With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, - Luke 1:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 31, 2014): Luke 1

Objectivity is impossible. The truth is that each one of us perceives the world in which we live in a certain way. We all have glasses that focus our sight on the world around us, but the problem us that in bringing the world into focus, our glasses change the world that we see. Personally, I also know that I see what I expect to see. It happens all around me. I see the world as I want to see it – and I do not have the slightest idea how to change that.

So as we begin Luke’s version of the life of Christ, we have to be careful that we don’t argue that this is somehow an objective account of the life of Christ. It is not. As with all of the Gospels, the Gospel of Luke was written with a specific purpose in mind, even though we may not be sure what that purpose might have been (although we do have some theories.)

What we know is that the Gospel was written by Luke. Luke was not an eyewitness of the events that his writings, at least in the Book of Luke, attests to – but he was an associate of Paul. And through Paul, Luke had access to the disciples and many of the eyewitnesses of the events that he records in the Book of Luke. This is why Luke says that he has “carefully investigated everything from the beginning.” He had to investigate because he was not an eyewitness, he wasn’t present when the events happened.

The book is addressed to a man that Luke calls “most excellent Theophilus.” Experts have argued that the “most excellent” title means that Theophilus was some kind of a Roman official, but there are some other interesting theories. And maybe one of the most interesting is that the recipient of the Gospel was actually a man named “Theophilus ben Ananus, the son of the former High Priest Annas, the brother-in-law of Joseph Caiaphas, the High Priest that Jesus appeared in front of during his trial, and a High Priest in his own right from 37 – 41 C.E. But while support for the idea seems to be growing, it is still accepted by only a minority of experts. And the truth is that there were a lot of people named Theophilus during this period of time.

Another possible theory adds more of a purpose for the writing of the Gospel (and the book of Acts.) Some have suggested that Theophilus was somehow involved in Paul’s trial in Rome. Whether he was a lawyer or some other sort of legal professional, Luke compiled his writings as part of Paul’s possible defence. Before Paul was sentenced, the Roman officials needed to have the full story.

Whatever the reason, Luke is a believer who has spent some time compiling a record of the events that led him to belief. One last note, in Greek the first four verses of Luke are one sentence and it is a sentence that is written in the classical way. But the rest of the gospel is in the language of the person on the street. It is like Luke is saying, “I recognize who you are, Theophilus, but this story has to be told in the language of the street.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 1

See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. – Malachi 4:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 30, 2014): Malachi 3 & 4

We are not a people of great patience. Every day, if we tune in to any kind of media, we are serenaded with a tune of how we can own now, but pay later. To a great extent our economic structure is built around the idea of not waiting. So we are willing to pay much more for things we want (a cost that is often hidden in interest charges or miscellaneous fees) as long as we can have the items now. We have come to believe that this is not only normal, but that it is our right. In fact, if everyone in the cultural west were to decide that they would save for the things that they want – which is exactly the advice that most financial advisors have for us for our own financial well-being, the great economic wheels would slow almost to a standstill. The extremely rich of our nations are tremendously grateful – at least they should be - that most of us are willing to sacrifice our own financial well-being so that they can live free and easy with more money than they know what to do with. Of course, we would never phrase it that way. We would simply say that we work hard and deserve to buy now and pay later. We simply deserve not having to wait – and therefore to live in semi-poverty.

So maybe it is appropriate that the Hebrew Bible closes on a note of waiting. For the Christian, the words of Malachi are the final words God speaks for four hundred years. It is the beginning of the silence of God, a silence that will not be broken until the birth of Jesus Christ. Now we begin our wait.

Malachi says that God is going to send a forerunner before the Messiah will come. The forerunner will be Elijah. Elijah is a significant prophet because he ministered in dark and turbulent times. He was hunted by the authorities, the king wished him dead – the king did not really believe that God even existed and had gone off to worship the deities of his wife and her people - and yet none of this stopped the prophet from speaking the words that God had commanded him to speak. And so Malachi signals that when the Messiah comes, it will be a similar time – a time when prophets will not be honored, a time when even the king will not be a believer in God. And so the people started a practice, because of these words, to set an extra seat and an extra place setting at their tables during the Passover, believing that this might be the year that Elijah would come.

Four hundred years after Malachi spoke these words, Elijah came. Only we called him John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus and the one who by his own testimony God had sent to prepare the people for the Messiah who was destined to follow him. And it should not be a surprise that when Jesus asked his disciples who the people said that he was, that the disciples responded that some believe that you are Elijah. But then Jesus asked the disciples who they believed him to be, it was Peter that responded – you are the Christ, the Messiah; the one who we have been waiting for.

Finally, the wait was over!  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 1

You have wearied the LORD with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” – Malachi 2:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 29, 2014): Malachi 2

I recently read a list of the most evil people in history, and ranking number three on the list was Justin Bieber. Okay, the list was at least partially tongue in cheek and written by someone who does not understand Biebermania, and Bieber’s music isn’t that bad, but it does highlight the musician’s growing reputation. And we all seem to like to kick people when they are down. Or maybe it is all just jumping on the band wagon, but earlier this month Bieber and his entourage were detained when the musician flew into Los Angeles, and the message that the singer received from the airport officials was that this is the treatment the singer should expect from now on whenever he flies into the United States. His reputation has preceded him.

Having said all of that, we are incredibly forgiving people. The problem with Justin is that publicly he just does not seem to get it. Everyone around him seems to understand the problem, but Justin himself seems to just want to explain the behavior away as normal. It is like he can’t figure out what all of the fuss is about. As far as Justin is concerned, everything that he is doing is good and worthy of honor.

Malachi says that God has become wearied by the words of Israel. And the exact words that Malachi uses are that we do evil, but we try to pass it off as good. We misbehave, but somehow we think that our misbehavior is normal. It is the game that we seem to like to play. Nothing is ever our fault; fault always seem to belong to the other person.

But it is not that God is looking for perfect behavior from us. As forgiving as we can be, God is even more so. His grace extends to all of us – and his love and his forgiveness covers us. But none of this phenomenal grace is available to us unless we can stand up and accept responsibility for what we have done. If we can stop playing the game, then we are able to receive grace, but if all we want to do is to play the game, if we only want to pretend that the evil we do is good, then all we can expect from God is his justice. What we receive from God is totally up to us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Malachi 3 & 4

… but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals. – Malachi 1:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 28, 2014): Malachi 1

Does God hate? It seems to be a question that I am having to deal with recently. Obviously the Hebrew Bible in several places talks about God’s hate, but the question is what does hate really mean when it is applied to God? The New Testament is absolutely adamant that the God of Israel is a God of love. Personally I am convinced that an honest evaluation of the Biblical evidence leads us to the understanding that love is the central characteristic of God (although I also understand those that disagree with me.) But if this is true, then we have to deal with the passages of the Bible that also speak of God’s hate.

