Psalms 1, 91, 119:1-80

Today we jump back into the Psalms, reading those that were likely written during the “postexilic” period. We might notice that — on the surface — some of these psalms may seem somewhat contrary to the message of Job, sounding a bit like Job’s friends with the “good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people” world view. Psalm 1, for instance says that the one who delights in the law of the LORD is blessed and like a tree planted by streams of water (Ps. 1:3) while the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away. (Ps. 1:4) Similarly, Psalm 91 makes it sound like the righteous is invulnerable to all dangers and troubles. As we read these psalms, we need to look deeper than what they might say on the surface and read them in the context of the rest of Scripture. We need to remember Job and his suffering. We need to remember the ill treatment of righteous Jeremiah. We need to remember the Exile that is the experience of these psalmists. And we would also do well to remember that Satan quotes Psalm 91:11-12 to tempt Jesus (Mt. 4:6; Lk. 4:10-11), which just goes to say that if we interpret these words the same way Satan does, then maybe we’re off track…

See:

• January 1 (2022) / Psalm 1
• August 16 (2022) / Psalm 91
• October 16 (2022) / Psalm 119:1-16
• October 17 (2022) / Psalm 119:17-32
• October 18 (2022) / Psalm 119:33-48
• October 19 (2022) / Psalm 119:49-64
• October 20 (2022) / Psalm 119:65-80

Nehemiah 8-10

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And 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. … They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

Nehemiah 8:1-3,8

With Jerusalem’s wall now rebuilt, the whole nation gathers together in the city to hear Ezra, the scholarly priest, read from the Book of the Law of Moses, that is, the Torah or the Pentateuch. For centuries the Word of God has been largely neglected and even forgotten. (Remember when they found the Book of the Law while repairing the Temple during the reign of Josiah in II Kings 22:8-13?) Now with Ezra’s scholarship and Nehemiah’s leadership, the people are thirsty for the Word of God, and as they hear the Word they enter into worship. (Neh. 8:6) They also respond with weeping:

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 as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:9-10

Nehemiah and Ezra tell the people not to mourn or weep but rather to rejoice with feasting and celebration, giving us that most famous line in Nehemiah: The joy of the LORD is your strength.

Weeping and mourning is, of course, a good and proper response when the Word of God convicts us of sin. (Recall Nehemiah’s own actions in Nehemiah 1.) But we should never stay focused solely on our sin, wallowing around in remorse. Instead, we must turn our eyes toward the LORD, Who, with our repentance, offers mercy, grace, and forgiveness — and that is cause for celebration! That is Good News! So rejoice!

The joy of the LORD is your strength!

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One more thing…

For those who might have missed the beginning of the year and joined us more recently, Nehemiah 9:6-37 provides a quick way to “catch up” by giving us a concise overview of Israel’s history, with the overriding theme that despite Israel’s failures, God demonstrates His faithfulness, steadfast love, and mercy.

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And another thing…

Take another look at that first quote above — Neh. 8:1-3,8. It’s the original RTB! 🙂

Nehemiah 5-7

Today Nehemiah confronts a problem that is all too common: the exploitation of the weak by the powerful. The not-so-noble nobles and officials are exacting exorbitant interest on loans to the poor, driving them further and further into debt so that their only recourse is to turn over their land or even their children in payment. This scenario is nothing new, of course; the powerful are doing what the powerful everywhere tend to do, but it is not good. It is one of the great evils that the prophets rail against repeatedly and is very much a part of what got Israel and Judah sent into exile in the first place. Nehemiah himself is at the top of the local food chain and in the perfect position to exploit the situation to his own advantage. But Nehemiah fears the LORD and so instead steps into the breach, confronts the leadership, and forces them to rectify the situation as he himself foregoes the governor’s allowance to ease the burden on the people. (Wouldn’t it be great if we had more trouble imagining the problem than imagining a leader with such integrity?!)

Meanwhile, strong opposition continues from foreigners angry about the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. These enemies try to lure Nehemiah away to some secluded location where they can harm him. Failing that, they launch a smear campaign to discredit Nehemiah, hoping to bring the Persian authorities down on him. Then they hire a false prophet to trick Nehemiah into taking refuge within the Temple — a place he cannot legally enter, since he is not a priest — so as to entrap him in a violation of Torah. (Wouldn’t it be great if we could not readily point to such smear campaigns or attempts to entrap political figures in our own recent history? And wouldn’t it be great if our political leaders were so upstanding that such campaigns always looked ridiculous on their face?)

