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Job 1 - Song of Songs 8: The Eleventh Unit of the Bible

5/27/2012

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         If you have read the Bible along with the calendar on BibleCalendar.org, congratulations for having read the Pentateuch and the rest of the historical books of the Old Testament!  You have finished reading all of the books from Genesis to Esther (that narrate the Biblical history of Israel twice), and you’ve also read 75 psalms (exactly half of the book of Psalms) and eight sections of Psalm 119.  I hope you also have progressed significantly in your knowledge of the righteousness, just dominion, holiness and mercy of Yahweh and the testimony of His love through His covenant with His chosen people.
         Now we enter a new unit, the reading of the books of wisdom.  We will cover
this unit in a little less than four weeks, this year in the readings from May 27 through June 22.  Notice that we pass over the book of Psalms in this section to continue reading it little by little with the rest of the Bible and to come back later and read all of the psalms consecutively at the end of the year.  As we read the wisdom books from Job to the Song of Songs, keep in mind the following
observations:
         1)  The main events of the unit: The wise instruct the people of Israel.
         2)  Yahweh’s attributes that stand out: The fear He inspires, which is the beginning of wisdom
         3)  Yahweh’s main work: Teaching His people to fear Him and living daily life in accordance with the principles of the Law
         4)  The main participants: Job, Solomon and others who are instructing the people of Israel
         5)  The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin
has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another (Job 19:25-27).
         Key observations: For some of us, the change from reading historical narratives to reading the general principles and poetry of the wisdom books is rather difficult.  It can help us if we remember:
         1)  The wisdom books are not divorced from the rest of the Bible.  They teach how to apply the principles of the Law to daily life.  Since they emphasize daily life, they teach with few references to the temple and its rituals, the covenant, the kings and the prophets.  That does not mean these people and things have lost their importance, only that the wisdom books try to teach everyone, even those who aren’t Levites, who live outside Jerusalem and who don’t have regular contact with the royal house and prophets.  If we remember their relationship with the Law, we can read the wisdom books in the context of the rest of the Bible.
         It helps to see the structure of each book.  The book of Job has little narrative; basically it is a conversation among three people followed by the discourse of a young man and of another by Yahweh.  Proverbs has a structure at the level of individual verses and also across chapters.  Ecclesiastes makes sense if we keep in mind the book as a whole.  The Song of Songs is a love song between a husband and wife supported by a chorus.  We won’t get lost in the details if we keep our bearings with the structure of each book as a whole.
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Esther 5 - 7

5/25/2012

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         In Luke 1:51-52, Mary, Jesus’ mother, celebrates God’s powerful justice: “He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.”
         We read a perfect example of this today in Esther 5 – 7.
         First, notice Haman’s pride.  Even though he has numerous privileges second only to the king, “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate” (Esther 5:13).  What he doesn’t realize is that this limit in submission was decreed by Someone even greater than Ahasuerus – it was decreed by God.  Yahweh said to Abraham, not to Agag, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).  Haman’s desire for so much attention, even in violation of Yahweh’s decree for His chosen people, reveals the pride in his heart.  Therefore his friends and his wife prophecy his doom: “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him” (Esther 6:13).
         Second, notice that Mordecai’s salvation and exaltation occur in line with Ahasuerus’s egotistical and corrupt dominion.  There is no miracle to save him, only
one night of insomnia for the king, a reading from the royal chronicles, a forgotten detail: “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” (Esther 6:3)  Remember our observations yesterday about Esther 1 – 4; the well-being of the non-privileged depends on how much they benefit the privileged and their avoidance of any action that displeases them.  Mordecai has performed a great benefit for the king – it’s impossible to do any better!  It is an injustice that it has not been rewarded; he must be honored immediately.  Notice that in the midst of so much pride and self-centeredness, our holy and just God knows how to work to protect His own.  Not even a ruler’s pride or unjust government can hinder His powerful arm.
         Third, Haman’s fall occurs in the midst of this corrupt dominion – he simply displeases the king by threatening his queen.  Ahasuerus is not angered by a grave injustice planned against one of the minorities under his reign.  He doesn’t stop to consider the well-being and justice of the underprivileged residents in the capital.  He’s upset by the treatment of his preferred wife, and that offense is worthy of death.  Though His name is not mentioned here directly, we enjoy the irony of Yahweh’s justice: “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai” (Esther 7:10).
         Because of the salvation and justice rendered in the midst of Ahasuerus’s egotistical dominion with no mention of Yahweh’s name, Esther’s testimony of salvation is very different from any we have read so far in the Bible.  But even though salvation came through Yahweh’s hidden hand in Esther 5 –7, we can testify alongside Mary: “He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” (Luke 1:51-52).
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Esther 1 - 4

