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26: Job — Introduction

Get Ready

Integrity is often defined as “how a person acts when no one is looking.” Job is a person of integrity in the midst of extreme hardship and suffering when both God and Satan are looking – and waiting to see if Job will renounce his faith and “curse God.”

Author

Most scholars agree that Job is one of the finest works of literature in the entire Bible; but there is no consensus on who wrote it or when. There are no clues in the work itself about possible authors. The Hebrew in Job is very old, leading some to belief it is the earliest written work in the Bible. Others suggest it was written around the time of King Solomon (950 BCE), based on the other “wisdom” writings of the time (primarily Proverbs). It must have been written sometime before 600 BCE., since the prophet Ezekiel mentions Job [14:14].

Context

The first verse places Job “in the land of Uz,” and describes him as “the greatest of all the people of the east,” [1:3]. There is some agreement that the setting is east of Palestine in Edom.

There is no information in the book about when the events take place. Most authorities believe it is based on a historical incident, but that it has been altered over time by repeated telling and re-telling. Job was probably a family leader similar to Abraham and the story may be from the same era (2000-1800 BCE). This possibility is based on the similarity of Job’s situation with that of Abraham: wealth is based on livestock, not land, crops or other possessions, and Job is the head of his extended family, including children, spouses and their children. In addition, Job’s God is personal – not the Yahweh of Moses and the Law.

Structure

Even though it may be based on a historical event, Job is a work of poetic fiction. The major components of the book include:

  • A prologue that introduces Job and his setting and the primary questions regarding Job’s faith [chapters 1-2].
  • An extended discussion of suffering between Job and three of his friends: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar [chapters 3-31].
  • Elihu’s rebuke of Job and his friends and defense of God’s justice [chapters 32-37].
  • God’s response to Job [chapters 38-41].
  • Job’s confession and restoration [chapter 42].

Except for the narrative prologue and epilogue the book is a series of extended poetic speeches – first between Job and his three friends, then by Elihu, and finally by God. These are not conversations as we know them, but fairly lengthy speeches.

Major Themes

Job is an exploration of the nature of faith – especially the nature of faith in the midst of suffering and doubt. 

As the book opens Job is a prosperous and righteous man who worships God. But at a gathering in Heaven, Satan suggests that Job’s faith is the result of all the blessings God has given him, and says Job will curse God if his possessions are removed. God accepts this challenge and allows Satan to take away all his possessions, including his children. Job responds that he had nothing when he was born and will have nothing when he dies, “blessed be the name of the Lord,” [1:21]. So Satan tells God that Job will curse God if his life is threatened. God agrees to this challenge as long as Satan spares Job’s life. Job suffers greatly but tells his wife “shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” [2:10].

At this point Job’s friends show up, but instead of comforting him they tell him his suffering is punishment for his sins. This is consistent with the general cultural view, as well as the Old Testament concept, that God (or the gods) inflicts suffering in response to a person’s sin. But Job responds to these arguments that he is a righteous person who has done nothing wrong – he does not deserve this misfortune.

After several rounds of this debate with no agreement or solution, Elihu speaks up. He rebukes Job and his friends for missing the “correct” answer: that God is greater than human logic and reasoning and that suffering is primarily for discipline and testing our character.

Finally God himself speaks to Job. He does not explain himself or justify Job’s suffering but asks him, “Where we you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” [38:4]. God created all things – including Job and the rest of us. We are subject to him. We are not his equals to question him; we are his creatures to worship him.

At this Job acknowledges his position and repents “in dust and ashes,” [42:6]. After God rebukes Job‘s friends he restores Job’s fortunes greater than he had before.

The conclusion is Job’s affirmation of God’s power and righteousness: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted,” [42:2.

Get into the Word:

1. What do we know about the author of this book? What about the time the book was written? 

2. Where does Job’s story take place? When did these events happen? Whose situation is similar to Job’s? In what respects?

3. What kind of literature is the book? What are the major parts of the work? Why do you think the author chose this format for the book? Does it make it easier or more difficult to understand?

4. What are the major themes of the book? What does it teach us about God? About ourselves? About our relationship with God? About our situation in life? 

Bible Trivia
Job is a character in the Jewish and Christian faith traditions, but he is also an important figure in Islam’s tradition. 

5. What is Job’s status in the beginning of the book? How does this change? Who is responsible for these changes? How does Job respond to these changes in his life?

