Thought for Today: Monday November 10
We must flee the things that YHVH has labelled wrong. We need to flee pride – that tendency to think of ourselves more highly than we ought – and instead live with humility. We need to flee envy and jealousy. We need to avoid causing strife, and the anger, bad temper, irritability, and self-centredness that prompt it. We need to avoid abusive language, and instead develop a Spirit-controlled tongue. We must also flee lust, the love of money, and evil thoughts about other people. You and I can do all this by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
The Hebrew word used to describe the Proverbs 31 wife in v10 and translated variously as "excellent", "of valor", and "competent" is "chayil". It most often refers to an army or a might warrior.
Do you want an excellent wife? Then look for a woman with strength, competence, and intelligence coupled with humility and a desire to serve her husband.
https://rumble.com/vg04g1-a-wo....man-of-valor-who-can
The Gospel and our Connection to the God of Abraham explains how a person who has no connection to the God of Israel becomes connected through grafting in. This message is essential foundational information for Christianity and explains how our faith is a continuation of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is the chosen people and this is explained in the message that God chose them as the conduit for Him to communicate His desire and purposes for mankind.
https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/the-gospel-an
Here are some Apostolic Scriptures to read and study with Torah portion #chayeisarah ("Life of Sarah" Genesis 23:1-25:18), plus links to related videos and commentary: https://www.americantorah.com/....2021/11/24/parsha-ch
Genesis 18:18,”Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” Abraham didn’t become great by doing nothing. He didn’t sit in his tent and rely on our Creator provide for the things he desired, instead Abraham displayed his kindness and compassion through his faith. Sometimes he displayed his military strategy as well, but in everything he accomplished he showed his obedience to our Creator.
BIBLE STUDY --- TANAKH --- HISTORICAL BOOKS
THE BOOKS OF 1 AND 2 CHRONICLES
Two Old Testament books, historical records of King David and his successors in the land of Judah. The books of Chronicles are among the most neglected books in the Bible, partly because most of the material can be found in Samuel, Kings, or elsewhere in the Old Testament. Fourteen chapters {1 Chronicles 1–9; 23–27} are little more than lists of names; the rest of the material is primarily historical narrative, which some people find almost as boring as lists. Yet the content of Chronicles is not history in a professional or academic sense because the materials used are comparable to the annals compiled by ancient Near Eastern court scribes. Those sources recorded each year’s most important events and were frequently more propagandistic than objectively historical. The records in Chronicles, somewhat eclectic in nature and ignoring certain facets of national history while emphasizing others, deal with only a selected portion of the history of the Israelites. A good deal of the criticism that the work is historically unreliable has come from lack of understanding the book’s character. Chronicles is not so much a history as a metaphysical interpretation of events in Israelite life in light of Covenantal values. It was not sufficient for the Chronicler that kings rose and fell; the events were interpreted from a special religious standpoint.
AUTHOR
In the Hebrew Bible, 1 and 2 Chronicles form a single book. The Bible does not say who wrote that book or when it was written. According to the Jewish Talmud, Ezra wrote “his book and Chronicles -- the order of all generations down to himself.” Although many scholars defend the view that Ezra wrote Chronicles, there is still no general agreement about the date and authorship of the book. The author is usually called “the Chronicler,” a title suggesting that he was a historian. It is possible that he was a scribe, priest, or Levite. Evidently the writer had access to government and Temple archives, because repeated references are made to a number of official records of kings {1 Chronicles 9:1; 27:24; 2 Chronicles 16:11; 20:34; 25:26; 27:7; 28:26; 32:32; 33:18; 35:27; 36:8} and prophets {1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15; 13:22; 20:34; 26:22; 32:32; 33:19}. The evidence is suggestive, but not conclusive, that the author of Chronicles also wrote the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The last two verses of Chronicles are almost the same as the first three verses of Ezra. The language and literary style of all three books are similar. The same theological concerns for the Temple and its worship and the same interest in lists and genealogies appear in all three books. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra-Nehemiah is considered one book and stands before Chronicles. Chronicles stand at the very end of the Hebrew Bible.
DATE
It is not possible to determine precisely when the book of Chronicles was written. The book ends with a reference to the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia, permitting the Jewish captives in Babylon to return to their homeland. Since Cyrus’s decree is usually dated about 538 BC, Chronicles could not have been written before that date. But if Ezra-Nehemiah is a part of the same work as Chronicles, the materials could not have been written until Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 444 BC. Genealogies in Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah may shed some light on the dating of the books. In 1 Chronicles 3:10-24 the lineage of David and Solomon is traced through the sixth generation after the exile, which would make the date for Anani {the last person in the list} about 400 BC. The language of Chronicles is definitely that of postexilic Hebrew. The use of the Persian word daric {1 Chronicles 29:7}, plus a lack of any Greek words, places Chronicles in the Persian period {538–331 BC}. The word midrash {“exposition”} appears in the Old Testament only in Chronicles {2 Chronicles 13:22; 24:27} but is very common in postbiblical Hebrew. Around 400 BC is probably the best estimate for the date of Chronicles, based on evidence now available.
