Author: Rich Nelson

145 Praise. Of David
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever. 
² Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever. 
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable. 
⁴ One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts. 
⁵ On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 
⁶ The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness. 
⁷ They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 
⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 
⁹ The Lord is good to all, 
and his compassion is over all that he has made. 
¹⁰ All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you. 
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, 
¹² to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 
¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down. 
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you, 
and you give them their food in due season. 
¹⁶ You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. 
¹⁷ The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 
¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them. 
²⁰ The Lord watches over all who love him, 
but all the wicked he will destroy. 
²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

150 Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament! 
² Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness! 
³ Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp! 
⁴ Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe! 
⁵ Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 
⁶ Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!  NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. How does the psalmist begin this psalm? What does he say about God? Why does he bless and praise God’s name [see Notes]?

2. What attributes of God does the writer talk about? Why do you suppose he chose these character-
istics? Would you have chosen different attributes?

3. How does the psalmist describe God’s relationship with people? Why is this important to the author? Why is it important to us today?

4. How do people respond to God’s greatness? What should they tell others about God? About his actions? About his kingdom?

5. What does the psalmist focus on at the end of this psalm? What images of God’s goodness does he use? How does he describe God’s relationship with his people? 

6. What is Psalm 150 about? How does the writer begin this psalm? Why does the writer praise God? Who all should praise God?

7. What should people use when they praise God? What might we use today in addition to those in the psalm?

Get Personal:

When you pray do you open by praising God or do you start right in with requests?

145:1. Extol — “praise loudly,” “acclaim.”
Psalms uses four Hebrew words for praise, each with its own meaning: 

• “Hallel” focuses on God’s greatness. 
• “Yadah” is related to the Hebrew verb for “confess” and focuses on Gods goodness (often in contrast to our weaknesses).
• “Zamar” refers to praise through singing or use of musical instruments. 
• “Sabah” includes the idea of love in praise for who God is and what he has done for us. 
• Incidentally, “Hallel” is the first part of “Hallelujah” – literally “Praise to God.”

Psalm 145 is an acrostic. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (although the actual text between verses 13 and 14 is missing in the Hebrew Bible; the second part of v. 13 does appear in the Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate and some other translations as the 14^th verse).
Bless your name — Jews believe a person’s name contains his or her character and attributes, so David is praising God for who he is.
145:4. One generation — God’s greatness extends throughout time.

Laud — an older word for praise (as in “applaud”).
145:7. Goodness . . . — David shifts from God’s power and actions to four key aspects of his character: goodness, righteousness, graciousness and mercy.
145:8. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love — this affirmation appears six times in the Old Testament [Exodus 34:6; Neh 9:17; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2].
145:10. Faithful — often translated “saints.”
145:14. Upholds . . . — David gives examples of God’s faithfulness and graciousness [v. 13]: he upholds and raises up people in trouble; he provides food; he satisfies our desires; he is “just” and “kind;” he responds to us when we pray; he saves us.
150:1. Firmament — the same word as Genesis 1:6, (there translated “dome”) – refers to something that is expansive or spread out.
150:5. Clanging cymbals — the Hebrew word actually means “loud.”
150:6. Everything that breathes — the psalmist calls on the entire creation to praise the creator.

22 Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon
To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

58 ³ The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies.
⁴ They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
⁵ so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
⁶ O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
⁷ Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them be trodden down and wither.
⁸ Let them be like the snail that dissolves into
slime;
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.
⁹ Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

69 Prayer for Deliverance from Persecution
To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
³ I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
⁴ More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal must I now restore?
⁵ O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
  ^{. . .
9} It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; 
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
¹⁰ When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted me for doing so.
¹¹ When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
¹² I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
¹³ But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. With your faithful help
¹⁴ rescue me from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
¹⁵ Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.
¹⁶ Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
¹⁷ Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress — 
make haste to answer me.
¹⁸ Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies. NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. What is the situation of Psalm 51? What three things is David asking from God? Why does he need this from God [get details at 2 Samuel 11]? What is he depending on when he asks?

2. What is the psalmist (probably David) talking about in Psalm 58? How does he describe his subjects? Why do you suppose he chose to use these images?

3. What does the writer want God to do to these people? Why would he ask God for these types of harm? Which image strikes you as the strongest? Why? When does he want this to happen?

4. Who is the speaker in Psalm 69? How does he describe his situation? What are the predominant images? How do you respond to these metaphors?

5. How does the psalmist describe his enemies? How does he describe his relationship with God? How is God involved with the speaker’s enemies?

6. What does the psalmist want God to do? When should these things happen? Why is the writer confident this will happen? What is he relying on?