5/24/2012

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         In Ezra and Nehemiah, we read about Yahweh’s Presence with those who returned from the exile to rebuild Jerusalem.  But what will Yahweh do with the many Jews who did not return?  Will He abandon them?  Will they still be considered Yahweh’s people when they live outside of the Promised Land for several generations?  The book of Esther will answer for us.
         Esther 1 and 2 tell us a lot about the Persian Empire in the reign of Ahasuerus (as we saw in the introduction to this unit of the Bible, he governed in the years between Ezra 6 and 7).  How far we have fallen from the just reigns of David, Solomon, Hezekiah or Josiah!  While these Jewish kings served as examples of just rule of the land in concert with Yahweh’s just dominion over all creation, the Persian court governs with a different mentality:
         Abundant prosperity exists for the consumption and pleasure of the
privileged.  Remember our reading about Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9.  Solomon’s prosperity impressed her so that she gave glory to Yahweh for His anointed one.  His prosperity was a reflection of God’s just dominion: “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God!  Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness” (2 Chronicles 9:8).  But in the description of the Persian court in Esther 1 – 2, there is no mention of Yahweh or of any god.  Ahasuerus and his chosen ones are the center of rule.  Whether we speak of banquets that last for days, or the incomparable beauty of the women, or ten thousand talents of silver that Haman offers for the destruction of the Jews, prosperity exists only to fulfill the desires of the privileged.
         The law exists to protect the privileges of the wealthy.  Remember one of the
reasons why Yahweh gave His Law to the Israelites: “Keep them and do them, for
that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’  For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?  And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? (Deuteronomy 4:6-8)  But in Esther 1 – 4, the law is based on human intelligence (or more often, human whim), not on Yahweh’s revelation, and it is conceived and exercised to preserve privilege: “When the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike” (Esther 1:20).  “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your
kingdom.  Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.  If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed” (Esther 3:8-9).  “Good” is defined by what protects and benefits the privileged; “bad” is defined by what threatens their authority.  Topics related to righteousness and just dominion do not even enter into the discussion.  Therefore, Ahasuerus and Haman can decree the extermination of an entire ethnic group and immediately sit down and drink without remorse (Esther 3:15).
         In this environment created by the pride and self-centeredness of the rulers, Jews like Mordecai and Esther try to survive.  The well-being of the non-privileged depends on how much they benefit the privileged and their evasion of any action that displeases them.  That’s one reason why Mordecai’s insistence in not bowing to Haman is so unusual.  Why would he insist on something that will endanger him… and as we read, that will endanger his whole nation?
         Mordecai answers that he is a Jew: “They told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew” (Esther 3:4).  Therefore some think that perhaps there was a Biblical law that
prohibited Jews from bowing before others, or at least before Gentiles.  But there is no such law in the Bible.  Besides, Esther sees nothing wrong with throwing herself at Ahasuerus’s feet in submission to ask him a favor in 8:3.  On the other hand, the text communicates that there is a more personal motive to Mordecai’s inaction – he is denounced before Haman, not before the king (Esther 3:4), even though it was the king’s order he was disobeying.  It also says: Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him (Esther 3:5).  And if we follow the personal thread of possible motives, we can see why Mordecai did not kneel before this man.
         “King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him” (Esther 3:1).  As Esther 8:5 and 9:24 repeat, Haman is a descendant of Agag, from the royal house of the Amalekites.  They had attacked Israel during their exodus from Egypt in Exodus 17:8-16.  Moses said, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD!  The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16).  “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.  Therefore when the
LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).  Agag is the king of Amalek whom Saul must destroy in 1 Samuel 15, but he disobeyed Yahweh and did not kill him (the prophet Samuel later on executed his death sentence).  And now in Susa there is a descendant of Agag, someone with the royal blood of the Amalekites, placed high above all of the other princes of Persia.  Meanwhile Mordecai is: “The son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite” (Esther 2:5), that is, from the same house as King Saul, son of Kish.  Haman, a descendant of the royal house of the Amalekites, is confronted by the insubordination of Mordecai, a descendant of the former ruling house of the Israelites.  That’s how we can understand Mordecai’s refusal to bow or kneel before Haman and Haman’s desire to take vengeance not only on Mordecai but on all the
Jews.
         Haman has more authority and privilege than Mordecai.  Meanwhile, Esther’s influence with the king is diminishing: “I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days” (Esther 4:11).  Can rescue come from Someone more influential than Haman?  “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my
behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.  I and my young women will also fast as you do.  Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law” (Esther 4:16).  Is there Someone with more authority than the law of Persia?
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Psalm 79 and Nehemiah 1 - 3

