1. GENESIS
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Creation. 1,2 [1].
2. The Fall. 3-5 [2].
3. The Deluge. 6-9 [2].
4. The Nations. 10,11 [3].
5. Abraham. 12-20 [4].
6. Isaac. 21-27 [5].
7. Jacob. 28-36 [6].
8. Joseph. 37-50 [7].
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Creation. 1:1-2:3 [8].
2. Creation of Man. 2:4-25 [9].
3. The Fall of Man. 3:1-24 [2].
4. Beginnings of Civilization. 4:1-26 [10].
5. Descendants of Adam. 5:1-28 [11].
6. Beginning of Agriculture. 5:29-32 [12].
7. Sons of God and Daughters of Men. 6:1-4 [2].
8. The Flood. 6:5-9:19 [2].
9. Last Days of Noah. 9:20-29 [13].
10. Descendants of Noah. 10:1-32 [3].
11. Confusion of Tongues. 11:1-9 [14].
12. Descendants of Shem. 11:10-26 [15].
13. Genealogy of Abraham. 11:27-32 [16].
14. The Call of Abraham. 12:1-8 [17].
15. Abraham in Egypt. 12:9-13:1 [18].
16. Abraham and Lot. 13:2-18 [19].
17. The War of the Kings. 14:1-24 [20].
18. Covenant with Abraham. 15:1-21 [21].
19. Abraham and Hagar. 16:1-16 [22].
20. Covenant of Circumcision. 17:1-27 [23].
21. Lord's Visit to Hebron. 18:1-33 [24].
22. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 19:1-29 [25].
23. Origin of Moab and Ammon. 19:30-38 [26]
24. Abraham and Isaac. 20:1-21:7 [27].
25. Hagar and Ishmael. 21:8-21 [28].
26. Abraham and Abimelech. 21:22-34 [29].
27. Testing of Abraham. 22:1-19 [30].
28. Descendants of Nahor. 22:20-24 [31].
29. Burial of Sarah. 23:1-20 [32].
30. Choice of Isaac's Wife. 24:1-67 [33].
31. Sons of Keturah. 25:1-6 [34].
32. Death of Abraham. 25:7-11 [35].
33. Descendants of Ishmael. 25:12-18 [36].
34. Jacob and Esau. I. 25:19-34 [37].
35. Isaac and Rebekah. 26:1-33 [38].
36. Jacob and Esau. II. 26:34-28:9 [39].
37. Jacob at Bethel. 28:10-22 [40].
38. Jacob at Paddan-Aram. 29:1-31:55 [41].
39. Jacob and Esau. III. 32:1-33:16 [42].
40. Jacob and Family. 33:17-35:26 [43].
41. Death of Isaac. 35:27-29 [44].
42. Descendants of Esau. 36:1-43 [45].
43. Joseph Goes to Egypt. 37:1-36 [46].
44. Judah and Tamar. 38:1-30 [47].
45. Joseph in Egypt. 39:1-41:57 [48].
46. Joseph and His Brothers. 42:1-45:28 [49].
47. Jacob in Egypt. 46:1-48:22 [50].
48. Jacob Blesses Sons and Dies. 49:1-33 [51].
49. Burial of Jacob. 50:1-26 [52].
III. PURPOSE
1. To tell the story of "beginnings."
2. More especially, to tell about the beginnings of Israel. The call of Abraham.
3. To portray man's relation to God.
IV. AUTHORSHIP
1. Genesis is a compilation. Individual authors are unknown.
2. There were four major contributors and probably numerous editors.
3. The contributors were:
A. J1-the Judah or Yahwist Document [53].
B. J2-a second Yahwist Document. [54]
C. E-the Ephraim or Elohist Document [54].
D. P-the Priestly Document [55].
4. Dates:
1. J1-850 B.C.
2. J2-750 B.C.
3. E -700 B.C.
4. P -500-450 B.C.
V. J1-A YAHWIST DOCUMENT
1. The original and primitive material is in Chapters 2-4 [56].
2. Tells how man was expelled from the Garden and took up agriculture. 3:23 [57].
3. Cain-a fugitive-became a wanderer-beginning of nomadism. (There are two records of Cain-not to mention getting a wife.)
4. In 9:20 [58] it says Noah was the first tiller of the soil. (There are also two accounts of Noah.)
5. The J documents are the traditions of the southern Israelites, with headquarters at Hebron. They are the Kadesh or Mt. Horeb tribes who penetrated Canaan from the south. (Hebron was one of the cities of Caleb and was also known as Kirjath-arba.)
6. Tells of the "mighty" and the "Nephilim." For more light on Nephilim, see Urantia Book (856.6) 77:2.3 [59]
7. In J1 Abraham is associated with Hebron.
8. The Deborah song-the earliest Old Testament document-is a J1 contribution.
9. This author deals with Sodom and Lot-and the misbehaving daughters of Lot (origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites).
10. Isaac, patriarch of the northern tribes, at Beersheba, becomes the son of father Abraham. Abraham, 100-Sarah, 91. (Isaac was a more important person than the Old Testament record indicates.)
11. The East-Jordan tribes are taken into the Abraham fold. This embraces the Jacob traditions-for Jacob was the father of the East-Jordan tribes. (Jacob is a much more real person as compared to Isaac. There are three strands in his story.)
12. Now comes the story of Esau and Jacob. (Some parts of this story are difficult to accept.)
13. Next, the story of Jacob, Laban, and his daughters. (Jacob is a queer combination of the honest and the dishonest-the clever and the stupid.)
14. J1 portrays the Israelites as "clever" and the Canaanites as "stupid."
15. J1 explains how Judah became head of things over his three older brothers.
16. This author has Joseph sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers.
17. The J story of creation presents many features of the Babylonian myths of creation. It also resembles some of the Egyptian myths.
18. It also elaborates the Ishmael story.
19. Presents Joseph buried at Shechem-another narrative buries him in Egypt.
Note: This was during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt and they were favorably disposed toward strangers.
VI. J2-ANOTHER YAHWIST DOCUMENT
1. This document is prompted by the crisis of David's moving his capital from Hebron to Jerusalem.
2. Still more was it prompted by the disruption of the kingdom of David and Solomon.
3. J2 is a supreme attempt to maintain the "unity of Israel."
4. J2 presents many myths, legends, and traditions of which J1 was wholly ignorant.
5. First, there was a Canaanite version of a Babylonian creation myth and a story about the Garden of Eden. They most artistically revised both of these stories.
6. J2 presents man as an agriculturalist from his expulsion from the Garden. J1 had man come up from cultureless nomadism to agriculture. In order to resolve this dilemma, they make use of the story of Cain and Abel.
7. J2 introduces the story of the flood as presented in the former document, but makes Noah a new hero.
8. He elaborates the story of Jacob and Rachel, and how he discovers that she is his cousin.
9. J2 identifies one of the three strange visitors to Abraham as Yahweh.
10. He explains Jacob's becoming heir to the "promise," because Esau sold his "birthright."
11. J2 was worried over some of J1's narratives-he thought they were too lax in morals and their treatment of sex offenses. So he proceeded to edit five of them:
A. Jacob outwitting Laban.
B. Rachel's theft of the teraphim.
C. Judah and Tamar.
D. Seduction of Dinah.
E. Joseph and his master's wife.
12. A new and elaborated story of Isaac's marriage. An attempt to show that Jacob's wives were not Canaanites, but of Abraham's stock. All to keep "pure" the Israelite blood.
13. J1 had said Isaac was the founder of Beer-sheba. Now J2 comes along and says Abraham founded Beer-sheba. He also carries over a story of Isaac to Abraham-representing his wife as his sister.
14. J2 endeavors to present Beer-sheba as of equal rank with Hebron as a religious shrine.
15. J2 adds the story of Ishmael and the Ishmaelites.
16. The story of Jacob at Bethel is illustrative of the attempt of J2 to bring the J1 record into agreement with the traditions of the north.
17. Not many additions were made to the J story before it was conflated with a new document.
VII. E-THE EPHRAIM OR ELOHIST DOCUMENT
1. In the Moffatt Bible these different sources of Genesis are printed in different style types.
2. When several documents are "put together"-"fused," the result is called a CONFLATION. The person who does this is known as a REDACTOR.
3. There is no trace of the E document in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.
4. The E document always uses Elohim for God. It makes no mention of Yahweh.
5. It begins the narrative with Abraham-Chapter 12.
6. E deals with the Horeb traditions. These tribes worship Elohim, were long camped at Kadesh, and got their law at Mt. Horeb.
7. The author of E was a northerner.
8. According to E, Beer-sheba was Abraham's only dwelling place. No reference is ever made to Hebron.
9. He locates the story of Abraham's imperiling his wife in Egypt, and a parallel story about Isaac in Gerar.
10. E is always concerned with rehabilitating the moral reputation of the patriarchs.
11. The drastic rewriting of the story of Jacob and Laban. Instead of one rogue trying to outwit another, he depicts Jacob as the innocent victim of Laban's duplicity.
12. Joseph is kidnapped by a passing caravan, instead of being sold into slavery by his brothers.
13. E omits the story about Joseph putting his cup in Benjamin's sack.
14. The E author was averse to so much sex in the Scriptures. He cut out the following sex stories:
A. Lot and his daughters.
B. Seduction of Dinah.
C. Judah and Tamar.
D. Joseph and his master's wife.
15. E omits the story of Jacob's wrestling at the Jabbok-probably because of the theological difficulties it occasioned.
16. The cult of "Humanism" is appearing. The only story of Abraham peculiar to E is the testing of his faith in the "sacrifice of Isaac."
17. E tells a more humane story about Hagar and Ishmael.
18. Now comes the conflation of documents-combined J1 and J2 with E-and this was the Hebrew scripture until after the exile.
VIII. P-PRIESTLY DOCUMENT
1. Now comes the time, during the Babylonian exile, when the priests undertake a drastic revision, a complete rewriting, of the whole of the Hebrew scriptures. This is the P document, and its purpose was:
A. Boosting of morale-augmentation of national pride.
B. Rebuilding of Jerusalem.
C. Restoration of the temple with its sacrifices and ceremonials of worship.
D. Confirmation of the concept of the "chosen people."
E. Adjustment of the new idea of the synagogue to the central temple worship.
F. Establishment of Abraham as the father of Israel, Moses the Deliverer, and David the founder of an everlasting dynasty.