6. Who comes to visit Job? What do these people tell Job about his situation? How does Job respond to their arguments? How might you have responded?

7. Who finally ends the discussion? What does this person say? Why do you suppose he did not answer Job’s primary question? How does Job deal with this response?

Bible Trivia:
Satan — the Hebrew word means “accuser” so it is more like a title than a name; it is also used for a prosecutor or a person who brings charges in court as well as a political adversary [as in 2 Sam 19:22-23]. Satan became personalized in the Christian era.

Doctrine Note . . .
Peter provides one answer for Job’s question: For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God,
[1 Peter 3:17-18].

26: The Lord answers Job –
Job 38:1-34, 42:1-6

Get Ready

When you were growing up did your parent ever answer one of your questions with “that’s just the way it is,” or “because I said so”? How did you respond? Did you push for more information or did you let the matter drop? Have you ever answered your child in that manner? 

The Word

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 

4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements — surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? 

8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? — 9 when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’? 

12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay under the seal, and it is dyed like a garment. 15 Light is withheld from the wicked, and their uplifted arm is broken. 

16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. 

19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,  and where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? 21 Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! 

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble,  for the day of battle and war? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
 
25 “Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolt, 26 to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on the desert, which is empty of human life, 27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass? 

Job Is Humbled and Satisfied

42 Then Job answered the Lord: 
2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”  NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. Who enters the conversation now? How does he do so? How does he begin his comments? Why do you think he starts like he does? 

2. What questions does God ask Job at first? Why do you suppose he chose to open in this manner? What do the questions imply about the difference between God and Job? How do you think Job is feeling about now?

3. What aspects of creation does God ask Job about? How does he describe his role in each one? How do these images “fit” with other ancient cultures [see Notes]?

4. What does God say about light and darkness? About death? About the earth? What does he say about Job’s age and knowledge? 

5. What does God say about nature? Why do you think he brings up snow, hail, rain and thunder? What does this say about God’s power?

6. How does Job respond to God? What does he acknowledge about his previous speeches? How does he describe what God is talking about? How does he describe himself after God has finished speaking? How might you describe yourself if you were there?



Get Personal:

How do you feel about suffering? How does God help you deal with pain or misfortune? How does he help you trust when things are not going as you had hoped?


Notes . . .

38:1. Whirlwind — also translated “storm” – God has presented himself to others “out of a storm,” [check 2 Kings 2:11 and Ezek 1:4].
38:2. Darkens counsel by words without knowledge — today we would probably say “who is confusing things and doesn’t know what they’re talking about?”
38:4. Foundation of the earth — many ancient cultures viewed the universe as a temple; as a result they took very special care when building a temple to their deity to make sure the deity “approved” the location and orientation of the building. [Check the detailed instructions for the tabernacle in Exodus 26.]
38:7. Morning stars — Actually Mars and Venus. Israelites considered them representatives of heavenly beings (Peter and John refer to Christ as the “Morning Star,” [2 Peter 1:19, Rev 22:16]).

38:17. Gates of death — Israelites believed (as did many other ancient cultures) that the “place of the dead” (Hebrew: Sheol) had gates.
38:21. Surely you know — God is mocking Job for his claim that God should answer him, which implies some level of equality.
38:22. Storehouses — many cultures, including Israel, believed snow, rain and hail were kept in some cosmic warehouse until God (or gods) needed them.
42:2. I know — Job acknowledges God’s power and authority; he repeats and agrees with two of God’s charges against him; and he repents.
Note: Following Job’s repentance God rebukes the three “friends” for not speaking “what is right” about him. God then restores Job’s family and fortunes with double what he had before.

Memory Verse
For I know that my redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth,
[19:25].

Next Lesson
Psalms 1, 2, 3.

Rich Nelson Uncategorized

Summary: God calls his chosen people

Get Ready

From the creation of the first man and woman God has sought a relationship with humans. The first two sections of the Old Testament tell the story of God’s actions to establish an ongoing relationship with people. The first part of the story covers an indefinite period of time from creation to the call of Abram. The second part covers 1,500 years (approximately) to the re-establishment of Israel.

The highlights . . .

