In today's section, we read about:
The death of good king Josiah, followed by the inexorable slide into exile
The return from exile as promised by God
Cyrus allows exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple
Opposition comes from the local residents, but King Darius rules in favour of the Jews
Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, reads the law and is appalled by the inter-marrying that has happened
The leaders obey Ezra's instruction on intermarriage
Some thoughts that struck me today:
The love that the people had for Josiah is shown by the way they mourned him in 35:24-25.
The description in 36:13 of Zedekiah as a 'hard and stubborn man' is quite chilling. You can see how it set the tone for the rest of the people, and you can feel the sense of despair among those who did follow God in 36:15-16, until there is nothing that can be done to hold back God's anger.
But there is always hope - 36:21 "So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said."
36:22 is a timely reminder to politicians and rulers everywhere. They may think they are in control, but it is God who is the prime mover of all events.
Ezr 1:1-3 seems to be the same as 2 Chr 36:22-23, highlighting the continuity between the two books, and some traditions maintain that Ezra was the author of 2 Chronicles. The book of Ezra changes its narrative style very abruptly in 7:27 from the third person to the first person, and then back again in ch 10.
Ezr 1:4 reminds me a little of when the Israelites left Egypt in Ex 12:35-36, when their neighbours gave them some of their wealth as they left.
As a civil servant, I can appreciate the value of meticulous record-keeping (2:62).
3:1 - "when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose." And even though they were afraid of the local people, they carried on and rebuilt the temple.
I found the exchange of letters in ch4 -6 really fascinating, both in historical, administrative and bureaucratic terms, but also in the way that if those people had just shut up in the first place, they would have been much better than they eventually were. They wouldn't have had to fund the re-building programme or pain of death, and all the priests and temple workers would not have been exempted from paying taxes.
It's also interesting that the king encourages Ezra to be whole-heartedly obedient in everything that he does.
Ezra's grief and shock seem almost disproportionate in ch 9, but the prayer is a model of repentance and abasement before God.
10:9 - "They were trembling both because of the seriousness of the matter and because it was raining." And then they were named and shamed.
2 comments:
My mother and I were talking last night about how difficult it is to keep reading about all the slaughter and bloodshed day after day. It wears you out. And what does this teach us? Maybe it's just important to keep reading the word so that the channels of communication with God are more open than they would be if we were reading a novel?
Adam - we are about to study the Song of Songs at CBSI and someone said how wonderful it would be if we could hear it read in the original language. Since Solomon himself is not available I thought of you so we would be grateful if you could look out your finest purple raiment (I'm sure Miriam will be happy to iron it for you!) and come along one Wed and read us the Song of Songs in your best Hebrew. The ladies are already excited at the prospect! Sorry, but you're my only Jewish-ish connection. Let us know when you can make it!
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