BACKGROUND
During the Persian period, some of the Jews returned to Jerusalem from Babylon soon after Cyrus’s decree. They rebuilt the Temple and waited for the messianic age to come. But with drought, economic hardships, and moral and spiritual laxness, their hopes faded. Judah was stable politically as a part of the large, dominant Persian Empire. There was not the slightest possibility of restoring the Davidic kingdom. If the kingdom of David could not be restored politically, how was a Jew of the early fourth century BC to understand history and the place of the Jews in YHVH’s plan? The Chronicler, living at that time, found the key to history in YHVH’s Covenant with David. The first 10 chapters of 1 Chronicles lead up to David; chapters 11 -- 29 detail events of David’s rule. Moses is mentioned in Chronicles 31 times; David, more than 250 times. David planned the Temple and collected money to build it. He appointed Levites, singers, and gatekeepers. He divided the priesthood into its orders. He was responsible for the Temple worship, which was tremendously important to the Chronicler and his contemporaries. The Persian period of Israel’s history is largely a silent one, both in other Old Testament materials and in archaeological finds. Of course, all the evidence is not yet in, as archaeologists continue their investigations of the period.
ORIGIN AND PURPOSE
The Chronicler must have lived in Jerusalem and written for the Jewish community there. He refers to Jerusalem about 240 times and to Judah more than 225 times. A negative feeling toward the northern kingdom of Israel can be seen in the almost total lack of references to any northern king. The Chronicler’s attitude toward the north is clearly expressed in the two following verses: “The northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day” {2 Chronicles 10:19} and “Don’t you realize that Adonai, the YHVH of Israel, made an unbreakable Covenant with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever?” {13:5}. The Chronicler wanted the Jewish people to see that YHVH was sovereign over all things. For example, he includes David’s affirmation: “Yours, O ADONAI, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O ADONAI, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honour come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength” {1 Chronicles 29:11-12}. Compiled in the postexilic period, Chronicles was meant to emphasize the significance of the theocracy seen in light of earlier history. The theocracy was a social configuration YHVH planned for postexilic Judah, a religious rather than secular community. Instead of a king, the Jews had a priesthood of which Adonai approved {as distinct from the corrupt priests who had been to a large extent responsible for the preexilic moral and spiritual collapse of the nation}. The postexilic Judeans were to live as a holy nation, not as people with political and nationalistic ambitions. Therefore, the Chronicler demanded implicit obedience to the Mosaic Covenant so that the returning Jews could find prosperity, divine blessing, and grace. The Jews were still the chosen people, purged by the experience of exile, with a new opportunity to fulfil the Sinai Covenant. The Chronicler gave great weight to divine retribution and was insistent that all action be guided by specific moral principles, to reflect YHVH’s character clearly in his people. Because the writer saw YHVH’s hand in all history, punishing the apostate and being gracious to the penitent, he saw in the chastened remnant of the exile the true spiritual heirs of the house of David. He insisted that the postexilic community adhere rigorously to the morality of Sinai, guarding against preexilic apostasy and ensuring divine blessing. The writer wanted the Jews to know YHVH’s power. He also wanted them to believe in Adonai so that they would be “established.” If they believed YHVH’s messengers, they would succeed {2 Chronicles 20:20}. He also wanted the people to know that Jerusalem was YHVH’s chosen place of worship {2 Chronicles 5–6}, and that the Temple, priests, singers, Levites, and gatekeepers had been divinely appointed {1 Chronicles 28:19}. The Temple was meant to be a place where all their needs could be met {2 Chronicles 6:19–7:3}.
CONTENT
Chronicles can be briefly outlined as follows:
1 Chronicles: genealogies {1–9}; the reign of David {10–29}; 2 Chronicles -- the reign of Solomon {1–9}; the kings of Judah {10:1–36:21}; epilogue on the exile and return {36:22-23}.
