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2019, November 17 ~ Isaiah 65:17-25 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

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Isaiah 65:17-25

Reading

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord — and their descendants as well.
Before they call, I will answer, while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent– its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.

Today’s reading is from Third Isaiah, and appears to be a late insert into Chapter 65. The first seven verses in the Chapter are a lament by YHWH that the people have not asked for assistance even though YHWH was ready to assist. The next ten verses are a statement by YHWH that those who are his servants shall prosper, but those who forsake YHWH and worship foreign gods will perish.

Verses 17 to 25 have an apocalyptic tone – the existing dire situation will be reversed because divine intervention will bring about a profound change. Similar eschatological motifs are found in the so-called “Isaiah Apocalypse” in Chapters 24 to 27.

The reading presents a “new world” in which there is no infant mortality and persons live more than 100 years. In particular, the eschatological vision reverses some of the consequences of the “Disobedience Event” in the Garden of Eden. Endless and sometimes futile toil (Gen. 3:17-18) becomes “you shall not labor in vain” (v. 23). As in the Garden of Eden before the Disobedience Event (Gen. 1:29-30), no creatures (human or animal) kill for food (v.25).

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Reading

Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you.
This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.
For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.
Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Commentary

Thessalonica, a port city in northern Greece, was capital of the Roman province of Macedonia in the First Century. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest part of the Christian Scriptures and was written by Paul before 50 CE, about 20 years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written. A principal theme of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians is the return of the Lord Jesus in the end time.

In 2 Thessalonians, however, there was an emphasis on living in the present and warnings about forgeries of Paul’s writings. For these reasons, many scholars conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written by one of Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death in 64 CE.

Today’s reading is from the final chapter in the letter and was an exhortation to the entire community. The writer presented his own behavior as the model for the community (v.7) and commanded that those who were able to work must do so (v.10).

The verses that follow today’s reading close the letter with a wish of peace for the community and an assertion by “Paul” that he wrote the letter with his own hand – a claim that ironically shows that the author was concerned about the authenticity and authority of the letter.

2019, October 20 ~ Jeremiah 31:27-34 and 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

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Jeremiah 31:27-34

After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported a number of Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the beginning of the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e. speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.

Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Ancient Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.

Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)

Today’s reading is in prose and was a late insertion. It has an “eschatological” (end times) tone (“the days are surely coming” in v.27) and affirmed the restoration of the houses of both Judah (the south) and Israel (the north).

The reference to “sour grapes” (vv.29 and 30) was a statement that there should be personal responsibility for one’s actions and that the “sins of the fathers” will not be borne by the children. This is consistent with the theology found in Ezekiel, another prophet of the Exile, particularly in Ezekiel 18. This was an important shift in the theology of Ancient Israel.

The writer went on to say that in the “end times” YHWH would make a “new covenant” with Israel (v.31), the law would be written on their hearts (v.33), and YHWH would forgive their iniquity (v.34).

2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an unambiguously authoritative figure of the past.

2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child”, loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.

Today’s reading continues the author’s exhortation to follow the teachings of Paul (v.14).

In the early Second Century, there was no codification of the Christian Scriptures, even though some of Paul’s authentic letters were likely in circulation and Jesus Followers may have known of some of the four Gospels that were later included in the Christian Bible. The reference to “the sacred writings” (v.15) was to the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint (LXX).

The author warns about the danger of turning away from “sound doctrine” (v. 3) and wandering away to “myths” (v.4).

2018, November 4 ~ Wisdom 3:1-9, Isaiah 25:6-9, and Revelation 21:1-6a

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The first reading is from either the Wisdom of Solomon or Isaiah for congregations celebrating All Saints’ Day.

Wisdom 3:1-9

The Book of Wisdom, also known as “The Wisdom of Solomon,” is not part of the “Canon” (accepted books) of the Hebrew Bible. It is, however, included as part of the Hebrew Scriptures in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church Bibles as “deutero-canonical” – part of a “second” Canon. In Protestant Bibles, Wisdom is not included in the Hebrew Scriptures but is part of a section called the Apocrypha (“hidden books”).

This difference in treatment arose because from 300 to 200 BCE, the existing Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the common language of the time). Compilations of these translations are called the “Septuagint.” The Book of Wisdom was included in most versions of the Septuagint, but it (among other writings) was not included in the Canon of the Hebrew Bible (the “TaNaK”) when the TaNaK was codified in the period from 90 CE to 110 CE by the Pharisees/Rabbis after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

When he was translating the Bible into Latin, Jerome included Wisdom and other books that were part of the Septuagint in the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures completed around 405 CE). Jerome wrote prefaces to some books that they were not in the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible. Later compilers overlooked Jerome’s prefaces, and the Council of Trent in 1546 decreed that the Roman Catholic Canon of the Old Testament includes the books that were in the Septuagint as included by Jerome.

