 years accounts for the time between the beginning of Josiah's reform and the destruction of Jerusalem. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 21st

EZEKIEL'S INITIAL ORACLES AND SYMBOLIC ACTIONS In 3.16-7.27: These oracles and symbolic actions are concerned with the destruction of Jerusalem and fall of the land of Israel. Read Ezekiel 3.16-3.27. In verses 16-21: God describes Ezekiel's role as the sentinel or "watchmen" for Israel, who is reposnsible for the lives and moral guidance of the people (Jer 16.17; Hos 9.8; compare Isa 21.6). Like sentinels posted on the city walls to watch for danger (2 Sam 18.24; 2 Kings 9.17), gatekeepers are appointed from among the priests to guard the Temple (1 Chr 26). This role, which is developed more fully in ch 33, is consistent with ch 18. The prophet's reponsibility is presented in four cases. In verses 22-27: Ezekiel's isolation resembles that of Moses, who spoke directly to God in the tent of meeting (Ex 33.7-34.35; Num 11, and the high priest, who appears alone before God and the ark at Yom Kippur or the day of Atonement (lev16). Ezekiel's dumbness derives from his priestly role. The priests perform their duties on the altar in silence (Lev 16). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 20th

Read Ezekiel 2.8-3.15. In 2.8-3.3: Ezekiel eats the scroll to internalize the divine message. The scroll represents the Torah scroll stored in the ark of the covenant and read to the people (Deut 31.9-13, 24-27; Neh 8-10). Although the scroll is inscribed with words of lamentation and mourning and woe, Ezekiel sates that it was as sweet as honey (compare Jer 15.16). In verses 4-11: Many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language: many peoples were incorporated into the Assyrian and Babylonian empires (Isa 33.19). God stresses that the message is for Israel, not the nations. In verse 12-15: Tel-abib, "hill of barley," may derive from the Babylonian expression "til abubi," "hill of the flood"; Babylonia is prone to flooding in the spring. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 19th

Read Ezekiel 1.28b-2.7. In 1.28b-3.15: The Commisioning of Ezekiel. In 1.28b: A voice of someone speaking: Compare 1 Kings 19.12. In 2.1-2: God addresses Ezekiel as mortal, literally "son of adam," ninety-three times in the book. Adam means "human" in Hebrew, and "son of adam" conveys Ezekiel's mortal status in contrast to God. The spirit (literally, "wind") of the Lord prepares Ezekiel to serve as a prophet (see 1 Sam 10.6, 10; 1 Kings 18.12). In verses 2-3: The charge of Israel's rebellion against God is a constant theme throughout the prophets to justify Israel's suffering as an act of divine punishment. Habbakkuk and Job question this theology but ultimately defend God's righteousness. The messenger formula, Thus says the Lord God, indicates Ezekiels's role as God's representative. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 18th

Read Ezekiel 1.13-28. In verses 13-14: The burning coals of fire: The sacrificial altar of the Temple (Ex 27.1-8; 38.1-7) or the incense altars (Ex 30.1-10; 37.5-28). In verses 15-21: The wheels contribute to the imagery of divine motion in all four directions. They are based onthe image of the cart that carried the ark of the covenant from Philista to Jerusalem (1 Sam 6; 2 Sam 6) and the rings that held the poles by which the Levites carried the ark (Ex 25.12-15; 30.4-5). The wheel within a wheel: a wheel with a hub. In verses 22-25: Dome shining like crystal, see Gen 1.6-8, which uses "firmament" or "dome" to symbolize the distinction between heaven and earth. The sound of mighty waters: the vision is both auditory and visual. In verses 26-28a: compare 1 Sam 4.4; 2 sam 6.2; 1 Chr 13.6, "the ark of the covenant on the covenant of the Lord of Hosts, who is enthroned on the chereubim." Apphire: See Ex 24.10. Ezekiel attempts to describe God in human terms, but the imagery is inadequate. Gleaming amber and fire convey the power and incorporealty of the divine presence. The rainbow symbolizes God's covenant with creation (Gen 9.8-17). The glory of the Lord: God's presence (Ex 16.6-7; 40.34-38). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 17th

