The Book of Nehemiah at one time was part of the same book as Ezra, and they both talk about events happening at roughly the same period of time. Nehemiah was an official in the Persian court, during the time of Artaxerxes, the king who disrupted the re-building of the temple in Jerusalem. The story of Nehemiah focuses on the rebuilding of the walls that protected the temple and the city. A group of local people from non-Jewish tribes (Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and others) are recorded as trying to stir up trouble to prevent the building of the wall. Eventually this opposition is thwarted, and the walls are rebuilt. People confess their sins, and there are many lists of names of people who returned to Israel and helped rebuild the walls.
The book seems to be a kind of covenant for the newly re-established city of Jerusalem, now that the Jews have been given their city back (verse 9:38). The issue of reform seems to be an important one in the book. Concern for the poor is another thing that comes up in the book (chap 5). In many ways it is a similar book to Ezra, so you can see why the two books were put together at one point in time, whether or not they had the same author.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Ezra
The book of Ezra starts off with the exact same passage that ends the book of 2 Chronicles. This has led some people to think the books are written by the same individual. Other people have suggested that the passage came initially from Ezra, but was then added to the end of Chronicles, or vice-versa. Either way, it shows you how the events from Chronicles eventually lead up to the situation in Ezra, during the reign of Cyrus the Great.
Cyrus is a super fascinating person in history. He ruled the Persian Empire at its height, taking over much of the "known world" of the time. Interestingly, unlike most emperors with great power, Cyrus was actually a relatively benevolent ruler. In fact, he was considered something of a rescuer to the Jewish people (many good things are said about him in Scripture, especially compared to other non-believing rulers [see Isaiah 45 as an example]). The main thing that made Cyrus so different from other rulers is that he allowed the local people groups to practice their own religions, as well as have a certain amount of self-rule. This was extremely important to the Jewish people.
The Book of Ezra is largely about how Cyrus enabled the Jews to return to their homeland and build a new temple after the Babylonians had destroyed the first one. During the following decades as this went on, opposition developed and one of the following kings (Artaxerxes) was convinced by others to oppose the building of this temple. However, the next king (Darius) was convinced to let the Jews return once more to re-building the temple.
The first half of the book describes the historical events surrounding this. The second half re-tells these events from the perspective of Ezra, a priest who was dedicated to getting the temple re-built, as well as concerned about the intermarriage of Israelites with foreigners living in the area. There was apparently a strong concern that the Israelites remain separate in their practices, which was not as easy now that they were no longer in total control of their land. Marriage to foreigners seemed to be one of the main ways they were losing their separate ways and beliefs. Ezra leads the people to confess their sin, and the names of priestly families guilty of this are literally written down in the book for time immemorial.
Cyrus is a super fascinating person in history. He ruled the Persian Empire at its height, taking over much of the "known world" of the time. Interestingly, unlike most emperors with great power, Cyrus was actually a relatively benevolent ruler. In fact, he was considered something of a rescuer to the Jewish people (many good things are said about him in Scripture, especially compared to other non-believing rulers [see Isaiah 45 as an example]). The main thing that made Cyrus so different from other rulers is that he allowed the local people groups to practice their own religions, as well as have a certain amount of self-rule. This was extremely important to the Jewish people.
The Book of Ezra is largely about how Cyrus enabled the Jews to return to their homeland and build a new temple after the Babylonians had destroyed the first one. During the following decades as this went on, opposition developed and one of the following kings (Artaxerxes) was convinced by others to oppose the building of this temple. However, the next king (Darius) was convinced to let the Jews return once more to re-building the temple.
The first half of the book describes the historical events surrounding this. The second half re-tells these events from the perspective of Ezra, a priest who was dedicated to getting the temple re-built, as well as concerned about the intermarriage of Israelites with foreigners living in the area. There was apparently a strong concern that the Israelites remain separate in their practices, which was not as easy now that they were no longer in total control of their land. Marriage to foreigners seemed to be one of the main ways they were losing their separate ways and beliefs. Ezra leads the people to confess their sin, and the names of priestly families guilty of this are literally written down in the book for time immemorial.
Monday, April 7, 2014
1-2 Chornicles
The books of Chronicles are next in the traditional Christian order of the Old Testament. If I had to summarize these books in one short phrase I might call it "Samuel-Kings Remixed". The events of the books take place over roughly the same period of time and use a fair amount of material directly taken from Samuel and Kings, with only minor modifications and additions. That said, it is many ways a very different set of books from Samuel-Kings.
The biggest difference you will notice when reading it is how much more tedious it is than Samuel-Kings. While the earlier books are full of action and adventure, Chronicles is filled with non-stop genealogies, lists of names and numbers, sizes of armies and the like. While Samuel-Kings makes for great Sunday School material, it is more difficult to find these kind of classic stories inside Chronicles (although they are there). When you read it, it kind of feels like the purpose of Chronicles is to store all these genealogies and numbers and the like, and that the stories that are included are provided as much to give a backdrop to these genealogies as anything else.
Another interesting difference: while Saul is mentioned in the book, the only real description of his life is at the end of it, when he commits suicide, giving an even more dour outlook on his life than Samuel does. David shows up as the next king, and most of his stories seem to involve warfare in this book. Lots of details are also mentioned about preparing for the temple, and when Solomon becomes king (in 2 Chronicles) much of the details about him relate to the building of the temple. After Solomon's reign, the rest of the book is dedicated to all the kings who followed him. However, unlike Kings, the focus in Chronicles is mostly the southern kingdom of Judah. The evil northern king Ahab is mentioned, but much much more briefly than in Kings, where his family is the center of much drama. Subsequently, Elijah gets only a brief mention, and Elisha doesn't seem to be mentioned at all. Despite these differences, much of the content in these sections is similar (or even almost identical to) parts of Kings.