5/19/2012

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         Here in Nehemiah 1 we meet another man like Ezra, another who was prepared by the study of God’s word and whose deepest desire was poured out in devoted prayer to Yahweh.
         Notice the news that inspired his prayer: “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame.  The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire” (Nehemiah 1:3).  It’s been more than a century since Cyrus decreed that the Jews could return and rebuild Jerusalem, and a large part of the city is still in ruins and without defense.  Although the group that left with Zerubbabel finished the construction of the temple and the group that came with Ezra was confirmed in Moses’ Law, Jerusalem remained physically vulnerable to attack and in shameful ruins.
         Part of the reason for this state of affairs is their enemies’ success in preventing the rebuilding of the city.  We’ve read previously a letter written to Artaxerxes, the reigning king during the book of Nehemiah: “Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem.  They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city.  They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.  Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls
finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired” (Ezra 4:12-13).  With Artaxerxes' response, the neighboring enemies forcibly stopped the construction of the walls, (Ezra 4:23).
         Nehemiah was impacted by the news and presents his request, not to Artaxerxes like his enemies had done, but before the God who has authority even over Artaxerxes: “I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4).  His description of Yahweh in Nehemiah 1:5 echoes His revelation to Moses in Exodus 34:5-7 when the latter pleaded for mercy after the idolatry of the golden calf at Mount Sinai.  Through this reference and his reference to the covenant, Nehemiah places this new petition firmly in the tradition of Moses’ intercession, here asking Yahweh to forgive the people for their more recent
idolatries.
         Just as in Ezra’s confession of sin in our previous reading, Nehemiah identifies himself with the sins of his people: “Hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you.  Even I and my father’s house have sinned.  We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses” (Nehemiah 1:6-7).
         How does Nehemiah dare to seek forgiveness for his people when they deserve Yahweh’s just wrath for their sins?  He quotes from Yahweh’s covenant, a
summary of Deuteronomy 30:1-5: “Remember the word that you commanded your
servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there’” (Nehemiah 1:8-9).  He rests in the security of Yahweh’s past mercies, specifically in the redemption from slavery in Egypt, for the certainty that He will visit His people in mercy again: “They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand” (Nehemiah
1:10).
         He closes his prayer with his most immediate request: “Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man” (Nehemiah 1:11). 
“This man” is Artaxerxes, the most feared and powerful king in all the earth, a king with dominion over numerous cities and peoples; but before Yahweh, he is simply “this man”.  In a few months, Yahweh responds to Nehemiah’s request through Artaxerxes, and after a century of ruin, the walls of Jerusalem will be rebuilt in a relatively short time.
         The prayer of a righteous person has great power (James 5:16).
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Ezra 9 - 10

