Archive for the ‘Nehemiah 2’ Tag
Above: Tear Ducts
Image in the Public Domain
The Tears of the Christ
SEPTEMBER 11, 2022
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 13:1-16 or Ezra 1:1-7; 3:8-13
Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
Revelation 7:9-17
John 11:1-3. 16-44
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Jesus wept.
–John 11:35, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears like their eyes.
–Revelation 7:16-17, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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I could take so many paths through the assigned readings for this week. These readings are rich texts. I will take just one path, however.
Before I do, here are a few notes:
- Abraham waited for God to tell him which land to claim. Abraham chose well.
- Lot chose land on his own. He chose poorly. However, at the time he seemed to have chosen wisely; he selected fertile land.
- I agree with Psalm 136. Divine mercy does endure forever.
- The chronology of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah weaves in and out of those books. I know, for I blogged my way through them in chronological order at BLOGA THEOLOGICA last year.
For the record, the chronological reading order of Ezra-Nehemiah follows:
- Ezra 1:1-2:70; Nehemiah 7:6-73a;
- Ezra 3:1-4:5;
- Ezra 5:1-6:22;
- Ezra 4:6-24;
- Nehemiah 1:1-2:20;
- Nehemiah 3:1-4:17;
- Nehemiah 5:1-19;
- Nehemiah 6:1-7:5;
- Nehemiah 11:1-12:47;
- Nehemiah 13:1-31;
- Nehemiah 9:38-10:39;
- Ezra 7:1-10:44; and
- Nehemiah 7:73b-9:38.
I take my lead in this post from the New Testament readings. Tears are prominent in both of them. Tears are on my mind during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also on my mind as I continue to mourn the violent death of my beloved. Her departure from this side of the veil of tears has left me shaken and as forever changed me.
The full divinity and full humanity of Jesus are on display in John 11. We read that Jesus wept over the death of his friend, St. Lazarus of Bethany. We also read of other people mourning and weeping in the immediate area. We may not pay much attention to that. We may tell ourselves, “Of course, they grieved and wept.” But two words–“Jesus wept”–remain prominent.
There is a scene in The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (1964) that fits this theme. At the time, Hollywood studios had recently released technicolor movies about a Jesus who had no tear ducts yet had an impressive command of Elizabethan English while resembling a Northern European. Yet Pier Paolo Pasolini, who committed about half of the Gospel of Matthew to film, presented a Jesus who had tear ducts. Immediately after the off-camera decapitation of St. John the Baptist, the next shot was a focus on Christ’s face. He was crying. So were the men standing in front of him.
Jesus wept.
We weep. Jesus weeps with us until the day God will wipe away all tears of those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 23, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN THE ALMSGIVER, PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES KINGSLEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST, NOVELIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD GRUBB, ENGLISH QUAKER AUTHOR, SOCIAL REFORMER, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JAMES D. SMART, CANADIAN PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF PHILLIPS BROOKS, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF MASSACHUSETTS, AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2021/01/23/the-tears-of-the-christ/
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Above: Labor Day, by Samuel D. Ehrhart
Published in Puck Magazine, September 1, 1909
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsca-26406
Affirming the Dignity of Work in Words and Deeds
SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
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The Book of Common Prayer (1979) contains a collect and assigned readings for Labor Day.
Interdependence is a cardinal virtue in the Law of Moses. Interdependence is also obvious, or should be. Somehow, especially in the global West, the idea of rugged individualism persists. Yet, no matter how hard or well one works, one drives on roads other people built, relies on technology other people invented or maintain, and depends on many other people might guess at first thought. Anyone who can read this post with comprehension relies on hosts of educators, for example.
As I affirm that I depend on the work of others, just as others depend on my work, I also affirm the dignity of work. Therefore, I argue for certain propositions:
- Nobody should have to work in a death trap or a sweatshop;
- All wages should be living wages;
- People should work to live, not live to work;
- Union organizing and collective bargaining should be inviolable rights; and
- Access to affordable, quality health care is an inalienable right.
Nobody has a moral right to exploit anyone else. No institution has a moral right to exploit any person. After all, people should be more important than profits.
Furthermore, all work should benefit societies or communities. By this standard most jobs pass the test. We need plumbers and bus drivers, for example, but we also need actors, poets, and novelists. In a just world teachers, librarians, police officers, and fire fighters would be some of the best paid professionals, but that is not the world in which we live, unfortunately. It can be, however. A society is what its members make it. Sufficient force of public opinion, applied well, changes policies. The major obstacle to positive social change is resignation to the current reality.