One way of understanding the hate of God is simply by understanding that the Hebrew Bible deals with a partial revelation of God. It is possible that Israel did not fully understand the God they served, and therefore we see a revelation that is tainted by human expectations. The revelation grows as we see Israel move forward through time – and more and more God seems to be characterized by love. But the revelation is only full and complete in the life of Jesus, so therefore it is only in Jesus that we see the full story of the revelation of God. And if this is true, then we would expect that the overwhelming understanding of God’s love is only available to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This might be true, but there is something else that we need to understand playing in the background of this (and other) passage of hate.

The hate of God in the Bible should always be understood in a comparative manner. So as Malachi begins his prophecy, he says that God has loved Jacob, but that he has hated Esau. And in the passage the comparison and contrast is obvious. But hate in the Hebrew Bible should never be seen as an active hate. The verse should be interpreted as “I have loved Jacob so much that the way I love Esau must look like hate.” I set Jacob into a lush and fertile land and left Esau in a barren wasteland. I gave Jacob my inheritance, and Esau received my leftovers. The biggest problem with my love of Jacob is that it is totally undeserved.  Jacob was not the elder brother, Esau was. Jacob was the deceiver, Esau seems to be the one who responded honestly. If we are honest, we may not understand what God means when he says that he hates Esau, but our struggle over God’s hate of Esau is nothing when it is compared to our struggle to understand why God has loved Jacob.

But it is Israel’s doubt of God’s love that is the focus of the opening verses of Malachi. And when we understand that, it reveals that the purpose of the comment that God hates Esau is only to stress the phenomenal love of God for Jacob – a love that Israel was struggling to understand – and a love that Israel had never earned or deserved in any way.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Malachi 2

Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah … Nehemiah 13:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 27, 2014): Nehemiah 13

Pope Pius XII has been demonized by some as “Hitler’s Pope.” The idea behind the accusation is the belief that Pius pursued a doctrine of acceptance of the Nazi and Fascist beliefs in order to preserve the Vatican and keep the Pope and those that served him in Vatican City safe. And the Vatican did follow a path of neutrality all through the Second World War, even when Nazi Germany was no longer a threat to Vatican City. However, the charge appears to be overstated. While Pius kept the Vatican neutral, he did proclaim a message of peace, he begged both Hitler and Mussolini not to wage war and personally was regarded as the savior of many of the Jews; personally tearing them from the grasp of Nazi Germany.

But the more we learn about Pius and his actions during the Second World War, it appears that the accusations do not contain much truth. While the charge against Pius appears to be false, the problem is that many other religious leaders, in different times and circumstances, seemed to have failed to carry the church in the proper moral direction and have instead taken the easy path instead. Certain portions of the Church have been on the wrong side of a number of issues – including the slavery debate and the AIDS Crisis. Televangelists have followed money rather than the well-being of either their flock or their society, and all of this has left us with a belief that religious leaders, and possibly especially high ranking ones, simply can’t be trusted. This atmosphere makes it too easy to believe the worst about people like Pope Pius XII rather than being willing to seek out the best about them. Our cultural experience where an accusation like the one found in the title “Hitler’s Pope” is the expected norm – we do not expect the best out of any of our leaders.

And the problem is not a new one. Nehemiah finishes his record with a disturbing note. It seems that there was corruption in the priesthood of Jerusalem – and the rottenness rose to the very top of the chain. Eliashib was not just a priest, he is the High Priest. He is a direct descendent (he is the grandson) of Joshua – the first High Priest in Jerusalem after the exile. But he has developed a relationship with Tobiah, a man whose hatred for the Jews was well known. And not only that, because Eliashib was the High Priest, he took it on himself to even rent the storehouses in the Temple to Tobiah for his secular purposes, something that was considered to be against the known will and law of God.

So Nehemiah has to expose this corruption within the priesthood and start to cleanse the problem. He needed the priesthood to lead, but it could not be in the direction that they had led up to this point. The priesthood must be restored to God and needed to regain their moral authority, no matter what it took for that happen.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Malachi 1

Joshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua. – Nehemiah 12:10-11

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 26, 2014): Nehemiah 12

A story is told of Alexander the Great leaving Gaza and heading for Jerusalem. And according the story, when Jaddus the High Priest heard that the military man was on the march, he went out himself to meet him on the field of battle, dressed in all of his glory as the high priest. When he came upon the great conqueror he invited him back into the temple and showed him passages in the collected books of God that Jaddus believed referred directly to Alexander and his reign. The result of this contact was that Jaddus was honored by Alexander and was given many favors. The story has been called apocryphal, but there is a bit of a ring of truth, especially when we consider how Alexander dealt with Judah and Samaria. The bottom line is that the story (first told by Josephus the Jewish historian) might not be true – but it also might be.

I recently had a discussion with a friend with regard to the NIV translation (the translation that I am using in this blog) of the Bible. The accusation against the translation was that the translators have purposefully made changes in the text so that the translations is without errors. The motive is a belief that the Bible is inerrant – but it has been made inerrant not in its original writing but in the work of the translators who worked with the original writings. However, I am not buying the charge. And even if there are slight changes in the text introduced by the translators, which there most definitely is, a belief in inerrancy does not necessarily have to be the motive. The truth is that well-meaning people have introduced changes and interpretations into the scripture since the beginning. It is one of the reason that every translation needs to go back to the earliest copies of the scripture available in the original languages. Even Jaddus when he met with Alexander the Great had his interpretation of what the Scriptures meant.

But it goes beyond even that. This text is more evidence of someone tampering (in a well-meaning way) with the Scripture. This passage is important because it gives us a list of the first six High Priests who reigned in Jerusalem after the exile. Time was normally told by the year of the king. We see this method of telling time all the way through Kings and Chronicles. In an effort to ground an event into a specific time period, it placed the even in a certain year of the reigning king. But after the exile there was no king, and so there was a change made and time was now told as a certain year of a particular high priest – and the high priest, like the king, was a hereditary position – father passed on the position to his son. This passage outlines the first six high priests after the return of the exiles. And it is thought that the last priest, Jaddua, also went by the name Jaddus.

