50...FUTILITY : THE NAME OF THE GAME
Based on the book of Ecclesiastes (Eccl) [1]...Read more there

Like its predecessor, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is part of what we call 'Wisdom literature'. Ecclesiastes introduces us to Qoheleth, which means the 'President', or 'Preacher'. We're meant to recognize him as Solomon, but this is just a literary device to give credibility to the text by linking it to Solomon's (earlier) reputation for wisdom. In the form we know it the book dates from after the Babylonian exile (post 538 BC.) & maybe as late as the 3rd C. BC. 'Qoheleth' is not a person's name. It simply means the person who calls together the assembly, or presides over it, preaches to it [2]. The material would probably have been meant for & delivered at a coming together such as a synagogue. Later, whatever else it has since become, 'church' means essentially a coming together of those called to do so.

The main thrust of this rambling book is more or less the futility of anything & everything. Some translations still use the word 'vanity', spelled out as  'chasing the wind' (2:17) Whereas Job wrestles with the personal cost of bad things happening to people, good or bad, Eccl paints a pessimistic broader picture, asking, 'Is it all worthwhile? Is anything worthwhile?' A more positive note does also come through, though it's mainly limited to a kind of 'eat, drink for tomorrow we die' attitude (8:15). Passages such as 3:9+ & 7:13 are typical, & 9:10's warning (more or less, 'when you're dead you're dead!) is hardly encouraging. One important value of Eccl for us is to alert us to the undeveloped nature of Hebrew reflection on any after-life at this stage. Think of it as a stage in the development of Hebrew thought on an issue still unresolved in Jesus' day. The many thoughts expressed here are not always consistent, as they're seen through the eyes of 'Qoheleth' who has apparently incorporated many others' thoughts into his own along the way. Bear in mind, too, that though the book is unclear about God's role in things, whatever happens, God is, & God is there.

Ch.1 gives us a foretaste of what's to come, a kind of over-view. Ch.2 introduces the theme of 'seeing things are so unpredictable, why not enjoy yourself while you're alive to do so!' Ch.3 begins with a stand-out poem much quoted still in various settings [4]. You can't escape this cycle so why not enjoy it while you can! Ch.4 with its concern for the oppressed & down-trodden reflects a glimmer of what great Prophets have already said by now, but doesn't urge any steps to improve their lot. Ch.5 also touches on injustice, but simply sees this, too, as the way things are! So get on with your eating & drinking while you can! Ch.6 is a morbid reflection on the state of things, again without any recipe  for change - that would be futile, too, wouldn't it?! Ch.7 almost turns a corner into a more positive take on things, but rather spoils it with its typically patriarchal put-down of women. Ch.8 praises Wisdom but even that ends us as 'eating & drinking'! Ch.9 goes as far as saying love & hate are both futile, recommends Wisdom again, & laments that Wisdom coming from a 'poor' person will not be valued - again without any pointers to changing this state of affairs. Just get on with your eating & drinking! The latter has by now become a kind of response like that in a litany! Ch.10-12 are basically a collection of proverbs like those in the book that precedes this one. They are interesting but make no discernible challenge to those who read them. As if we didn't know it by now, 12:8 brings this section to an end exactly as the book has started with it's 'Sheer futility', Qoheleth says, 'everything is futile'. NJB says of Ch.12:13 that it sums up the apparent aim of the book quite positively: that we should stand in awe of God & keep his commandments. That's not unlike Jesus' 'two great commandments', is it?

The stories continue with, of all things, a collection of love poems...51:Song of Songs

Notes: [1] Not to be confused with Ecclesiasticus from the Apocrypha. [2] Our name for the book, Ecclesiastes comes from its Greek name that also gives us our 'ecclesiastic' & similar. [3] cf. IS 22:13, & 1COR:15:32, though both have a more positive context. [4] In the sixties Australian folk group The Seekers released a very successful version of this as 'Turn, Turn, Turn..'

 Q...As we go through 'seasons of life' do we have strategies in place for ourselves in our seasons & to share with others in theirs?

49...A BOOK BY ITS COVER
Based on the book of Proverbs (Prov)...Read more there

With Proverbs, what we see is pretty much what we get. Part of what we know as 'Wisdom literature', Ch.1-9 serve as an introduction to proverb after proverb, before another introductory section (Ch. 22-24) leads to more. We hear the voice of Wisdom herself urging wisdom through instruction & giving that in proverb after proverb. Hearing the voice of Wisdom counsel: 'my child.. my son.. my children..' underlines a responsibility for in-house instruction by heads of families & for children to be open to that instruction. We might call what we have an early verbal textbook preceding a final written form. Its simplicity makes it accessible by all. Might our own culture benefit from the application of such simple guidelines today? One modern comparison might be seen in Islamic communities teaching verbally & often by rote, in 'madrasas', schools where such instruction is given. Here in its Hebrew context proverbs can be understood as an attempt at dotting the i's & crossing the t's of the Commandments by expanding them into a kind of curriculum for religion & life, without drawing a line between the two as is common today.

In his old but still interesting 'Commentary on the Whole Bible', Matthew Henry (1662-1714) calls Prov 'an ancient way of teaching ... a plain & easy way of teaching... a very profitable way of teaching'. Prov comes from days when few have access to written texts & few able to read them in the unlikely event they have such access. Prov would be relatively easy to 'take on board' verbally by rote in such a society. We might compare this with church teaching once commonly enshrined in catechisms with their questions & answers. Though we may benefit from reading Prov verse by verse or chapter by chapter, the best value from the book is to be found in taking it as a whole. In looking through its contents we are then looking through a 'window' into the development & understanding of Hebrew thought in those days.

It was once believed that Solomon, son of David was the author of the work as a whole, as stated in Ch.1. He was certainly noted for his wisdom (at least in his younger days) & we are in fact told he authored 'three thousand proverbs' [1K5:12]. We know that much of the material does date back at least to Solomon's day (10th C. BC.) & he may have been a contributor, even a main one. However scholars now believe the book is a compilation of collections of proverbs from various sources, named & unnamed, including some from neighbouring countries & cultures. As the Introduction to Prov in the always valuable NJB sums up neatly (p.965): '...the book represents several centuries of thought on the part of the sages...'

Though great Prophets & Jesus Himself will later develop & go beyond the wisdom contained in Prov the contents form a valuable & insightful contribution to the development of the Hebrew Bible, the wisdom of which Jesus springs from & builds on. Today the whole concept of Wisdom so prominent here has become the subject of much theological reflection in its (or should we say, 'her'?) own right, seeing Wisdom has become traditionally seen as 'feminine'. Of particular interest is the fact Ch.8:22-31 talk in terms of Wisdom as the creative Word God speaks at the beginning of time. This is the Wisdom who will later be personified in JN Ch.1 as 'the 'Word made flesh' in Jesus. So, whatever else we read or don't read in Prov, this particular section will repay our attention.  
  
On a personal note, re-reading the splendid poem (Ch. 31:10-21) that ends the book (another not-to-miss section) brings back memories of preaching from this same passage at my much-loved mother-in-law's funeral many years ago!

