Jeremiah 45
45.
Jeremiah 46
46.2 Carchemish
Meaning: fortress of Chemosh,
a city on the west bank of the Euphrates (Jer. 46:2; 2 Chr. 35:20), not, as was once supposed, the Circesium at the confluence of the Chebar and the Euphrates, but a city considerably higher up the river, and commanding the ordinary passage of the Euphrates; probably identical with Hierapolis
It was the capital of the kingdom of the northern Hittites. The Babylonian army, under Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar, here met and conquered the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt (B.C. 607). It is mentioned in monuments in B.C. 1600 and down to B.C. 717. --WebBible Encyclopedia --- http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/carchemish.html?zoom_highlight=carchemish
The Old Testament gives later details. In the time of Josiah, Pharaoh Necoh marched to fight against the city, and the Jewish king went out to meet him, but lost his life at Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:20). Four years later (605 BC), the Egyptian king was himself defeated by Nebuchadrezzar under the walls of the city (Jeremiah 46:2) in the battle which decided the fate of Western Asia. ---ISBE 1915
46.9 Cush... Land of Cush — The term Cush is in the Old Testament generally applied to the countries south of the Israelites. It was the southern limit of Egypt (Ezek. 29:10, A.V. "Ethiopia," Hebrew: Cush), with which it is generally associated (Ps. 68:31; Isa. 18:1; Jer. 46:9, etc.).
From these facts it has been inferred that Cush included Arabia and the country on the west coast of the Red Sea. Rawlinson takes it to be the country still known as Khuzi-stan, on the east side of the Lower Tigris. But there are intimations which warrant the conclusion that there was also a Cush in Africa, the Eth iopia (so called by theGreeks) of Africa. ----WebBible Encyclopedia -- http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/cush.html
46.9 Put... A land or people from among whom came a portion of the mercenary troops of Egypt, Jer. 46:9 (A.V., “Libyans,” but correctly, R.V., “Put”); Ezek. 27:10; 30:5 (A.V., "Libya;" R.V., “Put”); 38:5; Nahum 3:9. 46.14 Migdol...
A strongly-fortified place 12 miles from Pelusium, in the north of Egypt (Jer. 44:1; 46:14). This word is rendered “tower” in Ezek. 29:10, but the margin correctly retains the name Migdol, “from Migdol to Syene;” i.e., from Migdol in the north to Syene in the south, in other words, the whole of Egypt. --http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/migdol.html?zoom_highlight=migdol
In Jeremiah 44:1; 46:14, a Migdol is noticed with Memphis, and with Tahpanhes Septuagint "Taphnas"), this latter being supposed to be the Daphnai of Greek writers, now Tell Defeneh, West of Qantarah. The same place is probably intended in Ezekiel 29:10; 30:6 (compare 30:15-18), the borders of Egypt being defined as reaching "from Migdol to Syene" (see the Revised Version margin), as understood by the Septuagint translators. The Antonine Itinerary places Migdol 12 miles South of Pelusium, and the site appears to have been at or near Tell es Samut, the Egyptian name, according to Brugsch (Hist, II, 351), being Samut. This Migdol was thus apparently a "watchtower" on the main road along the coast from Palestine, which is called (Exodus 13:17) "the way of the land of the Philistines," entering Egypt near Daphnai. --http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?word=migdol&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Lookup&action=Lookup
46.14 Memphis & Tahpanhes...
Warnings were to go out to the major cities of Egypt that the same army that had devoured nations around her was coming. The cities are the same as those mentioned in 43:7-9 and 44:1 where Judeans had fled for safety (cf. 2:16). --http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/jeremiah.pdf
46.25 Amon of Thebes...
Amon is identified with Ra, the sun-god of Heliopolis. Amon was an Egyptian god, usually depicted with a human body and the head of a ram. Amon is referred to in Jer. 46:25, where the King James Bible uses the word “multitudes” instead of the more appropriate translation “Amon” used in other translations, including the New King James Version. Similarly, in the King James version of Nah. 3:8 the expression “populous No” is used instead of the more appropriate translation, “No-Amon” or “Thebes,” as in other translations. In each case, the Hebrew word is “Amown” (Amon).