Read Ezekiel 1.4-12. In 1.4-28a: The inaugural vision. The imagery of God's throne chariot (Compare 1. Chr 28.18; ps 18.10) is based on the most hholy place in the Temple where the ark of the covenant is kept under the cherubim's (1 Kings 6; see also Ex 25.10-22; 37.1-9). In verse 4: Wind, cloud, and fire appear frequently in theophanies (Ex 19; 1 Kings 19). In verses 5-12: Like: The vision is only a promiimate human attempt to describe the divine presence. The four living creatures are the cherubim that surround the ark. Exodus 25.18-22; 37.7-9; and 1 Kings 6.23; 2 Chr 3.10-14 each emntioned only two, but this passage combines the totals. Composite human/animal winged creatures are well represented throughout the ancient Near East as guardians of thrones, city gates, and temples. The number four presupposes the four horns of the Temple altar (Ex 27.2; 38.2; Zech 2.1-4; 1.18-21), which represents the four "winds" or cardinal directions, indicating God's presence in the Temple at the center of creation. The four faces represent the divine qualities of intelligence (human), royal (lion), strength (ox), and mobility (eagle). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 16th

INTRODUCTION TO EZKIEL'S PROPHECY In 1.1-3.15: The introduction includes a superscription in 1.1-3, which identifies the prophet and his historical context, and an account of his inaugural vision in 1.4-3.15, in which God commissions him to speak. Compare the call narratives of Moses (Ex 3) or Isaiah (Isa 6). Read Ezkiel 1.1-3: In 1.1-3: Superscription. See Isa 1.1; Jer 1.3. In verse 1: Some understanding the thirtieth year as the thirtieth year after the prophet's call, the thirtieth after Josiah's reform, the year of Jehoachin's exile, or the date of the book's composition. It probably refers to Ezekiel's age at the time of his call. Ezekiel is a priest (1.3) and the age of priestly service begins at thirty (Num 4.3, compare Num 8.23-25) and concludes at fifty. Apart from the reference to the twenty-seventh year in 29.17, the dated oracles of the book extend fromthe fifth (1.20 to the twenty-fifth year of exie (40.1), so that the book correlates Ezekiel's prophetic oracles with the 20 years of active priestly service. The river Chebar: A canal by Nippur, a Babylonian city. In verse 2; The fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin: 593 BCE. In verse 3: Buzi is otherwise unknown. Had he not been exiled, Ezekiel would have served as a Zadokite priest in the Temple. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 15th

Read Jude 1.14-25. In verses 14-16: Enoch to the rescue. Jude cites as authoritative a prophecy from 1 Enoch about the coming judgement. This popular document, although used by Second Temple Judeans and later Christian writers, was never judged to be canonical. Jude uses it here because it contains a full statement of the topic of God's judgment and contains many parallels with gospel traditions such as Mt 24.29-31. In verses 17-23: Prediction of heretics too. Another prediction announces that scoffers will come, the fulfillment of which bolsters Jude's repetition of predictions of the coming judgment. As the opponents lack faith, love, and especially hope, Jude encourages the church to faithfulness, love, and hope (looking forward to the mercy of our Lord). Far from abandoning the opponents, he urges the addressees to have mercy on the wavering and to save others by snatching them from a fiery judgment. In verses 24-25: Letter closing. A doxolgy concludes the letter, beginning with acknowledgement of both God's protection of the church and purification of the members. This demonstrates that right theology (cofession of God's will and powers) leads to right morals. Supreme honor is paid to God: glory, majesty, power, and authority, similar to the hymn of praise in Rev 4.11. In contrast, the scoffers deny the powers of our Master and Lord (v. 4). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 14th