But if that is true, and the Jaddua of Nehemiah is the Jaddus who went out to meet Alexander the Great on his way to Jerusalem, then some well-meaning scribe has inserted names into this verse, because there is no way that Nehemiah would have lived long enough to see the beginning of Jaddus’ reign. It is not that the information is wrong, it just doesn’t seem possible that Nehemiah wrote it.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 13

Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin. – Nehemiah 11:36

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 25, 2014): Nehemiah 11

One of the features of the 20^th century seems to have been the continual redrawing of the maps, borders and names of countries. Ancient kingdoms were absorbed or recombined with other kingdoms during this century of change. But other ancient kingdoms also re-emerged as kingdoms in their own right once again. An example of this century of change might be the nation of Georgia, a nation that exits on the border between Eastern Europe and Western Europe.

Georgia is an ancient nation. We have evidence of the area being inhabited since prehistory. But change for the kingdom actually began in the late 18^th century. The nation, fearing for its own security, signed a protection pact with their neighbor Russia in 1783. The pact recognized the Orthodox Christian ideals and bond held by both nations. But when the Turks and the Persians attacked Georgia in 1785 and again in 1795, Russia was nowhere to be found. But that did not stop Russia from violating the treaty and annexing Georgia in 1801. And as the 20^th century dawned, it began with the ancient kingdom as a part of the Russian Empire.

But then the century of change began. Following the Russian Revolution and in the midst of the Russian Civil War, Georgia declared its independence once again on May 26, 1918. But the independence didn’t last long. In 1921, the Red Army of the newly formed Soviet Union marched into Georgia annexing the small country once again, this time into the ranks of the Soviet Union. In spite of Georgia’s new status, some nations (Britain among them) refused to recognize the right of the Soviet Union rule in Georgia and recognized a leader of an independent Georgian State into the 1930’s.

But at the end of the 20^th century, opportunity was available for Georgian independence once again, and Georgia took it just before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Since then Georgia was involved in its own civil war and in a lengthy conflict once again with Russia. But at this point in time Georgia remains fiercely independent.

The story of Benjamin and Judah is a bit more peaceful than the story of Georgia and Russia, but there are some similarities and it still was involved a considerable amount of map redrawing. The Tribe of Benjamin received its inheritance at the very beginning of the foundation of Israel. During the time of the judges, Benjamin came into conflict with the other tribes of Israel and was just about totally eliminated by war. But Benjamin did survive, and as the Kings of Israel began their rule, Benjamin was a proud partner. In fact, Saul, the first King of Israel, was of the tribe of Benjamin.

At the death of Saul and the beginning of the reign of David (of the tribe of Judah), Benjamin maintained it independence question the right of David to Rule. For Benjamin, the rightful ruler was the son of Saul, a man named Ish-bosheth. But eventually Benjamin and the other tribes were brought back into the fold that was now dominated by the Judean Kings of David and the Solomon. But after the reign of Solomon, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah separated once more. And it was at this time that the Tribe of Benjamin was the only tribe to support the cause of Judah. So from that point on, Benjamin’s fortunes began to be tied with the fortunes of their Judean partners – and Judean kings. As a partner with Judah, Benjamin avoided the destruction that befell the Northern Tribes because of the attack of the Assyrians, but they did go into exile with Judah at the time of the Southern Kingdoms conflict with Babylon.

But when the two tribes emerged from the exile, we begin to see more of reunification. Both tribes set themselves on a course to just becoming Israel, and a singular identity. But even at the time of Jesus there were those who proudly proclaimed that they were of the tribe of Benjamin. And among those proud Benjamites was a certain Pharisee by the name of Saul (and later called Paul).

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 12

When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts. – Nehemiah 10:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 24, 2014): Nehemiah 10

Back when I was growing up, shopping on Sunday was a big deal. I mean, there were some things that you didn’t do on Sundays, and shopping headed the list. So when stores decided that they wanted to be open on Sundays, there was an outcry from the Christian community. Petitions were signed, letters were written, and boycotts were announced, all over the issue of Sunday shopping. And the reason for the outcry was because Christians seemed to take the Bible seriously. And the Sabbath was a day of rest. And rest meant no work, and in order to have stores open, somebody had to be working.

I can even remember discussions about whether or not it was okay to go out for lunch after church on Sunday. My family often did, but even the act of going out for lunch after church required someone to work so we could have the privilege. So many argued that even restaurants should be closed on Sundays, that it is a day of rest – a day when no one does anything to force anyone else to work. (And if you have ever tried to stop in to a “Chik Fil A Restaurant” in the United States on a Sunday for a shake or a tray of nuggets and have found the doors locked, now you know why.)

But the stores opened because they suspected something. They thought that maybe the tag line for the movie “Field of Dreams” just might be right (although admittedly the opening of stores on Sunday predates the movie.) But the tag line for the movie is “if you will build it, they will come.” In the case of Sunday store opening the line was adjusted to “if you will open it, they will come.” And they were right. The stores opened and people, including Christians – even Christian opposed to Sunday store openings – began to flood in to make their purchases. Today many Christians regularly do what only a generation ago was an unthinkable act and considered to be a sin – they go Sunday Shopping.

As Nehemiah describes the early situation of the re-establishment of Judah in Palestine, Nehemiah recognizes that the foreigners who have taken over the land have no problem selling on the Sabbath (for Nehemiah, this would have been Saturday.) But Nehemiah does - and Nehemiah is the Governor and the representative of the Ruler of the Persian Empire in the land so one would think that his opinion would carry a lot of weight. But what is interesting in this passage is Nehemiah’s reaction to the situation. What he does not do is institute some sort of Sabbath Law prohibiting the act of selling on the Sabbath. But he does instruct the people not to buy on the Sabbath. Nehemiah seems to understand that if there is no demand for items on the Sabbath, eventually the sellers will get the message and stop selling. The reduction of demand will change the behavior to which Nehemiah takes offense.

It would seem that today convenience wins out (and not just in the area of Sabbath laws.) We are convinced that we do will have no effect on our society and so we don’t even try. They open and we come, and we never even consider that there might be a better way. And one of the downsides of our behavior is that we make everyday a work day, even for us. Studies have shown that when we do that, our health declines. The original Sabbath laws were really for our own protection – to give us time to rest and worship God, and recharge for the week that is ahead. And without it, we are a compromised (and unhappy) people.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 11

You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. – Nehemiah 9:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 23, 2014): Nehemiah 9

I am currently reading “Killing Jesus” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. I am actually enjoying the read. It is always interesting to get a chance to glimpse a familiar story through the eyes of someone else. It is not that the details change, but sometimes seeing the events in a different way can remind us of that the events of history are never simple. History is a series of complex actions that will possibly never really be understood. It is the reason why important events often invite many writers to contemplate what has happened and give their explanations of what has transpired. And as much as we may want to believe that our view of history is objective, it never really is – and the truth is never told by single author. It is teased out as many people examine and relive the events that have become part of history.