The sovereign Yahweh, Israel's God, announced that He would punish the gods, rulers, and people of Egypt. Amon was the chief deity of No (Gr. Thebes), the capital of Upper Egypt. Even though there is as yet no historical evidence that Nebuchadnezzar advanced this far in his conquest of Egypt, his invasion affected the whole nation. ---http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/jeremiah.pdf
Jeremiah 41
41.17 intending to go to Egypt... Jeremiah must have been pretty frustrated at this point.
Jeremiah 42
42.3 that the Lord may show us the way we should go... It is curious why people ask what God wants them to do when their mind is already made up.
Jeremiah 43
43.7 did not obey the voice of the Lord... It is instructive to see how the sense of panic and fear of man blinded him to was the wise choice was.
Jeremiah 44
44.17 for then we had plenty... The spiritual blindness that caused them to think their sin was the cause of their prosperity is pretty amazing, but all to typical.
INTRODUCTION
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
A) Old Testament
Approximate dates
2000 - Abraham leaves Ur and sacrifices to one God - Gen 12.1 "I will make of you a great nation."
1500 - Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land. - Ex.20.2 "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Thou shalt…"
1000 - David rules the unified kingdom of Israel. - He is followed by his son, Solomon, who builds the temple in Jerusalem.
500 - Zerrubbabel, Ezra, & Nehemiah lead Jews back to the promised land.
- The last minor prophet, Malachi, finishes the OT about 4oo years before Christ.
B) Exile Timeline
1. Destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar—
605 BC Nebuchadnezzar takes the Temple treasures and captives (including Daniel)
598 BC Second conquest of Jerusalem with more captives and treasure taken
586BC Nebuchadnezzar destroys the temple in
2. Zerubbabel – 539-515BC - Temple Rebuilt - Ezra 1-6
Cyrus—539BC conquers Babylon and decrees return of peoples to their lands.
Cabyses not mentioned in Ezra.
Pseudo Smerdis - An usurper who ruled less than a year. 519BC
Darius I (the Great) - The temple was completed during his reign.
3. Esther, queen of Ahasuerus Book of Esther
4. Ezra – 458BC - People Reformed – Ezra 7-10
Artaxerxes I - Ezra and Nehemiah returned during his 40+ year reign.
There is almost 60 years between Zerubbabel and Ezra.
58 years ago was 1951
Harry Truman was president and the 22nd amendment limiting the terms of a president was ratified. North Korea captured Soul, South Korea.
5. Nehemiah – 444-425BC - Wall Built – Nehemiah 1-10
Artaxerxes I - Ezra and Nehemiah returned during his 40+ year reign.
Theme of the books:
We need to trust, serve, and obey the sovereign God who keeps His covenant and restores His people.
Chapter summaries
Ch. 1-6 – Zerubbabel – 539-515 BC
Ch. 7–8 - Return 559 BC
We should not be discouraged by our vocation, but see it as an opportunity to serve the Lord.
Ch. 9-10— Reform 559 BC
Chapter Seven
We should not be discouraged by our vocation, but see it as an opportunity to serve the Lord.
Ezra the Man (1-6) a prepared priest
Summary of the Trip (7-10) the hand of our God was upon me
Letter of Artaxerxes (11-26) The secular purpose
Ezra's Doxology (27-28) Personal praise (moves to first person)
27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, 28 and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.
So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.