One last difference that stands out to me is the ending of Chronicles. The time period here goes a bit farther than that covered in Kings. At the end of Chronicles (like Kings) it mentions the fall of Israel into the hands of the Babylonians. But unlike Kings, at the very end it mentions how Cyrus the Great came into power in Persia and then frees the Israelites from the Babylonian oppression, and calls for the re-building of the temple. In a total of 8 verses the end of Chronicles covers the whole of the Babylonian captivity and the beginning of the period of Persian rule. This sets up for the events to follow in Ezra, Nehemiah, and other books that take place during the Persian rule.
One last difference that stands out to me is the ending of Chronicles. The time period here goes a bit farther than that covered in Kings. At the end of Chronicles (like Kings) it mentions the fall of Israel into the hands of the Babylonians. But unlike Kings, at the very end it mentions how Cyrus the Great came into power in Persia and then frees the Israelites from the Babylonian oppression, and calls for the re-building of the temple. In a total of 8 verses the end of Chronicles covers the whole of the Babylonian captivity and the beginning of the period of Persian rule. This sets up for the events to follow in Ezra, Nehemiah, and other books that take place during the Persian rule.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Time Duration
It's interesting how much time takes place through 1-2 Kings. A period of about 400 years worth of history is covered in the work. In contrast, 1-2 Samuel covers only a period of about 100 years. It's interesting to see how much time is devoted to each king. It might make for an interesting infographic. Likewise, a chart showing how much time takes place in each book of the Bible. Here's a rough estimated break down of the books we've covered so far:
Genesis: Thousands of years+
Exodus: 300+ years (starts with Joseph, most takes place in about 40 years or so)
Leviticus: Weeks?
Numbers: ~40 years
Deuteronomy: Months?
Joshua: ~30 years (although most of it takes place in 1 year)
Judges: ~400 years
Ruth: Months?
1-2 Samuel: ~100 years
1-2 Kings: ~400 years
Genesis: Thousands of years+
Exodus: 300+ years (starts with Joseph, most takes place in about 40 years or so)
Leviticus: Weeks?
Numbers: ~40 years
Deuteronomy: Months?
Joshua: ~30 years (although most of it takes place in 1 year)
Judges: ~400 years
Ruth: Months?
1-2 Samuel: ~100 years
1-2 Kings: ~400 years
2 Kings
Even though 1-2 Kings was originally one book, I ended up making this two posts, due to how much material is in each. 2 Kings takes up where we left off before, with Elijah the prophet and his assistant Elisha. Elijah gets taken up in a chariot of fire to be with God, and Elisha carries on his ministry. The thing that really strikes you about their stories is how many miracles are involved. At least as many as with Moses, and some are close parallels with his (like parting water and walking through it).
New kings come into power for both the northern and southern kingdoms in this book. While before Judah had some good kings, now some evil ones come into power. In Israel, though, the evil family of Ahab are eventually vanquished and a good king Jehu comes into power. A few years later, the good king Joash becomes king of Judah, and eventually repairs the temple.
A bunch more kings and their reigns are described. The ones from north seem to be mostly evil, while the ones in Judah, mostly good, with some notable exceptions (e.g., Ahaz). During Ahaz's reign, the northern kingdom has it's last king, Hoshea (who was... big surprise... evil). At this point Israel becomes exiled into Assyria because of their sins. At this same time a new king comes into power in Judah, named Hezekiah. He is said to be the greatest and most godly of all of Judah's kings. Some time is spent talking about him, and the threat's to Jerusalem that were taking place at the time. This is also when Isaiah was prophet, and he appears in the story line and delivers some prophecies.
After Hezekiah, a couple evil kings have reigns. But then his descendant Josiah takes rule. Josiah is famous for recovering the lost law of Moses that had been forgotten about. Ironic what had once been central to their worship was now an old forgotten piece of text. He renews the covenant with God, but the following kings do evil again. Eventually Judah goes into exile too, this time into Babylon.
The book ends pretty bleak for the most part. The kings and people of both the northern and southern kingdom are not shown in a particularly positive light. Interestingly, the last paragraph talks about how Judah's last king is eventually released from prison and is allowed to eat with the king of Babylon and given allowance, perhaps hinting at the grace to come? Or highlighting the mercy of a foreign king compared to the evil of their own king? Ironically this foreign king's name was "Evil Merodach".
New kings come into power for both the northern and southern kingdoms in this book. While before Judah had some good kings, now some evil ones come into power. In Israel, though, the evil family of Ahab are eventually vanquished and a good king Jehu comes into power. A few years later, the good king Joash becomes king of Judah, and eventually repairs the temple.
A bunch more kings and their reigns are described. The ones from north seem to be mostly evil, while the ones in Judah, mostly good, with some notable exceptions (e.g., Ahaz). During Ahaz's reign, the northern kingdom has it's last king, Hoshea (who was... big surprise... evil). At this point Israel becomes exiled into Assyria because of their sins. At this same time a new king comes into power in Judah, named Hezekiah. He is said to be the greatest and most godly of all of Judah's kings. Some time is spent talking about him, and the threat's to Jerusalem that were taking place at the time. This is also when Isaiah was prophet, and he appears in the story line and delivers some prophecies.
After Hezekiah, a couple evil kings have reigns. But then his descendant Josiah takes rule. Josiah is famous for recovering the lost law of Moses that had been forgotten about. Ironic what had once been central to their worship was now an old forgotten piece of text. He renews the covenant with God, but the following kings do evil again. Eventually Judah goes into exile too, this time into Babylon.
The book ends pretty bleak for the most part. The kings and people of both the northern and southern kingdom are not shown in a particularly positive light. Interestingly, the last paragraph talks about how Judah's last king is eventually released from prison and is allowed to eat with the king of Babylon and given allowance, perhaps hinting at the grace to come? Or highlighting the mercy of a foreign king compared to the evil of their own king? Ironically this foreign king's name was "Evil Merodach".