As always there are other stories to come...Next...50: Futility: The Name of the Game!

Q. What conclusions might someone looking back from some future time draw about the state of Christian thought today?

48...SINGERS & THEIR SONGS...PART 3: PSALMS 76-150
Based on the book of Psalms (Ps)...Read more there

We'll continue looking at more or less representative or stand-out psalms in this 3rd section of our explorations into Psalms. 76 is a long rehearsal of history, maybe for use at a ceremonial observance of some sort. Maybe a bit like some religious Anzac Day? It ends on a note emphasising YHWH's choice of the Hebrew people & chosen ones within their ranks to achieve his purposes. 79 is a lament over the destruction of Jerusalem, most likely that by the Babylonians in 586BC. It is followed in 80 by a similar note of lament appealing to God to re-instate his people to their former state. 82 has overtones of a transition from a collection of gods to the One True God & reminds us not to assume the Hebrews were always & entirely monotheistic. 84 is a delightful hymn of longing for, praise of, confidence in, & commitment to YHWH God, & one that particularly repays singing. 89 centres on God's favour & faithfulness to the royal house of David. Mind you, neither David nor his descendants always returned that favour & faithfulness! Christians see that faith & favour restored in David's descendant Jesus, 'the king of the Jews' & those who place themselves under his trustworthy rule. 90 celebrates Moses' single-minded devotion to God & God's Law. 91 is almost a 'creed' in the confidence it expresses in God, then 92 & 93 can be enjoyed as responses in worship to that same confidence. 95 (known as the 'Venite' in some Christian circles) has long been used as a celebration of God's rule. Robert Alter (N1) quotes another un-named scholar calling 96 a 'mosaic' drawn from other familiar writings. This very familiarity might  have increased its usefulness & popularity in worship. 97-100 are great songs of confidence in & praise for God. 104 is a celebration of God's creativity & rule over the creation, & 105-107 (the last has a chorus) recapitulate God's people's role in all this & God's care for them. The next several pss. recall God's greatness & faithfulness as well as personal confessions of both faith & need. 119 is an elaborate acrostic (N2). Each of the 22 sections begins with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is very much a manual of instruction & the use of the acrostic method is clearly a strategy to aid learning the teachings by rote. We could say it sums up a good deal of the biblical teaching of which it is an important part, & would repay use as a kind of 'primer' of many core religious values.

119 is then followed by 15 pss., 120-134, known as 'Songs of Ascents'. These are generally considered to be songs intended for use by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for pilgrimages & festivals, & coming in sight of the city & its Temple (N3). 121 may be a reference to Hebrews on pilgrimage looking up to the hill tops, seeing altars to idols, & being moved to re-state their own commitment to YHWH God. 125 may reflect this same state of affairs. 130 with its beginning, 'Out of the depths....' is an example of 'depths' being used to refer to the threatening depths of  the sea as against the life-givingness of  God in his 'heights'. This is very much a penitential psalm, used by both Hebrews & Christians in this context. 136 then recites the praises of God for the mighty acts He has performed for Israel & against others. When we reach 137 we are faced with the contrasting emotions psalms can convey. The first 6 verses are a delightful if poignant lament for how the Hebrews feel about their exile in Babylon in the 6th C. BC.. But in v.7 this turns to a vicious tirade against their neighbours the Edomites, descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother. Did they come to the Hebrews' aid when they were attacked by Babylon? No, they egged the Babylonians on & aided & abetted them (N4). The first part of 139 is a kind of spiritual review of life, sometime used appropriately at funerals. However, at v.19 it turns (as 137 turns) into a rant against 'the wicked'. 145 then begins a set of songs of praise directed to God. vv. 15-16] have often been used as an appropriate 'table grace'. Bringing the Book of Psalms to an appropriate end on a great burst of praise is 150. And then the story goes on...49: Out of the mouths of...    

(N1) Robert Alter, Psalms, Norton, N.Y. 2007 ad loc. (N2)  There are other acrostic pss., but 119 is the longest (as well as the longest psalm). (N3) This would of course depend on when they were written &/or being sung. There were times when there was no Temple. (N4) [Obadiah 1:10-15] gives us the context for Hebrew bitterness towards the Edomites. The 'nice' part of 137 was made very popular by the group 'Boney M' in 1978.
Q: Do we ourselves prefer any particular genre of song?                 

                               47...SINGERS & THEIR SONGS...PART 2: PSALMS 1-75
                                      Based on the book of Psalms (Ps)...Read more there

(If you haven't done so already, you may find it worthwhile to read the Introduction to Psalms in Ep.46 before continuing.) Because of the number of pss. we'll have to be selective, but we can find all the others in the Scriptures & Prayer Books (N1). Ps.1 gets us off to a good start. Appropriately it's in praise of Wisdom. Not 'head-knowledge' nor any such thing, but knowing God & keeping God's Law. For Jewish folk this means the Torah revealed in Gn to Dt of the Hebrew Bible. Christians add Jesus' 'two great commandments' [MT 22: 34-40] too. Those who delight in keeping God's Law delight God & are blessed in return. In contrast, those who break that Law will get their comeuppance. Psalmists are not backward in heaping scorn on 'evil-doers'; on enemies -who are by definition God's enemies too - & any who don't keep the Torah. Ps.2 is a coronation psalm, contrasting the role & blessedness of Davidic monarchs with the fate of rulers of other nations who don't serve YHWH God in fear & trembling. (Not all Davidic monarchs do this either!) The bad guys have the book thrown at them! Over time an identification develops between God's anointed kings, & religious leaders too, being responsible for the shepherding of the Great Shepherd's people. Alas, so many fail! Hence Jesus, a descendant of the Davidic line, calls himself  the 'Good Shepherd' in contrast with others before him & in his own day who don't act as faithful shepherds to God's people.
                      Ps.3  has an introduction relating to David fleeing from his revolting son Absalom. Reflecting on David's woes, it lends itself to morning use when facing a hard & testing day! By contrast, Ps.4 is clearly an evening song. As we go along perhaps we can find others that lend themselves to our personal use mornings & evenings. Ps.8 is one of the greatest hymns of praise for & confidence in God, worthy of anyone's 'collection'. Pss.15 & 19 are a help in 'soul-searching', & useful in preparing ourselves for confession - formal, informal, personal or congregational. When we reach Ps.22 with its 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me..?" we find it foreshadows Jesus on his cross, drawing as it does on the experience of someone expressing their deepest trouble. There is no explaining it away on Jesus' lips. As He repeats it, even dying, does He try to intone it? Whatever we do, remember Ps.22 ends on a great note of praise & triumph. Whether or not Jesus is able to get that far, He knows exactly what He means to say!