Big Idea –Outline
I. Record of Returnees
1 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes:
1 Heads רֹאשׁ Strong's H7218 - ro'sh---- head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
NIV—leaders
1 Father’s ( houses) אָב Strong's H1 - 'ab Father as an individual; head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan
YLT, KJV—xxx; NASB—households; NKJV, ESV—houses; NIV, NLT—family
1 genealogy יָחַשׂ Strong's H3187 - yachas to reckon genealogically, enroll on a genealogy, enroll, be enrolled
YLT, KJV, NKJV, ESV, NLT—genealogy (ies); NASB—genealogical enrollment; NIV—registered
2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom;
of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel;
of the sons of David, Hattush;
3 of the sons of Shecaniah,
of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah;and
registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; 150
3 registered same word as translated genealogy in verse 1
YLT—reckoning themselves by genealogy; KJV—reconed by genealogy; NASB—in the genealogical enrollment;
NKJV, ESV, NIV, NLT—registered
4 of the sons of Pahath-Moab,
Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah,
and with him two hundred males; 200
5 of the sons of Shechaniah,
Ben-Jahaziel,
and with him three hundred males; 300
6 of the sons of Adin,
Ebed the son of Jonathan,
and with him fifty males; 050
7 of the sons of Elam,
Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah,
and with him seventy males; 070
8 of the sons of Shephatiah,
Zebadiah the son of Michael,
and with him eighty males; 080
9 of the sons of Joab,
Obadiah the son of Jehiel,
and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 218
9 Joab is part of the Pahath-moab family in Chapter two and by himself here.
10 of the sons of Shelomith,
Ben-Josiphiah ____,
and with him one hundred and sixty males;160
11 of the sons of Bebai,
Zechariah the son of Bebai,
and with him twenty-eight males; 028
12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan,
and with him one hundred and ten males; 110
13 of the last sons of Adonikam,
whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah
—and with them sixty males; 060
14 also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud,
and with them seventy males. 070
1496+
13 last sons Strong's H314 - 'acharown 1. hinder, latter 2. after, later, following 3. last
ylt—younger sons; kjv, nkjv—last sons; nasb, esv, niv, nlt—xxx;
The meaning here is unclear, but it may indicate that the last of the Adonikam house were joining their brethren, who had gone with Zerubbable in chapter two.
II. Preparations by the River
- First, there was a lack of Levites and Ezra sends 11 men to find Levites to come with them. Only 38 are found, and 220 servants (Nethinim), but at lease this small number join Ezra and those with him. There seems to be a chronic shortage of 'Levites', people who take care of the house and people of God (Numbers 3:7) - may many hear the call today!
- Second, Ezra called for fasting, humiliation and prayer (v.21). Instead of relying on the armed escort offered by the heathen king, Ezra wanted to rely on God and to depend on Him.
You see that we do not have a scribe here (in Ezra) who 'knows it all' and goes to 'sort them out' in Jerusalem. His frame of mind is quite different. The time in prayer at the river Ahava was well spent (v.23).
Finally, Ezra entrusts the silver and gold, the vessels for the house of God, to 12 of the chief priests and gives them instruction to look after these treasures. They do so faithfully. Everything is weighed and numbered and, good to see, when they arrive everything is accounted for, nothing has gone missing. May it be so with the things the Lord entrusted to us, whether material or otherwise (1 Tim. 6:20). –MICHAEL HARDT IN LESSONS FROM EZRA © BIBLECENTRE.ORG
A. Lack of Levites
15 Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there.
15 river This may refer to a canal coming from the Euphrates River.
15 Looked בִּין Strong's H995 - biyn 2) to understand, know (with the mind) 3) to observe, mark, give heed to, distinguish, consider
KNV—viewed; NKJV—looked;
YLT—consider; NASB—observed; ESV—reviewed; NIV—checked;
NLT—went over the lists
15 the sons of Levi
16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding. 17 And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God.
16 leaders רֹאשׁ Strong's H7218 - ro'sh 1) head, top, summit… d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)
YLT—heads; KJV--chief men; NASB, ESV—leading men; NKJV, NIV, NLT--leaders
16 men of understanding בִּין Strong's H995 - biyn (Hiphil) 1) to understand 2) to cause to understand, give understanding, teach
YLT, KJV, NKJV—men of understanding; ESV—men of insight; NLT—men of discernment
NASB—teachers; NIV—men of learning
an extra two for their diplomatic skill—Kindner, TOTC
16 ministers שָׁרַת Strong's H8334 - sharath (Piel) to minister, serve, minister to
YLT—ministrants; KJV, NASB, ESV, NLT—ministers; NKJV—servants; NIV—attendants;
17 the place For some scholars hammaqom is a clear reference to a sanctuary in the neighborhood of Babylon, in the same manner as the sanctuary of Yahu which existed at Yeb (Elephantine). … The usage of maqom [the place] in the later OT literature, howere, points to a sanctuary, possible a kind of synagogue where pupils were instructed in the law. --NICOT
18 Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding,
of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel,
namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men;
19and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men;
20 also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim.