  • Adam and Eve, the first humans lived with God in a “garden in Eden;” but they disobeyed God’s commandment to not eat of the “tree of knowledge.” As a result God expelled them from the garden into a harsh world. Their firstborn child, Cain, killed the second, Abel, and was banished.
  • After several generations, in which humans became increasingly evil, God decided to start over with a single family: Noah. God cleansed the earth with a massive flood. Only Noah and his family (including three sons and their wives) and the animals that Noah took aboard the ark, survived. God gave the rainbow as a sign to Noah that he would never flood the earth again.
  • After another ten generations (according to the genealogy in Luke) God called Abram, a man living in what is now Iraq, to bring his family to Canaan, an area along the Mediterranean Sea. Abram and his extended family follow God to Canaan. God named him Abraham and promised to make him a blessing “to all the families of the earth.”
  • Abraham’s family story reads like a modern “soap opera.” Along with God’s blessings there were lies, cheating, sexual misconduct, killings, stealing – even attempted murder. Abraham’s first son, Ishmael (by his wife’s servant), became the originator of the Arab people. His second son, Isaac, received God’s promise; but Isaac’s second son, Jacob, conned the birthright and promise from the firstborn, Esau.
  • Jacob had twelve sons who became the head of the twelve tribes of Israel. The jealous older sons tried to murder the youngest, but he ended up in Egypt as Pharaoh’s chief of staff. When a severe famine gripped the region Jacob and his sons traveled to Egypt for food and the family was reconciled.
  • Eventually a new pharaoh enslaved the Israelites and they lived in misery for 400 years.
  • God responded to the Israelites’ pleas and called Moses to lead his people to freedom. After a series of plagues, God killed all the firstborn Egyptian boys, including Pharaoh’s son (after telling the Israelites to put lamb’s blood on their doorways so the angel of death will “pass over” their homes). Pharaoh released the Israelites, but then decided to try to get them back with his army. God parted the  waters of the “Reed” sea to allow the Israelites to pass safely, then released the water and destroyed the Egyptians.
  • The Israelites moved toward Canaan, but they failed to trust God for his protection and leadership in capturing the people who lived there. As a result they wandered in the Sinai  “Wilderness” for forty more years.
  • During this time, God led them to Mount Sinai and gave Moses the Ten Commandments as part of the covenant he wanted to have with the Israelites. He also gave Moses detailed directions for organizing civil society as well as worship and sacrifice.
  • Joshua led the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan, in which they were mostly successful, although they did not conquer all the people living there. Joshua then divided the country among the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi did not receive any land because  their responsibility was worship and sacrifice; they lived on the offerings of the other tribes.
  • Following Joshua the Israelites lived more as individual tribes rather than a nation with a central government. This made them vulnerable to attack and subjugation by other nations, especially when their worship life deteriorated. When the people repented God raised up a “judge” who led them to victory over their oppressors – until the next time the people failed to follow God’s laws.
  • After roughly 400 years the people demanded a king, like the other nations had. After warning the people about the dangers of a king, God appointed Saul to be king. However, Saul failed to follow God’s directions, so God anointed David to be king. Saul tried for several years to eliminate David as a rival but failed. Eventually Saul and his son, Jonathan (David’s best friend), died in battle with the Philistines.
  • David became king of a united Israel (1010 BCE). He established Jerusalem as his capital and brought the Ark of the Covenant (containing the tablets of the Mosaic Law) there. He intended to build a temple for the Ark, but God told him his son, Solomon, will build the temple.
  • Even though David was “a man after God’s own heart,” he sinned. His most notorious sin was adultery with Bathsheba and then arranging her husband’s death in battle to try to cover up the sin. Even though the son conceived in adultery died, Bathsheba’s second – legitimate – son was Solomon.
  • Solomon became king on David’s death. When God asked him what he wanted as king, Solomon asked for wisdom to lead God’s people. God granted that as well as wealth and power. Solomon was very successful and built the temple according to God’s directions to Moses. However, Solomon allowed his many wives to bring their false gods and idols into Israel’s spiritual life. God removed his blessing and told Solomon his kingdom would not outlive him.
  • God was right! Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, succeeded him, but ten of the tribes refused to accept him and split off from Judah, choosing Jeroboam as their king. Interestingly the northern tribes took the name, “Israel.” 
  • For the next 200 years Israel and Judah existed together – sometimes peacefully, but often at war with each other. Israel had a total of 19 rulers and none of them are recorded as “doing right” in the eyes of the Lord.
  • Judah lasted an additional 130 years. Of the 20 rulers. Five were considered “good:” Asa, Jehoshaphat, Amaziah, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
  • In 586 BCE, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and took the leaders to Babylon. God’s chosen people had been a nation for 464 years.
  • The Persians defeated the Babylonians and allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and restore the temple and the nation in 541 BCE. At this point the Biblical history of Israel goes silent.