As we can see with Nehemiah, doing the right thing is rarely easy and is usually met with opposition, sometimes subtle and underhanded, but often overt and even violent. It takes real strength and courage to stand firm in the face of such opposition, and it takes integrity not to fall victim to traps baited by temptations or fears. Rooted in the fear of the LORD, Nehemiah demonstrates these qualities for us. How would we do in his place?

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One more thing…

If reading Nehemiah 7:6-73 feels a bit like déjà vu, see Ezra 2:1-3:1a, which we read 12 days ago on September 9. I have no idea why our “Chronological” Study Bible doesn’t present these two virtually identical passages together…

Nehemiah 1-4

Today we meet Nehemiah, the cupbearer to Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. It’s now 445/444 BC, 13 years since Ezra’s journey to Jerusalem and nearly a century since the return of the first exiles under Cyrus. While living in the Persian capital of Susa, Nehemiah hears of the poor condition of Jerusalem, particularly that its wall is still in ruins, leaving the city defenseless. Nehemiah immediately turns to the LORD in humility and contrition, confessing Israel’s sin and seeking the LORD’s renewed favor upon His people. He also asks that the LORD would grant Nehemiah favor in the eyes of the king.

When Nehemiah first starts to pray, I rather doubt that he has any notion of how the LORD would use him to fulfil his own prayer. I doubt that he anticipates leaving his position in the palace as cupbearer to the king — not at first, at least. But as he continues to pray, he eventually sees that he could have a role and he asks the king for leave to go to Jerusalem to build its walls. The king grants his request, and Nehemiah’s life is changed forever.

Nehemiah gives us a tremendous example of the fusion of faith and action, of prayer and practice, of the spiritual and the physical working together. Nehemiah prays for the well-being of Jerusalem and then steps up to help rebuild its wall. He relies on the LORD’s blessing and also prudently plans and acts:

• He gets official approval from the king for travel and for supplies (Neh. 2:7-9)
• Upon arrival in Jerusalem he assesses the current situation (Neh. 2:11-16)
• He motivates the city’s leadership for the project (Neh. 2:17-18)
• He organizes the workforce (Neh. 3)
• In the face of opposition, he arms the workers (Neh. 4)

These are all very practical actions that go hand-in-hand with faith and reliance on God.

And so it is (or should be) with us. We must recognize that we cannot solve the world’s problems on our own, that we are utterly dependent on God and without Him we can do nothing. But we must also recognize that when God calls us to action, we are not to sit on our hands. Rely on God — and work accordingly.

Ezra 7-10

Assuming that the Artaxerxes mentioned in Ezra 7:1 is Artaxerxes I, it is now 458 BC, and Ezra, the priest and scribe for whom this book is named, arrives on the scene. Ezra is a scholar who is well versed in the Law of Moses. (Ezra 7:6,10-12) As we can see from the first-person narrative in much of today’s reading, Ezra is the author of this book. In fact, he is likely the author of I and II Chronicles, too, which goes to say that he is very well aware of the history of Israel and Judah.

With full support from the king of Persia, Ezra leads a fresh set of Jews out of Babylonia to Jerusalem. Everything about that effort goes exceedingly well. But after arriving in Jerusalem, Ezra learns some distressing news: The people of Israel — and especially the leadership — are intermarrying with the surrounding pagan peoples. (Ezra 9:1-2) Ezra recognizes that this is a big problem because Ezra knows his history. He knows that the exile was no accident. He knows that the prior devastation of Jerusalem and Judah was not simply bad luck or an underfunded Defense Department. He knows that the Fall of Jerusalem was the direct result of the nation’s unfaithfulness to the LORD, and he knows that that unfaithfulness was fed largely by the pagan practices of the surrounding peoples whom Israel had failed to annihilate when they first conquered the Promised Land. And now the returned exiles are going down that same path!

So what about us? Are we learning from ancient Israel’s history? Are we learning from our own more recent history? Do we keep repeating the same mistakes? Do we heed the voice of those like Ezra who call us to return to the LORD? Do we recognize the need for holiness, to be set apart for God? Are we willing to confess our failures, to repent, and to obey the voice of the LORD?