All of them were designated by name.
17 Nethinim Socially they were a caste of mixed origins and were inferior to the Levites in status. But God’s Spirit had motivated them to respond in larger numbers than the Levites. --Expositors
While a small number of Levites had gone up with Zerubbabel, none had joined Ezra. Only two priests were present, Gershon, son of Phinehas, and Daniel, son of Ithamar. What indifference this reveals! They had settled down in the enemy's land and were satisfied to remain there. They were minding earthly things, and the things of God were forgotten by them. Still they were Levites in their holy calling. It is so today with many who are no doubt saved, but they are worldly-minded, and have but little desire to live in the separation demanded by Him from His people. Ezra was not willing to leave the Levites behind, knowing how absolutely necessary they were for the house of God. How Ezra must have looked to God! Then he acted, and through the good hand of God, which he once more acknowledged, a number of Levites and Nethinim joined the party. –Arno Clement Gaebele in THE ANNOTATED BIBLE “THE BOOK OF EZRA”
Here, not a single Levite presents himself. They remain in the cities of the nations, occupied with their own personal interests, without any thought of going up with their brothers to serve in the house of God. Ezra is obliged to send them a special embassy of chief men and men of understanding, to induce them to join their brothers. --H. L. Rossier in THE BOOK OF EZRA © BIBLECENTRE.ORG
In spite of everything, we find this expression: "The good hand of our God [was] upon us" (v. 18), the only resource which Ezra could count on. And if the help granted to them was insufficient, revealing the great areas of lack caused by the people's ruin, at least there was some help, and the Lord did not abandon His own. --H. L. Rossier in THE BOOK OF EZRA © BIBLECENTRE.ORG
Application:
We should be quick to join the Lord's work.
The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Matthew 9.37-38
1 Peter 2
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Why is there a scarcity of laborers for the harvest today?
Matthew 9
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
B. Fasting and Prayer for Protection
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
21 fast צוֺם Strong's H6685 – tsowm
21 humble Strong's H6031 - `anah (Hiphil) to afflict
YLT, KJV—afflict; NASB, NKJV, ESV, NIV, NLT—humble
the right way יָשָׁר Strong's H3477 – yashar straight, level, unobsructied
YLT, KNV, NKJV—right way; NASB, EXV, NIV, NLT—safe journey
21 little ones Children (tap as in Deut. 1:39) designates those younger than twenty, with stress on the younger ages.
22 ashamed בּוּשׁ Strong's H954 – buwsh
Nehemiah would later accept an armed escort as God’s provision (Neh. 2.9).
23 entreated בָּקַשׁ
Strong's H1245 – baqash to seek; to ask, request
YLT—seek; KJV—besought; NASB—sought
ESV—implored; NIV—petitioned;
NLT--earnestly prayed
23 answered עָתַר Strong's H6279 - `athar to hear and answer
And the question may well arise whether in this day our service for God is not often too easily taken up; whether it would not conduce to spiritual power and efficacy if, before we embarked upon anything for God, we were more frequently found in this attitude of Ezra and his companions. Far be it from us to insinuate for one moment that the Lord's servants do not thus seek His face before commencing their service. Our question concerns rather collective waiting upon God, with fasting, before work is entered upon in which the saints at large have a common interest. It was understood in the early Church; for we read, "There were in the Church that was at Antioch prophets. . . . As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." (Acts 13: 1, 2.) If there were but a revival of such a practice in the power of the Holy Ghost (for to imitate it without the power would be worse than useless), far larger results from service in teaching and ministry might be confidently anticipated. –E. Dennett in THE BOOK OF EZRA (CHAPTERS 7-10)
(Emphasize the importance of prayer and seeking the Lord.)
C. Treasures entrusted to the Priest
24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— 25 and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered.
26 I weighed into their hand
six hundred and fifty talents of silver, [24.5 tons]
silver articles weighing one hundred talents, [ 3¾ ton ]
one hundred talents of gold, [ 3¾ ton ]
27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and
two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold.