But the Jewish people continued to live in Palestine. Other sources, including the Apocrypha [check page 6] provide some details.

  • Under Persian rule, pairs of leaders – one political and one “teacher of the law” – led the province of Israel. This led, over time, to formation of the Sadducees and Pharisees who “led” Israel in Jesus’ time.
  • Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 332 BCE. 
  • The Jews revolted in 165 BCE, led by the Hasmonean (also called “Maccabeean”) family and established a (relatively) independent nation for the next 100 years.
  • In 63 BCE, the Roman general Pompeii conquered Palestine. The Roman Senate appointed Herod (“the Great”) as “king.” The Jews chaffed under Roman rule and revolted in 66 CE. The Romans crushed the revolt in 70 CE and destroyed the temple – ending Israel’s existence as a nation until 1947.
Rich Nelson Uncategorized

25: Esther: Introduction & Esther agrees to help the Jews

Get Ready

Esther may be the most unusual book in the entire Bible: it is the only book that does not mention God. No one uses his name. No one refers to him. But it is still a book that definitely is about God and how he protects his chosen people.

Author

We are back to “author unknown.” The text gives no indication of who may have written this book. Some authorities do lean toward Mordecai or perhaps one of his staff as the author, because of his role in the story and the obvious (and accurate) knowledge of the Persian palace and protocols.

Context

The story is set in the reign of King Xerxes (485-465 BCE) and was probably written shortly after this time. The Jews had begun to return to Jerusalem in 525 BCE, but most still lived in exile in Babylon and other cities of the Persian Empire.

The Persians had replaced the harsh captivity of the Babylonians with more liberal practices that allowed at least some the Jews to prosper and become relatively high government officials. This assimilation even allowed a young Jewish woman to become one of the king’s most important wives.

Structure

Esther is the story of two Jews living in Susa, one of the capital cities of Persia. It is a story of intrigue but also a love story. The major elements of the story are:

  • Esther, a young Jewish orphan raised by her uncle, Mordecai, becomes “queen of Persia” [see Notes], after the current queen refused to obey the king.
  • Shortly after Esther becomes queen, Mordecai, a court official, overhears a plot to assassinate the king. He tells Esther, who tells the king. The plotters are convicted and executed.
  • At roughly the same time the king promotes Haman to be his chief official. When Mordecai refuses to bow to him, Haman convinces the king the Jews are disloyal and should be executed.
  • Mordecai asks Esther to intercede with the king. Initially she refuses but when Mordecai says she will perish as well, she agrees to help, and “if I perish, I perish.”
  • Esther holds two banquets for the king and Haman and at the second she reveals Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews. When Haman approaches Esther to beg for his life the king thinks he is attacking his queen.
  • The king executes Haman (on the gallows Haman intended for Mordecai) and sends new orders allowing the Jews to kill those plotting against them throughout the empire.
  • The Jews celebrate their freedom and victories with a feast now called Purim (because Haman used “pur” or lots to determine the best day to move against the Jews). Jews still celebrate Purim in February or March.

Major Themes

Esther is a story of God’s protection of his people. There are three major aspects of this protection.

  • God will keep his promise to protect his chosen people. God told Abraham “I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse,” [Genesis 12:2-3].
  • God can and does work through other people to achieve his purposes. In this story Xerxes is the king and has what looks like absolute power, but the decisions he makes actually serve God’s plan.
  • God often works in small ways to achieve his purposes. Esther is a string of relatively small events that lead to deliverance for the Jews. Often we call such events “coincidences.” Some call them miracles where God wants to remain anonymous. Others call them “God winks.”

Get into the Word

1. What do we know about the author of this book? Are there any possible authors?

2. Where does this story take place? When did it happen? What is significant about this time and place? What does it say about the Jews? About the Persians?

3. What is this book about? Who are the primary people involved in the story? What is their relationship to each other? Who do you think is the most important person in this story? Why do you believe this is so? Do you think the other characters would agree?

4. What are the major events that take place in this story? What do you consider the key event – the turning point? Why do you choose this event? What is the primary consequence of this event? How does it affect other things that happen?

