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..