Furthermore, the best kind of work is also indistinguishable from play. Work ought not only to provide financial support for one but also fulfill intangible needs. Work, at its best, is something one who performs it enjoys. Work should improve, not detract from, one’s quality of life.
Work does, of course, assume many forms, at home and out like the home. One should never forget that a stay-at-home parent is a working parent. One should never forget that one who leaves the labor force to become a caregiver for a relative is still working, just without wages. One should acknowledge that those who, for various reasons, cannot join the labor force, are valuable members of society, and that many of them can contribute greatly to society, if others will permit them to do so. Whenever a society holds back any of its members, it prevents itself from achieving its potential.
May we remember also that, as valuable as work is, rest and leisure are vital also. Ideally one will balance the three properly. We know that the brain requires a certain amount of sleep–especially REM sleep–to function properly. We know that the correct amount of rest is necessary for the body to function properly. We know that leisure makes for better employees.
Work, at its best, is a gift from God. It is a gift for divine glory and the meeting of human needs. Work, at its best, builds up (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively) individuals, families, communities, societies, nation-states, and the world. One’s work, at its best, is a vocation from God; it occupies the intersection of one’s greatest joys and the world’s deepest needs.
May you, O reader, find your work fulfilling in every way.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 1, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, DISCIPLE OF JESUS
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Almighty God, you have so linked our lives with one another
that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives:
So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good;
and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor,
make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers,
and arouse our concern for those who are out of work;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ecclesiasticus/Wisdom of Sirach 38:27-32
Psalm 107:1-9 or 90:1-2, 16-17
1 Corinthians 3:10-14
Matthew 6:19-24
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), 261, 932
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We invoke thy grace and wisdom, O Lord, upon all men of good will
who employ and control the labor of men.
Amid the numberless irritations and anxieties of their position,
help them to keep a quite and patient temper,
and to rule firmly and wisely, without harshness and anger.
Since they hold power over the bread, the safety, and the hopes of the workers,
may they wield their power justly and with love,
as older brothers and leaders in the great fellowship of labor.
Suffer not the heavenly light of compassion for the weak and the old to be quenched in their hearts.
When they are tempted to sacrifice human health and life for profit,
do thou strengthen their will in the hour of need,
and bring to nought the counsels of the heartless.
May they not sin against thee by using the bodies and souls of men as mere tools to make things.
Raise up among us employers who shall be makers of men as well as of goods.
Give us men of faith who will look beyond the strife of the present,
and catch a vision of a nobler organization of our work,
when all shall still follow the leadership of the ablest,
no longer in fear, but by the glad will of all,
and when all shall stand side by side in a strong and righteous brotherhood of work;
according to thy will in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical and Reformed Church, Book of Worship (1947) 382-383
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Ecclesiasticus/Wisdom of Sirach 38:24-34 or Nehemiah 2:1-18
Psalms 124 and 125 or 147
2 Timothy 2:1-15 or Matthew 7:15-27
–General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), 409
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Originally published at SUNDRY THOUGHTS
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Above: Map of the Persian Empire Circa 500 B.C.E.
Nehemiah and 1 Timothy, Part II: Overcoming Opposition the Godly Way
SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Nehemiah 2:11-20
Nehemiah 4:1-6 (Protestant Versification)/3:33-38 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Versification)
Psalm 36 (Morning)
Psalms 80 and 27 (Evening)
1 Timothy 2:1-15
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Restore us, O God of hosts:
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
–Psalm 80:7, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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I doubt that St. Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Consider, O reader, 2:9-15. Allowing for culturally specific conditions regarding hair, jewelry, and clothing, I still detect the stench of patriarchy. Although St. Paul was a product of his patriarchal context, I contrast 1 Timothy 2:9-15 with the case of Prisca/Priscilla, who taught with the Apostle’s approval. (See Acts 18:2, 18, and 26; Romans 16:3; and 1 Corinthians 16:19). That is not my main point, but I feel the need to articulate it first.
Now, for the main idea….