5. How does Esther create a favorable setting in which to tell the king about the plot? How does the king respond? How does Haman react? What is the outcome?

6. How does the king deal with Haman? With Mordecai? With the other Jews? How do the Jews respond to the king’s decision? 

7. What is the primary theme of this book? How does the book present the theme? Can you think of other examples of God’s protection in the Bible? How about in your own experience?

Notes . . .

Queen: Xerxes probably had several wives (which would be consistent with the culture) and Esther was the primary or favored wife, not a “queen” as we think of the term today.

When God Winks: is a series of books on divine coincidences by SQuire Rushnell.

Doctrine Notes . . . 

Providence: Just as we believe God created all things, Christians believe that God continues to be active and involved in his creation. We believe God is active in three complimentary ways:

  • God preserves creation: God has been involved in creation from the beginning – he charged humans to care for the physical world and all creatures in it; he called Abraham to be a blessing to all nations; he protects and safeguards his people. Mary’s “Magnificat” is one of the best summaries of God’s providence [Luke 1:46-55].
  • God acts consistently with creation: God’s actions in creation follow the “natural laws” that he built into the universe – which sometimes
  • leads to events that harm parts of creation; God also respects human moral choice that is part of creation, which allows (but does not cause or sanction) “evil” actions to take place: All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice, [Phil 2:13].
  • God manages or guides creation toward his purposes: he governs all aspects of creation to work together; he steers human decisions and actions to achieve his goals: For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life, [Eph 2:10].

25: Ester agrees to help the Jews — Esther 4:1-5:8

Get Ready

How do you usually address God when you pray? Father . . . Lord . . . God . . . Good . . . Savior . . . Gracious . . . Daddy (Jesus’ recommendation)? How does the name you use affect your approach to God? How does it affect your attitude toward prayer?

The Word

4When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry; 2 he went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 In every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. 

4 When Esther’s maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate,
7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people. 

9 Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law — all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.” 12 When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, 13 Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” 15 Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. 

5On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. 3 The king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” 4 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the king.”
5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 7 Then Esther said, “This is my petition and request: 8 If I have won the king’s favor, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and then I will do as the king has said.”  NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. What is happening as this chapter begins [see Introduction for the backstory]? Who is involved? What is he doing? Why is he so upset?

2. Who gets involved in the situation? What does she do? How does Mordecai respond? 3. What does the queen do next? Who does she send? What is his task? What does he learn? What does he bring back to the queen? What does Mordecai ask Esther to do?

4. How does Esther respond to Mordecai’s request? Why does she act as she does? How does a person gain an audience with the king? What happens to those who don’t follow the protocol?

5. What does Mordecai say to Esther about her fate? What about her position as queen? What does Esther tell Mordecai to do? Why do you think she asks for this? What does she say she will do? What does she say about her fate?

6. What happens when Esther goes to the palace? What does the king offer? What is Esther’s request? How does the king respond? Who else is involved at this point?





Get Personal:

How confident are you in God’s protection? How often do you think about God’s actions on your behalf? How often do you ask for his help or protection? How often do you thank him for protection and security?

Notes . . .

4:1. All that had been done — Mordecai had refused to bow to Haman, so Haman convinced the king the Jews were enemies and all should be destroyed.
Tore his clothes . . . sackcloth and ashes — three signs of mourning or extreme distress common throughout the ancient Middle East. Sackcloth was made of camel or goat skin and was very uncomfortable.
4:2. King’s gate — at the palace entrance, people could stand just outside and try to get someone’s attention to address their alleged injustice.
4:4. Eunuchs — male palace servants, often impotent. In the Persian Empire eunuchs often served as prime minister or in other powerful positions (as Hathach in v. 5).
4:11. Being called — kings usually had procedures and rules to limit access, even by members of the royal family (although death is a very strong deterrent). 

Thirty days — not an unusual interval with a busy king who had other wives and concubines.
4:14. Perhaps you have come — Mordecai warns Esther and then suggests that her position as queen might be more than coincidence [see Introduction Notes, above].
4:15. Fast — a means of humbling oneself prior to making a request of God [check Psalm 69:10].
5:3. Half of my kingdom — an exaggeration, but also a sign of the king’s willingness to accommodate his wife. Esther asks him to bring Haman to a banquet (which were very popular in the Persian empire). At the banquet the king repeats his offer and Esther asks him to attend a second banquet with Haman. At the second banquet Esther reveals Haman’s plot against the Jews and tells the king she would be killed as well. The king instead orders Haman executed and issues a decree reversing the earlier order to exterminate the Jews.