5/18/2012

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         When someone studies Yahweh’s word in the way that we saw described yesterday en Ezra 7:10, it awakens a high sensitivity toward sin: “As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled…  I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice” (Ezra 9:3, 4).
         Ezra has been touched by Yahweh’s holiness to the point that he feels something of His intolerance toward sin.  His whole spirit reacts toward sin’s repulsive nature; he recognizes the impossibility of sin coexisting with holiness.
         Notice here that Ezra’s high sensitivity reacts toward the sins of others, not committed against him personally but against Yahweh’s holiness. It’s a reaction that Jesus Christ describes as hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and it can appear either from the recognition of one’s own sins or the recognition of the community’s sins against God.
         Notice too, that this sensibility toward sin must unburden itself in prayer: “[I] fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God” (Ezra 9:5).  This prayer includes:
         1)  The confession of sins and the personal identification with the sins of others: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6).
         2)  It recognizes the offense of sin against the most recent manifestations of Yahweh’s grace: “But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery” (Ezra 9:8).
         3)  Against this background of grace, sin makes no sense – it is an offense, an incomprehensible act of rebellion against Yahweh’s grace: “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?...  Seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations?” (Ezra 9:10, 13-14)
         4)  It recognizes the punishment that sin deserves: “Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?” (Ezra 9:14)
         5)  It recognizes the complete righteousness of Yahweh and the complete guilt of sinners: “O LORD, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today.  Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this” (Ezra 9:15).
         Jesus Christ promises in this situation, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).  By the power of Yahweh’s Spirit, Ezra’s hunger and thirst for righteousness is satisfied immediately: “While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.  And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: ‘We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.  Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.  Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it’” (Ezra 10:1-4).  Through the teaching of Yahweh’s word over a long period of time and by the work of Yahweh’s Spirit, the high sensitivity toward sin has extended itself to others in the community.  Instead of resisting the word, the community joins Ezra in repentance.
         Perhaps someone today reacts to this reading by saying, “Poor women and children who are left abandoned by the religious fanaticism of one man!”  But a
reaction like this has not considered the situation fully.  Ezra does not find guilt in racial differences but in Israel’s having intermarried with “peoples who practice [notice the present tense] these abominations” (Ezra 9:14).  The testimonies of Rahab in Joshua 2 and 6:22-25 and of Ruth demonstrate that the Israelites could receive foreigners who converted to Yahweh.  Ezra 9 – 10 addresses marriage to foreign women who actively practice other religions and are training the next generation to do the same.  We suppose that they could convert to Yahweh like Rahab or Ruth and be accepted by the Jewish community.  If not, then the men had no business marrying them, knowing that they were disobeying Yahweh’s law and putting the future generations of Yahweh’s remnant at risk.
         The high sensitivity toward sin caused by devoted study of Yahweh’s word can lead to great discomfort.  It urges us to make difficult decisions, sometimes totally contrary to common reasoning.  But these decisions, made in repentance and obedience to Yahweh’s word, produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).
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Ezra 7 - 8