Jewish exiles residing in their ancestral homeland lived within the Persian Satrapy of Beyond the River. The complicated politics of rebuilding the walls of and Temple at Jerusalem, as told in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, lived up to the joke that politics consists of many small, bloodsucking creatures. Although King Artaxerxes I (reigned 464-424 B.C.E.) had authorized Nehemiah for a set of tasks, our hero faced opposition from local interests. Sanballat (the governor of Samaria), Tobiah (the governor of Ammon), and Geshem (the governor of Edom) knew of Nehemiah’s authorization yet tried to stop him anyway. Did our hero’s role threaten their power, at least in their minds? That was a likely scenario. So they resorted to lies and other forms of interference. Yet they failed for divine and human forces (some of the latter armed with lances, shields, swords, and bows) acted. The construction workers did need guards, after all.
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for sovereigns and for all in high office so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life, free to practise our religion with dignity.
–1 Timothy 2:1-2, The Revised English Bible
Yes, it is right to pray for everyone, especially those in authority. I note the difference between praying for someone and praying about that person. To pray for a person indicates confidence that he or she can change for the better and remain steadfast in the good. But to pray about a person can reflect an attitude of hopelessness regarding him or her. As good as we who claim to follow God ought to be, we should not be naive because, despite the power of prayer, some people will not change their negative attitudes and corresponding actions. So it is wise to obey our Lord and Savior’s advice to his Apostles:
…be wary as serpents, innocent as doves.
–Matthew 10:16b, The Revised English Bible
May each of us, by grace, maintain that balance.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 6, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF CARTHAGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
THE FEAST OF ALBRECHT DURER, MATTHIAS GRUNEWALD. AND LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, ARTISTS
THE FEAST OF DANIEL G. C. WU, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO CHINESE AMERICANS
THE FEAST OF FREDERIC BARKER, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF SYDNEY
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/nehemiah-and-1-timothy-part-ii-overcoming-opposition-the-godly-way/
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Above: Forest Scene, 1900-1916
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsc-02185
Nehemiah and 1 Timothy, Part I: A Wilderness of Words
SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Nehemiah 1:1-2:10
Psalm 15 (Morning)
Psalms 48 and 4 (Evening)
1 Timothy 1:1-20
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Lord, who may dwell in your holy tabernacle?
who may abide upon your holy hill?
Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right,
who speaks the truth from his heart.
–Psalm 15:1-2, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Yahweh, who shall be a guest in your tent?
Who shall dwell upon your holy mountain?
He who walks with integrity and practices justice,
and speaks the truth from his heart.
–Psalm 15:1-2, The Anchor Bible
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This instruction has love as its goal, the love which springs from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a genuine faith. Through lack of these some people have gone astray in a wilderness of words. They set out to be teachers of the law, although they do not understand either the words or the subjects about which they are so dogmatic.
–1 Timothy 1:5-7, The Revised English Bible
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Psalm 15 reflects a dialogue between a priest and one seeking entrance to the Temple. The requirements are ethical–acting with integrity and doing justice to others. The portion of the psalm I chose not to reproduce contains details about what those entail, per the Law of Moses.
Not keeping that law, according to Nehemiah and other portions of the Hebrew Scriptures, led to the downfall of kingdoms and exiles of populations. So one reading indicates one way to go wrong. The other way to err we find in 1 Timothy: losing sight of
a pure heart, a good conscience, and a genuine faith,
thereby becoming lost in
a wilderness of words
and stranded in legalistic dogmatism. That is one of my main criticisms of all forms of fundamentalism.
Timeless principles have ever-changing practical applications, which are context-specific. May we, by grace, not go astray in a wilderness of words. Nor may we disregard these timeless principles of integrity and justice. No, may we, by grace, love our neighbors where they are and as effectively as possible. May neither indifference nor dogmatism stand in the way.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 31, 2013 COMMON ERA
EASTER SUNDAY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA SKOBTSOVA, ORTHODOX MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENJAMIN, ORTHODOX DEACON AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS ASBURY, U.S. METHODIST BISHOP
THE FEAST OF JOHN DONNE, POET AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/nehemiah-and-1-timothy-part-i-a-wilderness-of-words/
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Above: The Far West of the Persian Empire in 525 B.C.E.
Image in the Public Domain
Commitments
OCTOBER 4, 2023
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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Nehemiah 2:1-9 (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures):
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, wine was set before him; I took the wine and gave it to the king–I had never been out of sorts in his presence. The king said to me,
How is it that you look bad, though you are not ill? It must be bad thoughts.
I was very frightened, but I answered the king,
May the king live forever! How should I not look bad when the city of the graveyard of my ancestors lies in ruins, and its gates have been consumed by fire?