Since the Chronicler’s writings do not have a didactic format, the reader must draw out those ideas and principles that are prominent and basic. One important idea running through Chronicles is the greatness, power, and uniqueness of YHVH. It is expressed most beautifully and forcefully in 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, which declares that everything in heaven and earth belongs to YHVH and he is head over all. Other passages make a similar claim. When Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked Judah and Jerusalem, King Hezekiah of Judah admonished his people not to fear the king of Assyria. Several times the Chronicler repeats the idea that Israel’s YHVH is unique: there is no other YHVH like Adonai. In 1 Chronicles 16:25-26, Psalm 96:4-5 is quoted: “Great is Adonai! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be revered above all gods. The gods of other nations are merely idols, but Adonai made the heavens!”. Both David and Solomon are quoted as saying that there is no other god but Adonai {1 Chronicles 17:20; 2 Chronicles 6:14}. Chronicles emphasizes that Adonai is “greater than all gods” {2 Chronicles 2:5}. The classic passage that stresses the differences between YHVH and the “god” of a nation is in 2 Chronicles 32. When Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem, he asked the people what they were relying on to withstand the siege in Jerusalem. Sennacherib was saying, in effect, “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you by telling you that your YHVH will deliver you. No god of any nation so far has been able to stand against me. Your YHVH is like the gods of all the other nations. He will not be able to deliver you from me.” The Chronicler observes that the Assyrians spoke of the YHVH of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth. But YHVH did deliver Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from Sennacherib. Several passages declare that YHVH rules over the nations {1 Chronicles 17:21; 2 Chronicles 20:6}. In fact, the Chronicler saw Adonai as the one who directs history. Adonai brought Israel out of Egypt and drove the Canaanites out of their land {1 Chronicles 17:21; 2 Chronicles 6:5; 20:7}. Some seeming quirks of history are explained with such phrases as “it was ordained by YHVH” {2 Chronicles 22:7}. Over and over in telling the story of the struggles of the kings of Judah with other nations, Chronicles points out that Adonai always decided the battle {1 Chronicles 10:13-14; 18:6; 2 Chronicles 12:2; 13:15; 20:15; 21:11-14; 24:18; 28:1, 5-6, 19}. To the Chronicler Adonai was a Covenant-keeping YHVH {2 Chronicles 6:14}. He was the YHVH of justice and righteousness {12:6}, so human judges must judge honestly and fairly {19:7}. The Chronicler made it clear that no individual or nation could succeed by opposing YHVH {24:20}; not only would people fail against YHVH, but they were powerless without him {1 Chronicles 29:14; 2 Chronicles 20:12}. Adonai is seen not only as a unique, righteous, and powerful YHVH, but also as a wise YHVH. YHVH tests the human heart and knows when he finds integrity {1 Chronicles 29:17}. Solomon prayed for YHVH to “hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; {for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men}” {2 Chronicles 6:30}. Although YHVH knows all about human beings, and has supreme power in heaven and on earth, men and women are still free to obey or disobey Adonai. The stories in Chronicles depict people who chose to obey or disobey YHVH. Those who obeyed succeeded; but to the extent that others, even kings, disobeyed YHVH, they failed. Three of the Chronicler’s heroes were Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. Each was a great reformer, and each was commended for obeying Adonai. But each one sinned near the end of his life and incurred the disfavour of YHVH. Jehoshaphat joined an alliance with a wicked king from the north {2 Chronicles 20:35-37}. Hezekiah sinned in receiving envoys from Babylon and “YHVH left him to himself” {32:31}. Josiah did not obey the word of YHVH spoken by Pharaoh Neco and was killed {35:21-24}. The Chronicler believed that all human beings have sinned {2 Chronicles 6:36}, and should repent with all their mind and heart {6:38}. One of the greatest passages on repentance in all the Bible is in 2 Chronicles 7:14. A prominent theme in Chronicles is the importance of the Temple as the place to meet YHVH in worship. One could say that almost everything in Chronicles is related to the temple in one way or another. For a person living in Jerusalem in the fourth century BC under the domination of the Persians, temple worship was very significant. The Chronicler expressed the importance of true community and institutional worship. Worship was the dominant attitude of the Chronicler, whose YHVH was worthy to be praised. A worship service is described in 2 Chronicles 29:20-30. Hezekiah commanded a burnt offering and a sin offering to be made for all Israel. The Levites were stationed in the house of Adonai with cymbals, harps, and lyres. The priests had trumpets. “Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be placed on the altar. As the burnt offering was presented, songs of praise to Adonai were begun, accompanied by the trumpets and other instruments of David, king of Israel. The entire assembly worshiped Adonai as the singers sang and the trumpets blew, until all the burnt offerings were finished. Then the king and everyone with him bowed down in worship. King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to praise Adonai with the psalms of David and Asaph the seer. So, they offered joyous praise and bowed down in worship” {2 Chronicles 29:27-30}.