5/16/2012

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         With Ezra 7 we begin to read about the second wave of Jews that returned to Israel after the exile, this time in 458 BC.  They are directed by Ezra: “He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him” (Ezra 7:6).
         Notice Ezra’s preparation for Yahweh’s work: “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).
         “Ezra had set…” – Ezra’s education did not occur by accident but was driven by a fixed purpose.  We can imagine long hours of study which seemed innumerable, hours of reading and studying Holy Scripture which extended into years, hours bathed in prayer and fasting and punctuated by cries to Yahweh for discernment and wisdom in the word he studied.
         “Ezra had set his heart…” – His preparation consumed his whole being in devotion to Yahweh. It was organized so that his intellect, his will, his emotions and his soul were directed by the passion to know Yahweh more intimately.
         “…To study the Law of the LORD” – It was a careful study, to examine attentively all the details of Yahweh’s revelation from Genesis to Deuteronomy.  It examined the foundation and the bonds of grace on which his relationship with Yahweh depended, and he marveled at the grace which established his people as Yahweh’s special treasure.
         “…And to do it” – The purpose of this education was much more than the satisfaction of an intellectual curiosity or the preparation for an academic career.  Before teaching others, his own heart needed to by purified and molded by Yahweh’s word.  His passion and devotion had to be directed so that they would manifest themselves in obedience.  He had to grow accustomed to the walk of repentance and obedience himself before he could direct the steps of others on the same path.
         “And to teach… in Israel” – With a heart transformed by Yahweh’s word, Ezra was ready now to announce it to others, to explain it so that others could be transformed and made obedient to the Lord also.
         “His statutes and rules” – Ezra is going to teach with authority.  He not only will teach to inform others but as Yahweh’s ambassador, to demand a response of submission and obedience on the part of his listeners.  The authority with which he preaches will surpass his own influence and even that of the king of Persia; he will be covered with the authority that comes from above, the authority of Yahweh who thundered above Mount Sinai to the point where the people said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:19).
         “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).  May Yahweh continue to raise up preachers and teachers of His word in our generation that, well prepared in His word and with submissive and obedient hearts, would teach with authority to direct our people in repentance and obedience to Him.

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Ezra 4 - 6

5/16/2012

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          Can Yahweh work even through bureaucracies?  Ezra 4 – 6 demonstrates that yes, He can.
         To govern such a large and multiethnic empire, the Babylonians and later the Persians developed an impressive bureaucracy.  Their system of archives collected data from all parts of their empire and preserved in an orderly fashion the many decrees needed to govern so many different peoples over large periods of time.  We
see the Persian bureaucracy in action in Ezra 4 – 6.  Since the Jews and their neighbors are no longer independent and have no kings, they must send their requests to one of the distant Persian capitals and patiently await a response.  It
was supposed that the authorities would respond justly, but sometimes justice was distorted as it passed through so many administrative hands: “[They] bribed
counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia (Ezra 4:5).
         But Yahweh’s power overcomes any attempt to distort His justice, even in a bureaucracy: “Let the work on this house of God alone.  Let the governor of the
Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on this site…  The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River…  Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill” (Ezra 6:7-8, 9, 11).  Bureaucracies can serve as instruments of Yahweh’s justice, and in this case they confirm the