Luther and other Protestants followed the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible and put other books from the Septuagint (such as Wisdom) in a separate section called the Apocrypha.

The Wisdom of Solomon purports to be written by Solomon (who reigned in Israel from 965 to 930 BCE). It was actually written by an anonymous Hellenistic Jew in the late First Century BCE or the early First Century CE. The author’s intent was to show the superiority of Judaism in terms that were relevant to persons familiar with Greek philosophy. For this reason, there is an emphasis on Platonic ideas such as immortality, the guiding force of Sophia (Wisdom), and the division of a human into a body and a soul.

In today’s reading, the author stated that the righteous (those in right relation with God and man) who have died are at peace (v.3) because their souls are in the hand of God (v.1) and their hope was in immortality (v.4).

Isaiah 25:6-9

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which had been largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of a section in the Book called the “Isaiah Apocalypse” (Chapters 24 to 27). Chapter 24 describes great destruction, but the next three chapters speak of an “eschatological” (end of times as we know them) renewal and restoration. Today’s verses tell of a banquet on the holy mountain for those who have put their trust in YHWH. This image was closely linked in Ancient Israel with the expectation of the Messiah through whom YHWH would swallow up death forever.

Revelation 21:1-6a

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing describes a dire situation ruled by evil powers that can be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. Like other apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation uses extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil.

The author identifies himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21.14. Most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Today’s reading is from the next to last chapter of the book. Good has prevailed, the world has entered a new phase, and the time of the New Jerusalem has begun. The author declared that turbulence and unrest (using the metaphor of the sea) have been overcome. Echoing today’s reading from Isaiah, the author declared that death is no more. As Christians, we understand the Resurrection as overcoming death for all.

2017, October 15 ~ Exodus 32:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9; and Philippians 4:1-9

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During the 2017 Pentecost Season, alternative readings from the Hebrew Bible are offered. Scripture in Context will discuss both readings and the reading from the Christian Scriptures.

Exodus 32:1-14

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible, and covers the period from slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE, if the account is historical), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.

Although separated by 11 Chapters, today’s reading picks up where last week’s reading left off – with the people asking Moses to serve as their covenant mediator by speaking directly with YHWH (Ex. 20:19). Chapters 21 to 23 contain ordinances called the “Covenant Collection.” Moses and the people then ratified the Covenant (24:8), and Moses went up to the top of Mount Sinai (24:18). In Chapters 25 to 31, YHWH gave instruction to Moses on building and furnishing a Tabernacle, ordaining priests and priests’ vestments. Finally, YHWH gave Moses two tablets on which YHWH had written the covenant (31:18).

The familiar story of the Golden Calf has some noteworthy details. Gold earrings (v.3) were given (mysteriously) to the Israelites by Egyptians when leaving Egypt (12.36). Aaron, who was Moses’ brother and the first High Priest, led the idolatry (v.5)! The calf is a symbol of strength and fertility, key elements in Baal worship that was present in Israel until the Exile (587 BCE). YHWH told Moses the Israelites were “your” people (v.7). In urging YHWH to change his mind, Moses appealed to YHWH’s reputation and his earlier promises (v. 12-14). After Moses broke the tablets, he ground the golden calf into powder and made the people drink it (v.19-20).

Isaiah 25:1-9

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were written by “Isaiah of Jerusalem” in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE.

Today’s reading is part of what is often called the “Isaiah Apocalypse” (Chapters 24-27) because of the eschatological (end times) themes in them. This reading is in the form of a psalm and depicts an eschatological banquet reminiscent of the banquet on Mount Sinai alluded to in Exodus 24:11. Because Lord God will “swallow up death forever” (v.8), the image of death swallowing up everything is reversed. These verses are often read at Christian funerals.

Philippians 4:1-9

Philippi was a major city in Macedonia (northern Greece) on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Paul had deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi (v.1). He wrote this letter from prison, but it is not clear if he was in Rome, Caesarea or Ephesus.

Euodia and Syntyche were women leaders in the Jesus Follower community in Philippi and were likely heads of house-churches. Paul saw their disagreement as harmful to the community and urged them “to be of the same mind in the Lord” (v.2). As the early (c. 60 CE) Jesus Follower community tried to determine what it meant to be a Jesus Follower, it is not surprising that disagreements arose. These kinds of disagreements continue to today.