BIBLE STUDY --- TANAKH --- HISTORICAL BOOKS
THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
One of the last of the Jewish historical books.
BACKGROUND
In 597 BC Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon took away the first exiles from Jerusalem. In 586 BC the Babylonians returned, pillaged and burned the city and its temple, and took an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 Judeans into exile. The expatriates settled in various districts where they enjoyed a measure of freedom. They engaged in agriculture and commerce and in some instances acquired considerable wealth. The elders continued to function, prophets like Ezekiel ministered among the exiles, and resistance to religious apostasy was kept alive in the popular mind. With the appearance of the Persian king Cyrus the Great {559–530 BC}, the Jewish exiles’ prospects altered dramatically. Cyrus was a civilized and enlightened statesman, and within a short time after his conquest of Babylon, he issued an edict {Ezra 1:2-4} that granted the expatriates permission to return to their homeland. Two separate groups of exiles returned to Judah and built a new sanctuary in Jerusalem on the site of Solomon’s temple in 516 BC. Then, under King Artaxerxes I {464–424 BC}, two separate groups returned from Babylon under Ezra {458 BC} and Nehemiah {445 BC}, respectively. From this seedbed there sprang the theocratic people of Judah, the Jews, dedicated to the Law of YHVH, isolated from foreign influence, and centred in Jerusalem.
AUTHOR
Nehemiah’s personal memoirs form a considerable portion of the book that bears his name. These memoirs reveal a man of nobility and piety, who was compassionate, prudent, and patriotic. He was a man of generosity and fidelity, political acumen, and religious zeal, of total dedication to YHVH, outstanding organizational ability, and dynamic leadership. At the same time Nehemiah possessed a capacity for ruthlessness when confronting the sin and waywardness of his compatriots {Nehemiah 5:1-13} and the intrigues of powerful non-Jewish enemies {13:8, 28}. Not surprisingly, then, a dispirited and dejected people awoke from their lethargic and apathetic state and responded to Nehemiah’s stringent approach to their situation {2:4; 13:14, 22, 31}.
HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY
According to Josephus and other early writers, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah formed one book in the early Hebrew Bible entitled the book of Ezra. The earliest Hebrew manuscript in which the two books are divided is dated 1448, and modern Hebrew Bibles refer to them as the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In manuscripts of the Greek Old Testament {LXX} they also formed one book. Origen, in the beginning of the third century, is the first to attest to a division. There is general acknowledgment of the genuineness of the personal memoirs of Nehemiah, which constitute a major part of the book. The historical framework of the book is confirmed by papyri that were discovered between 1898 and 1908 in Elephantine, an island in the upper Nile. Here Psammetichus II {593–588 BC} established a Jewish colony. The Elephantine papyri are well preserved, written in Aramaic, and are the fifth-century BC literary remains of this Jewish colony of the Persian period. The most important item among the papyri is a copy of a letter sent to the Persian governor of Judah in 407 BC. Three years earlier the Jewish temple in Elephantine had been destroyed. This disaster was the occasion of a letter to Jehohanan, the high priest in Jerusalem {see Nehemiah 12:12-13}. Now, in their letter to the governor in Judah, they asked permission to rebuild their temple and said that they had sent a similar request to Delaiah and Shelamiah, the sons of Sanballat {Nehemiah’s enemy, 2:10, 19; 4:1}. The Elephantine papyri reveal that Sanballat was governor of the province of Samaria and that Tobiah was governor of the province of Ammon in Transjordan {2:10, 19}. Here, then, is evidence that there was in Judah a twofold authority, civil and religious, and that the high priest of 408–407 BC was Jehohanan {12:13}.
CHRONOLOGY
The question about whether Ezra or Nehemiah came to Jerusalem first has been hotly debated. There is no doubt that Nehemiah arrived in the city in 445 BC. The objections to the view that Ezra came to Jerusalem 13 years earlier, in 458 BC, raise questions concerning historical and textual data that are of such complexity as to preclude discussion of them here. However, achieving an understanding of the spiritual values of the book does not depend on a correct interpretation of the details of chronology. Arguments against the traditional chronology are neither altogether decisive, nor do they dispel the inherent complexities.