G. Bringing the Scriptures up to date-to effect a more expert conflation of their revision with the already combined writings of J and E.
2. The outstanding purpose of P is to associate Abraham exclusively with Hebron and Moses with Mt. Sinai.
3. Revision of the creation story. Gen. 1:1-2:3. May be tainted with some Babylonian myths, but is austere in its grandeur.
4. The primeval "watery chaos" is left out. The "Spirit moving over the face of the deep" sounds like a Babylonian story.
5. Change of the "firmament, covering of heaven." as a solid substance.
6. Purpose of the heavenly bodies to regulate time, and the idea of deity consultation, "let us" make man.
7. P compresses eight creative acts into six days, in order to provide for the establishment and hallowing of the Sabbath.
8. P omits the story of the fall of man-in its place, presents the genealogy extending from Adam to the flood.
9. In the story of the Patriarchs, omits all reference to sanctuaries and altars.
10. In the history of Israel, no sacrifices are offered to Yahweh until Moses receives such instructions at Mt. Sinai.
11. Omits all stories reflecting unfavorably on the moral character of the founding fathers.
12. P is the framework of the present book of Genesis.
13. P represents many improved features of Genesis. "Man is made in the image of God."
14. P tells a new or enlarged story about:
A. Creation. 1:1-2:3.
B. The flood. Parts of Chap. 6 and 9.
D. Abraham buys land. 23.
E. The ten genealogies.
F. The Sabbath. 2:3.
G. Forbidding blood. 9:3-6.
H. Circumcision. 17:22-27.
15. The P document stresses revelations to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.
IX. THE TEACHINGS OF GENESIS
1. Remember that E was trying to free the Patriarchs from the charge of moral laxity.
2. Also remember: There always were two distinct groups of Hebrews. The Yahwists and the Elohists. The Judahites and the Ephraimites. The Northern and the Southern. The Hebron and the Beer-sheba groups. The Mt. Sinai and Mt. Horeb tribes. And even in later times, the Jews and the Samaritans.
3. That God is PERSONAL. That he is all-powerful-and that he is the CREATOR.
4. That God is divine-and that his acts are all purposeful. He is the God of history.
5. It was the task of J1 to transform the Yahwism of the desert into the monotheism of a God-serving nation-of all mankind.
6. J2 strove for spiritual unity. He adapted Babylonian myths to Yahwism. He made the religion of Israel different from all other religions.
7. The redactor of the J and E documents, in order to promote unity, must have retained many documents that were morally repugnant to him.
8. There were many motives behind the P editors:
A. Again, first among the motives was unity.
B. But, most of all, it was the intention to exalt the temple services and the priesthood at Jerusalem.
C. They also wanted to root out myths and falsehoods. (We do not know how many they removed-we only know what they retained.)
D. They wanted to overcome the tendency toward "localism" and "nationalism"-even the nationalism of Deuteronomy.
E. They really wanted the Jews to accept their mission to the gentiles. You see, they had lived among gentiles and had learned even to like them.
F. Last, but not least, they wanted to enthuse the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem and re-establish themselves in Palestine.
G. And they wanted to improve and harmonize the Hebrew scriptures.
9. When trying to improve the Genesis record, they were always afraid to remove the older and primitive records. Hence, so many dual documents. Two accounts of creation-two accounts of the creation of man and woman.
10. The whole message of Genesis is "In the beginning-God." No matter how mythical or symbolic the language-the TRUTH is there.
11. When properly regarded, Genesis affords no ground for a conflict between science and religion. Genesis is neither science nor history.
12. In Christian theology, the fall of man becomes relevant. Says Paul: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. 15:22.
X. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Creation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 1:1.
2. Image of God. "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image.'" 1:26.
3. Voice in the Garden. "The Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?'" 3:9. (See Urantia Book (843.2) 75:4.8 [60].)
4. The curse. "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread." 3:19.
5. Brother's keeper. "Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?'" 4:9.
6. Enoch's translation. "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." 5:24.
7. The Nephilim. "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days...when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men." 6:4.
8. The rainbow. "I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign...never again...a flood to destroy all flesh." 9:13,15..
9. Confusion of language. "Let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 11:7.
10. Melchizedek and Abraham. "After his return from the defeat of Ched-or-laomer...Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine...and Abram gave him a tenth of everything." 14:17-20. (See Urantia Book (1020.2) 93:5.13 [61].)
11. Abraham's faith. "And he believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness." 15:6.
12. Circumcision. "You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant." 17:11.
13. The pillar of salt. "But Lot's wife...looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." 19:26.
14. Jacob's ladder. "And he dreamed that there was a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!" 28:12.
15. Mizpah. "Therefore he named...the pillar Mizpah, for he said, 'The Lord watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other.'" 31:49.
16. Joseph in Egypt. "Joseph was governor...and Joseph's brothers came, and bowed themselves before him." 42.6.
2. EXODUS
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Bondage. 1 [62].
2. Birth of Moses. 2 [63].
3. Call of Moses. 3.4 [64].
4. Plagues. 5-11 [65].
5. Passover. 12 [66].
6. Red Sea. 13-15 [67].
7. Wilderness. 16-18 [68].
8. Sinai. 19-40 [69].
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Preamble. 1:1-22.
2. Preparation for Deliverance. 2:1-7:13.
3. God Reveals His Power. 7:14-18:27.
4. Sinai. 19:1-40:38.
A. The Covenant. 19:1-24:18.
B. The P Ordinances. 25:1-31:18.
C. Moses and the Covenant. 32:1-34:35.
D. Execution of Cult Ordinances. 35:1-40:33.
E. The Tabernacle. 40:34-38.
III. PURPOSE
1. Exodus means to the Old Testament what the Gospels mean to the New Testament.
2. To tell the story of Israel's departure from Egypt.
3. To reveal the power and purpose of Yahweh in the deliverance of his "chosen people."
4. To narrate the organization of the "multitude" into a social and religious community.
IV. AUTHORSHIP
1. Moses did not write Exodus. There were several authors and many editors, but as persons they are unknown.
2. In addition to our old friends, J, E, and P, we have a new contributor, D-representing the Deuteronomic [70] cult.
V. HISTORY OF THE SOURCES
1. The book grows out of a wealth of well preserved oral traditions.
2. While both J and E run along throughout Exodus, they do a much better job of tying together the two narratives.
3. J and E cannot be as easily separated in Exodus as they were in Genesis.
4. The E document introduces Elohim in 3:5 and continues to use it throughout the book.
5. To J the holy mountain is Sinai; to E it is Horeb.
6. E calls Moses' father-in-law Jethro; J does not give his name in Exodus, but elsewhere calls him Hobab.
7. The lines separating J, E, and P are most clearly shown in the narration of the plagues.
A. J sends the plagues directly from God-though natural causes may play a part. Moses simply announces them. J also tells about the "east wind" at the Red Sea.
B. E exalts Moses-and his wonder rod. The Egyptians recognize Moses as a great leader.
C. P gives high honors to Aaron-the priesthood.
D. The Deuteronomic notes are not numerous.
8. Exodus's redactor did a good job in the conflation of the document.
VI. EXODUS AS A HISTORY OF ISRAEL
1. All authorities today accept Moses as a historic personality, regardless of any and all myths associated with his career.
2. The history of Egypt contains no record of the Hebrew exodus.
3. J begins his story with Moses killing the Egyptian overseer. E begins with the birth of Moses.
4. J says the Hebrews were "cattle breeders"; E makes them slaves or "pensioners."
5. E makes much of the miraculous power of Moses' rod; J blames everything on Pharaoh's "hardening his heart."
6. P is the only one telling the story of the tabernacle.
7. There is doubt about the Pharaoh of the exodus. Some think it was Rameses II, but it was most likely Seti I-the new king "who did not know Joseph."
8. J and P call the mountain Sinai. E and D call it Horeb.
Note: In general, Bible scholars are inclined to think the two names may possibly refer to the same mountain.
9. It is interesting to note that in the early Hebrew writings God is never spoken of as Father.
VII. THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT
1. The plagues were "God's great act of judgment." 7:4. This is the view of P.
2. The different strands sort out as follows:
A. J narrates seven-the fourth and fifth are wholly his.
B. P is present in five accounts, the third and sixth are wholly his. The first illustrates P's tendency to make it a real calamity.
C. Five are from E in part or in whole. The ninth is probably wholly his.
3. In P God always gives Moses the command: "Say to Aaron." 7:19. 8:5. Aaron then uses the rod.
4. In J Moses goes alone before Pharaoh. His demand: "Let my people go, that they may serve me."
5. In E Moses uses the rod. He ends a plague with: "and he did not let the children of Israel go."
6. These plagues may be symbolic rather than historic. Some of these conditions could have arisen from natural causes.
VIII. THE KENITES
1. They were a religious clan belonging to the Midianites. Jethro was their high priest.
2. They had a high civilization-varied vocations-metal workers, etc. They also had a well developed religion.
3. For the whole story of the Kenites see Urantia Book 96:0.2 [71].
4. Moses had a good Egyptian education before he joined up with the Kenites. See Urantia Book, (1056.4) 96:4.2 [72]. He knew the "wisdom of the Egyptians." Acts 7:22 [73].
5. The priest Jethro was also known as Reuel. 2:18 [74].
6. Moses married Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, and had two sons. 18:3 [75].
7. It was while tending Jethro's flocks that Moses had his experience of the "burning bush" and received Yahweh's commission to lead Israel out of bondage.
8. Moses was a stammerer and Aaron was assigned to serve as his spokesman.
9. It was Moses' shepherd's staff (rod) that became the wonder worker in Egypt.
10. Miriam, Moses' sister, criticized him for marrying an Ethiopian (Cushite).
IX. THE SINAI COVENANT
1. As Yahweh made a personal covenant with Abraham, so he now renews that covenant with the "children of Abraham" at Sinai.