Memory Verse:
Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this, [Esther 4:14].

Next Lesson:
Job 38-40: God speaks to Job.

Rich Nelson Uncategorized

24: Nehemiah: Introduction & Summoning the people to obey the Law — Nehemiah 8:1-8

Get Ready

Nehemiah continues the story of the Israelites’ return to Jerusalem that began in Ezra. Nehemiah actually led the third wave of returning exiles, eighty years after Zerubbabel led the first group. Under his leadership the Jews finally completed the restoration of their temple and city. Now about their hearts . . . 

Author

The book of Nehemiah probably had two authors. As we noted in the introduction to Ezra, most scholars believe he compiled both books (as well as Chronicles which is part of the single Hebrew version). But much of Nehemiah is written in the first person, which leads many authorities to suggest that Ezra is the final compiler of this book, but he included some sections from Nehemiah’s personal journal or court record.

The writer probably finished the book during Nehemiah’s second visit to Jerusalem (431-430 BCE.), although it is likely that he had been working on the history since his arrival in Palestine in 458 or 457 BCE.

Context

The exiles had been living and working in Jerusalem for eighty years and Ezra, the priest, had been there thirteen years, when Nehemiah made his first visit. He came, at the direction of Artaxerxes, the Persian king, in response to reports that the rebuilding of the temple and city walls had stalled. He served as the Persian governor until 432 BCE. His leadership and encouragement led to finishing the city wall in two months, in spite of the continuing opposition of the local people (who had been transplanted by the Assyrians when they defeated the Israelites).

Nehemiah also supported Ezra’s ongoing efforts to re-institute proper sacrifice and worship among the Israelites. As in the past this work was successful only some of the time. In fact, when Nehemiah returned to Babylon to report to the king, the Israelites disobeyed many commandments, including the direction to avoid marrying foreigners. One of the priests even built a room for a pagan god in Yahweh’s temple.

Structure

This book is the story of Nehemiah’s work in Jerusalem as the regional governor for the king of Persia. The book has four primary sections:

  • The report on rebuilding the city wall, which includes a census of the Israelites who had returned from captivity [chapters 1-7]. 
  • A report on the religious life of the community [chapters 8-10].
  • A report on the current population and its secular and religious leaders [chapters 11-12].
  • The account of the dedication of the city wall and the religious reforms Nehemiah instituted [chapters 12-13].

This book is also a compilation of what appear to be excerpts from Nehemiah’s personal journal [chapters 1-7 and 11-13] along with (presumably) Ezra’s narrative of the religious renewal led by the two men [chapters 8-10].

Major Themes

Like the previous book, Nehemiah is about return and restoration. The Jews have returned to their “Promised Land” and Jerusalem and have begun to restore the city and the temple. On the spiritual level they must return to following God’s commandments and restore him as the spiritual center and ruler of their lives. 

Nehemiah’s opening prayer asks God to remember his promise that if the Jews “return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name,” [1:9].

Nehemiah is an example of three characteristics of a faithful follower of God:

  • He is a secular, not a religious leader who seeks and follows God’s direction for his life. He asked Artaxerxes to send him to Jerusalem.
  • He follows God’s direction in spite of his circumstances. He led the Jews to complete rebuilding the city wall in two months, even though the local people did their best to delay and stop the work.
  • He prays – regularly and often. The book recounts four of his prayers for guidance and support.

The book concludes with Nehemiah’s religious reforms, which stress that the Jews are called by God to be a separate people, obedient to God’s commandments.

Get into the Word

1. What do we know about the writer of this book? Why do scholars think two people were involved? When was the book probably written? What does it have in common with the two (or three) previous books?

2. Why did Nehemiah come to Jerusalem? Who sent him? What is the situation when he arrives? How does he respond to the Jewish people? To the other people living there? What was the result of his efforts?

3. Who else is involved with the people? What project is he leading? How is this work going? What problems have developed? Why do you think this is the case?

4. What are the major sections of this book? Why do you suppose the writer included these activities and not others? What do the activities have in common? How are they different? What sources did the compiler use in the final work?