Sunday, March 30, 2014
1 Kings
Like 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings were originally one book, as I understand it. It is very much in the same style as 1-2 Samuel. A very action oriented narrative centered around the kingship of Israel. The events of the book take off immediately after the events in 1-2 Samuel. It begins with an elderly King David setting up his son Solomon as king. Early in his reign, God comes to him in a dream and says he can have whatever he wants. Solomon famously asks for wisdom, and is granted it. In addition he is given wealth, power and all the other things people love.
The text describes Solomon as being the "wisest man who ever lived", although much of his life he does end up living somewhat foolishly - or at least sinfully anyway. That said, he ends up being one of Israel's greatest kings, and the nation flourishes more under him than perhaps any other ruler in its history. It is also under Solomon that the original temple gets built.
His biggest failing was his love for women (especially those who didn't worship Israel's God). He ended up setting up places for them to worship right next to the temple he had built for God. That said, like David, he is considered a good king, and both are highly regarded. However, he is not usually considered to be quite as obedient to God as David was, despite David's own sin and the fact it was Solomon who was chosen to build the temple.
Part way through 1 Kings, Solomon dies (his reign is not described in nearly as much detail as David's and Saul's) and his son Rehoboam becomes king. Many of the Israelites didn't like him, and set up the former court official Jeroboam as king instead (who had earlier tried to seize power). Jeroboam became king of the northern tribes, while Rehoboam remained king of Judah. Jeroboam seems to have cared nothing for monotheism, and set up shrines from many of the surrounding pagan religions. Several different prophets are described coming to him to tell him to stop his evil practices. Rehoboam also practiced idolatry as well, and the text describes Judah as doing evil during this time, just like the northern tribes. Both nations fought against each other for years. It's not a pleasant time in Israel's history - especially in contrast with the glory years of David and Solomon.
At this point in the text, the word "Israel" gets reserved for the northern kingdom, and "Judah" gets used for the southern kingdom. A number of king's reigns for both kingdom's gets described rather briefly. Here's a brief list:
Judah: Abijah - Bad
Judah: Asa - Good
Israel: Nadab - Bad
Israel: Baasha - Bad
Israel: Elah - Bad
Israel: Zimri - Bad
Israel: Omri - Bad
Israel: Ahab - Really Bad
It's important to note, all of those bad Israelite kings' reign took place during the 30+ year reign of Asa. Each one kept getting killed and replaced by another bad king every few years.
At this point we encounter the prophet Elijah, who was a prophet during the "really bad" king Ahab's reign, in the northern kingdom. Much of the rest of the book is about him (and other prophets) and their dealings with Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
Eventually Ahab dies and Ahaziah becomes king. But he too is evil, just like his predecessors. While Ahab was king, Asa (the good king of Judah) finally dies and his son Jehoshaphat becomes king. Like his father, he is described as a good king who followed God's ways. So while Judah's first king was bad, they were followed by two long-lived kings who followed God's ways. The northern kingdom, on the other hand, was filled with a series of evil kings who were constantly murdering each other. The northern kingdom is not portrayed as a particularly pleasant place to be.
Since there was so much to cover in this book, I'll save the events of 2 Kings for my next post.
The text describes Solomon as being the "wisest man who ever lived", although much of his life he does end up living somewhat foolishly - or at least sinfully anyway. That said, he ends up being one of Israel's greatest kings, and the nation flourishes more under him than perhaps any other ruler in its history. It is also under Solomon that the original temple gets built.
His biggest failing was his love for women (especially those who didn't worship Israel's God). He ended up setting up places for them to worship right next to the temple he had built for God. That said, like David, he is considered a good king, and both are highly regarded. However, he is not usually considered to be quite as obedient to God as David was, despite David's own sin and the fact it was Solomon who was chosen to build the temple.
Part way through 1 Kings, Solomon dies (his reign is not described in nearly as much detail as David's and Saul's) and his son Rehoboam becomes king. Many of the Israelites didn't like him, and set up the former court official Jeroboam as king instead (who had earlier tried to seize power). Jeroboam became king of the northern tribes, while Rehoboam remained king of Judah. Jeroboam seems to have cared nothing for monotheism, and set up shrines from many of the surrounding pagan religions. Several different prophets are described coming to him to tell him to stop his evil practices. Rehoboam also practiced idolatry as well, and the text describes Judah as doing evil during this time, just like the northern tribes. Both nations fought against each other for years. It's not a pleasant time in Israel's history - especially in contrast with the glory years of David and Solomon.
At this point in the text, the word "Israel" gets reserved for the northern kingdom, and "Judah" gets used for the southern kingdom. A number of king's reigns for both kingdom's gets described rather briefly. Here's a brief list:
Judah: Abijah - Bad
Judah: Asa - Good
Israel: Nadab - Bad
Israel: Baasha - Bad
Israel: Elah - Bad
Israel: Zimri - Bad
Israel: Omri - Bad
Israel: Ahab - Really Bad
It's important to note, all of those bad Israelite kings' reign took place during the 30+ year reign of Asa. Each one kept getting killed and replaced by another bad king every few years.
At this point we encounter the prophet Elijah, who was a prophet during the "really bad" king Ahab's reign, in the northern kingdom. Much of the rest of the book is about him (and other prophets) and their dealings with Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
Eventually Ahab dies and Ahaziah becomes king. But he too is evil, just like his predecessors. While Ahab was king, Asa (the good king of Judah) finally dies and his son Jehoshaphat becomes king. Like his father, he is described as a good king who followed God's ways. So while Judah's first king was bad, they were followed by two long-lived kings who followed God's ways. The northern kingdom, on the other hand, was filled with a series of evil kings who were constantly murdering each other. The northern kingdom is not portrayed as a particularly pleasant place to be.
Since there was so much to cover in this book, I'll save the events of 2 Kings for my next post.
1-2 Samuel
I have to apologize for how bad I've been at updating this!