2. They are not sure about the exact location of Sinai. Three different mountains have been designated.: The majority opinion locates it near the old Egyptian copper mines-where Count Tischendorf found the manuscript of Codex Sinaiticus in 1844 at the monastery of St. Catherine. This mount is about 5,000 feet above sea level. The region abounds with peaks 8,000 feet above sea level.
3. It was here at Sinai that the polyglot horde of Israel became a nation, a church, a partially civilized community.
4. The wilderness problem is: How could they spend so much time at Sinai and be camped so long at Kadesh?
5. Here Moses got the Ten Commandments. Here they fell to worshipping the "golden calf," and Moses, after breaking the tablet, had to get a second tablet.
6. Here they got the "ethical" Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17 [76]) to take the place of their former "ritual" Ten Commandments (34:10-26) [77].
7. The vast body of laws given at Sinai is a part of the Sinai covenant.
8. There is a remote resemblance between the Hebrew Code and the Code of Hammurabi. In all probability both the Hebrew and the Hammurabi codes were founded on older Assyrian or Hittite codes.
9. Associated with Sinai are the stories of the manna and the quails, water from the rock, the war with Amalek, and the high point of Moses on the mountain.
X. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TABERNACLE
1. The latter part of Exodus is devoted to directions for making and operating the tabernacle.
2. At Shiloh and in Solomon's Temple, the ark had been the symbol of God's presence.
3. This whole story about the tabernacle seems to have originated with the priests during the exile.
4. It is a singular fact that the tabernacle is not mentioned in the Urantia Book.
5. The whole plan of the tabernacle is based on Solomon's Temple. Of course, it has been both the Hebrew and Christian view that Solomon's Temple was built after the plan of the olden tabernacle.
6. The priests did make one great change. They transferred the significance of the creation from the ark with its law and symbols of magic to the "mercy seat" above the ark.
7. Thus the worship was directed away from "legalism and works" to "faith and trust" in divine love and mercy.
8. This led to the "Day of Atonement" as the apex of the Jewish system of worship.
9. The concept of God was growing-Yahweh was becoming a transcendent Deity.
10. The P writers wanted to associate the covenant with Abraham rather than with Moses and Sinai, but the rabbis would not have it. And the rabbis won.
11. Usually, the struggle has been between the priests and the prophets.
12. Exodus is not a history. Its concern is not so much with the past as with the present.
13. The real purpose: To make Israel "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." 19:6.
14. Exodus is one of the most complicated books in the Bible. When you read Exodus you are listening to many voices telling many stories at different times. You can try to make it all meaningful as you do your best to "put it together."
15. Learn how to find the nuggets in Exodus-not just the mistakes and complications.
16. The book may say that "the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart," but we know that later on they arrived at superior ideas of Deity-and the prophets presented a majestic and transcendent Father in heaven.
XI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The new king. "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." 1:8.
2. Finding Moses. "Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river...She saw the basket among the reeds...When she opened it she saw the child." 2:5,6.
3. With Jethro. "And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah." 2:21.
4. The burning bush. "And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed." 3:2.
5. I AM. "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM."' 3:14.
6. Moses' stammering. "But Moses said...'I am not eloquent...I am slow of speech.'" 4:10.
7. Before Pharaoh. "Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" 5:1.
8. Hardening Pharaoh's heart. "'But I will harden Pharaoh's heart...Pharaoh will not listen to you.'" 7:3.
9. Moses' reputation. "The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt." 11:3.
10. The Passover. "'It is the Lord's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will smite all the first-born in the land.'" 12:11,12.
11. Consecration of first-born. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Consecrate to me all the first-born...both of man and of beast.'" 13:1.
12. The pillar of cloud. "The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people." 13:22.
13. The salvation of the Lord. "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord...for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.'" 14:13.
14. Drying up the Red Sea. "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land." 14:21.
15. The manna. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day.'" 16:4.
16. Water from the rock. "'Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink.'" 17:6.
17. The Ten Commandments. "Then God spoke all these words saying, 'I am the Lord your God...You shall have no other gods before me.'" 20:1-3.
18. Moses gets the law. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment.'" 24:12.
19. Moses on the mountain. "And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights." 24:18.
20. The tabernacle. "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.'" 25:8.
21. The priesthood. "'And you shall put them upon Aaron your brother, and upon his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them that they may serve me as priests.'" 28:41.
22. God repents. "And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people." 32:14.
23. The tent of meeting. "Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp...and he called it the tent of meeting." 33:7.
24. Finished tabernacle. "Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished; and the people of Israel had done according to all that the Lord had commanded." 39:32.
25. The pillar of fire. "Throughout all their journeys the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." 40:38.
3. LEVITICUS
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Ritual of Five Sacrifices. 1-7 [78].
2. The Priesthood. 8-10 [79].
3. Code of Clean and Unclean. 11-15 [80].
4. Day of Atonement. 16 [81].
5. Holiness Code. 17-26 [82].
6. Laws of Vows and Tithes. 27 [83].
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Worship. 1:1-7:38 [84].
A. Law of Burnt Offering. 1:1-17.
B. Law of Cereal Offering. 2:1-16.
C. Law of Peace Offering. 3:1-17.
D. Law of Sin Offering. 4:1-5:13.
E. Law of Trespass Offering. 5:14-6:7.
F. Ritual Instructions for Priests. 6:8-7:36.
G. Conclusion. 7:37.
2. The Ministry. 8:1-10:20 [85].
A. Consecration of Aaron. 8:1-36.
B. Installation. 9:1-24.
C. Nadab and Abihu. 10:1-20
3. Laws of Purification. 11:1-15:33 [86].
A. Clean and Unclean Animals. 11:1-47.
B. Women after Childbirth. 12:1-8.
C. Dealing with Leprosy. 13:1-14:57.
D. Ritual of Sexual Matters. 15:1-33.
4. The Atonement Ritual. 16:1-34 [87].
A. Preparation. 16:1-5.
B. Early Ritual. 16:6-10.
C. Elaborate Ritual. 16:11-28.
D. Sundry Provisions. 16:29-34.
5. The Holiness Code. 17:1-26:46 [88].
A. Rules for Slaughtering Animals. 17:3-9.
B. Prohibition of Eating Blood. 17:10-14.
C. Prohibition of Eating Carcasses. 17:15,16.
D. Unlawful Sexual Relations. 18:1-30.
E. Holiness of Behavior. 19:1-37.
F. Penalties for Paganism. 20:1-27.
G. Sundry Regulations of Sacrifices. 21:1-22:33.
H. The Ecclesiastical Year. 23:1-44.
I. Sundry Rules on Ethics. 24:1-23.
J. The Sabbatical Year. 25:1-55.
K. The Great Exhortation. 26:1-46.
6. The Appendix. 27:1-34 [89]
III. PURPOSE
Leviticus is the Hebrew law book-the manual of ritual and the code of regulations for the daily living of the Israelites.
IV. AUTHORSHIP
1. Moses did not write Leviticus.
2. Leviticus is an exclusive P document. It was written by the Hebrew priests during the exile or soon thereafter. 500-450 B.C.
V. RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF LEVITICUS
1. Of all the books of the Bible, Leviticus would be of least interest to the average reader.
2. Leviticus "grew" from the days of Moses to the exile. Such a book is not written at one time by any one person. Like all law books, it accumulates over long periods of time.
3. The key word of the book is "holiness."
4. There is very little narrative in the book-it does tell about a blasphemer's being stoned to death.
5. And it does promulgate the high command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
6. That Leviticus represents long periods of time is shown by many contradictions, such as the year beginning in the autumn in one place, and at spring time in another.
7. In Israel, as in all nations, common law is a growth over centuries.
8. It is interesting to note that five fragments of Leviticus were found among one batch of Dead Sea scrolls.
9. The whole Mosaic system was an effort to substitute animal sacrifice for human sacrifice.
10. It may be easy to understand why a book like Leviticus should be in a Jewish Bible, but why should it be in a Christian Bible? The answer is simple-the early Christians adopted the whole Old Testament-Leviticus and all.
11. A Protestant would have much the same feeling if he would try to make sense out of the "Pontifical Ceremonies"-the handbook of Roman Catholic ceremonial usages.
12. The bringing of the "first fruits" in a basket to the priest was a profound religious experience to a devout Israelite. We should try to see these things as they saw and felt them.
13. The ceremony of the Day of Atonement may seem like a primitive affair to us. But view it as described in the Apocrypha (Ecclus.[Sirach] 50:5-21 [90]) and you will learn how a pious Jew was moved to the depths of his soul.
14. You can also get something of the feelings of the Hebrew worshiper by reading some of the Psalms, for example, 42 [91], 84 [92], and 150 [93].
15. Then there is the value of really knowing just how the olden Hebrews practiced their religion.
16. Don't overlook the symbolic and dramatic aspects.
VI. THE OFFERINGS
1. Cereal offering. This type of offering is associated with Melchizedek- it even goes back to the days of Cain and Abel. Also known as the "meat" offering, and the "meal" offering. Usually accompanied by either a trespass or burnt offering. It was made with oil, honey, and salt. Offered uncooked with incense; cooked, without incense. In some ways it was like a "remembrance" supper.
2. Peace offering. This was the "thanks" offering. Rendered as in the fulfillment of a vow. Often followed by a fellowship meal. It was the most common type of sacrifice.
3. Sin offering. This was the general sacrifice for sinfulness-not necessarily conscious sin. Not associated with a common meal. Destroyed outside the camp.
4. Trespass offering. This sacrifice had more to do with social offenses and property rights, broken pledges, guilt feelings, "conscience complex."
5. Burnt offering. Offered every day by the priest for all Israel. The fire for the burnt offering was never permitted to go out. It was supposed to have originally been "kindled by the Lord."
6. The Day of Atonement. First, the high priest and his fellow priests must make atonement for themselves. Then both sin and burnt offerings for the people were performed. Then comes the casting of lots to determine the goat for Israel and the "scapegoat" or the goat of Azazel-to carry the sins of Israel out into the wilderness.
Azazel is mentioned in the book of Enoch as the "leader of evil spirits."
VII. LEVITICUS AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. The passage most often quoted by Jesus was 19:18. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Five times quoted by Jesus and two times by Paul.