26 talents כִּכָּר Strong's H3603 – kikkar (root: round) a round weight, talent (of gold, silver, bronze, iron) “A talent of silver (2 Kings 5:22) contained 3,000 shekels (Ex. 38:25,26) [or 95ish pounds]. A talent of gold (Ex. 25:39) was double the weight of a talent of silver (2 Sam. 12:30).” --WebEncyclopedia
27 drachmas אֲדַרְכּוֺן Strong's H150 - 'adarkon According to Myers (Ezra-Nehemiah p. 67), if this is the Persian gold dric, then 1,000 darics would weigh about eighteen and a half pounds; if the silver daric, about twelve and a fifth pounds. –Expositors
28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.” 30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
28 holy קֹדֶשׁ Strong's H6944 – qodesh apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness
28 freewill offering נְדָבָה Strong's H5071 – nĕdabah voluntariness, free-will offering
29 watch שָׁקַד Strong's H8245 – shaqad to keep watch of, be wakeful over
YLT, KJV, NASB, NKJV—watch; ESV, NIV, NLT—guard
29 keep שָׁמַר Strong's H8104 – shamar to keep, have charge of, guard
YLT, KJV, NASB, NKJV, ESV—keep; NIV—carefully; YLT--xxx
Teaching: What is holiness.
HOLY (TRANSCENDENT AND PURE)
Definition: God is exalted* and sinless pure. *in the sense that He is separate from and above everything else
Key verses: Psalm 24:3-4a “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”
Explanation: This verse shows the two parts of God’s holiness. He is far above us and He is without any sin. The part that talks about “ascending into the hill of the Lord” emphasizes that God is above and beyond us. The part that talks about “clean hands and a pure heart” shows that God cannot sin or be around sin.
Principle of first mention.
Exodus 3:5
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
In our passage, God appears to Moses in a flaming bush that isn’t burning up. Moses is curious. He wants a closer look. But God says to him, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (verse 5). And Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God (verse 6). Later in his life, this same Moses spoke intimately with God, as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). So God is not absolutely unapproachable. But at this point in his life Moses is unprepared for God. He’s tramping into God’s presence with his dirty shoes and his dirty life and his dirty heart. So God tells him, “Take off your sandals. Don’t bring that dirt and muck into my presence. I am here. You’re on holy ground.”
So what does “holy” mean? We tend to move in our thinking from the word “holy” immediately to the idea “morally pure.” But here in our passage the word holy cannot mean “morally pure.” Moral categories only make sense with personal beings – God, angels and man – but not with a plot of ground. “Holy ground,” therefore, cannot mean “moral ground.” What does it mean? It means that this place was, as it were, roped off from all ordinary use. So Moses had to accommodate himself to God’s presence revealed in this place by taking off his sandals. --------------Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Exodus 3:1-6 and the Holiness of God
Leviticus 11:44-45
44 For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Leviticus 19 Moral and Ceremonial Laws
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
1 Peter 1
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
Principle: We and all we do should be separated to the LORD. Are you wholly separated to the Lord?
29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders…
What a reminder for every believer today! We are entrusted with the truth of the Word of God, and should take to heart what Paul writes to Timothy, "O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust" (1 Tim. 6:20).Just as the priests were required to give account in Jerusalem of all that was committed to their trust, so we shall give account at the judgment seat of Christ of the way we handled the word of God committed to us. – L. M. Grant in THE BOOK OF EZRA
Application: Guard what was committed to your trust 1 Timothy 6
20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.
III. The Return to Jerusalem
A. Safe arrival (31-32) …the hand of our God was upon us…
31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. 32 So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.
31 delivered נָצַל Strong's H5337 – natsal to deliver (from enemies or troubles or death)
YLT, KJV, NASB, NKJV, ESV—DELIEVERED; NIV, NLT—PROTECTED;
B. WEIGHING TEMPLE VESSELS, ETC. (33-34)
33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of
Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest,
and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas;
with them were the Levites,
Jozabad the son of Jeshua and
Noadiah the son of Binnui,
34 with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.