The best known of all Pss., in Christian circles Ps.23 is almost a 'cert' to turn up at funerals. Simply a case of 'keeping the best till last'? A great, confident, & deeply personal declaration of faith in God, it encapsulates the Essence of Jesus himself. More, it portrays God's care for us that earthly rulers & leaders are meant to have for us too, but all too often don't! By extension, we too are to be shepherds rather than 'hirelings' (Jesus' word). Ps.23 is about life & death being open-ended. No shepherd worth their salt would ever lead their flock into a dead end! Life is for living, not just about dying to put God to the test! Ps.24 captures the heart of how public worship works, & encourages personal worship & praise too. Ps.42 begins on a note of wistful yearning for God, moves to lamenting a less than perfect situation the author finds himself in, then ends, as pss. often do on a note of still hopeful confidence in God. Ps.43 is a plea for justice seemingly intended for singing (maybe by the author?) in the Temple. Ps.45 is a great outburst of praise moving on to become a royal wedding song. Ps.46 is another hymn of confidence in God. Ps. 53 is essentially a duplicate of Ps.14, maybe reflecting some ancient slip in editorial compiling. Ps. 63 may reflect David's flight from Saul. Ps.66 is a thanksgiving for deliverance from national downturns, with v.6 clearly relating to the Exodus. Ps.67, a prayerful celebration of God's provision & faithfulness, lends itself to use in worship back then or now. Ps.68 has a militaristic air & was possibly used in procession to celebrate victory after battle. In Ps.69 someone is in deep trouble, & fluctuates between faith in God as rescuer & heaping reproaches on those giving them grief! Ps.72 is a 'royal' psalm; the flattering language speaks for itself. But it can also be understood as 'royal' in a Messianic sense in praise of God's Anointed One. And so the story of the Psalms continues & concludes...48...Singers & Their Songs, Part 3.           

(N1) It might be a 'spiritual investment' to find & maybe group a few pss. according to their thrust, for personal use.     Q: Could we learn a few 'stand-out' lines & use them as resource in our personal ups & downs?

                                  46...SINGERS & THEIR SONGS...Part 1: Introduction
                                 Based on the book of Psalms (Ps) (N1)...Read more there

With Psalms we're entering a world of 150 songs intended for singing rather than reading, not even aloud! If you are just 'breaking into' Ps Unless you're very familiar with Psalms An over-all introduction may be in order before we look at a selection of  psalms. We couldn't possibly 'do the lot'! As well as those we know formally as the book of Psalms, there are other examples of psalms in the Hebrew Bible. We've met some of these in earlier books, e.g. in [EX 15]. Some Psalms show influence from earlier times, including Canaanite & other neighbouring sources, as writings from any culture inevitably bear marks of earlier or outside influence.

In the tradition of ancient Hebrew poetry verses are structured not as in English poetry - in rhyme, blank verse, etc. - but using lines as building blocks. Psalms are written mainly in two-part verses, sometimes more. The first introduces the subject matter. This idea is then re-stated differently, developed further, elaborated, contrasted, 'tweaked', etc., in the part-verse that follows. We can usually see these patterns fairly clearly, & may find them helpful in appreciating each psalm as we read it. If I refer to translations that differ from the text you're using, the thrust should still be clear enough. We need to accept though that not even the best English translations can capture all the nuances & subtleties of the original Hebrew. Above all, psalms are intended for devotional use, in a liturgical gathering of one kind or another, or personally. They are essentially different from books concerned with histories of one kind or another we've visited so far, though history is of necessity reflected in what is sung about it!

Despite a once common practice of referring to them as 'Psalms of David' there's no hard evidence David actually wrote any of them, let alone the well-beloved Ps.23! That's not to say he isn't somehow connected with it /them. Truth is, very little is known about who wrote any of them. Some psalms do have introductions, but these can be teasers. Mostly they seem to concern who a psalm was written for, who was to play it, on what instrument, to what tune, or how the music was to be performed! To illustrate this, one word we'll come across from time to time is 'Selah'. The 'best guess' is that it's a musical term meaning 'sing or play more loudly', even, 'let your hair down a bit at this point' or words to that effect! When we move on to the exploration stage, because of the number of psalms we'll only be able to explore one here & one there as we go. Hopefully the choice will reflect the variety of psalm content. Not for information so much as to help us appreciate them better as 'God-songs' (N2). In most cases we'll be able to surmise, if not actually empathise with the singer in their setting, challenge, dilemma, or predicament that gives rise to the psalm. It's no accident that for countless centuries Psalms have featured prominently in the corporate worship of Judaism & most Christian denominations too, & a rota for singing the psalms has long been a foundation of worship in monastic communities of all kinds (N3). Most Pss are very personal in origin. They reflect devotion, praise, thanksgiving, longing, complaining, groaning & griping [cf. EX 17: 1-7], lamenting, anger, bitterness, being vengeful, & a host of other feelings & experiences. They can start at one level & then gravitate - up or down! to others! Some can be so nasty valid questions are raised about their suitability for use 'as-is' either personally or in gatherings for worship in the light of Christian understandings of God revealed in Jesus. If we have a problem with a Ps. like this, most lend themselves to bracketing & omitting the offending parts. (Jumping ahead, Ps.137 begins quite delightfully with a captive in Babylon looking wistfully back to Jerusalem, but then ends quite horribly with vv. 7-9!) It is foolish religion indeed that binds itself to earlier misunderstandings of God that wiser souls have by grace transcended! Next time: 47: Singers & Their Songs...Part 2: Pss 1-

N1) Most versions of Psalms (abbreviated 'Pss' if we're referring to more than one psalm) will suffice, but the better the poetry the better for appreciating! (N2) If you're 'game' to try singing psalms, try fitting them to a popular tune - tweak them to fit if you need to! (Scots Presbyterians long ago produced an effective & lasting version sung to hymn tunes.) Or, type 'simple Anglican chant' into your search engine. (N3) Church lectionaries provide Pss for use each morning & evening of the year for the use of congregations & individuals.  Q: Do we have any sense of poetry & or music 'in our bones'? 

45...WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO PEOPLE
Based on the book of Job (Jb)...Read more there