2. Jesus understood and respected Old Testament laws. He told the leper whom he healed to go and show himself to the priests "as Moses had appointed."
3. Said Jesus: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments." Matt. 19:17.
4. The book of Hebrews pays most attention to rituals, pointing out that these things are "types" of what was fulfilled in Christ.
5. Paul uses the concept of the temple of God (26:12) as basis for calling man's body "a living temple." 2 Cor. 6:16.
6. If you want to get good out of Leviticus, try to see it as the devout Jew saw it when he engaged in worship.
7. Always remember: The better you understand the Old Testament, the better you can understand the New Testament.
VIII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Pleasing odor to the Lord. "'And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar...a pleasing odor to the Lord.'" 2:9.
2. Divine fire. "And the fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering." 9:24.
3. Animal foods. "'These are the living things which you may eat...Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.'" 11:2,3.
4. Swine. "'The swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.'" 11:7.
5. Sea food. "'These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything...that has fins and scales...you may eat.'" 11:9.
6. The insects. "'Among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet...the locust...cricket...and the grasshopper.'" 11:20-22.
7. Other unclean animals. "'These are unclean to you...the weasel, mouse, the great lizard...the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.'" 11:29,30.
8. Holiness. "'You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.'" 11:45.
9. Childbirth. "'If a woman...bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days...She shall continue for thirty-three days...If she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks...and continue...for sixty-six days.'" 12:2-5.
10. Diagnosing leprosy. "'The priest shall make an examination, and if there is a white swelling...it is a chronic leprosy.'" 13:9-11.
11. Unclean houses. "'If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out of the stones and scraped the house and plastered it...it is a malignant leprosy in the house; it is unclean. And he shall break down the house...and he shall carry them forth out of the city.'" 14:43-45.
12. Discharges. "'When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean...If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity...she shall be unclean.'" 15:2,25.
13. The atonement. "'And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away in the wilderness.'" 16:21.
14. Eating blood. "'If any man...eats any blood, I will set my face against that person.'" 17:10.
15. Homosexuality. "'You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.'" 18:22.
16. Love your neighbor as yourself. "'You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" 19:18.
17. Spiritualism. "'If a person turns to mediums and wizards, playing the harlot after them, I will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.'" 20:6.
18. Mediums. "'A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones.'" 20:27.
19. Blasphemy. "'He who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him.'" 24:16.
4. NUMBERS
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. At Sinai. 1-9.
2. From Sinai to Kadesh. 10-20.
3. At Kadesh. 21-24.
4. Going through Moab. 25-33.
5. Entering Canaan. 34-36.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Sojourn at Sinai. 1:1-10:10 [94].
A. Numbering the People. 1:1-54.
B. Position of the Tribes. 2:1-34.
C. Special Position of Levites. 3:1-51.
D. Duties of Levites. 4:1-49.
E. Sundry Regulations. 5:1-6:27.
F. The Princes' Offerings. 7:1-89.
G. Sundry Laws. 8:1-10:10.
2. From Sinai to Paran. 10:11-12:16 [95].
A. Departure from Sinai. 10:11-36.
B. Various Incidents. 11:1-35.
C. Miriam and Aaron. 12:1-16.
3. Sojourn at Paran. 13:1-19:22 [96].
A. The Spies. 13:1-14:45.
B. Sundry Laws. 15:1-41.
C. Rebellion of Korah. 16:1-17:13.
D. Duties of Priests and Levites. 18:1-32.
E. Purification from the Dead. 19:1-22.
4. From Kadesh to Moab. 20:1-22:1 [97].
A. Sojourn at Kadesh. 20:1-21.
B. En Route for Moab. 20:22-22:1.
5. Story of Balaam. 22:2-24:25 [98].
A. Balak. 22:2-40.
B. Balaam's Oracles. 22:41-24:25.
6. Sundry Laws and Incidents. 25:1-32:42 [99].
A. Wantonness. 25:1-18.
B. Second Census. 26:1-65.
C. Laws of Female Interitance. 27:1-11.
D. Appointment of Joshua. 27:12-23.
E. Laws of Worship. 28:1-29:40.
F. Woman's Vows. 30:1-16.
G. Extermination of Midianites. 31:1-54.
H. Settlement in Trans-Jordan. 32:1-42.
7. Recapitulation. 33:1-36:13 [100].
A. Route from Egypt. 33:1-49.
B. Duties in Canaan. 33:50-56.
C. Tribal Boundaries. 34:1-29.
D. Levitical Rites. 35:1-34.
E. Marriage of Heiresses. 36:1-13.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. Moses was not the author. He is usually spoken of in the third person.
2. He would not call himself the meekest man on earth. 12:3.
3. Three-quarters of the book is by P, with contributions by J and E. But little of D is present.
IV. CONTENTS
1. Part I at Sinai occupies 19 days.
2. Part II-Paran and wilderness, 38 years.
3. Part III-Moab, five months.
4. One poem comes from a lost book-"The Word of Yahweh."
5. Called "Numbers" because of the census. In Hebrew Bibles the book is called "The Wilderness."
V. HISTORICAL VALUE
1. The book is a wonderful. portrait of human nature-the good and the bad. At one point they really wanted to "choose a captain, and go back to Egypt." (14:4)
2. Don't make too much out of historical fact. What shall it profit a man to know all the facts, but miss the meaning?
3. The chronological problem:
A. At Sinai. It would require years and years to do all that was done at Sinai-not 19 days-to build the tabernacle and to organize the social and religious life of the Israelites.
B. At Kadesh. There is much evidence that the Israelites camped at Kadesh for many years-not just five months.
C. The thirty-eight years. The wilderness wanderings for 38 years are difficult to understand. Little or nothing is narrated to account for this long period.
4. And all of this leads to the theory that there were two groups of Israelites:
A. The Sinai group, camped for years at Sinai, and going through Moab, to enter Canaan over the Jordan and by way of Jericho under Moses and Joshua.
B. The Kadesh group, camped for many years at Kadesh, and entering Canaan from the south-and doing so by gradual and peaceful penetration.
5. While the Jews claimed that Yahweh was God of Israel, they also recognized that Chemosh was the god of Moab. (21:29)
6. At first Moses would go into "the tent of meeting" and talk with Yahweh. Later on, Yahweh was a remote and holy Deity. Only the high priest, once a year, could come near him in the Most Holy Place. (3:10)
7. Numbers, in a way, is an addition to Exodus-completes the story of deliverance of Israel from the Egyptian bondage.
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Test for marital fidelity. "And the priest shall take holy water...and some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water...May this water...make your body swell and your thigh fall away...And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has acted unfaithfully against her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her body shall swell...But if the woman has not defiled herself...Then she shall be free." 5:16,22,27,28.
2. The benediction. "The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace." 6:24-26.
3. The guiding ark. "And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp." 10:33,34.
4. The quails. "'O that we had meat to eat: We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now...there is nothing at all but this manna."1 11:4-6.
"And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and it brought quails from the sea...And the people rose all that day, and all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails...And the Lord smote the people with a very great plague." ll:31-33.
5. Miriam's leprosy. "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married...And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek." 12:1-3.
"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them...and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow." 12:9,10.
6. Spying out the land. "So they went up and spied out the land...They...cut down...a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them...At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land." 13:21,23,25.
"But Caleb...said, 'Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it.' Then the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people...There we saw the Nephilim... and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers.'" 13:30,31,33.
7. Milk and honey. "'If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into...a land which flows with milk and honey.'" 14:8.
8. Only Caleb and Joshua see Canaan. "Not one shall come into the land... except Caleb...and Joshua." 14:30.
9. Sabbath-breaking. "They found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day... And the Lord said to Moses, 'The man shall be put to death.'" 15:32,35.
10. Penalty of rebellion. "And the Lord said...'Get away from about the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram'...And as he finished speaking...the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up." 16:23,24,31.
11. Aaron's rod. "The rod of Aaron...had sprouted and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds." 17:8.
12. Tithes. "'To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance.'" 18:21.
13. Balaam's ass talks. "Then the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?'...Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand." 22:28,31.
14. Brutal slaughter. "'Kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.'" 31:17,18.
5. DEUTERONOMY
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. First Address of Moses. 1-4.
2. Second Address of Moses. 5-28.
3. Third Address of Moses. 29,30.
4. Farewell of Moses. 31-33.
5. Death of Moses. 34.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. First Address. 1:1-4:43 [101].
A. Introduction. 1:1-5.
B. What God Has Done. 1:6-3:29.
C. Inferences of God's Acts. 4:1-40.
D. Cities of Refuge. 4:41-43.
2. Second Address. 4:44-28:68 [102].
A. Introduction. 4:44-49.
B. The Covenant Faith. 5:1-11:32.
C. The Law. 12:1-26:19.
D. Ceremony at Shechem. 27:1-26.
E. Blessings and Curses. 28:1-68.
3. Third Address. 29:1-30:20 [103].
A. Exhortations. 29:1-15.
B. Punishments. 29:16-29.
C. Repentance and Forgiveness. 30:1-10.
D. Nearness of the Word. 30:11-14.
E. Life and Death. 30:15-20.
4. Appendices. 31:1-34:12 [104].
A. Parting Words of Moses. 31:1-8.
B. Seventh Year Ceremony. 31:9-13.
C. Charge to Moses and Joshua. 31:14-23.
D. Law for the Ark. 31:24-29.
E. Song of Moses. 31:30-32:47.
F. Preparation for Death. 32:48-52.
G. Blessing of Moses. 33:1-29.
H. Death of Moses. 34:1-12.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. The original core of the book was by J and E.
2. The D contribution. The author of the book as we have it today was D, an educated and eloquent member of the Deuteronomic cult, which sought to harmonize and co-ordinate the teachings of the priests and the prophets.
3. P. The overall conflation of the book was by the exile priests, but their contribution was of minor importance.
IV. CHARACTER AND SIGNIFICANCE
1. The addresses of Moses are no doubt based on authentic traditions.
2. This book is a declaration of the faith of Israel. It is unique among all the books of the Old Testament.
3. Deuteronomy is a book of sober, earnest, and moving eloquence. Nothing in Jewish literature can compare with it, except the writings of the Second Isaiah.