Ezra 4:6-23; Malachi 1-4

Offering up second-rate (or worse) sacrifices to the LORD. Begrudging the LORD His due. Treating the LORD as wearisome. Cozying up to the world. Breaking promises and covenants. Calling evil good. Swearing falsely. Oppressing the weak and disadvantaged. Skimping on tithes to the LORD. Considering serving the LORD to be wasted effort.

These are some of the charges that Malachi levels against the people and priests of ancient Judah. We could do tremendous academic study of the historical context to root out the details of these problems for that time. We could go back to Leviticus and dig through the details of the Law, and we could review Judah’s history and their current circumstances to explain what is going on. All of that might be quite useful. And we could still miss the point, because Malachi might just be speaking to us…

Esther 6-10

Our story of Esther takes a dramatic turn today, with a complete reversal of “fortunes” for Mordecai and Haman in particular and for the Jews and their enemies in general. By “coincidence” the king cannot sleep the night before Esther’s second banquet and chooses to have boring historical records read to help put him to sleep. By “coincidence” these records “happen” to speak of Mordecai’s heroism. Just as the king is considering honoring Mordecai, Haman just “happens” to show up. But when the king asks Haman how to show honor to a man, Haman answers out of his own arrogance, with no “coincidence” necessary: Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” (Esther 6:6b) Seeking to exalt himself, Haman instead inadvertently exalts the very man he despises the most, Mordecai, and in the process sets up his own downfall.

Reading through Esther, we should of course see the larger picture of God’s providential care and protection for His people. But let’s not miss this clear lesson on pride and humility.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

I Peter 5:5b; James 4:6b (cf. Proverbs 3:34)

Esther 1-5

As the story of Esther begins, it’s now about 483 BC. Ahasuerus (aka Xerxes I) reigns over the Persian Empire. Although the people of Judah are no longer held captive, many continue to live abroad in the lands of exile (as is clearly still true today). Our story focuses on two such Jews, Mordecai and Esther, living in the Persian capital city of Susa. As you read through this story, you may notice that God is not mentioned explicitly anywhere, but that does not mean that He is not present…

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:13-14

It seems to me that these verses capture the main themes of the entire book. Mordecai strongly hints at the Providence of God, that relief and deliverance will rise to protect God’s people. And, indeed, if we look with eyes of faith, we can see God’s hand at work throughout this story. But we humans also have our own roles to play and our own responsibilities within God’s Providence, and so we get that final question of Mordecai to Esther, which is probably the most famous line in this book: And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Is it just happenstance, Esther, that you are the Queen? Might there be One Who put you in that position for a reason? Are you willing to seek out and fulfill your purpose?

Although I’m pretty sure none of us holds a position quite like Esther’s, we might nevertheless ask ourselves similar questions for our own scenarios. How might you be uniquely positioned for God’s purposes? Is God calling you to action? Are you willing to take such action or are you holding back? Food for thought…

I Chronicles 7-9

Have you ever traced your own ancestry? Most of us know our parents and grandparents. Some might even remember their great-grandparents. It’s even possible for some to remember great-great-grandparents, though that is now quite rare. Anything beyond that requires good record-keeping, with stories handed down from one generation to the next. Tracing our own lineage can be fascinating and can provide insight into ourselves, telling us who we are and providing us with a frame of reference for navigating our way through life.

Unfortunately many in our modern world are detached from any such frame of reference. With women bearing children to multiple anonymous men, kids grow up not having a clue about who their actual father is, with no hope at all of learning of their grandparents, let alone great-grandparents. And we wonder why people feel lost, directionless, without a sense of place in the world!

Were it not for these early chapters of Chronicles, the returning exiles of Judah might well likewise have been left bewildered, wondering who they were. But thanks be to God that someone paid attention all along the way and placed enough value on family heritage to retain ancestral knowledge. Where would we be without it?

I Chronicles 4-6

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of us have heard of “the prayer of Jabez”. We may not know what that prayer is, but we’ve probably heard of it because of the best-selling book, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, published in 2000. I’ve never read the book, so I cannot comment on whether it is any good, but it was extremely popular among Evangelicals for a while (and may still be) with a minor industry developing around auxiliary materials: devotionals, Bible study guides, a version for women, a version for teens, a version for kids, wall art, etc. I mention the “prayer of Jabez” because the actual prayer is right here in today’s reading:

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

I Chronicles 4:9-10

So, in case you’ve been thinking that these early chapters of I Chronicles don’t have much to offer, think again. They can pay off handsomely — especially for book publishers… 🙂