Today's post is on 1-2 Samuel. As I understand it, these were originally considered one literary piece. This is one of the handful of Old Testament books that many of the classic Sunday School stories come from (e.g., David & Goliath, King Solomon's wisdom, the building of the temple, etc.)
The first book starts with the raising of Samuel, who will be the last great prophet from the era of the "Judges". In fact, in addition to being a prophet, he is a judge as well. It is during his time as prophet and judge that the tribes of Israel start asking for a king to rule over them, like the other nations have, instead of the more informal concept of local prophets and judges. He warns them of the consequences that setting up a king over them will entail, but they demand one anyway. So God has him pick a king fitting for their behavior. A tall, young man named Saul, who doesn't really seem qualified to be the ruler of the country. But God none-the-less ordains him for this purpose. There seems to be a lot of tension in this book about Saul and his kingship. He is shown to be a lousy king for the most part, but the text also says that he was ordained by God for the role, and refers to those who complained about him being made king as "scoundrels". So there is this constant tension in the text about kingship in Israel.
Famously, Saul doesn't make for a great king, and God eventually takes away his kingship from him, and instead gives it to a young man named David, who had become an important leader in Saul's army. Saul spends much time in the book trying to kill David, and keep him from being king. He eventually commits suicide in the end. Unlike Saul, David is described as being "a man after God's own heart", although he too was a flawed and sinful character. So sinful, in fact, that he is not allowed to build the temple, and is told he must wait for his son to build it instead. But unlike Saul, what made David so different was his attitude of repentance. He sinned, but he repented of it, instead of continuing in his rebellion. It is under David's rule that Israel for the first time really flourishes as a nation in its own right. He is forever looked back as the first true great king of Israel.
The Ark of the Covenant features prominently in these books, and it's capture and retrieval often are an expression of how rebellious or obedient the Israelites are to God at that point in the story. The pair of books are very action oriented, and it's easy to see why this is the material that often makes it into Sunday School classrooms. It's actually interesting to me that there hasn't been more of an effort to make film(s) based on these stories, because they certainly have the plot lines to support it. Maybe instead of making another film about Moses, somebody should contemplate giving some of these stories a chance.
Today's post is on 1-2 Samuel. As I understand it, these were originally considered one literary piece. This is one of the handful of Old Testament books that many of the classic Sunday School stories come from (e.g., David & Goliath, King Solomon's wisdom, the building of the temple, etc.)
The first book starts with the raising of Samuel, who will be the last great prophet from the era of the "Judges". In fact, in addition to being a prophet, he is a judge as well. It is during his time as prophet and judge that the tribes of Israel start asking for a king to rule over them, like the other nations have, instead of the more informal concept of local prophets and judges. He warns them of the consequences that setting up a king over them will entail, but they demand one anyway. So God has him pick a king fitting for their behavior. A tall, young man named Saul, who doesn't really seem qualified to be the ruler of the country. But God none-the-less ordains him for this purpose. There seems to be a lot of tension in this book about Saul and his kingship. He is shown to be a lousy king for the most part, but the text also says that he was ordained by God for the role, and refers to those who complained about him being made king as "scoundrels". So there is this constant tension in the text about kingship in Israel.
Famously, Saul doesn't make for a great king, and God eventually takes away his kingship from him, and instead gives it to a young man named David, who had become an important leader in Saul's army. Saul spends much time in the book trying to kill David, and keep him from being king. He eventually commits suicide in the end. Unlike Saul, David is described as being "a man after God's own heart", although he too was a flawed and sinful character. So sinful, in fact, that he is not allowed to build the temple, and is told he must wait for his son to build it instead. But unlike Saul, what made David so different was his attitude of repentance. He sinned, but he repented of it, instead of continuing in his rebellion. It is under David's rule that Israel for the first time really flourishes as a nation in its own right. He is forever looked back as the first true great king of Israel.
The Ark of the Covenant features prominently in these books, and it's capture and retrieval often are an expression of how rebellious or obedient the Israelites are to God at that point in the story. The pair of books are very action oriented, and it's easy to see why this is the material that often makes it into Sunday School classrooms. It's actually interesting to me that there hasn't been more of an effort to make film(s) based on these stories, because they certainly have the plot lines to support it. Maybe instead of making another film about Moses, somebody should contemplate giving some of these stories a chance.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Ruth
Man, it's been a while since I've posted! Next in the traditional Christian ordering of the Old Testament is the book of Ruth. Ruth is a fascinating little book that is one of the few in the Bible that takes place during the time of the Judges. Because of this, it is placed right after the book of Judges in the traditional Christian ordering, although in the Jewish Bible it is typically place it in another section, treating Genesis through Kings as a sort of literary unit.
Ruth is a short book, telling the story of two women, Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, who have both been recently widowed. This is a huge deal in their day, and Naomi is particularly upset over it. Ruth, interestingly, is not Jewish, but is a Moabite - a group of people who have a very long and fascinating history throughout the entire Old Testament. (Moabites were said to be descended from Lot). They didn't believe or live like the Jews, but Ruth (who married an Israelite) adopted their beliefs and practices.
The main plot of the story is how Ruth meets and marries a wealthy Israelite named Boaz. According to Jewish law, she was expected to marry a relative of her deceased husband. Boaz ends up being this "kinsman-redeemer", marrying her and rescuing her and her mother-in-law from poverty. Some theologians have used this same phrase to refer to Jesus (Boaz being a Christ-like figure in this story).
Interestingly, Ruth is, of course, not just any Moabite, but the future great-grandmother of King David. It's interesting to see a story like this in the Bible, as Moabites were not generally looked at favorably by the ancient Israelites. It's a fascinating piece of Biblical history.
Ruth is a short book, telling the story of two women, Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, who have both been recently widowed. This is a huge deal in their day, and Naomi is particularly upset over it. Ruth, interestingly, is not Jewish, but is a Moabite - a group of people who have a very long and fascinating history throughout the entire Old Testament. (Moabites were said to be descended from Lot). They didn't believe or live like the Jews, but Ruth (who married an Israelite) adopted their beliefs and practices.