4. In this book are found those positive forms for the commandments as stated by Jesus: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart." 6:5.
5. Deuteronomy possesses an evangelical tone that resembles the gospel ring of the New Testament.
6. Religion in this book far transcends the legalistic ceremonials of Exodus and Leviticus.
7. Deuteronomy is quoted 83 times in the New Testament and alluded to many times. Only six New Testament books fail to mention Deuteronomy.
8. Deuteronomy may be a "Law book" but it is also a book of "preaching." The D author was a "Preaching lawyer."
9. Deuteronomy is the first Bible book that teaches-"We Love God because he first loved us."
10. It deals with both cultic and economic affairs-but with a theologic background.
11. Egypt taught a perfect creation and that Pharaoh was an incarnate God. Mesopotamia taught a prolonged and violent creation, and the king as a mortal ruler chosen by God.
12. Israel taught a new concept-a perfected creation by a personal God, who also chose his people and their rulers.
13. Israel taught that God started man out with a monogamous family. The doctrine of the "fall of man" was unique in Jewish philosophy.
14. Deuteronomy first clearly presents Yahweh as a redeemer-a savior. It is the Old Testament gospel.
V. DEUTERONOMY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
JESUS NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS
Matt 4:4 [105]. Deut 8:3 [106] Acts 3:22 [107]. Deut 18:15,18 [108].
Matt 4:7 [109]. Deut 6:16 [110]. 1 Cor 9:9 [111]. Deut 25:4 [112].
Matt 4:10 [113]. Deut 6:13 [114]. 2 Cor 13:1 [115]. Deut 19:15 [116].
Matt 5:31 [117]. Deut 24:1 [118]. Gal 3:13 [119]. Deut 21:23 [120].
Mark 12:30 [121]. Deut 6:5 [122]. Rom 10:6-8 [123]. Deut 30:12,14 [124].
VI. STRUCTURE AND STYLE
1. The second sermon is the core of the book. The first and third addresses, together with the appendices, were added later.
2. Moses is the expounder. "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel.'" In only one case does God speak directly to Aaron.
3. Deuteronomy covers the whole life of Israel-and ends up with the blessings and curses-depending on obedience or disobedience.
4. Deuteronomy is the best organized of all the Old Testament writings. It represents the over-all editorship of one man.
5. Of all Old Testament books Deuteronomy presents a homogeneity of style. It is a new style of flowing and impressive oratory.
6. There is no end of well balanced clauses, sustained rhythm. But it is never monotonous or prolix.
7. Among characteristic words or expressions, attention may be called to:
A. Love. God's concern for his people. Love as used by Hosea and in the Psalms.
B. "Hear, O Israel."
C. "The Lord, the God of your fathers."
D. "To go after other gods."
E. "To hearken to the voice of the Lord."
F. "To walk in God's ways."
G. "That it may be well with thee."
H. "Which I command thee this day."
I. "That the Lord may bless thee."
J. "Uses Horeb instead of Sinai.
8. In some places Deuteronomy sounds like the style of Jeremiah.
9. In many ways the style of Deuteronomy is more like that of E than of J.
VII. THE REFORMS OF KING JOSIAH
1. In 2 Kings 22 and 23 we learn that when King Josiah was repairing the temple his workmen found a "book of the law." This was in 621 B.C.
2. This new-found "book of the law" was some portion of the present book of Deuteronomy.
3. Josiah used this new-found book as the basis of his reforms, destroying all places of sacrifice outside of Jerusalem. There were many sites of paganism throughout Pslestine.
4. Many priests and Levites were left stranded. A few went to Jerusalem.
5. The king had Deuteronomy read to the people-believing it to be the work of Moses.
6. This was about the time of the death of Asshurbanipal-Assyria was passing, Egypt was weak, and Josiah was able to stop paying tribute and assert his independence.
7. Josiah destroyed the idols and overthrew the altars. But his reforms were not long-lasting.
8. About one hundred years before Josiah's reforms, Hezekiah had carried out similar reforms.
9. These were the times when Jews all over Palestine were granted permission to slaughter animals for food, without the services of the Levites at the altars.
10. Up to this time, all animals were first offered as sacrifices, and then portions eaten for food.
11. Deuteronomy was something new in sacred writings. It exalted the priesthood and upheld the temple in Jerusalem as the only place for sacrificial worship. At the same time it rang with the tone of the prophets-albeit, Moses was its central figure.
VIII. THEOLOGY
1. The primary demand of Deuteronomy is-"Loyalty to Yahweh.
2. "The Lord is God; there is no other besides him." 4:35.
3. Never before did a God take a "nation for himself." 4:32-34.
4. Yahweh is not only a gracious and loving God-but also a jealous God.
5. The land belonged to God. They must obey God "that their days may be long in the land."
6. The reasons for choosing Israel were mysterious-only that Yahweh had promised the Patriarchs.
7. The second major thought in Deuteronomy is that God has directed the destinies of Israel. "When they did wrong, he punished them. when they did right, he delivered them.
8. God made use of even secular nations as his agents in dealing with Israel.
9. Throughout Deuteronomy we are taught that "God directs history."
10. Deuteronomy teaches us that war-when instigated and directed by Yahweh- is a holy war.
11. There is a somber and terrible earnestness about the book of Deuteronomy.
12. There is a humanitarian aspect to many of the social laws of Deuteronomy. Revenge was ruled out.
13. The greatest of all sins was idolatry. The worship of other gods destroyed the concept of Israel as "a peculiar people."
IX. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Total killings. "'We captured all his cities...and utterly destroyed every city, men, women, and children.'" 2:34.
2. Moses views the land. "'Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes... and behold it...for you shall not go over this Jordan.'" 3:27.
3. Finding God. "'You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.'" 4:29.
4. The Ten Commandments. 5:6-21.
5. The great commandment. "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.'" 6:5.
6. The chosen people. "'You are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you.'" 7:6.
7. Blessing and curse. "'I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments...and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments.'" 11:26-28.
8. Eating blood. "'You shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out upon the earth like water.'" 12:16.
9. False prophets. "'If a prophet arises among you...and gives you a sign... and the sign...comes to pass, and if he says, "Let us go after other gods" ...you shall not listen to the words of that prophet.'" 13:1-3.
10. Seven-year release. "'Every seven years you shall grant a release...Every creditor shall release what he has lent his neighbor.'" 15:1,2.
11. The poor. "'The poor will never cease out of the land; therefore...you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy, and to the poor.'" 15:11.
12. Newlyweds. "'When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, to be happy with his wife.'" 24:5.
13. Muzzling the ox. "'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.'" 25:4.
14. Secret things. "'The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children.'" 29:29.
15. Joshua's commission. "The Lord commissioned Joshua...and said, 'Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to give them: I will be with you.'" 31:23.
16. Primitive ideas. "'"I...am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand."'" 32:39.
6. JOSHUA
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Conquest of Palestine. 1:1-12:24.
2. Division of the Land. 13:1-21:45.
3. Last Days of Joshua. 22:1-24:33.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Conquest of Western Palestine. 1:1-12:24 [125].
A. Introduction. 1:1-18.
B. The Spies in Jericho. 2:1-24.
C. Crossing the Jordan. 3:1-5:1.
D. Camp at Gilgal. 5:2-15.
E. Fall of Jericho. 6:1-27.
F. Campaign against Ai. 7:1-8:29.
G. Altar on Mt. Ebal. 8:30-35.
H. Gibeonite Treaty. 9:1-27.
I. Campaigns in the South. 10:1-43.
J. Defeat of Northern Confederacy. 11:1-23.
K. Conclusion of Conquest. 12:1-24.
2. Division of the Land. 13:1-21:45 [126].
A. Introduction. 13:1-33.
B. Beginning Division. 14:1-15.
C. Lot of Judah. 15:1-63.
D. Lot of Joseph. 16:1-17:18.
B. Lots of Remaining Tribes. 18:1-19:51.
F. Cities of Refuge. 20:1-9.
G. Levitical Cities. 21:1-42.
H. Conclusion of Division. 21:43-45.
3. Last Days of Joshua. 22:1-24:33 [127].
A. Trans-Jordan Tribes. 22:1-34.
B. Farewell Address of Joshua. 23:1-16.
C. Covenant at Shechem. 24:1-28.
D. Three Burials. 24:29-33.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. When it comes to the determination of authorship, Joshua is the most difficult and complex of all the books of the Old Testament.
2. J, E, D, and P can all be traced through the book, but D is predominant.
3. The P contributions appear most in the last half of the book.
4. Joshua, a tribal hero of Ephraim, was magnified into the leader of all Israel and author of this book.
5. Joshua is a Deuteronomic book [70]. This same Deuteronomic style runs through Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings.
6. It would seem to be the work of one individual, not the production of a group.
IV. HISTORICAL ASPECTS
1. Joshua takes up the history of Israel on the east bank of the Jordan where Numbers left them.
2. Archaeology has lent much evidence to prove the correctness of Joshua. These excavations are at Jericho, Bethel, Lachish, and Debir.
3. According to Joshua, the Israelites cross the Jordan, take Jericho, and then cut a swath right through the middle of Palestine. Then they subdue the south and then the north.
4. But, in other places, the record confirms the fact that this conquest was not complete. Jerusalem was not conquered until the times of David. (See Judges 1 [128].)
5. Excavations show that many Canaanite cities suffered two or even three total destructions.
V. THE RELIGIOUS MESSAGE
1. From a religious standpoint, Joshua represents the story of God's dealings with his people.
2. The authors use the medium of history to hammer home their points.
3. When we face the religious aspects of Joshua our problem is: How can you reconcile Yahweh's holy wars-injunction to destroy all men, women, and children-with the ethical teachings of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ?
4. Yahweh claims dedicated obedience, because of the following:
A. His covenant with Abraham.
B. He delivered them from Egyptian slavery.
C. He led them into the promised land.
5. The New Testament analogue is found in 1 Peter I:4. "An inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading."
(This book formed a part of a greater whole which embraced the Deuteronomic narratives extending from the times of the conquest to the kingdom.)
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Joshua's mandate. "'As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and of good courage.'" 1:5,6.