The king said to me,
What is your request?
With a prayer to the God of Heaven, I answered the king,
If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah, the city of my ancestors’ graves, to rebuild it.
With the consort seated at his side, the king said to me,
How long will you be gone and when will you return?
So it was agreeable to the king to send me, and I gave him a date. Then I said to the king,
If it please the king, let me have letters to the governors of the province Beyond the River, directing them to grant me passage until I reach Judah; likewise, a letter to Asaph, keeper of the King’s Park, directing him to give me timber for roofing the gatehouses of the temple fortress and the city walls and for the house I shall occupy.
The king gave me these, thanks to my God’s benevolent care for me. When I came to the governors of the province of Beyond the River I gave them the king’s letters. The king also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
Psalm 137 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept,
when we remembered you, O Zion.
2 As for our harps, we hung them up
on the trees in the midst of that land.
3 For those who led us away captive asked us for a song,
and our oppressors called for mirth:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion.”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song
upon alien soil?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill.
6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
7 Remember the day of Jerusalem, O LORD,
against the people of Edom,
who said, “Down with it! even to the ground!”
8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy the one who pays you back
for that which you have done to us!
9 Happy shall be he who takes your little ones,
and dashes them against the rock!
Luke 9:57-62 (The Jerusalem Bible):
As they traveled along they met a man who said to him,
I will follow you wherever you go.
Jesus answered,
Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
Another to whom he said,
Follow me,
replied,
Let me go and bury my father first.
But he answered,
Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of kingdom of God.
Another said,
I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at home.
Jesus said to him,
Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
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The Collect:
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Let us ground ourselves in time and space before we proceed. Cyrus II “the Great” of the Persians and the Medes conquered the Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C.E. He permitted the first group of Jews to return to their ancestral homeland one year later, 538 B.C.E. He died in 530, and Cambyses (reigned 530-522) succeeded him. After Cambyses came Darius I (reigned 522-486), who permitted the construction of the Second Temple from 520 to 515. Xerxes I (reigned 486-465) occupied the throne next, after which came Artaxerxes I (reigned 465-424), Nehemiah’s king. (Thanks to The Jewish Study Bible for the dates.)
Nobody had restored the walls of Jerusalem nearly a century after the first group of exiles had returned. So, circa 445 B.C.E, Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I, sought and received permission to oversee the restoration of those walls. The diminished state of Jerusalem troubled Nehemiah so much that he had to do something about it. He committed himself to that great task.
Although the Biblical authors are generally favorably disposed toward the Persian kings who helped the Jews, many of the writings from and about that time have an air of melancholy about them. The reality of 538 B.C.E. and the following years exists in the shadow of pre-destruction Jerusalem. The Second Temple was far less grand than the complex from Solomon’s time, the city walls were in a dilapidated state for almost century, and home was part of a far-flung yet generally benevolent empire they did not govern. Furthermore, Judea was one of the poorer regions of the Persian Empire, a fact of which the residents were quite aware. There were many reasons to feel discouraged.
Consider Psalm 137 also. It speaks of a time prior to the Persian conquest of Babylon. The frustrations of the exiled, conquered, and/or colonized are understandable in any time or place. These are on full display in Psalm 137, which I have typed in its entirely. The lectionary said to stop at verse 6, but the full impact of the text requires that one read all of it. Verses 7-9 speak of violence and the desire for revenge, even upon innocent children unfortunate enough to have been born Babylonian. The Book of Psalms is honest about raw human emotions, as we should be without condoning certain ones. But let us not skip over the verses we find uncomfortable.
The text in Luke has a parallel reading in Matthew. Follow the URL I have provided to read my thoughts about the Matthew version. It is sufficed to say here that, as I interpreted the Matthew version in the light of the verses before it, I will do the same for this day’s reading from Luke. Jesus has just set his course for Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week. So he does not tolerate excuses from anyone. He has committed himself, so he expects others to dedicate themselves.
It is also worth noticing that, in the next section, Jesus sends the outer circle of disciples out on a preaching mission. Thus 9:60 makes sense. It reads, “…your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”
There is much work to do for God. May we avoid distractions and excuses; may we begin or continue to fulfill our vocations. Along the way we may need some help from others of a different religious or ethnic or social group or economic class. May they do their parts too. And may we leave behind all baggage that would weigh us down. May the love of God fill us and drive away all that is not love.
That is a commitment worth keeping.
KRT
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/commitments/
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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