The main plot of the story is how Ruth meets and marries a wealthy Israelite named Boaz. According to Jewish law, she was expected to marry a relative of her deceased husband. Boaz ends up being this "kinsman-redeemer", marrying her and rescuing her and her mother-in-law from poverty. Some theologians have used this same phrase to refer to Jesus (Boaz being a Christ-like figure in this story).
Interestingly, Ruth is, of course, not just any Moabite, but the future great-grandmother of King David. It's interesting to see a story like this in the Bible, as Moabites were not generally looked at favorably by the ancient Israelites. It's a fascinating piece of Biblical history.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Judges
"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit."
This is a reoccurring phrase in the book of Judges that summarizes the atmosphere of the book quite well. The book takes place after the death of Joshua, but before Israel had a king of their own. Its a time of much fighting and warfare, and a fair amount of chaos in general. Its also a book containing many of the more famous Sunday School stories, such as Samson, Deborah and Gideon. The stories take place over a period of about 300 years.
The book is a series of stories of "judges", people who weren't necessarily official rulers per se, but were none-the-less used by God to lead people during this in-between time. The people described are quite interesting, because many of them seem flawed or are unusual choices for various reasons. There are 12 in total, six who are considered "minor" judges, and six who are considered "major" judges.
The stories in Judges follow a similar pattern to other parts of the Old Testament:
#1. The people of Israel disobey God.
#2. They end up in trouble due to their apostasy.
#3. God divinely appoints a judge to save them from their predicament.
This basic pattern of sin, consequences and divine mercy seems to be one that you see over and over again in both old and new testaments. One of the central themes of Judaism and Christianity.
This is a reoccurring phrase in the book of Judges that summarizes the atmosphere of the book quite well. The book takes place after the death of Joshua, but before Israel had a king of their own. Its a time of much fighting and warfare, and a fair amount of chaos in general. Its also a book containing many of the more famous Sunday School stories, such as Samson, Deborah and Gideon. The stories take place over a period of about 300 years.
The book is a series of stories of "judges", people who weren't necessarily official rulers per se, but were none-the-less used by God to lead people during this in-between time. The people described are quite interesting, because many of them seem flawed or are unusual choices for various reasons. There are 12 in total, six who are considered "minor" judges, and six who are considered "major" judges.
The stories in Judges follow a similar pattern to other parts of the Old Testament:
#1. The people of Israel disobey God.
#2. They end up in trouble due to their apostasy.
#3. God divinely appoints a judge to save them from their predicament.
This basic pattern of sin, consequences and divine mercy seems to be one that you see over and over again in both old and new testaments. One of the central themes of Judaism and Christianity.
Joshua
Joshua is the first book in the Bible that's not considered part of the books of Moses. However, it none-the-less feels quite connected with the first five books preceding it. I can see how they could all be considered part of the same literary unit, although the most important difference is that as far as I can tell, there are no new laws given in this book. It's an immediate sequel to the preceding books, though.
Joshua tells the story of how God used Joshua to lead the people into the promised land, and the various battles that he leads them into battle with (often miraculously). It's kind of a violent book, but the ultimate theme seems to be something of the effect of the importance in trusting in God to give you what he promises. The promised land is often seen to Christians as a symbol for heaven or salvation, so you can see a theological implication in this story. Interestingly, the names Joshua and Jesus are actually the same name in Hebrew (something like "Yeshua"). They just get translated into English differently since Jesus' name was written in Greek (plus various quirks of history of English). Both names mean something like "God saves".
It's at this point in the Old Testament narrative that the Jewish people now have a land of their own. This becomes an important theme throughout the rest of the Old Testament.
Joshua tells the story of how God used Joshua to lead the people into the promised land, and the various battles that he leads them into battle with (often miraculously). It's kind of a violent book, but the ultimate theme seems to be something of the effect of the importance in trusting in God to give you what he promises. The promised land is often seen to Christians as a symbol for heaven or salvation, so you can see a theological implication in this story. Interestingly, the names Joshua and Jesus are actually the same name in Hebrew (something like "Yeshua"). They just get translated into English differently since Jesus' name was written in Greek (plus various quirks of history of English). Both names mean something like "God saves".
It's at this point in the Old Testament narrative that the Jewish people now have a land of their own. This becomes an important theme throughout the rest of the Old Testament.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Torah Summary
So far I've covered the first five books of the Bible. These are sometimes called the Torah, or the Pentateuch, or the Books of Moses (they've got a lot of name!) Here's a set of simple synopses of each book:
Genesis - Origins of the whole world and the Hebrews in particular.
Exodus - The Hebrews are rescued from bondage in Egypt by the power of God, as led by Moses, and established a covenant between them, most particularly symbolized in the 10 Commandments and Ark of the Covenant.
Leviticus - God gives Moses and Aaron a set rules for preists, offerings and other (mostly) ceremonial rules about how to worship, and how to live lives that are distinct from the cultures around them.
Numbers - The journey to the promised land, and the subsequent wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years after the first generation of Israelites rebel about going into the land.
Deuteronomy - The final sermons from Moses about God's will for their lives, with an emphasis on the legal codes they'll need to live in the promised land.
For an even more compact summary:
Genesis: Origins
Exodus: Freedom from slavery
Leviticus: Priestly codes at Sinai
Numbers: Wandering in the wilderness
Deuteronomy: Final legal codes
Next post I'll talk about the sequel to these events, the book of Joshua.
Genesis - Origins of the whole world and the Hebrews in particular.
Exodus - The Hebrews are rescued from bondage in Egypt by the power of God, as led by Moses, and established a covenant between them, most particularly symbolized in the 10 Commandments and Ark of the Covenant.
Leviticus - God gives Moses and Aaron a set rules for preists, offerings and other (mostly) ceremonial rules about how to worship, and how to live lives that are distinct from the cultures around them.