reconstruction of the temple.
         In this reading, some historical details appear that cause confusion among some readers.  First, it seems like the Jews must wait a long time to receive final permission to rebuild the temple since Ezra 4:5-7 mentions the Persian kings Cyrus, Darius, Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes.  Their reigns cover more than 100 years after Cyrus’s decree to rebuild the temple in 539 BC. Later, Ezra 6:14 mentions that the Jews finished the temple by the decree of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes; however, they finish construction in the sixth year of Darius’s reign, in 516 BC, 23 years after the decree, not 100 years later.  Can it be that the Biblical author made a mistake in chronology and the list of Persian kings?
         No, there is no confusion or error on the part of the Biblical author if we recognize that Ezra 4:6-23 is a parenthesis in the narrative about the construction of the temple.  The accusations written to Ahasuerus in Ezra 4:6, to Artaxerxes in Ezra 4:7-16 and his response in Ezra 4:17-23 are not directly related to the
construction of the temple.  They are examples of the general strategy of the enemies of the Jews to discredit them in the eyes of Persian authorities.  Notice in particular that the letter to Artaxerxes discusses the construction of walls (Ezra 4:12), not the reconstruction of the temple.  Although these complaints were written much later and about other concerns, the accusations of Ezra 4:6-23 are examples of the kinds of tactics by which the neighbors of the Jews also tried to stop the reconstruction of the temple.  This parenthesis ends when the author starts Ezra 4:24 and returns to the narrative of temple construction: “Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (F. Charles Fensham, The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, New International Commentary on the Old Testament; 1982, Eerdmans, pgs. 69-70)
         Second, the reference to the king of Assyria in Ezra 6:22 also can cause confusion.  Assyria no longer existed as an empire after the destruction of Nineveh in 612 BC and of Haran in 610 BC, but the Passover in Ezra 6:22 was celebrated in 516 BC.  Technically, no king of Assyria has existed for almost 100 years.  How can the Bible say, “The LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them” (Ezra 6:22)?  The reason comes from the custom of new Middle Eastern emperors to join themselves to the list of previous emperors to give legitimacy to their new rule.  Despite the change in kingdoms, a new emperor presented himself as another link in the chain of previous famous and admired rulers.  Therefore, a king of Persia like Darius could present himself also as king of Assyria even though this empire ceased to exist, because he governed the same geographical locations and the same peoples as the Assyrian kings had.  This association also makes his own government more prestigious (Fensham, The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, pg. 96; refers to a list of Babylonian kings reproduced in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pg. 566, that begins with an Assyrian king, mentions the strictly Babylonian kings, includes the Persian kings Cyrus, Cambyses and Darius and ends with the Seleucid kings who took over after the death of Alexander the Great.  The kings on the list come from four distinct empires, but they are presented as one unbroken chain with dominion over the same geographic location and the same people).  Understood in this way, the phrase: “The LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them” (Ezra 6:22) is not an historical error but a declaration of Yahweh’s faithfulness, the One who changed the heart of the same chain of authority that exiled His people from Israel in 722 BC and made it so that they now encouraged the Israelites to return from
exile and rebuild Jerusalem.  This title allows us to see Yahweh’s mercy through the centuries.  Even though He punishes, He is merciful and will never abandon His people.
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Ezra 1 - Esther 10: The tenth unit of the Bible