One of our arguments over the nature of God surrounds his omniscience and how much God knows about future events. There are passages in the Bible that would seem to lead us to believe that every event in history has already been recorded and locked away – that history is actually a done deal. All we have left is our responsibility to play our parts, to attend to the events and allow them to unfold on the stage. Another way of saying it is that history has been written, and God knows every event that will happen in our lives as if he is reading a book. A book never changes from one reading to the next, the events are fixed, and nothing can be done to change them. (It is interesting that this very idea is placed onto the lips of Jesus in his conversation with Pontius Pilate in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ, Superstar.” In “Superstar,” Jesus is trying to convince Pilate that there is absolutely nothing that he can do to change the events – specifically the crucifixion of Jesus – that are about to happen. So Jesus tells Pilate in the opera that “everything is fixed and you can’t change it.”)

But in some ways this idea reveals a very simplistic concept of history. And then we run across passages like this one in Nehemiah that would seem to argue something very different.  The Israelites cry out to God and say – God, you saw our suffering in Egypt and you came – you heard our cries as we were pinned between the armies of Egypt and the Red Sea and you responded. This seems to be a much different comment than to argue that history is already written and we are nothing more than players on the stage. And the reality for Nehemiah and Israel in this moment of time is that they needed a God that was willing to hear them and respond. They needed a passionate God that was concerned about what was happening on the earth that he had created – not one that was saying “Yeah, I knew that was going to happen.”

I have to admit that I personally find that the concept that history has already been written as being profoundly unsatisfying. And it does not seem to match with what I am experiencing as I live. Life is filled with unknowns, it contains both the good and the bad. And when the good happens, I naturally respond with positive emotions. I don’t have to stop and think about it, in those moments I am just happy. When the negative happens, it elicits out of me cries and negative emotions. I don’t have to think about it, I am just sad.

And something inside of me wants God to be the same. I want him to hear my laughter and know of the joy that he has brought to me; I want him to hear my cries and understand and come to my aid. I want to believe that everything is not fixed, that life is more complex than just the unchanging words written on a page. And that what I do has a very real effect on what is going to happen tomorrow – and that God is willing to experience that future with me.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 10

So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. – Nehemiah 8:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 22, 2014): Nehemiah 8

Probably the holiday that I like the least is New Year’s Eve/Day. My relationship with this ball dropping celebration with its own signature song(s) is probably very complex. When I was younger, I often seemed to struggle with my health on New Year’s Eve – and I am not really sure that even I understand why. As a student in school, the dropping of the ball in New York seemed to also remind me that the Christmas break from school was coming to a close and that it was time to start to re-engage with the school culture – something that, to be honest, I never wanted to do. All of this is part of why New Year’s continues to be a bit of a joyless celebration.

But maybe the most significant factor in my love-hate relationship with New Year’s Day is my tendency to look back and evaluate the year that was. I tend to concentrate on all of the things that I wanted to accomplish in the year that was, and often come to the realization that a lot my planned accomplishments for one reason or another just did not happen. I get that part of the attraction of the holiday is the chance to tear off the calendar page and leave all of things that we didn’t do and exchange them for all of the dreams concerning what is possible in the year to come – but I just seem to find it hard to do. So even now, I continue my uneasy relationship with the holiday.

Ezra gathers the people to hear the law. The passage states that all who were capable of understanding gather to hear the words of the law. Both men and woman have gathered for the event. In the understanding of the law, at least according to Ezra in this moment, there is no difference between the sexes.

And Ezra is perfectly qualified for the task. He has spent his life in Babylon studying the ancient texts and gathering them together in one place. And on this day he chooses the text that he wants to read. Many believe that the book he has chosen for this occasion is the book of Deuteronomy.

It is the first day of the seventh month, the month of Tisri. According to our calendars it is early September. And the first day of the seventh month was an ancient holiday, it was the Feast of Trumpets – the celebration of the Jewish civil New Year. The Calendar was about to be flipped and there is probably no more appropriate moment for this reading than on this day. Because on this day they could look back at the ways that things had been and the reason that Israel had failed – but at the same time they could look into the future with expectation and promise. If they were willing to hear the law that is being read in this moment, they could make the changes that would help them as they move forward into the future that God had planned for them.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 9

Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. – Nehemiah 7:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 21, 2014): Nehemiah 7

Detroit is the foremost example of urban decline. While a number of North American cities reached their population peak in the 1950’s along with Detroit, the decline that the Michigan city has suffered since that time has been extensive. In 1950, the population in Detroit was 1,850,000. In 2013, the population had dropped by over a million people to 701,000. The result has been that the city is plagued with high crime and often struggles to offer even basic services. Almost half of the properties in the city have tax bills that currently remain unpaid. Whole city blocks in Detroit lay vacant or only have one or two residents – and in late 2013 Detroit became the largest city to ever file for bankruptcy.

But the unanswered question would seem to be where does Detroit go from here? City planners are working at plans to consolidate residents into populated areas so that the expenses of providing for basic services can be handled in an economical manner. But the bottom line is that for Detroit to truly recover, there needs to be a plan for growth and a way to revitalize the business community. A revitalization of Detroit’s corporate identity would bring with it a reduction in the unemployment rate of the city and as well as the repopulation of the vacant areas. And this in turn would make a serious reduction in the city’s skyrocketing crime rate. And on paper it seems to be so easy, but the unfortunate reality is that a solution to the problem of Detroit’s decline is anything but simple. And a true solution can only begin with an understanding of where Detroit stands right now.

Jerusalem was vacant. The exiles that came up with Zerubbabel numbered over 42,000. And many more had returned home with Ezra. But the reality of the situation is that it seemed most of the returnees had decided to settle in the smaller towns and rural areas of Judah. The problem was that Jerusalem was in such bad shape that there was no reason for people to return to the capital city. It was imply easier to resettle somewhere else than it was to rebuild Jerusalem - and so Jerusalem remained a desolate and empty space.

Nehemiah hoped that he rebuilding that had started in the city would begin to attract more people into the city. Specifically, the walls were now complete providing increased security for the city residents, but Nehemiah also knew that was only one of the puzzle pieces. The rebuilding of Jerusalem was not quite as simple as rebuilding then walls. Decline still had the urban city in its grip with only a few families inhabiting the space inside of the walls. In order for more people to inhabit the city, the houses would have to be rebuilt – but before that could happen Nehemiah would have to evaluate exactly who was living in the city and where it was that Jerusalem stood right now.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 8

Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. – Nehemiah 6:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 20, 2014): Nehemiah 6

On August 11, 1415, Henry V of England sailed for France. His dream was to combine the crowns of England and France into one Royal authority. The battle was successful, but it did not result in the French crown for Henry. So Henry renewed his war with France in 1417. This war ended with the Treaty of Troyes which included two important concessions by France. First, it gave the throne of France to Henry V of England, at least Henry V would be king after the death of Charles VI. And secondly, the treaty gave the French Princess and daughter of the reigning French King Charles VI, Catherine of Valois, to Henry as his wife. This was a move to truly consolidate the two crowns together. Charles VII, the heir apparent of France, was declared to be Illegitimate in the treaty, which meant that any son born to Henry and Catherine would be the direct heir of both thrones.