SIGNIFICANCE
When the exiles returned to Jerusalem, Judah had neither nationhood nor political status. Only one thing remained to them: their religion. They were the “remnant” of YHVH’s chosen people, from whom would rise the new and glorious Israel. It was this vision that explains Nehemiah’s insistence that the Jewish people maintain the purity and exclusiveness of their religious faith and practice in order to rejuvenate their national life and rebuild the city walls {6:15}, because this symbolized the racial and the religious purity of the people. He also insisted on separation from paganism, prohibition of marriage with non-Jews {13:23-28}, and careful observance of the Laws of the Shabbat {verses 15-22}. It is therefore, difficult to exaggerate the significance of the book of Nehemiah. Along with the book of Ezra, it furnishes the only consecutive Hebrew account of that period in Jewish history when the foundations of Judaism -- with its inflexible segregation of the Jews and its passionate veneration of the Mosaic Law -- were laid. Of course, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi also contribute to knowledge of the period, but Nehemiah {with Ezra} provides a progressive narrative of this epoch. The return of the expatriates from Babylon to Jerusalem constitutes a resumption of the saving purposes of YHVH for his ancient people, leading to the advent of Yeshua Moshiach. The account of the return from Babylon under Nehemiah emphasizes the religious aspect of the community of repatriates in Jerusalem. But other, secondary factors should be noted: Nehemiah’s preoccupation with Judah’s political security and constitutional status to ensure its independence of Samaria; the rebuilding of the city walls; Nehemiah’s resettlements of population {7:4; 11:1-2}; and his appointment to the governorship of the new province. However, there is no reference in the book of Nehemiah {or for that matter in Ezra} to a restoration to nationhood under a scion of the house of David -- no mention of a Moshiach, no allusion to the universal Kingdom of YHVH. Nehemiah manifests absolute loyalty to the Persian over Adonai who, while showing remarkable openness to Nehemiah’s request {2:4-9}, still continues to levy taxes {5:4, 15}. The repatriates retreated behind their city’s new walls and congregated around the second temple, completed in 516 BC. “The book of the Law of Moses” {8:1}, recognized by the Persian over Adonai as the Law of the land of Judah, became central to Jewish devotion and worship. Judaism was the product of the restoration, which became both a protective barrier against, and a wall of separation from, the Gentiles. Religious institutions initiated during the Babylonian exile and transplanted to Jerusalem took deep and firm root: the synagogue where the Law and the Prophets were read and the prayers were offered; the scribes who worked with single-minded devotion; and the Sanhedrin that continued to serve the new theocracy. The Jewish remnant of the fifth century BC parallels the modern Christian church in that both share the challenge of spiritual reconstruction and renewal essential to YHVH’s purposes.
CONTENT
In the winter of 445 BC, the Persian court was in Susa, the ancient capital of Elam {1:1}. There Nehemiah occupied a position of honour and influence {2:1}. From Jerusalem, a company of Judeans arrived, among them Nehemiah’s brother, whose description of conditions in Jerusalem horrified and grieved Nehemiah {1:2-4}. Four months later, and after much prayer, he reached Jerusalem with an armed escort {1:5–2:11}. After a three-day inspection of the situation, Nehemiah realized that rebuilding the walls would be his primary task {2:12–3:32}. An outburst of new national spirit caused latent opposition to surface. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were powerful, resourceful, astute antagonists. Through ridicule and rumours, they insinuated that work on the walls was a form of rebellion against the king {2:19; 4:1-3, 7-14; 6:1-9}. But Nehemiah countered every subterfuge and stratagem with prayer and with an adamant refusal to deviate from his goal. There was also hostility from traitors within the camp {6:10-19}. Despite all opposition, Jerusalem’s walls were reconstructed {verse 15} and rededicated amid enthusiastic celebration {12:27-43}. The community’s response to the reading by Ezra, priest and scribe, of the Law of Moses and to its interpretation by the Levites {8:1-8}, was a complex response of sorrow for sin and rejoicing in YHVH {verses 9-18}; of fasting and prayer {9:1-37}; of renewing the Covenant {9:38–10:29}; and of self-commitment to obey YHVH’s Commandments, ordinances, and statutes {10:30-39}. Chapters 11 and 12 refer to various offices and duties, civil and religious, and the names of the people appointed to them. Then follows the decision to exclude all people of foreign descent from Judaism {13:1-3}. At this juncture Nehemiah travelled to Susa to give an account of his stewardship; a further leave of absence being granted, he returned to Jerusalem to find that serious irregularities were again present. His enemy Tobiah and the priest Eliashib were embroiled {13:4-9}; the people failed to provide the Levites with adequate maintenance {verses 10-14}; the Laws of the Shabbat were being violated {verses 15-22}; and Jews were marrying non-Jews {verses 23-32}. Due to the increase of intermarriage with foreigners, the offspring could not speak Hebrew {verses 23-25}. The danger of assimilation was halted by enforcing a policy of exclusivism. The book of Nehemiah ends rather abruptly with a description of his vigorous and ruthless handling of these deviations from the newly established principles and precepts of Judaism.
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