2. Spying out Jericho. "'Go, view the land, especially Jericho.' And they went, and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there." 2:1.
"Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall." 2:15.
3. Passing over Jordan. "And while all Israel were passing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark...stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over." 3:17.
4. Taking Jericho. "And the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have given into your hand Jericho, with its king and mighty men of valor.'" 6:2.
"'You shall march around the city...once...for six days.'" 6:3.
"On the seventh day they...marched around the city...seven times." 6:15.
"The people raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat." 6:20.
"But Rahab the harlot...and all that belonged to her, Joshua saved." 6:25.
5. The sin of Achan. "And they fled before the men of Ai." 7:4.
"And Achan answered Joshua, 'Of a truth I have sinned...When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle...I...took them...they are hidden in the earth inside my tent.'" 7:20,21.
6. Ambush of Ai. "The ambush rose quickly out of their place...they ran and entered the city and took it; and they made haste to set the city on fire." 8:19.
7. Deception of Gibeon. "The inhabitants of Gibeon...acted with cunning, and went...and took worn-out sacks...patched sandals...and worn-out clothes; and all their provisions were dry and moldy." 9:3-5.
"And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live." 9:15.
"Joshua...said to them, 'Why did you deceive us...some of you shall always be slaves, hewers of wood and drawers of water.'" 9:22,23.
8. The sun stands still. "Then spoke Joshua...'Sun, stand thou still at Gibeon'...And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies." 10:12,13.
9. Victory claims. "Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; the land lay subdued before them." 18:1.
10. Nature of Yahweh. "Joshua said to the people, 'You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.'" 24:19.
7. JUDGES
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Introduction. 1,2.
2. History of the Judges. 3-16.
3. Details of Evil. 17-21.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Invasion of Canaan. 1:1-2:5 [129].
A. Conquests of Judah and Simeon. 1:1-21.
B. Conquest of Other Tribes. 1:22-36.
C. Departure for Gilgal. 2:1-5.
2. The Period of the Judges. 2:6-16:31 [130].
A. Introduction. 2:6-3:6.
B. Deliverance by Othniel. 3:7-11.
C. Deliverance by Ehud. 3:12-30.
D. Shamgar and the Philistines. 3:31.
E. Deborah and Barak. 4:1-5:31.
F. Story of Gideon. 6:1-8:35.
G. Story of Abimelech. 9:1-57.
H. Tola. 10:1,2.
I. Jair. 10:3-5.
J. Jephthah. 10:6-12:7.
K. Ibzan. 12:8-10.
L. Elon. 12:11,12.
M. Abdon. 12:13-15.
N. The Samson Tales. 13:1-16:31.
3. Appendices. 17:1-21:25 [131].
A. Relocation of Danites. 17:1-8:31.
B. Offense of Gibeah. 19:1-21:25.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. This is one of the. five Deuteronomic books, and the second book in the group of the "Former Prophets."
2. The original book was by J and E, based on oral tradition and probably the written records of two lost books-"Jasher [132]" and "The Wars of the Lord" [133].
3. All of this was thoroughly rewritten by an able and devout Deuteronomist [70].
4. There is very little of P in the book of Judges as we now have it.
IV. COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
1. The judges were both military leaders and civil rulers.
2. Judges is a collection of a large number of independent stories. It contains the "Song of Deborah," the oldest Old Testament document.
3. The latter part of Judges may seem like pure fiction, but no doubt these tales were based on well-founded oral tradition.
4. Repetitions suggest that some parts were copied from written records. Judg 1:10-15 [134] reads almost verbatim like Josh 15:13-19 [135]. Judg 1:27,28 [136] just like Josh 17:11-13 [137]. Judg 2:6-10 [130] like Josh 24:28-31 [138].
5. Every crisis is introduced by the same formula: "The people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord."
6. There are five reasons given as to why the Jews did not fully exterminate the Canaanites:
A. Strong fortifications and military experience.
B. Willingness of Israel to make alliances with the Canaanites.
C. Yahweh punishing Israel for their sins.
D. Testing Israel's faithfulness.
E. Training Israel in the art of war.
7. Most attention is paid to the six major judges.
8. The period of the judges covers a little over 400 years.
V. THE JUDGES [139]
Othniel.3:7-11.
Ehud. 3:12.
Barak and Deborah. 4:5,6.
Gideon. 6:1-8:32.
Abimelech. 8:33-9:57.
Tola. 10:1,2.
Jair. 10:3-5.
Jephthah. 11-12:7.
Ibzan. 12:8-10.
Elon. 12:11,12.
Abdon. 12:13-15.
Samson. 13:24-16:31
VI. THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES
1. Judges covers the period extending from Joshua leading the Israelites into the promised land to Saul, their first king.
2. Othniel, first judge to lead Israelite forces against their enemies, brought an end to the Moabite invasion and oppression.
3. Of Shamgar (a minor judge), we learn only that he repulsed the Philistines.
4. Deborah and Barak led the tribes in the battle against Sisera on the plain of Esdraelon.
5. Gideon repulsed the Midianite invasion. This was the first use of camels against Israel.
6. Abimelech tried to be a king for three years. He was overthrown by an internal rebellion. This was the real beginning of the Yahweh-Baal conflict.
7. Jephthah repelled the Ammonite oppression.
8. The tall tales of Samson have to do with the ever-recurrent exploits of the Philistines.
9. The Song of Deborah illustrates the dynamic zeal of the Yahwist of these times.
10. The ethics and morals of these days were not high. Men were clever and treacherous and murdered on the slightest provocation. Samson visited a harlot.
11. Whatever other attributes Yahweh may have, he is still a jealous God.
12. The philosophy of Judges is still the old Jewish concept: obey God and prosper, disobey and suffer.
(The morals of the time can be judged by the story of the concubine's dying of mistreatment and then being cut up and the parts sent abroad in the land as a call to avenge the outrage.)
VII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Death of Joshua. "And Joshua...died at the age of one hundred and ten years." 2:8.
2. Victory of Deborah and Barak. "And the Lord routed Sisera...and an his army...and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled...And an the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left." 4:15,16.
3. Song of Deborah. 5:1-31.
4. Victory of Gideon. "And the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches...and they cried, 'A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!'" 7:20.
5. Jephthah's vow. "Jephthah made a vow to the Lord...'If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand, then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me...shan be the Lord's, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering.'" 11:30,31.
"Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him." 11:34.
6. Samson's defeat. "She made him sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head...and his strength left him." 16:19.
"Then he bowed with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were in it." 16:30.
8. RUTH
I. OUTLINE
1. Moab. 1:1-18 [140].
2. Bethlehem. 1:19-22 [141].
3. Harvest Field. 2:1-23 [142].
4. Threshing Floor. 3:1-18 [143].
5. The Gate. 4:1-12 [144].
6. Conclusion. 4:13-22 [145].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Author unknown. Probably some liberal-minded Jew of the post-exilic period.
2. In the Hebrew canon it was placed among the "writings"-along with Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther.
3. Probably written sometime in the 5th Century B.C.
III. THE PURPOSE
1. Probably included in the Jewish canon of sacred scriptures because- the grandson of Ruth's child was David, king of Israel.
2. The main purpose of this story is to counteract the attitude of Ezra and Nehemiah against mixed marriages.
3. It is the ideal "short story." It is a "friendship" story; there is no villain.
4. It is a rare story of friendship between two women-like that of David and Jonathan, among men.
5. It counteracts the popular notion of difficulty in getting along with mothers-in-law.
6. It is a story of irresistible charm.
7. The heroine is brave, determined, loyal, and sagacious.
8. The book exemplifies the teaching of Paul: "There is neither Jew nor Greek." Gal. 3:28.
IV. THE STORY OF RUTH
1. Ruth forsakes her people to go with Naomi, who has lost her husband and two sons.
2. Naomi is welcomed at Bethlehem.
3. Ruth joins the gleaners to get food.
4. Naomi sends Ruth to Boaz by night.
5. The marriage-and Naomi adopts the child.
V. SELECTED TEXTS
Ruth and Naomi. "But Ruth said...'Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.'" 1:16.
9. FIRST AND SECOND SAMUEL
Before the Septuagint First and Second Samuel formed one book.
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Samuel. 1 Sam. 1-14.