Get Personal

What image do you have of God when you pray? How confident are you? How often do you ask God for something? How often does God respond the way you expect?

51:1. Mercy — acting favorably to someone who does not deserve it, also translated “compassion” or “forgiveness.”
Steadfast love — David had experienced God’s love in the past, he trusted God would love in the future.
Blot out — actually a legal term: “remove from the record.”
51:2. Wash me — a fairly common image for forgiveness in the Bible.
Cleanse me — echoes the ritual purification required in the Law.
58:6. Break the teeth — the writer calls on God to punish the leaders: without teeth animals of prey cannot attack and eat their victims; grass that is pressed down (“trodden”) will die; without water snails dry up in their shells.
NOTE: this type of request is known as an Imprecation – a curse or request that someone else suffer harm (often in order to make up for harm done to the requester). The New Testament also contains imprecations [check Matt 26:23-24, Gal 1:8-9, 1 Tim 4:14, Rev 6:10].
69:1. Waters . . . — David uses the image of drowning to describe his situation.

69:3. Throat . . . eyes — he then describes two actual symptoms: a dry, parched throat from crying, and dimming eyesight from waiting.
69:4. Hairs of my head — Jesus referred to this image.
69:5. You know — David knows that he is not innocent, either, but he asks God not to punish the people for his own sins.
69:7. For your sake — David’s actions to honor God have caused his enemies to attack him.
69:9. Zeal for your house — John refers to this when Jesus drives the money-
changers out of the temple [John 2:17]. Paul cites the second phrase in Romans 15:3, about Jesus’ sacrificial approach.
69:13. Acceptable time — even though David wants God to save him quickly, he realizes God’s time is not necessarily equal to our time (but he still asks God to “make haste” in v. 17).
69:15. Pit — usually a reference to “the place of the dead.”
69:21. Gave me vinegar — the same thing will happen to Jesus on the cross [Matt 27:28, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, John 19:29].

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?

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.

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].

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

God’s Promise:
Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel warned the Israelites about the coming exile; but they also told the people that God would be faithful and that they would return and rebuild the temple. Isaiah even named Cyrus as the ruler who would authorize this, [check Jer 31, Ezek 40, and Isaiah 44].
Who returned: 
The second chapter is basically a census of the Jews who returned to Palestine with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. The total is approximately 50,000 out of the roughly 2 million Jews then living in Babylon. Evidently the majority had sufficiently adapted to life in the pagan city they chose their current situation over the hardships of travel and dangers of a land they no longer knew.

Political Resistance:
Chapter 4 recounts the resistance of non-Jews (moved into the area by the Babylonians) to rebuilding the temple, including a series of letters to the Persian rulers and their response allowing the rebuilding to go forward.
The “foreign” wives:
Evidently many of the men in the first group of returning exiles married women from the local tribes, in violation of the Mosaic law [Deut 7:3] in one of the harshest incidents in the Old Testament, Ezra decides that all the men who had foreign wives and their children must be sent away [the roster is at 10:18-44]. This zealotry for the letter of the law grew over time to the point that the Pharisees of Jesus’ time had basically made the law into an idol – worshipped for its own sake rather than as the expression of obedience to God.

3 When the seventh month came, and the Israelites were in the towns, the people gathered together in Jerusalem. ² Then Jeshua son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his kin set out to build the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as prescribed in the law of Moses the man of God. ³ They set up the altar on its foundation, because they were in dread of the neighboring peoples, and they offered burnt offerings upon it to the Lord, morning and evening. ⁴ And they kept the festival of booths, as prescribed, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinance, as required for each day, ⁵ and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the sacred festivals of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. ⁶ From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foun-dation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. ⁷ So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from King Cyrus of Persia.

⁸ In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work on the house of the Lord.
⁹ And Jeshua with his sons and his kin, and Kadmiel and his sons, Binnui and Hodaviahd along with the sons of Henadad, the Levites, their sons and kin, together took charge of the workers in the house of God.

¹⁰ When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel; ¹¹ and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 
¹² But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³ so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

4 When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, ² they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of families and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of King Esar-haddon of Assyria who brought us here.”
³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, “You shall have no part with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us.”

⁴ Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and made them afraid to build, ⁵ and they bribed officials to frustrate their plan throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.  NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. Where do these events take place? Who are the leaders of the Israelites? What are their roles with the people?

2. What is the first task the people undertake? Why is this an important task? What do they do when they finish the work? What direction do they follow? Why are these rituals important to the Israelites?

3. What project do the people start next? Who is doing this work? What all is involved in this effort? Who authorized this project?