Read Jude 1.1-13. In verse 1-2: Letter opening. Jude is a servant, not a slave but a figure of very high status such as Abraham, Moses, and David (Ex 32.13; 1 Sam 17.23). If brother of James (Acts 12.17; 15.12), then Jude would be a kin of Jesus. He addresses no geographical church, which suggests that this is a general letter that could be read in any church. In verses 3-4: Enter heretics. Jude writes because certain intrudrs are abroad whose false doctrine (deny our only Master and Lord) lead to immorality (pervert the grace of God in licentiousness). He finds it necessary to exhort the addressees to contend for the faith that had delievered to the disciples in its fullness. He appeals, then, to the antiquity of an immutable tradition. In verses 5-7: Refutation. Jude cites three examples of divine judgement: Although God saved a people, God later destroyed those who proved unfaithful. Similarly, although many angels remained faithful, God imprisoned the angels who strayed. Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate divine judgment on immorlaity. Henece, if the intruders deny the sovereignty of God to judge, these examples rebut that error and serve as proof of the coming judgment. In verses 8-9: What could be worse? Jude claims that these intruders accept no laws concerning the body (defile the flesh) and respect all authority, even that of the angels who assist God's judgement. he cites an obscure document, the "Assumption of Moses," in which Michael the archangel confiremed God's sovereignty: the Lord rebuke you. This proves useful in support of the tradition about the Day of Judgement, which the intruders deny. In verses 10-13: Precedents of punishment. Just as three biblical examples of deviants brought judgment: Cain, Balaam, and Korah. In legend Cain exempilifed godlessness and envy; Balaam was willing to lead Israel astray and curse it (Num 22); Korah typified ambition and rebellion (Num 16.1-35). Besides accusing the intruders of parasitical coruption, they are compared to fleeting, empty natural Phenomena such as waterless clouds, uprooted trees, wild waves, and wandering stars. Their instability makes them perilous guides. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 13th

Read Lamentations 5.19-22. The poem ends on a poignant note. God's power is undisputed though God's care is questioned. The community asks that its broken relationship with God be healed, but fears that God's anger may be yet too great. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 12th

Read Lamentations 1-18. In 5.1-22: A community lament. This final poem follows the syliistic features of the communal laments of the Psalms (Ps 44; 79). A long description of misery and specfic losses offers a glimpse into a conquered country. Babylonian conquerors force young and old into labor (vv. 5, 13) food and water are scarce (vv. 4, 6, 9, 10); women are raped (v. 11); and the once civilized city is now a haunt of jackals (v. 18). In verse 7: We bear the iniquities: is the community accepting the guilt of their forebears or complaining that it is punished for sins not its own? In verses 14-18: All joy (music, dancing, public gathering at the city gate) has ceased. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 11th

Read Lamentations 4.17-22. In 4.17-22: The final days of the city. The poet describes the fall of Jerusaelm (2 Kings 25), as she loses anyhope of protection. The nation that could not save is likely Egypt (Jer 44.30). Lord's anointed is the king, who is described in exalted terms. In verses 21-22: Call for punishment of Edom. Various biblical accounts complain that Edom gloated over Jerusalem's fall (Obadiah; Ps 137). The poet calls for the punishment and self-humiliation of Edom. In verse 22: Punishment ... accomplished may suggest that the book is written after the traumatic events described. Comments or Questions..

Raeding for December 10th

Read Lamentations4.11-16. In 4.11-16: God's anger has debased Zion. In verse 12: The poet assumes that other nations along with Israel (Ps 48) believed in the invincibity of Jerusalem. In verse 13; Prophets and priests, as the primary leaders of the people, are blamed for the bloodshed of war. In verses 14-15: Defiled with blood and unclean refer to the purity laws of Leviticus. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 9th

Read Lamentation 4.1-10. In 4.1-10: Jerusalem's changed fortunes. The poet portrays a world upside down, where all that is normal has vanished. In verses 2-4: Children, once treasured, are as fragile as clay pots, a nd scare food is not given to them. Ostriches have the reputation of neglecting their young (Job 39.13-18). In verses 5-8: Purple, due to the costliness of its dye, was worn by royalty. The once privilaged class now starves. In verse 6: Sodom: See Gen 19.24-25. In verse 7: Quick death will be better than the slow torture. In verse 8: Black skin is a discription of famine (5.10; Job 30.30). In verse 10: In a dramatic reversal, once compassionate mothers eat rather then feed their young. Comments or Questions..