2. Rise of David. 1 Sam. 15-26.
3. Saul as King. 1 Sam. 27-31.
4. David as King. 2 Sam. 1-20.
5. Times of Trouble. 2 Sam. 21-24.
II. OUTLINB-COMPLETE
1 SAMUEL
1. Childhood of Samuel. 1:1-3:21 [146].
A. Birth and Dedication. 1:1-28.
B. Song of Hannah. 2:1-10.
C. Sons of Eli. 2:11-26.
D. Doom of Eli's House. 2:27-36.
E. Call of Samuel. 3:1-21.
2. Capture and Return of the Ark. 4:1-7:1 [147].
A. Capture of Ark. 4:1-22.
B. Ark Among Philistines. 5:1-12.
C. Return of Ark. 6:1-7:1.
3. Institution of the Monarchy. 7:2-12:25 [148].
A. Samuel the Judge. 7:2-17.
B. Demand for a King. 8:1-22.
C. Anointing Saul. 9:1-10:16.
D. Election of Saul. 10:17-27.
E. Relief of Jabesh-gilead. 11:1-15.
F. Samuel's Farewell. 12:1-25.
4. War of Independence. 13:1-14:52 [149].
A. Preparations for War. 13:1-23.
B. Exploit of Jonathan. 14:1-46.
C. Concluding Notice on Saul. 14:17-52.
5. Rise of David. 15:1-18:30 [150].
A. Rejection of Saul. 15:1-35.
B. Anointing of David. 16:1-13.
C. David at Saul's Court. 16:14-23.
D. David and Philistine Champion. 17:1-18:5.
E. David Marries Michal. 18:6-30.
6. Rivalry between Saul and David. 19:1-20:42 [151].
A. Attempt at Reconciliation. 19:1-10.
B. David's Escape. 19:11-17.
C. Saul at Ramah. 19:18-24.
D. David and Jonathan. 20:1-42.
7. Civil War: Saul and David. 21:1-26:25 [152].
A. David at Nob. 21:1-9.
B. David at Gath. 21:10-15.
C. Massacre of Priests of Nob. 22:1-23.
D. Relief of Keilah. 23:1-13.
E. Treachery of Ziphites. 23:14-24:22.
F. David and Abigail. 25:1-44.
G. David's Magnanimity to Saul. 26:1-25..
8. Philistine War against Saul. 27:1-31:13 [153].
A. David's Vassalage to Achish. 27:1-28:2.
B. Saul and Witch of Endor. 28:3-25.
C. Dismissal of David. 29:1-11.
D. Raid on Ziklag. 30:1-31.
E. Battle of Mount Gilboa. 31:1-13.
2 SAMUEL
9. David, King at Hebron. 1:1-4:12 [154].
A. News of Saul's Death. 1:1-16.
B. David's Dirge on Saul. 1:17-27.
C. David, King of Judah. 2:1-7.
D. Civil War Begins. 2:8-32.
E. Abner Quarrels with Ish-bosheth. 3:1-16.
F. Murder of Abner. 3:17-39.
G. Murder of Ish-bosheth. 4:1-12.
10. David, King at Jerusalem. 5:1-8:18 [155].
A. David Elected by Elders. 5:1-5.
B. Capture of Jerusalem. 5:6-16.
C. Defeat of Philistines. 5:17-25.
D. Ark Goes to Jerusalem. 6:1-23.
E. Prophecy of Nathan. 7:1-29.
F. Summary of David's Reign. 8:1-18.
11. David's Personal Life. 9:1-12:31 [156].
A. David and Mephibosheth. 9:1-13.
B. War with Aramon. 10:1-19.
C. David and Bathsheba. 11:1-27.
D. Nathan's Rebuke. 12:1-31.
12. Vicissitudes of David's Court. 13:1-20:26 [157].
A. Amnon and Tamar. 13:1-20.
B. Absalom's Flight. 13:21-14:33.
C. Absalom's Rebellion. 15:1-12.
D. David Flees Jerusalem. 15:13-16:14.
E. Ahithophel and Hushai. 16:15-17:29.
F. Death of Absalom. 18:1-19:8.
G. David Returns to Jerusalem. 19:8-43.
H. Revolt of Sheba. 20:1-26.
13. Appendix. 21:1-24:25 [158].
A. The Famine. 21:1-14.
B. Exploits of David's Warriors. 21:15-22.
C. Psalm of Thanksgiving. 22:1-51.
D. David's Testament. 23:1-7.
E. More Exploits of Warriors. 23:8-39.
F. Census and the Plague. 24:1-25.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. Samuel did not write the book.
2. The early book was of dual authorship-J and E. Note:
A. Saul is anointed king privately by Samuel, and twice in public.
B. Saul is twice deposed from the throne.
C. David is introduced twice to Saul.
D. David twice offered a daughter of Saul in marriage.
E. David twice escapes Saul.
F. David three times makes a covenant with Jonathan.
G. Goliath is slain by David and by Elhanan.
3. The book was thoroughly overhauled and rewritten by D.
4. Samuel is one of the most brilliantly written histories of ancient times- 500 years before Herodotus
5. D and P turned Samuel, a village seer, into a "mighty prophet."
6. Samuel is a masterpiece of history, psychological insight, literary style, and dramatic power.
Note: Field Marshal Allenby, when in Palestine in 1918, examined the battle-field account of Jonathan's attack on the Philistine garrison (1 Sam. 14:1-23) and was able to identify the crag "on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba." He pronounced Jonathan's strategy as sound.
IV. HISTORICAL VALUE
1. Evidences of repetition and duplication, not already noted, show that the Deuteronomic redactor failed to iron out these contradictions:
A. The Ziphite treachery to David is told two times.
B. Two stories of David's escape from Nob.
C. Two conflicting accounts of Saul's death.
D. Two stories of the war against Amalek.
2. It will be helpful in understanding the rather sudden change in Saul's character, to recall that he was a manic-depressive.
3. There are three types of history:
A. Narrative type. To record a good tale.
B. Didactic type. To treat events as a storehouse for moral teaching.
C. Scientific type. To ascertain the facts.
4. The types A and B characterize the writing of most Old Testament history.
5. Samuel may not be accurate history, but it is a good source book.
V. THEOLOGY
1. The theology of Samuel is just about as primitive as that of Joshua and Judges. But there is some indication of growth.
2. Note the following reminders of primitive theology:
A. Sacred stones. 1Sam. 7:12 [159].
B. Sacred trees. 1Sam 14:2 [160].
C. Sacred hills. 1Sam 10:5 [161].
D. Blood revenge. 2Sam 3:27 [162].
E. The taboo. 1Sam 21:4 [163].
F. The vow. 1Sam 14:24 [164].
G. Propitiatory sacrifice. 1Sam 26:19 [165].
H. Necromancy. 1Sam 28 [166].
3. It has been suggested that the Semites had a genius for religion. But the Jews were specialists.
4. The Jewish religion had many things in common with all man-made religions.
5. At first the Jews shared many things with primitive paganism, but they evolved-they experienced growth.
6. The Hebrews had revelation. There arrived the prophets.
7. When Saul could not get comfort from the prophets he went back to necromancy-he consulted with the witch of Endor.
8. There was a great deal of lottery in Hebrew theology-finding out about the divine will by casting lots.
9. The early prophets were associated with "ecstatic frenzy." In some ways this was like the dancing dervishes.
10. Plato regarded all prophets as being afflicted with some sort of "divine madness."
11. In Jewish religion, the ecstatic trance played the part that "speaking with tongues" played in the early Christian religion.
12. Paul warned the church at Corinth that there were many more valuable spiritual gifts than "speaking with tongues."
13. Both Samuel and Nathan were types of "advanced" prophecy. They functioned without either ecstatic frenzy or trance-visions.
14. On special occasions Samuel had visions, but Nathan did not.
15. The nations around Israel had their tribal gods:
A. Chemosh-god of Moab.
B. Melek-god of Ammon.
C. Dagon-god of the Philistines.
16. But unlike these tribal gods, Yahweh continued to grow-evolved into the God of all creation-"King of Kings and Lord of Lords."
17. Now and then Israel would revert to nationalism, as in the case of Nehemiah and Ezra.
18. We all have trouble with the ethics of Yahweh, who could order the complete extermination of whole peoples. But that was common practice among Semites.
19. The Hebrews still clung to their olden concepts of Providence-Yahweh, God of history, Lord of life and death. All success is the reward of virtue.
20. The concept of the chosen people-election of Israel-is still predominant. The sons of Eli did not reform because it was "the will of God to kill them."
21. The Hebrew theology is pervaded with the idea of a whole, nation suffering because of the sin of one individual.
22. Later on both Jeremiah and Ezekiel tried to modify this concept of punishing the innocent for the sins of others.
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1 SAMUEL
1. Samuel grows up. "Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men." 2:26.
2. Eli hears bad news. "'Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter...Your two sons also...are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.'" 4:17.
3. Return of the ark. "'Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not slay us and our people.'" 5:11.
4. Clamor for a king. "'You are old...now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations.'" 8:5.
5. Saul anointed. "Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said, 'Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel?'" 10:1.
6. Obedience vs. sacrifice. "'Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'" 15:22.
7. God repents. "And the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel." 15:35.
8. God sends evil spirit. "The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." 16:14.
9. David slays Goliath. "And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead...and he fell on his face to the ground." 17:49.
10. Eating the holy bread. "So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence." 21:6.
11. The cave of Adullam. "David...escaped to the cave of Adullam...and every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them." 22:1,2.
12. Saul consults medium. "So Saul disguised himself...and came to the woman by night...and he said, 'Bring up Samuel for me.'" 28:8,11.
13. Saul a suicide. "Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it." 31:4.
2 SAMUEL
14. David anointed. "And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah." 2:4.
15. David made king over Israel. "So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron...and they anointed David king over Israel." 5:3.
16. The ark comes to Jerusalem. "And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent which David had pitched for it." 6:17.
17. You are the man. "Nathan said to David, 'You are the man..."You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife."'" 12:7,9.
18. Absalom's death. "He took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive in the oak." 18:14.
19. David and the census. "The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'" 24:1.
10. FIRST AND SECOND KINGS
1 KINGS
1. Solomon. 1-11.
2. Division of Kingdom. 12-16.
3. Elijah and Elisha. 17-21.
4. Jehoshaphat. 22.
2 KINGS
5. Elisha. 1-9.
6. Jehu and Others. 10-17.
7. Hezekiah and Isaiah. 16-20.
8. Manasseh and Apostasy. 21-23.
9. Captivity. 24,25.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. The Last Days of David. 1 Kings 1:1-2:46 [167].
A. Rivals for Throne. 1 Kings 1:1-53.
B. David's Last Wards. 1 Kings 2:1-12.
C. Solomon Removes Curses. 1 Kings 2:13-46.
2. Reign of Solomon. 1 Kings 3:1-11:43 [168].
A. Solomon's Splendor. 1 Kings 3:1-4:34.
B. Erection of Temple. 1 Kings 5:1-7:51.
C. Dedication of Temple. 1 Kings 8:1-66.
D. Solomon's Decline. 1 Kings 9:1-11:43.
3. The Two Kingdoms. 1 Kings 12:1 [169] 2 Kings 17:41 [170].
A. The Schism. 1 Kings 12:1-14:31.
B. The Early Wars. 1 Kings 15:1-16:28.
C. Ahab and Elijah. 1 Kings 16:29-22:40.
D. The Elisha Stories. 1 Kings 22:41-2 Kings 8:29.
E. Revolution of Jehu. 2 Kings 9:1-10:36.
F. Fall of Northern Kingdom. 2 Kings 11:1-17:41.
4. Survival of Judah. 2 Kings 18:1-25:30 [171].
A. Assyrian Period. 2 Kings 18:1-21:26.
B. End of Judah. 2 Kings 22:1-25:30.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. In olden times First and Second Kings were one book.