Henry and Catherine in their short marriage had one son, who they named Henry. But in 1422, both Henry V (August 31) and Charles VI (October 21) died. The result was that the infant son of Henry and Catherine would now be King over both countries, except that the French now refused to accept the Treaty of Troyes and Henry VI and rebelled, making Charles VII King of France. With all of the moves of Henry V to consolidate the two crowns, ultimately the moves failed and France and England took different paths once again.

And if you are confused by all of this, it isn’t really much of surprise. In some ways, that is what Henry was hoping would happen – and that his family would emerge from the confusion as the French Royal family.

As Nehemiah closes this section of the story, we begin to see the reason why the priests of Judah and Nehemiah are at odds with each other. The priests have made some concessions which is affecting their view of the situation in Judah. Those who oppose the rebuilding, including Tobiah the Ammonite, have married the daughters of some important residents of Jerusalem. As a result, the priests are desiring that Nehemiah see the good in these men. But it is not necessarily the good of the nation that is their primary concern – it is the good of their daughters who they have married off, and possibly married off for political reasons. So the men try to convince Nehemiah of how good a man that Tobiah is proving to be.

But Nehemiah is just not seeing it. Maybe because he does not have a daughter, or a friend’s daughter, involved with these men, Nehemiah is able to look at the situation with more detachment and objectivity. Nehemiah totally understands the benefit that the men of Jerusalem are bringing to Tobiah. What he is not sure of is what benefit Tobiah is bringing to Jerusalem – and he is stating his opinion to anyone who will listen.

So Tobiah changes tactics and begins to try to threaten and intimidate Nehemiah. Like Henry V, the Political marriages were supposed to bring them closer to their goals, but in this minute they begin to see their goals drifting away. Nehemiah is simply more concerned with God’s plan for Judah than he is with Tobiah’s. And no agreement or marriage with anyone is going to change that concern.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 7

I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! – Nehemiah 5:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 19, 2014): Nehemiah 5

At the close of the First World War, there were two competing ideas on what to do with Germany. The winning idea was to hamstring Germany and saddle them with reparation payments to the winning nations. This idea was championed by France who had suffered so much loss during the war. But that was not the only idea. The competing suggestion was to simply forgive Germany of their transgressions arguing that the nation had suffered severely for their aggression as it was, and to have the United States primarily, but other nations as well provide low interest or no interest loans to the European mainland to quicken the rebuilding of the war torn areas. The idea was that the best way to avoid a repeat of the war that had rocked the world was to build a strong Europe. The possible money that would have been lost with the idea would have been more than made up for in world security. But the plan fell on deaf ears and the decision to punish Germany prevailed – and quite possibly became one of the factors in the development of the conflict in Europe that became the Second World War.

As Judah began to try to recover and rebuild after the exile, there were some significant challenges for the people. And one of the challenges was that the land needed to be reclaimed, seed needed to be bought and homes needed to be rebuilt. And with all of the expenses that was needed in the rebuilding, there was not much left for things like taxes. But there were among Judah, men who had the financial backing to be able to lend to the poorer people of the land. These were the leaders and nobles, possibly even men that had never had to suffer the exile. For whatever reason, they were men that had excess and were willing to lend what they had to the ones that were trying to establish themselves, but they were also sensing a payday – there was great interest that could be made by lending grain and money to desperate people. The result was that the returnees were not able to get established. Everything that they made was being spent either on taxes or on interest, but there was nothing left to allow the people to gain any financial security.

And Nehemiah is exasperated by the results. While he and his men are doing everything they can to help those who needed it, other Jews are making money and the result was that the development and security of the nation was lagging. Judah was remaining both an object of scorn and vulnerable to enemy attack, and Nehemiah believed that it did not have to be that way. If the whole nation would simply get on the same page and begin to assist each other rather than trying to gain an advantage off of each other, then the problems plaguing Judah could be fixed. A sacrifice now would mean an advance in the structure and the security of the nation that would benefit everyone.

So Nehemiah makes the ask. For the good of the nation and all of the people, those with assets needed to be able to lend to those without, and to do it without increasing the financial load on the poorest of the nation. Nehemiah was setting the example. Now the wealthy in Judah needed to follow that example – for the good of everyone and the prospering of the nation.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 6

From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah … Nehemiah 4:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 18, 2014): Nehemiah 4

It would seem that as soon as man learned how to fight, we also started to understand the importance of defensive structures that would keep us safe. Humans began building walls to stop an impending attack as soon as we started to gather together to live in communities. The city of Uruk, often believed to be the same city as Erech in Genesis  10 and the second city – after Babylon – to be planted by Nimrod the Warrior, is the earliest of the walled cities. Uruk reached the height of its culture and influence by around 4000 B.C.E and it is thought that the city was already walled at this time.

Defensive walls allowed for people to hunker down behind them for significant periods of time as long as the city had access to a source of fresh water and enough food to maintain the people of the city. As long as a city hid behind its walls, all that the attacking army could really do was wait it out, a method of attack known as a ‘siege.’ But maybe even more significantly. A walled city could close its gates at dusk and then be defended by a small group of men while the city slept. The wall provided a sense of peace and security to the people within the city. While a small group of men could terrorize open communities, they would have no ability to terrorize a walled city.

So it is not surprising that Nehemiah, as a provisional Governor, supported the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem. And the job probably went swiftly during the early stages. During the first part of the rebuilding, the walls did not look like they posed much of a threat. But as the rubble from the old walls began to be removed and the height of the new walls rose higher, the enemies of Jerusalem began to sense a problem. If the walls were allowed to be continued to be built, then the city of Jerusalem would become a secure a place, and possibly even a place where armies could be housed so that they could terrorize the enemies of Judah during the day and rest securely during the night. So the enemies of the city began to plan their attack on the walls and there builders.