Job may be the 'jewel in the crown' of the Hebrew Bible. Certainly one of the greatest pieces of literature ever produced. Yet we don't know who told it into being; or when, though it's post-exilic; or where. Differing from most of the books we've looked at so far, in Jb the emphasis moves on from national affairs to personal ones. The book is part of what we know as 'wisdom literature'. It is a complex exploration of the whole business of human suffering, divine justice, & why bad things happen to anyone, let alone good people. It is also a tentative exploration of  'Is there life after death'? Jb is impossible to introduce in a brief overview like this, & there's simply no substitute for reading the whole work. Read the poetry out loud, preferably. Do our best to appreciate what's going on. Hopefully discover ourselves & our questionings somewhere in the issues raised. Apart from two introductory chapters that set the scene, the introduction to Ch.32 & a handful of final verses, Jb is totally poetry. An imaginative dramatic dialogue between Job, three of his friends, later, an unknown new-comer, then last but not least, YHWH God. For some it may bring to mind other visionary imaginings like those of English mystic & poet William Blake (d.1827) or others.
                       Let's approach Jb as a theatre-goer, watching, hearing, & participating as a great drama unfolds. The first scenes are set in heaven, followed by several on earth. YHWH's intervention (Chs. 38-41) bridges heaven & earth, before the book ends back on terra-firma. Job is introduced to us as a good & prosperous chap blessed with a large family. Until one day Satan (N1) comes to God & more or less tells Him Job's got things too easy & needs to be tested to see how deep his loyalty & faithfulness to God really lie (N2). YHWH is so confident of Job He agrees to Satan putting Job to the test. Of course this makes YHWH complicit in what happens to Job! It also raises, or should, all sorts of theological questions in keeping with the purpose of the author, a deeply spiritual thinker. As a result of Satan's meddling, disaster after disaster strike Job's flocks (i.e. his wealth) & then his family. While he laments this, in 1:21 Job responds with what becomes pretty standard church doctrine: 'God has given, God has taken away....!' (N3). Satan's frustrated by this, & now persuades God to let him afflict Job's person with dreadful sores all over his body (Ch.2). Despite being reproached by his wife for his continuing steadfastness in the face of all this, Job replies with " If we receive good things from God, shouldn't we expect bad too!" In Ch.3 Job lets off steam, cursing 'the day he was born'.
                     At this point (Ch.4) three of his 'friends', Eliphaz, Bildad, & Zophar arrive & take turns 'debating' Job. Are they really 'preaching' to him - in the bad sense? None of them seems much help. If they come to console us in trouble we may well seek compassion elsewhere! On & on they go, with Job making his own contributions too. A great confession of faith by him (19:25-6) is specially noteworthy. In Chs. 29-31 Job sums up his case in the language of a court-room. Will God find him innocent or guilty? We have to wait to find the answer to that. What about our verdict? As a jury have we reached one yet? Next, Elihu, an unknown to us (N4) enters stage right unannounced in Ch.32, & holds the floor till Ch. 38. He is no more help to Job than those before him. By now though, YHWH God has had enough & can remain in the wings no longer! He comes on stage forcefully in a passage of sheer brilliance, worthy of the Divine! If we can't bring ourselves to 'hear, read, mark, & inwardly digest' the whole of Job, then YHWH's starring role (Chs 38-41) in which He puts them all, including Job, to rights is a must! Try reading it aloud. Hear it! Hear God!
                     Job then makes a final statement marking a movement from theorising about God to personal belief & trust in Him. The book ends on a happier note with Job being vindicated by God, his fortunes restored, & with a new family on the scene, rather like a fairy tale. But Jb is no fairy tale! Somewhere in there we need to find ourselves & our questionings & move on from debating God to believing & trusting Him, come what may. Jb is serious God- &-us stuff. Whoever tells it into being, it certainly isn't Hans Christian Andersen! Allowing that today Christians would not / should not understand God as causing evil for any purpose, might an tatempt to sum up Jb today go something like: God is not in what happens to us but in our response to what happens? Or perhaps: Stick with God as God, by grace, sticks with us'? Or: ..........? Then, as always there's another story...46: Singers & their Songs.

(N1) There is an excellent footnote on 'Satan' in the NJB at Job:1(f). Here Satan is on God's side! (N2) In Jesus' testings in the Gospels Satan is portrayed playing the same role. (N3) Reflected in older funeral services. (N4) The Elihu passages seem 'different' & may stem from another writer.  Q. Can we find ourselves on stage anywhere in Jb?

44...QUEEN WHO NEVER WAS?

                                              Based on the Book of Esther (Est)...Read more there (N1)

The book Esther is named for a young Jewish woman who rises to become queen of Persia & saves the Hebrews from a holocaust. Strangely YHWH God doesn't get a mention! The context is entirely power-plays in & around the Persian court of the time, supposedly in or about the 300's B.C. Cultural & racial tensions between Jews & others feed the story. There are enough things about Est that don't seem to fit to make many think the book was told into being as a Good Jewish Woman defeats Bad Foreign Guy story to provide a basis for celebrating Jewish identity & separateness in the festival Jews came to know as Purim. Like some other Hebrew Bible books we'll come across, Est's real value, for Jewish people at least, may be as a kind of parable of the importance of  keeping Jewish identity & separateness at the heart of their culture & religion &, despite overwhelming odds, winning out in the end! We might note, too, that Esther connects with Joseph, whom we've met back in the days of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs in Palestine & then in Egypt (N2) & Daniel, whom we'll meet later in Babylon. Together they form a trio of exemplary & influential Jewish heroes in the midst of powerful foreign empires.

In a nutshell the story goes like this: The Persian King, Ahasuerus (N3) rids himself of his queen for disobeying him & this in itself leads to a proclamation that 'wives must obey their husbands in all respects'. (An order conservative male Jews would say, 'Amen' to!) In the former queen's place (Ch.2) the king marries Esther, a young Jewish woman introduced into the court by her adoptive father, Mordecai, a distant relative of King Saul. Apparently neither Mordecai nor Esther disclose her racial background. One day Mordecai overhears a plot to assassinate the king, passes the information to Esther who informs the king, & the plotters are hanged. (Hanging features prominently in this book!) In Ch.3 we meet Haman whom Ahasuerus has promoted to be his C.E.O. Haman is a proto-type for future anti-Semites & actually pays the king a bribe to gain a royal order to wipe out these different & threatening people. A date is fixed for this outrage to take place. Ch.4 sees Mordecai get wind of all this & warn Esther that being queen will not save her from the fate her fellow Hebrews are facing. In response, in Ch.5 Esther prepares to throw a banquet for the king & Haman, while Haman prepares a gallows to hang Mordecai! Meanwhile, Ch.6 has the king going over records in the archive & discovers the service Mordecai has rendered in saving his life. The plot thickens! Haman is chuffed at being invited to dinner with the royals! When Ahasuerus aks him for advice on how to reward someone who has served him well, Haman mistakenly believes the king is speaking of him, & suggests great honours be conferred on him. However, the king reveals it's Mordecai who's to be honoured with high office & orders Haman to see to it! Haman's nose is very much out of joint! Worse is to come! Esther tells the king of the tragedy she's discovered is about to befall her people (Ch.7) & that Haman is behind this. Pleading with Esther for mercy, Haman is caught in what appears to be a compromising position, & in no time at all the king has him publicly hanged on the gallows he's had built to hang Mordecai! But there remains a big problem! The famous 'law of the Medes & Persians' means that once promulgated a law cannot be repealed, therefore the decree for the killing of the Hebrews on the date set still stands. In Ch.8 the king - & the story- get round this by a new decree. By that, Jews may defend themselves forcibly against anyone attacking them. On the basis of this, in Ch.9 the Jewish population rises up & makes a pre-emptive strike against their known enemies, killing many in the process. They then celebrate the festival of triumph & survival known as Purim - kept to this day by Jewish families. Ch.10, a short post-script, winds up the story with praise for Ahasuerus & Mordecai for their part in all this. Then comes another story... 45...When Bad Things Happen To People.

(N1) There are additions to Esther in the Apocrypha. NJB prints them as part of the text of Est, though NRSV prints them separately. (N2) See episodes 19-21. (N3) Xerxes in Greek 

 

Q: Where does God come into all this - if at all?

