Reading for October 10th

 Read Lamentations 2.11-19. In 2.11-19: The pot continues his lament. In verse 11: Both the stomach (also 1.20) and bile refer to the seat of emotions (Jer 4.19); bile in addition means "bitterness" (from the taste of digestive substance secreted from the gallbladder). In verse 14: False prophets gave unwarranted messages of comfort (Jer 14.13-16). In verses 15-16: Jerusalem suffers not only the famine of children but also the taunts of enemies (Jer 19.8). In verse 17: As he ordained long ago may refer to the teaching of the pre-exilic prophets, for whom destruction of the nation as punishment for sin was a common motif. In verses 18-19: The poet urges Jerusalem to petition God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 9th

Read Lamentations 2.1-10. In 2.1-10: The poet on God's great anger. The poet describes the severity of God's punishment: Jerusalem is destroyed and humiliated. In verse 1: Footstool: The Temple (Ps 99.5). In verse 2: Without mercy: Without restraint. In a series of reveals, the great are brought down to the ground. In verses 3-5: God's right hand, his weapon hand, does not defend Israel, but draws the bow against her like an enemy (Ex 15.6-12). In verses 6-7: Booth: Tabernacle: The Temple, which along with festival, king, and priest embodies the religious core of the nation, centered in Jerusalem and linked to the monarchy (2 Sam 7). In verses 8-10: Stretched the line: Apparently a step in destroying a building (2 Kings 21.13). God has broken down the features intended to protect Jerusalem: wall, gates, and ramparts (used for defense during military attacks). The listing of groups within the city underscore the totality of the destruction. Dust and sackcloth (v. 10) are typical gestures of mourning. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for October 8th

 Read Lamentations 1.11b--22. in 1.11b-22: Jerusalem herself speaks. The speaker changes at the end of v. 11, as the woman Jerusalem speaks in the first person. She repeats themes of the first speaker: She is shamed, and the devastation is punishment from God. In verses 13-15: Net, fire: Punishments are described generally (Ps 10.9; Isa 63.3). The weight of Israel's sin is compared to a yoke worn by captives of war (Isa 9.4). In verse 16; The lack of a comforter is a repeated theme in the book. In verse 17; The voice shifts back to third person briefly. Zion (the mountain on which Jerusalem is set), Jacob (the ancestor of the Israelites), and Jerusalem are used a synonyms. Filthy things is the menstrual uncleanness of 1.9. In verse 18; The voice of Jerusalem returns, acknowledging her sin yet lamenting the pain she has experienced. In verse 20: Jerusalem's lament resembles that of Jeremiah (Jer 8.18-9.1). In verses 21-22: Again, concerned with being shamed in the face of others, Jerusalem asks that they, too, be treated according to their deeds. Day you have announced refers to the Day of the Lord, envisioned as a day of vindication against enemies (Isa 13.6-16). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 7th

 Read Lamentations 1.1-11a. In 1.1-11a: A poet laments Jerusalem. As in many prophetic books (Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) Jerusalem is personified as a woman. In a striking series of contrasts, she who was great is now destitute like a widow; once a princess, she is now a vassal, the underling in a political relationship. In verse 2: Political allies are called Jerusalem's lover's ( Hos 2.7). In verse 3: Exile, the conquering strategy of the neo-Babylonian empire, involved moving large groups of people out of their homelands into new locations. In verse 4: Public activities (festivals and gates, where people gathered) have ceased. Priests and young girls are among the many categories of people that the book shows as suffering. In verse 5; The book repeatedly claims that the Lord has made her suffer. In verses 8-10: Nakedness may have a sexual connotation (Lev 18.6). Uncleanness refers to menstruation (Lev 15.16-24). These conditions intensify her shame, considered by the author to be as significant as physical suffering. The immediate mention of precious things and the invasion of her sanctuary, while on the surface referring to the Temple, may have sexual connotations. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 6th

 Read Colossians 4.7-18. In 4.7-18: Epistolary closing. A reemphasis on the importance of maturity and commendation of persons firmly entrenched in the ethos of the new dominion. In verses 7-10: Tychicus, Aristarchus, see Acts 20.4. In verse 14: See Philem 23. In verse 15: Nymphia: Some manuscripts treat Nymphia as a female name; others as a male name, perhaps because of a scribe who did not consider the possibility of a woman's owning a house, though the patronage of women in early Christianity is generally accepted. In verse 16: The letter from Laodicea is lost, though Maricon, an early Christian writer who died around 160 CE, thought it was our letter to the Ephesians. In verse 17: Archippus, see Philem 2. In verse 18: A scribe would have written the letter, with the author approving the dictation in his own hand. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 5th

 Read Colossians 3.18-4.6. In 3.18-4.1: Household codes governed life within the extended family. See Eph 5.22-6.9; 1 Tim 2.8-15; 6.1-2; Titus 2.1-10; 1 Peter 2.13-3.7. In verse 5: Making the most of time, see Eph 5.16. In verse 6: Seasoned with salt, carefully or wisely selected. see Mk 9.49-50; Mt 5.13. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 4th

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE HOPE

In 2.20-4.6: Life with Christ governs regulations about food and drink, and relations with other Christians, family members, and outsiders. An initial transition (2.20-23) reveals the practical implications of death with Christ. Another transition (3.1-4) commends the life raised with Christ, followed by a vice list (3.5-11), a virtue list (3.12-17), and household duties (3.18-4.6). 

 Read Colossians 2.20-3.17. In verse 1: Right hand of God, see Ps 110.1. In verses 5-11: On the use of vice lists in Paul, see Rom 1.29-31; Gal 5.19-21. Hellenistic teachers often used vice and virtue lists to challenge their students. In verse 11: Barbarian, non-Greek. Scythian, a wild person, no longer will there be different ethnic nor groups and subgroups. The author commends ethnic and class equality but not equality of the sexes as found it Gal 3.28. In verse 16: see Eph 5.19. Comments or Questions..