32 Nehemiah also “rested three days” after his arrival… (Neh. 2:11). –Expositors
C. BURNT OFFERINGS (35)
35 The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel:
• twelve bulls for all Israel,
• ninety-six rams, (8 per tribe)
• seventy-seven lambs, and
• twelve male goats as a sin offering.
All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
35 SEVENTY-SEVEN “We know … from Ugaritic literature that that seventy and seventy-seven were used as a literary device to denote a fairly large number (for seventy-seven cf. UT, 75:II:49). There s obvious merit, therefore, in the view of some scholars that seventy-seven must be regarded as symbolic and should not be changed.” --NICOT
35 SIN OFFERING חַטָּאָ STRONG'S H2403 - CHATTA'AH SIN, SIN OFFERING
These offerings had a view toward repentance from sins and desire to be purged from the guilt of sinful acts. —THE MACARTHUR STUDY BIBLE
PAU: Have you accepted Christ's sacrifice for you?
1John 1
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
D. Informing provincial officials
36 And they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.
MAY THE GOOD HAND OF OUR HOLY GOD
WHO SENT HIS SON AS A SACRIFICE FOR YOUR SIN
SEPARATE YOU AND EMPOWER YOU
FOR HIS SERIVCE.
H.G.M. Williamson in WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY
Derek Kidner in EZRA AND NEHEMIAH - TYNDAL OLD TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES
Mark A. Throntveit in EZRA-NEHEMIAH - INTERPRETATION: A BIBLE COMMENTARY FOR TEACHING AN PREACHING
F. Charles Fensham in THE BOOKS OF EARA AND NEHEMIAH - THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
C. Coleman Luck in EZRA AND NEHEMIAH - EVERYMAN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY
Edwin Yamauchi in THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY
Bruce Wilkinson and Kenneth Boa in TALK THRU THE OLD TESTAMENT
Dr. Judah J. Slotki in EANIEL-EZRA-NEHEMIAH - SONCINO BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Thomas L. Constable in NOTES ON EZRA 2009 EDITION
J.G. McConville in EZRA, NEHEMIAH, ESTHER - THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE SERIES (Westminster Press)
THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA
WEBBIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/home.html
Matthews, Victor Harold ; Chavalas, Mark W. ; Walton, John H.: THE IVP BIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTARY : OLD TESTAMENT.
C.F. Keil in KEIL & DELITZSCH COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT
Merrill F. Unger in UNGER'S COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT
John A. Martin in THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY
Mark A. Throntveit in EZRA-NEHEMIAH from INTERPRETATION: A BIBLE COMMENTARY FOR TEACHING AND PREACHING.
MICHAEL HARDT IN LESSONS FROM EZRA © BIBLECENTRE.ORG
L. M. Grant in THE BOOK OF EZRA
–E Dennett in THE BOOK OF EZRA (CHAPTERS 7-10)
Matthew
20.15 begrudge my generosity... Being able to rejoice at another's good fortune, even when it passes you by, is a blessing.
20.22 We are able... Three dangerous words (esp. in this context).
20.32 What do you want me to do for you? Boy we sure do have some really shallow and bone headed responses to this question many times.
21.16 You have prepared praise... That is an interesting remark to think about. God's election, if you please, and worship/praise. I want to be in that group.
21.32 You ddi not afterwards change your minds... Blew a "second chance."
22.12 without a wedding garment...
22.40 On these two... A list for those who can't remember ten.
23.3 For they preach, but do not practice... Ouch! Reminds me of the contrast in Ezra 7.10.
23.30 If we had... The refrain of self-confident pride.
24.24 this generation... Here is a good review of the various views on how to understand this.
What did He mean by "this generation?" Many interpreters have concluded that Jesus meant the generation of disciples to whom He spoke (cf. 23:36). Some within this group of interpreters have concluded that because these signs did not occur before that generation of disciples died Jesus made a mistake.990 This solution is unacceptable in view of who Jesus was. Other interpreters in this group have concluded that since these signs did not appear during the lifetime of that generation of disciples Jesus must have been speaking metaphorically, not literally.991 They say the destruction of Jerusalem fulfilled what Jesus predicted. This solution is also unacceptable because there is nothing in the text to indicate that Jesus meant that the disciples should understand the signs non-literally. Moreover numerous similar prophecies concerning Messiah's first coming happened literally.