And Nehemiah responded. At this point of the project he began to divide his forces. Some of the people needed to keep building the walls. The walls were the only thing that was going to provide future security for the city. But a portion of the men would have to be kept for the defense of the city while the builders built. It is possible that these men were simply servants of Nehemiah, but it is also possible that these defenders were the armed forces that Artaxerxes had sent with Nehemiah to keep him safe on his trip (there seems to be no indication of these professional troops being sent back home.) And behind them were the leaders of the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah seems to indicate that the support of the whole city was being demonstrated behind those who were providing the crucial service of constructing the walls.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 5

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. – Nehemiah 3:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 17, 2014): Nehemiah 2 & 3

Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965. The celebrated orator and civil rights leader was speaking at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom (originally built as a theater and used as a vaudeville house, a movie theater and a place for meetings of various groups – usually groups with a political nature) on the subject of African unity and equal rights. Malcolm X had lived under death threats from the Nation of Islam ever since he had left their ranks and converted to being a Sunni Muslim. Before he was shot, a commotion broke out in the ballroom and Malcolm X’s body guards left his side to try to calm the disturbance. It was at that moment that a man rushed forward with a sawed of shotgun in his hand and he opened fire on the civil rights leader. Malcolm X was hit 17 times before body hit the ground. And his last words have been reported to be “Brothers! Brothers, please! This is a house of peace!”

If these truly word the leader’s last words, there is a significance to them. The term “house of peace” often refers to a place of religious significance. And strictly speaking the Audubon Ballroom was not a “house of peace.” While it had served as a place of worship for several religious groups over its history, the building was built as a show house and had been used extensively for that purpose. As well, it had held political meetings where the contents could be described as far from peaceful. But on this day Malcolm X was totally justified in calling the Audubon Ballroom a “House of Peace” – the ballroom was being made holy by its purpose.

As the exiles begin to rebuild the walls of the city, the instructions begin with Eliashib the High Priest. This passage begins to reveal the passage of time. Eliashib would have been the grandson of Joshua who was the first High Priest to serve in Jerusalem following the return of the exiles. This passage reveals that while the exiles had been living in the city for a while, there was still much work to be done – and at this late date the walls were still standing in ruin.

So the High Priest sets the example, not only for his own priests, but for the people of the city. Eliashib was not content with just being the spiritual advisor for the city. He was a man of action and he began to set himself to the task of rebuilding the city’s walls. And Eliashib seems to have started his rebuilding of the walls outside of Jerusalem’s Temple. The Sheep Gate was right at the Temple and is so named because it is the gate through which the sheep entered the city for sacrifice. The Tower of the Hundred was about 100 cubits away from the sheep gate, and the Tower of Hananel was another 100 cubits on the other side of the Tower of the Hundred (and this might have given the central Tower – the Tower of the Hundred – its name.) So Eliashib seems to have made himself responsible for a 200 cubit segment (91.5 meters or about 300 feet) of the wall outside of the Temple.

And then Eliashib dedicated it. The term that is actually used is that he sanctified it – he made it holy. The term sanctified is often used with regard to the sacrifice that is being presented or the instruments that are used in the Temple, but this is a wall and it is not necessarily a holy object. Except that in the eyes of the High Priest, the wall itself was made holy by its function. The wall protected both the Temple and the Holy City of Jerusalem, and because of this it becomes a holy object in and of itself and worthy of sanctification.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 4

“Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king. - Nehemiah 1:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 16, 2014): Nehemiah 1

Good King Wenceslas was never a king. The official title of the good king was that of a Duke – of the Duchy of Bohemia. There would be no Kings of Bohemia for another 260 years after the death of Wenceslas. The first king of Bohemiah was Ottokar I, and he became king in 1198 (Ottokar rose to the position of Duke in 1193). And in 1212, Frederick II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, granted Bohemia the Golden Bull of Sicily. The document allowed the King of Bohemia to be a hereditary office for the descendants of Ottokar from that point forward. Ottokar had not only won the kingship for himself, but also for the descendants that would follow him.

But maybe the real honor that the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire gave to the kings of Bohemia was that he made them the cupbearers of the Empire. A cupbearer was a high office and it involved bearing the cup to the king and protecting the king from poisoning, but it was also an office of high influence because of the amount of time that the cupbearer spent with the one who he served. Therefore, the cupbearer needed to not only be someone who could be trusted absolutely, but also someone who was wise and able to give good advice. To be chosen as the cupbearer was a great honor. In practice, the King of Bohemia was actually made Arch-cupbearer or supreme cupbearer – and therefore he was only used as the cupbearer during the coronation of an Emperor.

Nehemiah prays that God will grant him favor in the presence of this man. The man in question was Artaxerxes I, the son of Xerxes I. Artaxerxes was the King of the Persian Empire. But Nehemiah recognized that the King was in the end just a man. And on this day he would once again enter into the presence of the man who held so much power over his life. But Nehemiah was the cupbearer. This was nothing new; he had entered into the presence of Artaxerxes many times before. He was a trusted advisor who spent many hours with this man who was king. But on this day there would be a difference. Where in the past Nehemiah would have been the sounding board and the advisor to the king for the decisions that kings must make, today he would want the king to listen to him on a personal matter. Today the advisor needed advice. And so before he entered into the presence of the man who was king, he prayed to the God who was king.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 2 & 3

Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. –Ezra 10:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 15, 2014): Ezra 10

Often we struggle with what we think the Bible is instructing us to do. Part of our problem is that we attempt to understand words that were clearly written for another time, and from the place where I am writing my blog in a culture that is on the other side of the world, from the time and place where the audience lived when the words were first written. To just import the words into my time and my place is impossible. And this passage is no exception.

Taken on its own, these words might justify divorce in a marriage where one of the partners refuses to follow the dictates of God (or in some other limited circumstances.) The passage itself seems to ignore both the fact that God clearly instructs his follower to “not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15 written before Ezra) as well as Paul’s instruction to stay married to an unbelieving spouse (1 Corinthians 7 written more than 400 years after Ezra). So the question is, does this verse instruct us to do the opposite of the instructions found in other passages, or is the tension leading us to some other cause.

In the case of Ezra 10, the tension seems to clearly be leading us to the realization of some other cause. Israel’s problem as a nation was their unfaithfulness to God (described in Hosea by using the illustration of an unfaithful wife.) The cause of the unfaithfulness in several cases had been their desire to marry women from other cultures and religions. This was one the main reasons why Solomon’s reign ultimately failed and the Kingdom of Israel was split into two after his reign. So because of this tendency, the prophets often instructed the Israelite men not to marry women from other religions and cultures. Which is exactly what the men had done in Babylon. And now it was a condition that they felt that they needed to redress and take action on. And so they come to Ezra with this plan of action. They are not content to just accept the sin that was present in their lives – they believed that they needed to take the actions to which their consciences had led them.