43...HOME AGAIN. AGAIN!

   Based on the Books of Ezra (Ezr) & Nehemiah (Ne)...Read more there

EZRA

Ezra & Nehemiah are memoirs of these two respective Hebrews from Babylon & their return to Jerusalem dovetailed (not always seamlessly) by the later Chronicler into his own longer work (N1). In 538 BC the Persian king, Cyrus, who has by now defeated the Babylonians allows the captive Hebrews to return to Judah after 50 or 70 years (N2). The Hebrews are led back to Jerusalem by Sheshbazzar (N3) a descendant of King David, & heads of other families, including Jeshua, a priest. Ezra himself, a scribe or scholar of the Law returns in a second wave of returnees some years later. In Ch.1 Cyrus decrees the Hebrews may return home. Sympathetic to YHWH, to him a foreign god, Cyrus sets an example of religious inclusiveness & tolerance not often seen in history! In style typical of the Chronicler Ch.2 is a list of returnees. Ch.3 records the resumption of worship in Jerusalem & the laying of the foundations of a new Temple. There is a deeply felt poignancy in vv.12-13. Ch.4 tells of the breach between the returning Hebrews & the adjacent Samaritans, remnants of the former Israel inter-married with others settled in Samaria by the Assyrians a century or so before. That continuing breach will feature in the Gospels. Ch.5 & 6 record this dispute leading to the Samaritans telling tales about the loyalty of the Hebrews at the court of the next two Persian rulers, persuading them the Hebrews are in the process of rebelling. As a result of their lobbying King Artaxerxes orders the re-building stopped, the Samaritans forcibly do the stopping, & the re-building of the Temple remains on hold for some years (N4). When Darius becomes king & rebuilding starts again the Samaritans do their best to subvert the project once more. But after having the state archives searched Darius rules that what the Hebrews are doing is absolutely legitimate on the orders originally issued by Cyrus & orders the Samaritans to desist in their obstruction! The Temple is then eventually completed & dedicated. Ch.7-10 go on to tell of the arrival on the scene of Ezra, a scribe or legal scholar given sweeping powers by the Persian king & the consequences of the strict regime Ezra, a real hard-liner is authorised to institute. A major one is the dissolving of all marriages to non-Jewish partners, including those of many leading citizens. Their names are recorded in the Chronicler's lists! (N5)

NEHEMIAH

In Ch.1 Nehemiah is being called by YHWH to sort things out back in Jerusalem. Ch.2 tells us he is butler to Artaxerxes, a well trusted position with access to the king. Seeing how downcast he is at goings on (or not goings-on!) he's heard of from travellers returning from Jerusalem, the king sends Nehemiah back there as a 'Mr. Fixit' with authority to put things to rights. Under him (Ch.3-4) the walls of the city are rebuilt methodically & the Samaritans kept at bay!  In Ch.5 Nehemiah has to deal with challenging social issues before the walls are finished in Ch.6. Ch.7 deals with more administrative matters followed by more family records. Ch.8 brings us the significant & far reaching public reading of the Law of Moses by Ezra followed by great celebrations, not just of what's been achieved but also because a new direction is now set in motion for the future of Judaism. Ch.9, largely in poetry, we might call a long public confession of failing to keep the Law in so many ways, then in Ch.10 come more records & more spelling out of rules, while Ch.11 is about the re-populating of Jerusalem itself & listing those involved, & CH.12 continues the record keeping followed by the ceremonial & liturgical dedication of the newly completed walls. The book ends with Ch.13 beginning with a slab of Nehemiah's own memoirs detailing the widening gulf between Israel & not-Israel, setting the scene for religious, racial, & cultural exclusivism to come. But that's another story...44: Queen Who Never Was?              

(N1) Ezra & Nehemiah were once a continuation of the books of Chronicles. The time-line & text are very complicated & not always clear. Esdras, an Apocryphal book also exists & some scholars believe it more reliable than Ezra. Ezra himself seems to have returned in the second group of returnees years later. (N2) Some count the exile from the first invasion by Babylon in 606 BC [JR: 25:11]). (N3) seemingly also known as Zerrubbabel. (N4) We'll later see another biblical writer, Haggai. blaming this also on the indifference of returnees! (N5) The NJB states: 'Ezra is the real father of Judaism with his three dominant conceptions: the chosen race, the Temple, & the Law'. [NJB p. 510]    
Q: Have we / do we set down memoirs of our own? Could they be made public? 

42...RELIGIOUS ANCESTRY.SOMETHING OR OTHER
Based on the Books of 1 & 2 Chronicles (1 & 2CH) (N1)...Read more there
After the Judeans have been exiled for 50 or so years in Babylon, the world scene changes again as the Persians under Cyrus conquer the Babylonians & allow the Hebrews to return 'home'. There they are given a measure of independence under a Persian-appointed governor, Sheshbazzar, also known as Zerubbabel, a descendant of the House of David. They are even allowed to begin re-building the Temple (N2). A scribe known as the 'Chronicler' (N3) in Jerusalem towards 300BC, provides us with the books that bear that name. Using other sources as well as some we've met before, e.g. GN, NB, 1 & 2 S, & 1 & 2 K, our Chronicler gives us his religious 'take' on things & who was responsible for doing them.  While his seemingly endless lists will be of unique help to scholars interested in Hebrew history, those of us not so wedded to such minutiae may find little to interest us in Chronicles (N4). 1CH 1- 8 consists of lists of people & their tribes & their responsibilities, then Ch. 9 begins with is a roll-call of families who returned from exile together with their assigned duties. This is followed by a 're-look' at King Saul. Chs.11-22 then re-visit King David. Not all the details tally with accounts we've heard earlier. Chs. 23 to the end of the book interweave David's life with more rules & duties applying to the Levites, Priests, Cantors, & Gatekeepers relating to the Ark, the forerunner of the yet-to-be-built Temple. Those involved today in liturgical functions in congregations can see we follow in a long tradition of doing the things of God properly, decently, & in good order. In all this let's not overlook how important it's been for historians, Jewish & others, to have access to those lists the Chronicler invests such effort in making (N 5). Ch. 29 & the book end with the transition from David & his reign to Solomon & the beginning of his. 