Perhaps Jesus meant that the generation of disciples that saw the signs would also witness His return.992 However the demonstrative pronoun "this" (Gr. aute) seems to stress the generation Jesus was addressing. This pronoun could refer to the end times rather than to that generation.993 Yet this seems unnatural here.
Other interpreters have noted that "generation" (Gr. genea) can refer to a race of people, not just to one generation (cf. 16:4; Phil. 2:15).994 They conclude that Jesus meant the Jewish race would not end before all these signs had attained fulfillment.995 This is a possible solution, but it seems unusual that Jesus would introduce the continuing existence of the Jewish race to confirm the fulfillment of these signs.
Another view has focused attention on the words "take place" or "have happened" (Gr. genetai) that occur in all three synoptic accounts. The Greek word meant "to begin" or "to have a beginning." Advocates affirm that Jesus meant that the fulfillment of "all these things" would begin in the generation of His present disciples (cf. v. 33), but complete fulfillment would not come until later.996 However, Jesus said "all" those things would begin during that generation. It is possible that "all" those things would begin during that generation if one interprets "all those things" as the signs as a whole (cf. v. 32). The earliest signs then would correspond to the branches of the fig tree becoming tender. This would be the first evidence of fulfillment shaping up. "This generation" then "represents an evil class of people who will oppose Jesus' disciples until the day He returns."997 All things considered this view appeals most to me.
990E.g., M'Neile, p. 355.
991E.g., Kik, pp. 10-12; Plummer, p. 338.
992Carl Armerding, The Olivet Discourse, p. 44; Charles Lee Feinberg, Israel in the Last Days: The Olivet Discourse, p. 22; Toussaint, Behold the . . ., pp. 279-80; Barbieri, p. 78; Bailey, in The New . . ., pp. 51-52.
993George Benedict Winer, Grammar of the Idiom of the New Testament, p. 157.
994Cremer, pp. 148-49.
995E.g., English, p. 179; Gaebelein, 2:214-15.
996E.g., Cranfield, "St. Mark 13," Scottish Journal of Theology 7 (July 1954):291; C. E. Stowe, "The Eschatology of Christ, With Special Reference to the Discourse in Matt. XXIV. and XXV.," Bibliotheca Sacra 7 (July 1850):471; Mark L. Hitchcock, "A Critique of the Preterist View of 'Soon' and 'Near' in Revelation," Bibliotheca Sacra 163:652 (October-December 2006):467-78.
997Neil D. Nelson Jr., "'This Generation" in Matt 24:34: A Literary Critical Perspective," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 38:3 (September 1996):385.
---Dr. Constable's Notes on Matthew
25.26 wicked and slothful... Hmmm... I am trying to get the idea of wicked and slothful together in my mind. Wicked seems so much more active.
25.46 eternal punishment ... eternal life ... This would indicate that the punishment lasts as long as the life.
26.13 This is just cool. I am thinking about the ways this event was so important.
26.37 wept bitterly...
Matthew
9.2 saw there faith... How did he do that? Think about it.
10.22 endures... Interesting word choice. Kinda seems like barely making it, but that is probably the conotation that follow the English that give that impression.
11.21 & 23 If the mighty works ... they would have repented. This is a head scratcher. Why then didn't He?
11.27 the Son chooses... But we want to choose.
12.9 Their synagogue... This might be to identify it as the synagogue that those particular Pharisees frequented, but if you take this in a general sense--ouch! It should have been God's.
12.21 gentiles... That's me! PTL
14.31 little faith ... doubt ... Seems that a little was not enough this time.
15.21-27 Now this lady had some spunk!
15.28 Be it done for you as you desire. Sweet words from the Lord, for sure.
16.25 follow... Carrying a cross is of little value if you are going the right direction with it.
18.4 humbles himself as a child... Maybe childlike faith everybody talks about should be childlike humility. A proud faith is an oxymoron.
18.9 hell of fire... This is an interesting translation by the ESV. I wonder what other kinds of hell there would be. :o)
19.26 with God... The game changer.