4. Who are some of the people involved in this project? Who are the leaders? Who are the supervisors? Why do you suppose the writer names all these workers?

5. What happens when the first part of the work is finished? Who is involved here? What pattern do the people follow for the celebration?

6. How do some of the people respond to the project? What do they compare the current work to? Why is it different than the original?

7. Who else tries to get involved in the project? How do the Jewish leaders respond? Why did they respond as they did? What do the other people do in turn?

Get Personal:

What practices or rituals do you have in your faith life? How did you choose them? How do they help you in your relationship with God? 

3:2. Zerubbabel — was the grandson of the last king of Judah and heir to David’s throne, but served as a governor under the Persian ruler.
Build the altar — during their captivity the Jews realized their situation was due to their disobedience to God’s commandments, so they made sure they could sacrifice according to the Mosaic Law to atone for their sins [Deut 27:6-7]. In addition, Cyrus’ decree specifically said they were to return to “rebuild the house of the Lord,” [1:3].
3:3. In dread — the Jews’ fear of the people the Assyrians had moved to the area after the fall of Jerusalem was another reason to get right with God as soon as possible.
3:4. Festival of booths — also translated “tabernacles” or “tents” – it follows the Day of Atonement when the high priest sacrifices for the sins of all the people [Lev 23:26].

3:6. Foundation of the temple — once the ritual of sacrifices was established the leaders turned their effort to rebuilding the temple.
Food, drink, oil — Solomon provided similar provisions to the workers on the original temple [2 Chron 2:10].
3:10. Directions of King David — the priests followed the same ritual as when David brought the ark to Jerusalem.
3:12. Seen the first house — some of the people could remember the splendor of Solomon’s temple and they wept when they saw the basic, less ornate appearance of the new one.
4:1. Adversaries — people the Assyrians had brought in to work the land, they became the Samaritans of Jesus’ time. The Jewish leaders rejected their involvement in favor keeping the temple worship “pure.” The adversaries then tried to stop the work through intimidation and political pressure [vv. 4-5], but Darius, the king, directed that the work on the temple should be completed [6:6-12]. 

34 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
² He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. ³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a boy, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the sacred poles, and the carved and the cast images. ⁴ In his presence they pulled down the altars of the Baals; he demolished the incense altars that stood above them. He broke down the sacred poles and the carved and the cast images; he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. . . .

⁸ In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. ⁹ They came to the high priest Hilkiah and delivered the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They delivered it to the workers who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workers who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house.  . . . 

¹⁴ While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, the priest Hilkiah found the book of the law of the Lord given through Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah said to the secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord”; and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workers.” ¹⁸ The secretary Shaphan informed the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book.” Shaphan then read it aloud to the king.

¹⁹ When the king heard the words of the law he tore his clothes. ²⁰ Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, the secretary Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah: ²¹ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found; for the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us is great, because our ancestors did not keep the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with all that is written in this book.”

²² So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to the prophet Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (who lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect. ²³ She declared to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me,
²⁴ Thus says the Lord: I will indeed bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. ²⁵ Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the works of their hands, my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched. ²⁶ But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, ²⁷ because your heart was penitent and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. ²⁸ I will gather you to your ancestors and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.” They took the message back to the king.  NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. What is unusual about the king of Judah? How was he different than most other kings? What did he start doing as a teenager? Why did he take these actions? How do you suppose the people reacted to these programs?

2. What did he do after the land and house were clean? Who all was involved in this program? What did they do first? Where did they get the money for this project? Why was it necessary [see Notes]? 

3. What happened while the project was getting started? Who made the discovery? Who did he tell about it? Who brought it to the king? What happened next? How did the king respond when he heard the reading? Why do you think he reacted this way?

4. What did the king do about the discovery? Who did he involve? What task did he give the group? What was the king most concerned about?

5. Who did the group go to for answers to the king’s questions? Why did they go to this person? Where was she? How did she answer the group’s questions?

6. What did she say about the Lord? What did she say about the curses? What did she say about the people of Judah? What did she say about the king?

Get Personal:

How does God remind you of his expectations for your life and work? How do you usually respond to these nudges? How does God help you follow his direction?

34:1. Josiah — reigned over Judah from 640 to 609 BCE, a time when there was no strong power in the region.
34:3. Purge — stamp seals (recording official transactions) of this time period show a shift from fertility symbols to simple identification of the person making the seal.
Sacred poles — symbols of the fertility goddess Asherah worship.
34:8. Repair the house of the Lord — in ancient time the ruler was responsible for maintaining the “house” of the deity, to ensure continued support from the god and blessings for the people.
34:9. Money — often there was a temple tax and/or use of conscript labor.