The early chapters of 2CH centre round giving Solomon & the building & equipping of the Temple a good press. Then in Chs 10 onward the Chronicler focuses on the Judean Monarchy, reviewing the kings who succeed Solomon. He praises or damns them for doing either good or evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as has been done in 2K with regard to kings of both Israel & Judah. These various kings, their reigns, & the verdicts on them might be best left for those with either a historical or theological bent. Intermingled with all the other details in 2CH we find references to incursions into or invasions of Judah by the Egyptians (Ch.12) the Assyrians (Chs. 28 & 32) & the Babylonians (Ch.36). Politics in that part of the world then sound very much like those of today! Towards the end of 2CH two reforming kings Hezekiah (Chs. 29-32) & Josiah (Chs. 34-35) stand out by standing up for YHWH, but with the long reign of a really bad king, Manasseh, in between them. Perhaps the most significant story of all is the rediscovery in Ch.34 of the 'Book of the Law' & the effect this has on policy & people during Josiah's reforms. Scholars are pretty unanimous  this was what we know as Deuteronomy (see Ep. 32). The teachings of YHWH God have survived long years of apostasy & now are dusted off & re-activated under the influence of Josiah the king, Hilkiah the priest, & Huldah ( a woman, & a Prophet!) Notable for their absence in all these scenarios, except for one brief mention of Elijah, are the two towering Prophets Elijah & his successor Elisha, so important in 1 & 2K. But they were Northerners, after all! 2CH ends with a quick overview of Judea collapsing before the Babylonians, & why; & a nod in the direction of Persia which will eventually conquer Babylon & allow the Judeans to return home. But that's another story...43...Home Again. Again!
(N1) Like 1 & 2 SAM & Kings, Chronicles was originally one book. (N2) 538BC. More of this when we reach the books of Ezra & Nehemiah. (N3) He is probably a southerner & a Levite from the tribe with liturgical responsibilities. EX 32:25-29 & 1CH 16 give us some background to Levites. (N4) The Chronicler draws on as well as other sources for his lists, but edits them to suit his purposes! The NJB in its introduction to CHs calls him a 'theologian not a historian' (p. 508). (N5) MT (Ch. 1) & LK (Ch. 3) for instance clearly draw on genealogical records they have access to in establishing Jesus' human lineage.

Q: What would happen if we were to vote for politicians according to how the Chronicler sums up kings?

41...PROPHETS & LOSSES ACCOUNTS
Based on 2 Kings (2K) Chs. 2-25 Read more there...

Elijah has just been taken up into heaven. That he will one day return becomes part of Jewish expectations. He is succeeded now by Elisha [2K 2] who shedding his own clothes, takes up Elijah's cloak, & immediately performs a 'miracle' at the Jordan by using Elijah's cloak to roll the waters back! He is then credited with bringing about the deaths of some cheeky boys at the paws of a pair of bears! Apparently you're either on Elisha's, that is to say, God's side, or look out! Ch.3 reports yet another war, then Chs.4-8 tell a string of 'miracles' Elisha 'works', some of them a bit odd! Of note are a miraculous feeding of a widow & the birth of a son to another woman from Shunem, & the restoration to life of that child after his death, reminiscent of Elijah. Then comes an incident with soup, & a multiplication of food more a-la-Jesus this time as is the healing from skin disease of Naaman, an enemy Aramaean general [Ch. 5]. Crossing such boundaries of race & religion later becomes a mark of Jesus' ministry among people of His day. Naaman's healing is soured when Elisha's servant, Gehazi, tries to make capital for himself by accepting a reward from Naaman that Elisha himself has just refused! Gehazi's punishment is to become inflicted with the skin disease from which Naaman has been cured. Chs. 9-13 then meander through the politics of Judea & Israel until in Ch.13:14+ Elisha dies. Chs.14-17 meander again through the politics of Judea & Israel but then the story changes dramatically - forever - when in 721 BC., partly as a result of Israel double-dealing with Egypt, the Assyrians lay siege to & capture Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom. This is stated very matter-of-factly in 17:5-6 & this is then amplified by a commentary. Of particular interest as background to the NT. are vv. 24-41 which tell how the Samaritans come into being through the Assyrian policy of re-settling other peoples among the remaining Israelites who then intermarry with them.

In Ch.18 the focus switches to the southern kingdom of Judea. Hezekiah (716-687 BC.) a young king faithful to YHWH, & a reformer comes to the throne & is introduced in vv.1-8. Among other acts of spiritual spring-cleaning he destroys the bronze snake known as Nehushtan the Hebrews have apparently carried with them from their travelling in the wilderness days & turned into a god (N1).  Hezekiah will have none of this kind of nonsense! We then go on to hear about incursions by the Assyrians that threaten the continuing existence of Judea too. At this point, in Ch.19 the next great Prophet, Isaiah, emerges to give counsel to Hezekiah & spiritual leadership to the people (N2). After  Hezekiah's progressive reforms, he is succeeded by two bad kings (Ch.21). They in turn are followed by another reformer faithful to YHWH, Josiah, who comes to the throne as a child. Some significant events during his reign include: 1) the discovery of the 'Book of the Law', almost certainly the book we know as Deuteronomy, in the Temple [Chs.22:3 - 23:30]. Josiah causes it to be read in public & its laws promulgated. This includes the keeping of Passover once again, a practice that had lapsed; 2) a woman Prophet, Hulda, emerges (22:14+); & 3) due to Assyria becoming weakened, Josiah extends his influence into the former northern country of Israel now known as Samaria (23:16+). After a fine wrap-up [23: 24-25] Josiah, one of the best of their kings is killed in battle against the Egyptians. In Ch.24 the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar & who by now have defeated the Assyrians & taken over the ascendancy in that part of the world make incursions into Judea. They plunder Jerusalem & deport the then king & his family & officials together with thousands of the leading artisans to Babylon. There is worse to come. The Babylonians soon return to complete the job [Ch. 25]. This time they destroy Jerusalem including the Temple, & deport many of the remaining residents to Babylon (N3). 2K25 brings Judaism as it has been to an ignominious end. As the NJV puts it succinctly, 'Thus Judah was deported from its country' [v.21]. Nothing will ever be the same again for Jewish people - anywhere & everywhere! But that's another story...42: Religiously Re-editing

(N1) See Ep.31 on Numbers for the incident of the snakes. (N2) Like Elijah & Elisha, Isaiah is later a great influence on Jesus. We'll learn more of him when we reach the book that bears his name. (N3) 587BC. This begins the period of the Babylonian captivity, a period of about 50 yrs.  Question: How open ended do we / does God see our personal ups & downs as being?

40...SOUNDS OF SILENCE
Based on 1Kings Chs. 19-22 to 2Kings Chs. 1 & 2...Read more there.

Elijah, the most important Prophet since Moses, introduced to us in Ep.39 now takes centre-stage. Ahab, king in Israel is one of the worst rulers any country has ever had (N1). He's bad enough in himself, but is aided & abetted by his queen, the notorious Jezebel who often 'makes the bullets'! We've already been told [1K 18:13] that Jezebel has 'slaughtered the prophets of YHWH', so to stand up to Ahab & Jezebel who 'wants his guts for garters', as well as their priests of Baal as Elijah does is to court danger! Elijah has to flee for his life [19:3] & wants to die! But eventually he ends up on Mt.Horeb (Sinai). He's suffering from 'spiritual burn-out' by now & looks for renewal on Moses' old stamping ground. He takes shelter in a cave or crevice, possibly the very one that Moses took cover in so he could not 'see God's face', God's glory [EX 33:18+]. YHWH calls to the fugitive, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The Prophet then undergoes a remarkable spiritual experience as Moses has done before him, & eventually Jesus will undergo long after. On Mt. Sinai (Horeb) there comes a mighty storm, but God is not in the storm; after the storm an earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake; after the earthquake fire (lightning?) but God is not in the fire. After the fire comes what is translated variously as 'stillness', 'silence', 'the sound of gentle stillness' etc. YHWH appears in this total silence. Though God is often believed to be revealed in the extremities of nature, is this total silence perhaps to reveal the peaceful nature of God in contrast to the violence raging all around at this time (with Elijah part of it)? Elijah emerges from his cave, but is careful to cover his face with his cloak so that, like Moses of old, he cannot see God's glory for to see that would be to die! Again God asks him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" and then instructs him to interfere on His behalf in the political scenarios of the nearby Arameans, & also in Israel. More, Elijah is to anoint Elisha to be his successor as Prophet [19:19+]. Elijah comes out of hiding, returns to Israel, & finds Elisha ploughing with a large team of oxen. Elijah dramatically throws his cloak over Elisha, symbolically 'capturing' him for the new role he is to play for God in Hebrew events. In response Elisha kills a yoke of oxen, uses their yokes to make a fire, & cooking them provides a feast to mark & celebrate his leaving his old life behind & obeying his new calling. (N2)