5. What are the major themes of this book? What are the different aspects of each theme? Which aspect seems more important to Nehemiah? How does his work complement the work of Ezra?

6. What shows Nehemiah to be a true follower of God? How do his practices affect his work with the people? How would these habits work in our lives today? How might they affect our walk with Christ?

Bible Trivia:
In addition to his leadership, Nehemiah was also a good bureaucrat: he kept track of all aspects of the project and the people. Chapter seven records the census of the people: 42,360. It also records the number of slaves, singers, horses, mules, camels and donkeys. Then it lists the gifts that various leaders gave to support the work.

Notes . . .

Preparation and Organization:
Nehemiah shows us that good planning leads to positive results. First, he gets himself appointed by the king so he will have the authority necessary to direct the work. But he doesn’t stop there. He also asks the king for letters: to the governors for safe passage, to an official for wood

for the city gates and his house. Nehemiah also organized the work: each family or group was assigned a specific part of the city’s wall and gates to complete. He also organized the people into security or protection teams when necessary.

24: Ezra summons the people to obey the Law — Nehemiah 8:1-8

Get Ready

Have you ever had another person hinder or frustrate your work on a major project? How did you deal with the situation? How did you deal with the person? Did you try to remove the other person or did you work around the obstacles and try to complete the project?

The Word

8 When the seventh month came — the people of Israel being settled in their towns — all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose. . . . 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, [11 other men], the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places.
8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

The Festival of Booths Celebrated

13 On the second day the heads of ancestral houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to the scribe Ezra in order to study the words of the law. 14 And they found it written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the people of Israel should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month, 15 and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem as follows, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them, and made booths for themselves, each on the roofs of their houses, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them; for from the days of Jeshua son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival seven days; and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.  NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. What is happening as this chapter begins? When is this happening? Where is it taking place? Who all is involved in this event?

2. What does Ezra do at the gathering? How long does he do this activity? Where does he do this? Why? What do the people do when he starts? How does Ezra respond to the people? What do they do next?

3. Who else is involved in this activity? What do they do with the people? Why was this necessary [see Notes]?

4. What did the leaders do at the end of the reading? Why do you think the people were weeping? What does he tell them to do? Why is this an appropriate response to the reading?

5. What happened on the next day? Who was involved? What did they discover? How did they react to this discovery? What did the people do? When was the previous celebration? What did they do during that week? How did the celebration end?




Get Personal

How do you deal with setbacks or “speed bumps” in your work? How does God help you to trust him in dealing with difficulties or hindrances?


Notes . . .

8:1 Seventh month — Tishri (mid-September to mid-October) is the beginning of the civil year and the month the law specifies for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Feast of the Tabernacles.
Water Gate — on the east side of Jerusalem near a spring. Interestingly, this reading of the Mosaic Law is quite a ways from the Temple.
Scribe — an important position in the culture because scribes knew how to read (usually several languages) and write (maintaining court and other records) when most people did not. In ancient Israel they would have been the primary interpreters of the Law [as in v. 7]. They also developed the synagogue service as an opportunity to teach people the requirements of the Law.
Book of the Law of Moses — we do not know the contents of this “book” (actually still a set of scrolls at this time) but scholars believe it contained at least Deuteronomy and probably other parts of the Torah.
8:3. Read from it — the context seems to indicate Ezra probably read significant portions of the law (“from early morning until midday”), but not the entire “book.” The ability to read and availability 

of written materials was very limited at the time – so official documents were often read aloud in public.
8:5. Stood up — a sign of respect (many modern churches invite people to stand when the Gospel is read).
8:6. Worshipped — the appropriate response to God’s word. Lifting hands and bowing heads are signs of acknowledging God and our relationship with him.
8:7. Understand . . . with interpretation — there are probably two things involved here:
First, most people spoke Aramaic rather than classic Hebrew because of their time in Babylon, so the Levites would actually translate what Ezra was reading into the common language.
Second, the Levites were the experts on the Law so they would give the people the meaning of each point [check 2 Chronicles 17:7-9 for another example of this practice].
8:14. Festival of booths — specified in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to commemorate the Israelites’ time in the wilderness when they lived in tents (also “tabernacles”). The law actually required the men to live in “booths” the entire week.

Memory Verse:
I am doing a great work and cannot come down, [Nehemiah 6:3].

Next Lesson:
Esther 4-5: Esther agrees to help the Jews.