And this is the point that transfers into our culture. Easy divorce is already a feature of our culture, and for a healthy society it is a situation that needs to be remedied by us. But the reality is that we need to be willing to take action, to do the hard things in our lives, so that sin is removed and we are ultimately set up for success.

In our culture we have a number of hard choices that need to be made so that we can succeed as a culture and as a nation. The only question is whether or not we have the strength of character necessary to make those choices.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 1

What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. – Ezra 9:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 14, 2014): Ezra 9

I recently read an article which talked about the “Double Curse of Incompetence.” Technically, the Curse is called the “Dunning-Kruger Effect.” Dunning and Kruger suggest that people who are incompetent at a job actually believe that they are better than they really are. In other words, incompetent people rarely understand that they are incompetent making it a double curse. They believe that they have the skills needed for the job and therefore they attempt to complete the task without understanding how they are failing. And because of that lack of understanding they also make no effort to improve their skills. The only way to counteract the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” is for the incompetent person to become more competent at the task. Evidence shows that as the person becomes more competent, they also become more realistic in their evaluation of their own performance. But the problem is that they seldom see the need for improvement, and therefore seldom have the drive to attempt to move from incompetence to competence.

There seems to be similar problem with our spirituality. It is easy to come to the belief that the actions we are involved in are God honoring, or at the very least actions to which God does not have a reaction or an opinion. To those who are spiritually incompetent, Paul’s notion that “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) makes absolutely no sense. They are as good as most people and better than a lot. Why should they bother to change? But as people become more in tune with the spirituality of God, they also begin to better evaluate their own behavior. Thus those who have been in faith for a long time tend to have a more severe reaction to the events of their own lives than those who are new to the faith.

This is the message of Ezra to the exiles. Somehow they had to be brought to a point where they understood how deeply their actions had hurt God. They needed to comprehend that the punishment that the nation had received from God, as severe as it was (and there can be no doubt that the punishment had been severe), was less than the punishment that they deserved. Ezra’s task was to make the exiles more competent in the ways of God. And only through this instruction would they be able to grow to the point where they could effectively evaluate their own behavior – and find the areas in which they needed to grow..

Ezra’s teaching begins with a form of general confession – a crying out to God of praise that he had not punished them as deeply as they had deserved, and a cry of contrition for the ways that the nation had fallen short in the past – and continued to fall short in the present. And Ezra wanted to impart the knowledge that God had saved them as a remnant – and how well they did in their spiritual walks would have a great impact on everything that they would accomplish in the future together as the new Kingdom of Israel.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 10

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. – Ezra 8:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 13, 2014): Ezra 8

On September 2, 31 B.C.E. the final battle between Octavian and Mark Antony was fought in the Ionian Sea near the Greek city of Actium. The battle was fought at sea. Octavian had already begun to stylize himself as the Son of God. Octavian’s uncle and adopted father was Julius Caesar. Caesar’s hope was that one day the monarchy would be re-established in Rome and that he would be installed as king. It is thought that on the day that he was murdered that Julius Caesar believed that the senate was going to make him king, and he held onto that belief up until the first knife blade was hesitantly poked into his flesh. Julius Caesar was never named king, but soon after his death he was declared to be a god – and Octavian as his living heir believed himself to be the living Son of God.

Mark Antony had fought at Octavian’s side for most of the Roman Civil war. But after all other contenders for the leadership of Rome had been defeated, Octavian and Mark Antony fought against each other for the prize. By the time of the Battle of Actium, it seemed that the war was already lost for Antony and the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. Some have argued that the Battle of Actium was nothing more than a battle that was intended to cover the escape of Antony and Cleopatra – over 5,000 soldiers dead and more than 200 ships either sunk or captured, and the purpose of all of that loss was to provide Antony and Cleopatra a safe way home – the battle was designed to provide a safe escape from the armies of Octavian, who would soon be renamed as Caesar Augustus, supreme ruler of the Roman Empire.

The exiled returnees pause as their trip home begins. It is essentially the prayer of travellers before they hit the road on a long trip. But the concern of Ezra and those returning with him is not that they would find either the quickest or the shortest way home. What they wanted was to find the safest way. With all of the dangers, and with the enemies that the returnees were bound to come up against, Ezra was going to need to find the safest way possible if they were ever going to get to Jerusalem. This was not an army on the move, this was a group of people just trying to go home.

Escape from Babylon, even with the help of the Persian emperor was not going to be easy. So before the trip began, the returnees stopped, publicly prayed, made a fast and humbled themselves before their God. They realized that had sinned and had failed God, but now was the time to put all of that behind them. Now was the time to go home.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 9

 

… this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. – Ezra 7:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 12, 2014): Ezra 7

Have you ever wondered where Sherlock Holmes would be without Dr. John Watson? The celebrated sleuth might have still been able to work miracles with nothing but the power of his observation, but who would know? And the most significant gems of wisdom that then great detective gave to the word are directed at Watson. We would never have heard Sherlock explain “that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” were it not for Watson.

And, yes, I know that Dr. Watson is nothing more than a literary device employed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – but I also know that Dr. Watsons exist in real life. Actually, there has been a search for the real Dr. Watson almost since The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes began to be published and read by fans of mystery. The idea has always been that if we could find the real John Watson, we might also be able to find the real Sherlock Holmes. And maybe that would explain how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could release the first Sherlock Holmes stories with such well-rounded and complete lead characters.

We also find our Dr. Watsons in Biblical literature. It has often been acknowledged that most of what we have in the Bible are words written somebody close to the main characters or the named authors. The Apostle Paul, for instance, uses several secretaries in the writing of his letters. At one point Paul even takes over from the one writing to prove that the letter is really coming from him – “See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!” (Galatians 6:11) he declares to his readers. I assure you that this is coming from me. Most of the secretaries of the Bible are anonymous, but we do know a few of them.

It was a man named Baruch that was the Dr. Watson for Jeremiah. Baruch wrote down what it was that Jeremiah was teaching in order that a record of the Prophet’s instructions might be preserved. It is the work of Baruch that we have in our Bible’s listed as the Book of Jeremiah. And it would seem that Ezra also filled this role. Ezra grew up in Babylon. But his interest was in the history and religion of his people. As a result, Ezra began to put together a comprehensive record of the writings of the Jews. The Book that Ezra was compiling would be an early forerunner to the Bible that we know today. And Ezra was not satisfied with just compiling the records; he studied them and he knew them.

And when given an opportunity to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem, Ezra went. Finally he would be able to see the places first hand that he had read about. And because of his knowledge of the sacred writings of Israel, there was no better teacher for those still living in and around Jerusalem, and for those who continued to return from the exile to their homeland, than Ezra.