After this we have reports of more wars, intriguing & confusing tales of 'false prophets', before the book moves on to report an event that shows how bad Ahab & Jezebel really are! Ahab badly wants a vineyard belonging to a citizen named Naboth [Ch. 21] but Naboth won't exchange or sell as Ahab wants, so Jezebel arranges his murder so Ahab can take possession of the coveted piece of land! For YHWH & Elijah this is the last straw! [21:17+] & soon after Ahab meets a nasty end in yet another battle [22: 29+]. Mind you, he's succeeded by his son, Ahaziah, a chip-off-the-old-block who will die after just a year in office as 2 Kings begins. Ch.1 tells of an attempt by Ahaziah & his soldiers to arrest Elijah, but this is thwarted by two troops of soldiers being killed by fire called down by Elijah (more lightning?). A third troop is wise enough to know where to draw the line, & safely escorts Elijah to the king where he promptly tells him he's going to die. Soon! And he does! In Ch. 2 Elijah is taken up to heaven by a chariot & horses of fire. Elisha, who is privileged to watch this happen, inherits Elijah's mantle (cloak) as the new great Prophet in the land & will later join Elijah as a huge influence on Jesus' thinking...But that's another story...41...Prophet & Loss Accounts                   

(N1)  Ahab ruled Israel from 874 to 853 BC., long enough to do a lot of damage. (N2) I K Chs. 17+ are referred to as the 'Elijah Cycle'; 2K Ch. 2 then begins the 'Elisha Cycle'.

Question:  Are we more comfortable with storm, earthquake, fire, etc. than we are with silence?

39...ENTER ELIJAH
Based on 1Kings Chs. 12-18...Read more there

At this point, the kingdom united under David unravels quickly. Solomon's son & successor Rehoboam (N1) has none of the wisdom his father was noted for early in his reign. He foolishly takes the advice of equally foolish young friends to treat his people harshly, with the result that the Northern tribes walk out on him leaving him only the Southern tribe of Judah. Jeroboam (N1) who had earlier unsuccessfully rebelled against Solomon now returns & is proclaimed king of Israel by the breakaways. Not only is there now political schism, but Jeroboam causes religious schism too by having two golden calves (N2) cast & set up one in Bethel & one in Dan, diverting attention from the Temple in Jerusalem. There is an odd story in Ch.13. Make of it what you will - but the way it's told, few of us would want much to do with the sneaky God portrayed in it! Like many accounts of the way things happen, it is an interpretation & we may well reject it in the light of the God Jesus later reveals! There follow accounts of the reigns of kings in both Judah & Israel. One of many low points in Jeroboam's reign in Judah is a raid on Jerusalem by an Egyptian Pharaoh who loots the Temple. Jeroboam's reign in Israel is summarised too, Then their successors on both sides of the newly created borders are reviewed. Only one of those listed gets the tick of approval from God & their subjects! Most of it isn't edifying, least of all the reign of Ahab in Israel (N4). Ahab, married to the legendary Jezebel, goes further than anyone else when he supplants the worship of YHWH with worship of the pagan god Baal. But Ahab will meet his match & get his comeuppance when the great Prophet Elijah (N3) comes on the scene in Ch.17.

Enter Elijah, who appears on the scene [Ch.17:1] confronting Ahab, & warning him of a severe drought. The implication is clearly that this is a punishment from YHWH for Ahab's apostasy & his people's. YHWH instructs Elijah to hide east of the Jordan & arranges for ravens to feed him out in this wilderness (N5). As the drought intensifies, Elijah is sent to a foreign widow & her son in Zarephath in today's Lebanon. Let's call them Zara & Zaron. Everyone deserves a name! There a miraculous stretching of their meagre resources of a little flour & a little oil takes place (N6) so the three of them have enough to live on till the drought breaks. While Elijah is there Zaron dies, but in another foreshadowingof a Jesus event, Elijah restores him to life. Any lingering doubt Zara has that Elijah is genuinely a man of God is dispelled. In Ch.18 with the drought still biting the scene shifts to Ahab's palace where we find his steward, still faithful to YHWH, has sheltered & saved many 'small p' prophets from Jezebel's vendetta against anything smacking of YHWH! Ch.18:13 tells us Jezebel has already 'slaughtered the prophets of YHWH' (NJB). However, Elijah confronts Ahab  again & sets up a contest between himself & the hundreds of 'prophets' of Baal on top of Mt. Carmel. Each side is given a bullock & the object of the competition is to call down fire from your god or God to burn the animal as a sacrifice. The prophets of Baal call on 'him' for hours & hours with Elijah mocking them a treat. When they end in total failure, Elijah rebuilds an old destroyed altar to YHWH & proceeds to douse it & its surrounds & of course his bull liberally with water. Fire from heaven - no doubt a well-timed lightning strike - burns the sacrificial bull & YHWH wins! Then in a gesture we must be glad Jesus doesn't repeat, Elijah has all the 'prophets' of Baal put to death. He then taunts Ahab into driving his chariot back to the city before the enveloping storm clogs his wheels leaving him stuck in the mud! To add insult to injury, Elijah runs ahead of Ahab all the way back to his palace! Here endeth the drought! But not Jezebel's burning hatred of both Elijah & YHWH!... But that's another story...40 Sounds of Silence

(N1) For some unknown reason both Rehoboam (4.5.lit.) & Jeroboam (3 lit.) had large bottles of bubbly named after them. Maybe it's a joke - neither of them being 'full bottle'! (N2) See EX 32.(N3) Jesus will be hugely influenced by Elijah & his successor as Prophet, Elisha. (Don't get those two mixed up!) (N4) Ahab reigns in Israel 874-853 B.C. (N5) Some suggest 'ravens' is a translating mistake for 'arabs', but opinion is in favour of 'ravens' - whatever we make of that. (N6) A kind of fore-shadowing of Jesus' later feeding a great crowd with minute resources (MT 14: 15-21 et al.) (N7) By the time of the last of the Prophet Malachi, early in the 400s BC, Hebrews came to believe Elijah would re-appear before the Messiah came [MAL 3:23]. Jesus later makes it clear [MT17:10-13] John the Baptiser was that expected 'Elijah'.  Question: Whose responsibility is it to challenge today's rulers?