5/15/2012

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         Now that Yahweh has punished His people through Jerusalem’s destruction and the exile in 586 BC, will He ever have mercy on them again?  The tenth unit of
the Bible – the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther – affirm that He will.
         These books narrate the history of the first generations of Yahweh’s people after the exile.  In the book of Esther, we will read about their redemption even though they are in a foreign land.  In Ezra and Nehemiah, we will see their reestablishment in the Promised Land.  We will cover this unit in about a week and a half, between May 15th and 26th this year.  As you read, keep in mind the following observations:
         1)  The main events of the unit: The redemption and protection of Yahweh’s threatened people on foreign soil (Esther) and their reestablishment in the Promised Land through many trials and tribulations (Ezra and Nehemiah).
         2)  Yahweh’s outstanding attributes: His faithfulness, His mercy in forgiveness, His sovereignty
         3) Yahweh’s main work: Preserving, redeeming, blessing and reestablishing His chosen remnant
         4)  The main participants: Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Mordecai and others from the generations of Yahweh’s people after the exile
         5)  The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: “You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst” (Nehemiah 9:15; see also John 6:31-35 y 1 Corinthians 10:1-4).
         Key observations: In one verse, the chronicler summarizes several decades of history and prepares us for the Bible unit that we are going to read today: “He
took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword [in the year 586
BC], and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of
the king of Persia [in the year 539 BC]” (2 Chronicles 36:20).  This last event refers to the victory of the Medes and Persians led by Cyrus over the Babylonians.  With
this victory, authority over the exiled Jews passed from the Babylonians to the
Persians.
         The Persians had a very different policy toward conquered minorities than the Assyrians and Babylonians had.  Instead of keeping them in exile, the Persians promoted the reestablishment of their cities of origin and the reconstruction of their
temples.  This new policy benefitted Yahweh’s people: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the
earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him.  Let him go up”’” (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; see also Ezra 1:1-4).
         Just as the deportation to Babylon occurred in three stages (in the years 605, 597 and 586 BC), the return from exile and the reestablishment of Jerusalem occurs in three stages, too.  The first group returns shortly after Cyrus’s decree in 539 BC.  Led by the governor Zerubbabel, they concentrate on the rebuilding of the temple which finally is finished in 516 BC.  We read their story in Ezra 1 – 6 and in the books of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.
         The second group returns over 50 years later, in 458 BC.  Led by Ezra, they
concentrate on the reestablishment of the people in the Mosaic Law.  We read their story in Ezra 7 – 10.
         The third group returns shortly thereafter, in 444 BC.  Led by Nehemiah, they
concentrate on rebuilding the walls around the city.  We find their story in the book of Nehemiah, part of which overlaps with Ezra.
         Therefore, when you read Ezra and Nehemiah, remember that you are reading a historical narrative that covers over 100 years.  Don’t be frustrated if the
main characters and events in Ezra 1 – 6 do not reappear in Ezra 7 – Nehemiah 13.
         In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we will see that Yahweh blesses the remnant of His people who return and rebuild Jerusalem.  But what happens to His
chosen people who don’t return from the exile?  Will Yahweh abandon them?  The book of Esther tells us no; instead, Yahweh will continue to protect and redeem His people living on foreign soil.
         Although we read the book of Esther after Ezra and Nehemiah, historically it takes place during the reign of Xerxes (Ahasuerus; between 486 – 465 BC), that is, during the half-century of silence between Ezra 6 and 7. Therefore, if we want to follow the chronological thread, we see roughly:
         1.  Ezra 1 – 6, Haggai and Zechariah (539 – 516 BC)
         2.  Esther (probably between 480 – 475 BC)
         3.  Ezra 7 – 10 (458 –approximately 433 BC)
         4.  Nehemiah (444 –approximately 430 BC)
And in all that historical and geographic movement, Yahweh is the One who remains faithful and secure.  Praise Him for his sovereignty and faithfulness despite the barriers of distance and time as you read the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.
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365 Day Bible Calendar now online

5/14/2012

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         Thanks be to God for the new Bible Calendar page uploaded today.  Now you can begin reading the Bible from the book of Genesis anytime and complete all the readings in one year.  Just visit the page entitled "Start Today!"
         The previous calendar is still available on the page "Calendar 2012".  This way we hope to assist those who made a commitment to read through the Bible starting January 1st as well as those who are beginning later in the year.
         May the Lord bless your reading of all His word whenever you started!
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2 Chronicles 5:2 - 7:22 and Psalm 97

5/4/2012

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         This reading underlines again the importance of the temple in the living relationship between Israel and God.
         In 1 Chronicles 21 – 22 we saw that this place, the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, would be the place where Yahweh’s just wrath would be propitiated and where Yahweh would hear the prayers of His people just as He heard David’s intercession for mercy on Jerusalem.  All that we read today in these chapters confirms these two essential functions of the temple.  As Yahweh told Solomon when He appeared to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice” (2 Chronicles 7:12).
         Also, as we saw in the consecration of the tabernacle, the temple will be the place where Yahweh’s Presence dwells in a unique way: “Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.  For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever.  My eyes and my heart will be there for all time” (2 Chronicles 7:15-16).
         For these three factors: 1) for being the place where Yahweh’s just wrath for sin will be propitiated, 2) for being the place where Yahweh mercifully listens to prayer, and 3) for being the place where Yahweh’s Presence dwells, Jerusalem and its temple will be unique in Israelite history and spirituality. They will profoundly
shape our readings from the historical books, the Psalms and the prophets of the
Old Testament and all of the New Testament, too.
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    Ken Kytle serves as pastor of Iglesia bautista La fe en Cristo near Atlanta, Georgia.

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