Numbers - The journey to the promised land, and the subsequent wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years after the first generation of Israelites rebel about going into the land.
Deuteronomy - The final sermons from Moses about God's will for their lives, with an emphasis on the legal codes they'll need to live in the promised land.
For an even more compact summary:
Genesis: Origins
Exodus: Freedom from slavery
Leviticus: Priestly codes at Sinai
Numbers: Wandering in the wilderness
Deuteronomy: Final legal codes
Next post I'll talk about the sequel to these events, the book of Joshua.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the last of the books of Moses, and subsequently, the last narrative with him we will see in the Bible. Its name in Greek means something like "second law", which seems fairly appropriate. The majority of the book is Moses' final words to the Israelite people before they enter the promised land. (The name in Hebrew is something like "words").
Like the three books before it, Deuteronomy is a mix of narrative and law. Like the others, the law is declared from within the narrative, and not directly. I find this characteristic of the Torah very interesting. I'm not sure what the theological significance of this is (if any), but it does seem like something unique to the Bible, although perhaps this was common in other Middle Eastern literature of its era.
The basic outline of Deuteronomy is something like this:
#1. A brief retelling of the events that happened in Numbers.
#2. An expounding of the law of God, with a more ethical emphasis than in Leviticus.
#3. Legal rules for living in the promised land.
#4. Curses and blessings for following or not following the law.
#5. Joshua to succeed Moses.
#6. The Song of Moses and a poem of blessings from Moses.
#7. The death of Moses.
It's often said that Leviticus contains the ritual/priestly laws and Deuteronomy contains the civil and moral laws. There's definitely some truth to this, however just as there was moral law in Leviticus, there is definitely ceremonial/religious laws in Deuteronomy as well. Nothing is ever all that compartmentalized in scripture, it seems. In general, the emphasis of the laws in both books are different, though. Deuteronomy talks much more about the importance of loving God than the previous books had. There is also much more talk about the practical legal aspects involved, including rules about courts and what to do once Israel decided they needed a king at some point.
I found the Song of Moses to be an interesting piece of poetry. It reminds me a lot of the songs found in the Psalms. It describes God as Israel's "Rock", and talks about the great things he had done. It ends by declaring the "nations" to rejoice with his people, something you see again in later passages of scripture. I find this interesting because despite the fact that much of the Torah is about God's particular people of Israel, it is also recognized that he is the God of all the nations as well here too.
Like the three books before it, Deuteronomy is a mix of narrative and law. Like the others, the law is declared from within the narrative, and not directly. I find this characteristic of the Torah very interesting. I'm not sure what the theological significance of this is (if any), but it does seem like something unique to the Bible, although perhaps this was common in other Middle Eastern literature of its era.
The basic outline of Deuteronomy is something like this:
#1. A brief retelling of the events that happened in Numbers.
#2. An expounding of the law of God, with a more ethical emphasis than in Leviticus.
#3. Legal rules for living in the promised land.
#4. Curses and blessings for following or not following the law.
#5. Joshua to succeed Moses.
#6. The Song of Moses and a poem of blessings from Moses.
#7. The death of Moses.
It's often said that Leviticus contains the ritual/priestly laws and Deuteronomy contains the civil and moral laws. There's definitely some truth to this, however just as there was moral law in Leviticus, there is definitely ceremonial/religious laws in Deuteronomy as well. Nothing is ever all that compartmentalized in scripture, it seems. In general, the emphasis of the laws in both books are different, though. Deuteronomy talks much more about the importance of loving God than the previous books had. There is also much more talk about the practical legal aspects involved, including rules about courts and what to do once Israel decided they needed a king at some point.
I found the Song of Moses to be an interesting piece of poetry. It reminds me a lot of the songs found in the Psalms. It describes God as Israel's "Rock", and talks about the great things he had done. It ends by declaring the "nations" to rejoice with his people, something you see again in later passages of scripture. I find this interesting because despite the fact that much of the Torah is about God's particular people of Israel, it is also recognized that he is the God of all the nations as well here too.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Numbers
Numbers is the next book in the "Moses series" (aka the Torah or the Pentateuch). Like Leviticus and Exodus, the contents are a combination of law giving and narrative. However, there is much more narrative in Numbers than there is Leviticus. The book takes place where Leviticus leaves off, however, it takes place over a much longer period of time, roughly the forty years the Israelites spend in the wilderness before entering the promised land. It starts off with a census of all the people (while they are in the Sinai Penninsula). This is where it presumably gets its English name. Its name in Hebrew however is perhaps more appropriate, being "In the Wilderness".
As I mentioned earlier, is there are some laws given in Numbers. Most of these seem to have to do with priestly issues, much like in Leviticus. Most of the book is narrative though, including many of the most famous stories associated with Moses and the journey to the promised land (e.g., the bronze snake, Balaam's donkey, the 12 spies, etc). The book describes the events that take place as the Israelites leave the Sinai Penninsula and enter the land of Canaan. About half way through the book the Israelites rebel once they reach Canaan, because they don't trust God that they will be able to conquer the Canaanites. It's at this point that God requires them to wander around for forty years (until the rebellious generation has passed on) before they can enter the new land. Eventually a new generation comes of age, and is less rebellious than the previous one. As the book ends, it describes how Joshua will take Moses' place to lead the people into the promise land. God tells the people additional laws for them to hold to once they are in the promised land.
One thing I've found interesting as I've been going through these books of Moses is how most of the narratives I remember from Sunday school as a child all comes from essentially two books: Exodus and Numbers. Exodus being about the leaving of Egypt, and Numbers being about wandering in the desert. It won't be until we get to Joshua, though, that they actually enter the promised land.