38...THE GETTING & UN-GETTING OF WISDOM
 Based on 1 Kings (1K) (N1) Chs. 1-11...Read more there

As the aged & frail David is dying one of his sons, Adonijah, tries to usurp the throne. However the Prophet Nathan allies himself with Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, to thwart this. They plead with David to name Solomon as his successor. When David does this, Solomon is promptly taken into Jerusalem on David's mule & anointed king by Zadok the Priest (of later coronation music fame!) (N2). Adonijah's support immediately collapses. Solomon waits till David dies [Ch. 2:10] then has Adonijah executed to ensure his kingship is secure. That it is now secure we're told twice, (vv.12 & 46). Ch. 3 begins with the odd & unpromising news that Solomon marries a daughter of Egypt's Pharaoh - the Egyptians being former enslavers of the Hebrews. Is this a cynical political manoeuvre, a wise strategy, or a love-match? Who knows! We also learn that though Solomon loves YHWH, like many of his people he offers incense at altars set up on significant hill tops, 'high places', as there is no Temple yet & therefore no really centralised religion either. Then come two key events that set a pattern for the earlier part Solomon's reign. In the first he has a dream in which YHWH asks him what gifts he would like. Rather than power, wealth, etc. Solomon asks for an understanding mind & a discerning heart, & YHWH God grants these. Even though this is a dream, the reality is put to the test soon after in a famous story that in itself ensures we remember Solomon for his wisdom. Two women appear before him each claiming a male baby as their own. Solomon calls for a sword & orders the child to be cut in two & a half given to each of the women. He then wisely awards the child to the woman who begs him to give the child to the other woman rather than have her son killed! When word of this spreads, Solomon's stocks rise very high indeed!

Administrative matters take up Chs. 4 & 5 till Solomon prepares for the building of the Temple for God & a palace for himself. In Chs. 6--9 the Temple is built by conscripted labour. Then, with its furnishings, including the Ark of the Covenant, now, it is completed & dedicated. In Ch. 9 YHWH appears again to Solomon (cf. Ch. 3) & dedicates the Temple Himself but with a clear in-built threat! The famed Queen of Sheba - probably either in Arabia or North East Africa - visits Solomon to 'suss out' her new & powerful neighbour. She is very likely to have trade & treaties on her mind as well as anything else. She is impressed!

But by Ch. 11 Solomon falls from grace. With a vengeance! He becomes a womaniser on an unprecedented scale & allows pagan wives to sway him into following foreign pagan deities they bring with them as religious baggage. He seems to be placing an 'each-way' bet! YHWH God is not amused, & triggers the threat of Ch. 9 above. Solomon unbelievably rapidly fades from view, & dies seemingly without fanfare. One of Solomon's sons, Rehoboam succeeds to the throne. The royal family, though, has become dysfunctional & so has the country (N3).  But that's another story...39...Enter Elijah   

(N1) 1 & 2 Kings were originally one book.  (N2)  About 970 B.C.  (N3) Ch.11:41 refers to a 'Book of the Acts of Solomon'. Though long lost this is no doubt reflected in these early chapters of 1 K. 

Question: Does turning away from YHWH God personally & nationally still cause us to become dysfunctional?  

37: DAVID: KING - WARTS & ALL
Based on the 2nd Book of Samuel (2SAM, 2S)... Read more there...

2 SAM begins with a different version of Saul's death (N1) then focuses on David, who in keeping with the musical skills mentioned in Ep.36 sings a moving lament for Saul despite the history between them! Later, David will become known as a leader among those who compose the Psalms, but for now we're in a time of rival politics & civil war. A pro-house-of-Saul 'party' led by Abner, an ambitious general instals one of Saul's sons, Ishbaal, as puppet king reflecting Abner's own ambitions & Israelite (Northern) interests. For now the men (!) of Judah anoint David as their king either to confirm, or in ignorance of Samuel's earlier secret anointing of David [1SAM Ch.16]. After some nasty goings-on Abner & Ishbaal are both murdered (not by David) & not long after [Ch. 5: 1-5] we hear David being acknowledged & anointed king of Israel as well. Soon after David makes Jerusalem his capital, & in Ch.6, in a calculated move to consolidate his position David has the Ark of the Covenant (N2) moved from Shiloh to Jerusalem, recently captured from the Jebusites. Jerusalem now becomes both the religious & political capital of the emerging nation. In Ch. 7 David tells the Prophet Nathan that he wants to build a Temple for YHWH. However God makes it clear through Nathan that it is He, YHWH who will build David a 'house', i.e. a dynasty, & not vice-versa! Chs. 8-10 are about more warfaring except that in Ch. 9 David makes compassionate provision for Jonathan's disabled son Meribbaal.

Ch. 11 marks a turning point - for the bad - for David. Maybe seduced by Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, one of his best & loyalest troops, David commits adultery with her. But worse is to come! When Bathsheba becomes pregnant David compounds their evil by deviously trying to arrange 'home-leave' for Uriah to make it look as though the child to be born is his, Uriah's. But Uriah's loyalty thwarts him. In desperation David then treacherously arranges for Uriah to be killed in battle so he can marry Bathsheba. Not only is this a treacherous & murderous act on David's part, it is a total failure on his part to live up to his responsibilities as king to govern justly in God's name! Ch. 12 brings an example of the role of a true Prophet having little to do with fore-telling the future & everything to do with tackling the present! Nathan fronts David who repents & is forgiven, however the child born to Bathsheba & David dies. But then another child, Solomon, is born who will be the next king & renowned for his wisdom. But all that's a long way off yet.

Chs. 13-19: 9 are a litany of family & internal strife centring on one of David's sons, Absalom, who leads a revolt against his father. In the end, Absalom is killed, but David has to snap out of mourning him or risk losing the support of those who've remained loyal to him. There come more strife & revolts. For one revered as a great king, David is certainly a shaky one! After the strife has died down, in Ch. 22 David celebrates his deliverance from the clutches of all his enemies with a great Psalm (N3). In CH. 23 we read what are said to be David's 'last words', but a less pleasant alternative version of his 'last words' appears at [1K2:5-9] (N4). These 'last words' are followed by a kind of 'Honour Roll' of 'heroes' (N5). The book ends with a strange story of a census in which God seemingly sets both David & the people up (!) & David buying a threshing floor adjacent to Jerusalem. He has an altar built there, & this will later become the site for Solomon's Temple. But that's another story...38...The Wisdom of Solomon
 
(N1) An illustration of how conflicting texts of some books can be. (N2) Recovered from the Philistines years before [1SAM 7:1]. (N3) Almost identical with PS 118 q.v. (N4) Perhaps this first represents the better side of David & the second the other side of him, though some scholars think the first is not genuinely Davidic. (N5) This roll, like Ch.24 that follows it, probably originally came after Ch.21.    

Question: What do we make of God 'using' bad things people do to bring good out of it / them?