Scholars have remarked that Ezra (along with Moses) were two men that seemed to be completely suited to the tasks that God had assigned them to. For Moses, there could have been no better person to receive the law of God the first time, and Ezra was a perfect choice to be the one that would reteach Israel all that the law still demanded of them. Both men were committed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and both wanted nothing more than that their fellow countrymen would honor and trust that God – and both men became the teachers of the law that the people needed.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 8

Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. – Esther 10:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 11, 2014): Esther 9 & 10

On a recent list of charitable celebrities, the number one spot was reserved for Sir Elton John. The Pop icon is a tireless worker in raising money for the fight against AIDS. He has even started his own foundation, The Elton John Aids Foundation, which has raised over 300 million dollars to fight the disease. But Elton does not just give to his own foundation, the number of Charities that the singer supports apparently numbers 48.

But the most important attribute that a celebrity can give a charity isn’t actually their money. The biggest thing a celebrity can give to a cause is their personal presence. While donating to a cause can help the cause along, supporting a cause and connecting that cause with the image of a celebrity can cause others to also give to the cause. The effect that someone famous has on us is incredible. And while Elton is willing to give part of his fortune to AIDS causes, he is also more than willing to give to them the most valuable thing that he possesses – himself.

And in return we celebrate him. There is nothing that affects us more than a star who is willing to give of themselves for the betterment of the world. To be honest, it is hard to cheer for someone that appears to only want the best the world has to offer so that they can hoard the best to be liberally spent on only themselves. But with celebrities like Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Ellen DeGeneres or Jessica Alba, we want them to succeed – because, as much as is possible, as they succeed they bring a portion of our world in need of our assistance with them.

The closing statement of the book of Esther is not about Esther. The Queen’s story may be the basis of the celebration of Purim, but at the close of the story we are told that it was Mordecai that was celebrated. And not only was he held in high esteem by the Jews who he worked to save, but his fame spread to the general population. And as a result of all that had happened, Mordecai was made the number two man in the empire – following the King, Xerxes.

But the story of Esther also highlights something else. Fame and power are often hard to handle, and if you work for the purpose of being powerful, you seldom – if ever – will get what you want. Haman wanted desperately to be recognized and considered to be the one in control of the empire. It was something that Haman never really achieved. Instead, the power seeker was executed. Mordecai was never in pursuit of any of those things. All he seemed to want was the welfare of his people, and he was willing to risk the things most valuable to him, his own life and the life of Esther, in order to achieve it. And he was successful in saving his people, but as an added bonus Mordecai also received everything that Haman had desired – fame, power and respect were never declared to be motivating factors for Mordecai – but he received them anyway.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 7

Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.” – Esther 8:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 10, 2014): Esther 8

In antiquity there was no such thing as a distinctive signature that identified a person on a document. So the function of a signature was accomplished with a signet ring – basically a ring that had a design that could be pressed into a wax seal identifying the one who had authored or issued the document. Because of its use, the signet ring became a symbol of raw power. Whoever held the signet ring of the king could essentially order anything that he wanted to happen. And because of the nature of communication, often once an order was issued using a signet ring, it could not be countermanded.

It is this power of the signet ring that plays a part in the ritual activities that must take place whenever a pope dies. Once the pope is declared to be dead, one of the duties of those that are caring for the interim period at the Vatican is the destruction of the former Pope’s signet ring. Until the ring has been destroyed, there is no room for the power of a new Pope – and a new ring. The life may have ended, but the power of the pope continues until the signet ring itself has also been destroyed. The ring is the power of the pope, and without its destruction we would have, in essence, two popes.

Unfortunately for Esther, this is essentially the situation in her world. The signet ring had already been used by Haman to issue an order that would result in the destruction of the Jews. And because the signet ring had been used, there was no way to cancel the order. It seemed that the ring in reality held more power than the king. The only option that the king seemed to have in this situation was to give the power of the ring to Esther and Mordecai for them to use in whatever way they saw fit.

But whatever was to happen, the power needed to be exercised carefully. Whatever it was that Esther and Mordecai decided to do, the order that they issued, like the one that Haman had issued, could not be rescinded. The control was now in the hands of Esther and Mordecai, and they would need to exercise great wisdom in whatever it was that they decided to do next.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Esther 9 & 10

For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” – Esther 7:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 9, 2014): Esther 7

Emperor Hirohito was absolved from any charges of war crimes following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. The official line seems to have been that while we may never know how much the Emperor was involved in the events that happened during World War II, he was the reason that the war ended. It was Hirohito that convinced the leaders of Japan that the Americans could be trusted, and it was at Hirohito’s command that the Japanese army laid down their weapons. The reality was that if the Emperor was convicted and then executed for his crimes, stability in Japan would be lost, and it is likely that in some way or other the war between Japan and the United States would most likely continue - and may be still being fought over sixty years later. So the expedient thing, was to absolve the Emperor of any involvement – and allow the Emperor – who the Japanese treated like their god - to continue his ceremonial reign.

Esther brings the charges to be laid on Haman at the feet of the king, and she is very explicit with the words that she uses as she accuses the king’s lieutenant. First, her people had been sold. Haman had offered the king money in return for his act of vengeance against the Jewish nation. This constituted a financial agreement rather than a political one. It was not that the Jewish people had risen up against the empire and constituted a danger that needed to be dealt with. This was financial agreement where someone, actually in this case the king himself, could benefit from their extermination with a monetary gain. If it happened in the Star Trek universe, this might be a deal worthy of Ferengi – the fictional race of merchants willing to do anything for profit.

The second charge is the scope of the plan. This was not a plan to simply enslave people. There is good reason for why Esther would not have brought that to the king. The Empire routinely made nations their slaves – and the Jewish people had fallen into slavery themselves more than once during the history of the nation. But this wasn’t a plan to enslave, this was a plan set toward genocide and, to Esther, genocide went beyond the morals of even that day.

But there is also a bit of a hidden charge in our English translations. The words that Esther uses alludes to the fact that the king himself will lose if the extermination is carried out. Not only will she be dead and her uncle, who the king has just honored, but a whole race of workers would be eliminated from the Empire. And the cost of losing those workers would in the end be more than any financial gain that the king may be able to obtain by letting the plan go through. In the end this was not a good bargain, and the king needed to see that.

However, Esther stops short of accusing the king of wrongdoing. This is not his doing, but he is the one who is being misled. And as much as he may not have been the one to initiate the action against her people, he is the one who can stop it. One word from him and the campaign for the genocide of her people will end. All that the king has to do is to speak the word – and people would lay down their weapons.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Esther 8