As I mentioned earlier, is there are some laws given in Numbers. Most of these seem to have to do with priestly issues, much like in Leviticus. Most of the book is narrative though, including many of the most famous stories associated with Moses and the journey to the promised land (e.g., the bronze snake, Balaam's donkey, the 12 spies, etc). The book describes the events that take place as the Israelites leave the Sinai Penninsula and enter the land of Canaan. About half way through the book the Israelites rebel once they reach Canaan, because they don't trust God that they will be able to conquer the Canaanites. It's at this point that God requires them to wander around for forty years (until the rebellious generation has passed on) before they can enter the new land. Eventually a new generation comes of age, and is less rebellious than the previous one. As the book ends, it describes how Joshua will take Moses' place to lead the people into the promise land. God tells the people additional laws for them to hold to once they are in the promised land.
One thing I've found interesting as I've been going through these books of Moses is how most of the narratives I remember from Sunday school as a child all comes from essentially two books: Exodus and Numbers. Exodus being about the leaving of Egypt, and Numbers being about wandering in the desert. It won't be until we get to Joshua, though, that they actually enter the promised land.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Leviticus
The book of Leviticus picks up right where Exodus leaves off. In many ways it could be thought of as "Exodus 2: The Sequel". Just like in Exodus, Leviticus is a mixture of narrative and declaration of laws, although Leviticus has much more law and less narrative than Exodus does. In Leviticus, most of the laws given from God deal with offerings, the priests, cleanliness, and other ceremonial issues. In fact, the name in Greek is a reference to the Levites, the tribe who were the priests in ancient Israel. The name in Hebrew means something a long the lines of "and He called", again taken from the opening line of the book (as are apparently all the Hebrew titles of the books in the Pentateuch).
While the majority of the laws in Leviticus deal with offerings, cleanliness and priestly duties, there are other more moral commandments given as well, all though they are heavily surrounded in the text by ceremonial rules. The laws in Leviticus (and all of the Pentateuch) are interesting, in that they are always presented as part of a narrative. ("And God said to Moses..."). They are never directly declared from a first person perspective, but told in an over-arching narrative about what happened with Moses and the early Israelites. In Leviticus, all of the narratives outside of giving the law deal with the ordination of Aaron and his sons as the first priests, and things related to them. The vast majority of the text is the giving of the laws.
The narrative about Aaron and his sons takes place in the middle of the book. Before this narrative Moses enters the Tabernacle (perhaps immediately after the events ending in Exodus) and is told the laws pertaining to offerings and priests. After this he is told to have Aaron and his sons come into the tabernacle to be ordained for a week. After this happens we learn about how two of Aaron's sons perform an unlawful sacrifice, and are immediately killed by God for it. Two of Aaron's other sons also get in trouble with Moses, although are forgiven after they make their sin offering. After this narrative occurs, the rest of the book is the giving of laws about cleanliness and holiness. Some authors see this split between the laws before and after this narratives as being theologically significant, while others apparently do not. I don't know enough about this topic to make any conjectures on it, though. It is interesting to see the narrative about the first priests failing at their duties, because it does follow the common pattern we saw before in Genesis about the people called by God not living up to God's standard. And just like before, some of the sons are shown mercy, while some are not. (Similar to Noah's Flood and other stories, which feature God's wrath and mercy at the same time). I guess you might say a big theme of Leviticus is that God has very high standards, but is merciful to those who are repentant.
While the majority of the laws in Leviticus deal with offerings, cleanliness and priestly duties, there are other more moral commandments given as well, all though they are heavily surrounded in the text by ceremonial rules. The laws in Leviticus (and all of the Pentateuch) are interesting, in that they are always presented as part of a narrative. ("And God said to Moses..."). They are never directly declared from a first person perspective, but told in an over-arching narrative about what happened with Moses and the early Israelites. In Leviticus, all of the narratives outside of giving the law deal with the ordination of Aaron and his sons as the first priests, and things related to them. The vast majority of the text is the giving of the laws.
The narrative about Aaron and his sons takes place in the middle of the book. Before this narrative Moses enters the Tabernacle (perhaps immediately after the events ending in Exodus) and is told the laws pertaining to offerings and priests. After this he is told to have Aaron and his sons come into the tabernacle to be ordained for a week. After this happens we learn about how two of Aaron's sons perform an unlawful sacrifice, and are immediately killed by God for it. Two of Aaron's other sons also get in trouble with Moses, although are forgiven after they make their sin offering. After this narrative occurs, the rest of the book is the giving of laws about cleanliness and holiness. Some authors see this split between the laws before and after this narratives as being theologically significant, while others apparently do not. I don't know enough about this topic to make any conjectures on it, though. It is interesting to see the narrative about the first priests failing at their duties, because it does follow the common pattern we saw before in Genesis about the people called by God not living up to God's standard. And just like before, some of the sons are shown mercy, while some are not. (Similar to Noah's Flood and other stories, which feature God's wrath and mercy at the same time). I guess you might say a big theme of Leviticus is that God has very high standards, but is merciful to those who are repentant.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Exodus
Exodus is the 2nd book of the Bible, and picks up immediately from where Genesis left off, with the descendants of Jacob in Egypt, due to the famine. Each of these 12 sons were the original 12 tribes of Egypt (except Joseph, whose two sons were each tribes of their own). Immediately the story tells us of how the next generations of Egyptian rulers forget about Joseph and what he had done and make these Israelites their slaves.
Of all the books in the Old Testament, Exodus is one of the most well known. Its name in Greek means "going out", and it subsequently tells of how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to be a people of their own, called by God to be his chosen people. (In Hebrew, the name of the book is actually "Names", because of how the book starts off with the list of names of the sons of Jacob.)
The over-arching structure of the book is something like this:
#1. Israelites are in bondage and early life story of Moses.
#2. God calls Moses to deliver them from Egypt, along with his brother Aaron.
#3. The series of plagues on the Egyptians, culminating in The Passover.
#4. The crossing of the Red Sea, and becoming finally free from the Egyptians.
#5. Entering Sinai, and the giving of the 10 Commandments as well as other laws, both moral, civil and ceremonial (religious), including establishing the priesthood (Aaron and his sons).