34:14. Found the book — in many cases the builders would include a “cornerstone” box with copies of official documents (or building plans).
The law — Deuteronomy for sure, and perhaps other parts of the Torah.
34:19. Words of the law — included the king’s responsibility to maintain and study the law [Deut 17:18-20].
34:22. Huldah — there are not many female prophets, but there are some – such as Deborah [Judges 4-5] and Anna [Luke 2:36-38].
34:24. Curses — the consequences of ignoring the law are spelled out in Deuteronomy 28:15-24 [there is another list at Leviticus 26:14-20].

After the Persians defeated the Babylonian army and took over the empire Cyrus instituted the policy (later followed by Rome in its empire) of religious toleration. He (more likely his descendant, Artaxerxes) allowed the Israelites to return to Palestine. Ezra led the refugees and, with Nehemiah the priest, organized rebuilding the city and the temple.

Because of the extent of the Persian empire (basically from the Mediter-ranean Sea to central India) the Middle East was relatively peaceful. And because of the emperor’s protection the Israelites were able to complete their task and reinstitute temple worship and sacrifice.

15 David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. ² Then David commanded that no one but the Levites were to carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever. ³ David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. ⁴ Then David gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites: ⁵ of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with one hundred twenty of his kindred;
⁶ of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, with two hundred twenty of his kindred; ⁷ of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with one hundred thirty of his kindred; ⁸ of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, with two hundred of his kindred; ⁹ of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, with eighty of his kindred; ¹⁰ of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with one hundred twelve of his kindred.

¹¹ David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² He said to them, “You are the heads of families of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your kindred, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.

¹³ Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God burst out against us, because we did not give it proper care.” ¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their kindred as the singers to play on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise loud sounds of joy. [Verses 17-24 is a list of singers and musicians to accompany the Ark]

²⁵ So David and the elders of Israel, and the commanders of the thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing. ²⁶ And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers; and David wore a linen ephod. ²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord  with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.

²⁹ As the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing; and she despised him in her heart.

16 They brought in the ark of God, and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before God. ² When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord; ³ and he distributed to every person in Israel man — and woman alike — to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.

⁴ He appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁵ Asaph was the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ⁶ and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets regularly, before the ark of the covenant of God. NRSV

Get into the Word:

1. What is David doing now that Jerusalem is his capitol? What does he want to bring to the city? Who does he use for this project. Who else is involved in this work?

2. What families does David recruit for the project? How many people are involved? Why do you think he wanted so many?

3. What preparation must the priests and Levites complete? What causes David to be so careful about following the directions regarding the ark? How did the Levites carry the ark?

4. What else did David provide for the project? Why do you suppose he added these people to the procession?

5. Where did the ark move from? How did the Levites acknowledge God’s help? What did David do during the procession? How was he dressed? Who else was dressed this way? How did one person react to David’s actions?

6. What happened when the ark got to Jerusalem? What did David do as part of the ceremony?

Get Personal:

What is your mental image of being involved in God’s plan? How do you balance respect for God with the joy of being one of his partners in building his kingdom?

15.1. Houses — as king, David would have provided housing for his extended family [14.3]. He lived in a house of “cedar” [17.1] which signified luxury.
Tent — the ark of the Covenant had been housed in a tent (“tabernacle”) since its original construction during the exodus. David actually planned to build a permanent temple for the ark, but God had a different plan [17:3-15].
15.2. No one but the Levites — the first time David tried to move the ark he did not pay attention to God’s instructions [check Numbers 8:5-24] and a person died as a result of touching the ark to steady it [13:9-11]. This time he is careful to do things properly [check 15:11-15].
15:16. Loud sounds of joy — David correctly saw this project as a celebration of God’s power and gifts in unifying the kingdom under him.
15:27. Fine linen . . . ephod — David evidently dressed similarly to the priests.

Ephod — part of the priest’s ceremonial dress – evidently a linen “apron” of sorts worn over the linen robe [details at Exodus 28:6-14].
15:29. Michal. . . despised — Saul’s daughter probably misinterpreted David’s dancing as exhibitionist (she undoubtedly disliked the man who defeated her father).
16:1-3. Blessed — David treats moving the ark as the religious event that it was.
16:5. Asaph — a leader of the musicians and author of several of the Psalms (note that the writer thought the musicians were important enough that their names are included).
16:7-36. Hymn of Thanksgiving — [you are right: it is not included here, but you should read it on your own]. This is actually a compilation of three Psalms: 105 [vv. 8-22], 96 [vv. 23-33], and 106 [vv. 34-36]. Like contemporary authors, David used his creative efforts in different ways for different purposes.