#6. People sinfully build a golden calf to worship, breaking God's law (and Moses literally breaks the commandments).
#7. Re-making the stone 10 Commandments, and further reminders of the laws of God.
#8. The building of the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant, according to the earlier commands God gave (#5).
The action oriented narratives are pretty familiar to most of us from the various movies made about the story. Something those movie depictions don't always make clear, though, is how this event is what really makes the Hebrew people who they are. Before this point, they didn't really have the Jewish religion or practices that we normally think of. While God had already made covenant with Abraham and his descendants earlier in Genesis, it's only at this point where they get a cohesive set of laws and rituals (beyond just circumcision) which really sets them apart. Much of Exodus (especially in the 2nd half of the book) is describing these laws and regulations (some in very exacting detail).
Exodus ends with the people still in the Sinai peninsula. They won't reach the promised land for years to come. But they now are a people free from slavery, and people of their own, with their own laws and religion, distinct from any other in the world.
Of all the books in the Old Testament, Exodus is one of the most well known. Its name in Greek means "going out", and it subsequently tells of how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to be a people of their own, called by God to be his chosen people. (In Hebrew, the name of the book is actually "Names", because of how the book starts off with the list of names of the sons of Jacob.)
The over-arching structure of the book is something like this:
#1. Israelites are in bondage and early life story of Moses.
#2. God calls Moses to deliver them from Egypt, along with his brother Aaron.
#3. The series of plagues on the Egyptians, culminating in The Passover.
#4. The crossing of the Red Sea, and becoming finally free from the Egyptians.
#5. Entering Sinai, and the giving of the 10 Commandments as well as other laws, both moral, civil and ceremonial (religious), including establishing the priesthood (Aaron and his sons).
#6. People sinfully build a golden calf to worship, breaking God's law (and Moses literally breaks the commandments).
#7. Re-making the stone 10 Commandments, and further reminders of the laws of God.
#8. The building of the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant, according to the earlier commands God gave (#5).
The action oriented narratives are pretty familiar to most of us from the various movies made about the story. Something those movie depictions don't always make clear, though, is how this event is what really makes the Hebrew people who they are. Before this point, they didn't really have the Jewish religion or practices that we normally think of. While God had already made covenant with Abraham and his descendants earlier in Genesis, it's only at this point where they get a cohesive set of laws and rituals (beyond just circumcision) which really sets them apart. Much of Exodus (especially in the 2nd half of the book) is describing these laws and regulations (some in very exacting detail).
Exodus ends with the people still in the Sinai peninsula. They won't reach the promised land for years to come. But they now are a people free from slavery, and people of their own, with their own laws and religion, distinct from any other in the world.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Genesis
The name for Genesis in both Greek and Hebrew means "Origins", which is of course a very appropriate title for the book. The origins of the world, humanity, sin, cities, diversity of languages, and the Hebrew people themselves are all told in the book.
This, of all the books in the Bible, might be the most well known. Many of the famous "Bible stories" come from this book (Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Noah, Tower of Babel, Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, etc.) As different as some of these stories are, almost all of them seem to follow a similar literary pattern (to my eyes anyway). It goes something like this:
#1. God has a plan for people.
#2. The people rebel against him (or act sinfully in some way).
#3. God is angry with them, but graciously has mercy on them in some way. (Although often not without some consequences).
Almost every one of these famous stories fits this pattern. God creates paradise for Adam and Eve, they rebel, God forgives them, but they can no longer live in the garden of Eden. Cain kills his brother Able, God punishes him, but protects him from being killed in revenge. God nearly destroys all life in the Flood, but protects Noah and his family, and promises to never destroy all life like that again. Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery, but God uses that as a way of saving his family.
One strong theme you will almost certainly come away with from reading Genesis is that "People are bad". Even the great "heroes of the faith" (Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc) all come off pretty bad in these stories. In fact, as you read these an adult you might be struck by just how odd this is. I don't know if this is common in other religions, but in the Old Testament, the prophets rarely come across as sinless saints. The theme seems to be again and again, only God is truly good, but he nonetheless uses flawed people (sometimes *really* flawed) for his divine purposes. People often talk about how much wrath there is in these Old Testament stories, but there is also a lot of mercy.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Introduction
I'm a Christian, but I have to admit that I don't know the Bible as well as I ought. Every time I read my Bible I keep discovering so much about it that I didn't know before. While there are unifying themes across the whole Bible, there are also interesting characteristics unique to each of its books. I decided that a good activity for me would be to attempt to blog about every book of the Bible, giving a quick synopsis about what that particular book is about. That way, I could have a better mental map of the context of each book, and maybe also help others who are trying to dive into these various passages of scripture.
As a caveat, I have to admit I have no special training in the Bible, and I quite possibly will be getting some things wrong during this process. Feel free to correct me in my mistakes, or comment on important aspects of these books that I might be missing.
I am also going to try (if possible) to avoid as much as I can some of the more speculative topics involving some of these books. The synopses I'll be writing should hopefully be useful for people regardless of the denomination they are a part of (or even whether or not they are religious at all).
Oh, and one last thing. I won't be literally reading all of these books straight through while I do this, so I definitely might be missing out on some key points to make while I do this. This will definitely be a high-level "bird's eye view" of these books.
As a caveat, I have to admit I have no special training in the Bible, and I quite possibly will be getting some things wrong during this process. Feel free to correct me in my mistakes, or comment on important aspects of these books that I might be missing.
I am also going to try (if possible) to avoid as much as I can some of the more speculative topics involving some of these books. The synopses I'll be writing should hopefully be useful for people regardless of the denomination they are a part of (or even whether or not they are religious at all).
Oh, and one last thing. I won't be literally reading all of these books straight through while I do this, so I definitely might be missing out on some key points to make while I do this. This will definitely be a high-level "bird's eye view" of these books.
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