2. The original book was a combination of J and E.
3. During and just after the glamour of the days of Josiah, there was a thorough revision by Deuteronomic editors.
4. And during the exile the P editors added their contributions.
5. Remember that it was Hilkiah who found Deuteronomy in the temple and so started the Josiah reforms.
6. Kings yields 51 Deuteronomic phrases-characteristic.
7. There were two definite Deuteronomic editors-the earlier and the later.
IV. SOURCES
1. Olden oral traditions.
2. The Acts of Solomon. This is the lost biography of Solomon.
3. Another lost book-the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
4. Also lost-the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.
5. It was probably written around 620 B.C.
6. Kings is a compilation from at least five different sources.
V. METHOD AND PURPOSE
1. The original author had a plan to deal with the northern and southern kingdoms contemporaneously.
2. The later editors held up Josiah as the ideal of a king of Davidic dynasty.
3. Monotheism is the theme song of Kings. "You shall have no other gods before me-I am a jealous God."
4. Israel's later troubles came because Solomon built shrines for the gods of his many wives:
A. The Zidonian Astarte.
B. Ammonite Melek. (Molech)
C. Moabite Chemosh.
5. The same old concept is upheld: obey God and prosper; disobey and suffer-meet with disaster.
6. This book concentrates all worship at Jerusalem.
7. Jehu was condemned because he tolerated sacrifices and worship at Bethel.
8. Ahab was a "bad king" because he tolerated idols; Hezekiah was a "good king" because he made a clean sweep of idols and shrines; he even threw out of the temple the bronze serpent of Mosea.
9. Manasseh was the really "bad king"-he made his sons pass through the fire, practiced augury, used enchantments, fraternized with "familiar spirits" and with wizards.
10. The plan of Kings is:
A. Date of king's accession, capital.
B. Age of king. Length of reign.
C. Name of queen mother.
D. King's attitude toward Deuteronomy.
E. Death and burial.
11. Only two kings won full approval: Hezekiah and Josiah.
12. The other kings "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."
13. The Elijah stories were not a part of the original book.
14. The wholesale condemnation of Israel's and Judah's kings was the work of the second or later Deuteronomic editor.
VI. THE DEUTERONOMIC EDITORS
1. The first Deuteronomic editor finished his work soon after the death of Josiah (600 B.C.). There was another Deuteronomic revision about 550 B.C.
2. This second revision also included everything from Genesis to Kings.
3. The Deuteronomic editor explained Josiah's troubles upon the basis of suffering punishment for Manasseh's sins.
4. The second Deuteronomic editor knew about Cyrus and his activities. He may have also been influenced by the Second Isaiah.
5. These are also the times of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
6. The second Deuteronomic editor was less hostile toward the kings of the northern kingdom.
7. The period covered by Kings is a little over-four hundred years.
VII. TALES OF THE NORTH
1. The outstanding figures of the northern kingdom were Elijah, ELisha, and Ahab.
2. These stories had their origin in the north, because:
A. Nothing is said against the calf worship of Bethel.
B. No objection to sacrifice and worship at northern "high places."
C. Elijah repairs the altar on Mt. Carmel.
D. Elijah's work devoted to the overthrow of the altars of the Tyrian Baal-introduced by Ahab's Tyrian wife Jezebel.
3. The author of the Elijah stories was a skillful writer-as literature his work is the equal of any Old Testament writer.
4. The Elisha stories were written by a much less competent author-they are deficient in dramatic power.
5. The Elijah and Elisha stories show what a "wonder worker" age this was- the widow's food, the resurrected boy, the famine, the boys who ridiculed the prophet's baldness, and the bears.
6. The Ahab narratives had a different author.
7. The second Deuteronomic editor put all these stories together-tried to effect a conflation.
VIII. TALES OF THE SOUTH
1. Sennacherib's attack on Judah and unexplained withdrawal (even though Hezekiah paid tribute).
2. Story of the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army.
3. Hezekiah's sickness.
4. Insertion of stories like the embassy of Merodach-baladan which seems to be drawn from Isaiah.
IX. MODERN SIGNIFICANCE
1. The folly of thinking God dwells in only one place.
2. The last Deuteronomic editor taught that God is ever willing to pardon and forgive.
3. All sin sets in motion a tragic train of consequences.
4. Out of the sorrows of exile, there may dawn the joy of new hopes.
5. Reading of the book of Kings should be followed by the comfort and promises of the Second Isaiah.
X. SELECTED TEXTS 1 KINGS
1. Solomon asks for wisdom. "'Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil.'" 3:9.
2. Two mothers and one child. "And the king said, 'Bring me a sword.'...And the king said, 'Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.'" 3:24,25.
3. The gift of wisdom. "And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and largeness of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east." 4:29,30.
4. King Hiram helps. "And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying...'I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber.'" 5:8.
5. Solomon builds the temple. "So Solomon built the house, and finished it." 6:14.
6. Hiram the architect. "And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre." 7:13.
7. Magnitude of God. "'But win God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built.'" 8:27.
8. Hiram gets 20 cities. "And Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee." 9:11.
9. The queen of Sheba. "And she said to the king, 'The report was true which I heard in my own land of your affairs and of your wisdom.'" 10:6.
10. Solomon's wives. "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women... He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart." 11:1,3.
11. Elijah and the rain. "Elijah...said to Ahabo...'there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.'" 17:1.
12. The landlady's son. "Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the Lord...'let this child's soul come into him again.'" 17:21.
13. Elijah and Ahab. "When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, 'Is it you, you troubler of Israel?' And he answered, 'I have not troubled Israel, but you have...because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.'" 18:17,18.
14. Elijah and prophets of Baal. "And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, 'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is musing, or he has gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.' And they cried aloud and cut themselves...they raved on...but there was no voice; no one answered." 18:27-29.
15. The still small voice. "And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord
16. Jegebel's forgery. "So she wrote letters in Ahab's name...and let them... take him (Naboth) out, and stone him to death." 21:8-10.'
2 KINGS
17. Elijah parts the Jordan. "Then Elijah took his mantle...and struck the water, and the water was parted...till the two of them could go over on dry ground." 2:8.
18. Elijah is translated. "A chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 2:11.
19. The boys and the bears. "Some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, 'Go up, you baldhead:'...He cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys." 2:23,24.
20. Elisha and the dead child. "When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on the bed...Then he went in...and prayed...and lay upon the child...and as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm." 4:32,34.
21. Naaman's leprosy. "And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, 'Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored.'...So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan...and his flesh was restored." 5:10,14.
22. The Assyrian slaughter. "And that night the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians." 19:35.
23. Josiah's reforms. "Moreover Josiah put away the mediums and the wizards and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah." 23:24.
24. The fall of Jerusalem. "And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon... Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem." 25:1.
11. FIRST AND SECOND CHRONICLES
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1 CHRONICLES
1. Genealogy. 1-9.
2. Saul and David. 10-22.
3. Solomon and Temple. 23-29.
2 CHRONICLES
4. Solomon. 1-9.
5. Division of Kingdom. 10-16.
6. Jeho shaphat. 17-20.
7. The Other Kings. 21-36.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE 1 CHRONICLES
1. Genealogies. 1:1-9:44 [172].
A. Ancestors of All People. 1:1-54.
B. Descendants of Judah. 2:1-55.
C. Descendants of David. 3:1-24.
D. Sons of Judah and Simeon. 4:1-43.
E. Trans-Jordan Tribes. 5:1-26.
F. Sons of Levi. 6:1-81.
G. Northern Tribes. 7:1-40.
H. Sons of Benjamin. 8:1-40.
I. Jerusalem Families. 9:1-9.
J. The Temple Staff. 9:10-34.
K. Ancestors of Saul. 9:35-44.
2. The Reign of David. 10:1-29:30 [173].
A. End of Saul. 10:1-14.
B. David's Triumphs. 11:1-12:40.
C. Failure with Ark. 13:1-14.
D. Palace and Victories. 14:1-17.
B. Ark in Zion. 15:1-16:43.
F. Desire to Build Temple. 17:1-27.
G. David's Victories. 18:1-20:8.
H. Census and Plague. 21:1-22:1.
I. Preparation for Temple. 22:2-19.
J. Duties of Levites. 23:1-26:32.
K. Administration. 27:1-34.
L. David's Farewell. 28:1-29:30.
2 CHRONICLES
3. Reign of Solomon. 1:1-9:31 [174].
A. Solomon's Wisdom. 1:1-17.
B. Building the Temple. 2:1-4:22.
C. Consecration of Temple. 5:1-7:10.
D. Solomon's Vision. 7:11-22.
E. Solomon's Activities. 8:1-18.
F. Queen of Sheba's Visit. 9:1-31.
4. The Kings of Judah. 10:1-36:23 [175].
A. Rehoboam. 10:1-12:16.
B. Abijah. 13:1-22.
C. Asa. 14:1-16:14.
D. Jehoshaphat. 17:1-20:37.
E. Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah. 21:1-23:21.
F. Joash. 24:1-27.
G. Amaziah. 25:1-28.
H. Uzziah. 26:1-23.
I. Jotham. 27:1-9.
J. Ahaz. 28:1-27.
K. Hezekiah. 29:1-32:33.
L. Manasseh and Amon. 33:1-25.
M. Josiah. 34:1-35:27.
N. Last Kings of Judah. 36:1-23.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. The Chronicler belonged to the "priestly cult." He composed First and Second Chronicles after the exile.
2. This is the first Old Testament book we have encountered which has no J, E, or D contributions.
3. But, after the Chronicler wrote the original book, there were many slight additions and editorial changes.
4. The book carries vast quotations from, both Samuel and Kings.
5. The unique feature of Chronicles is that it is the only book of the Old Testament giving a Hebrew philosophy of history.
6. The book was written by the same person who also authored Ezra and Nehemiah-probably Ezra.
7. It was written from 300 to 250 B.C.
IV. CHARACTERISTICS
1. Chronicles undertakes a new interpretation of Israelite history.
2. This book is the priestly viewpoint of all things Jewish.
3. In some places the book breathes a spirit of intolerance, but on the whole it pleads for one God, one faith, one people. The Chronicler was the original "ecumenicist."
4. The book reviews all of Israelite history from Genesis to Kings, except that there are no quotations from Judges.
5. The Chronicler was hostile, almost bitter, toward everything and everybody in the northern kingdom. The later or second editor was more friendly toward the north.
6. The Chronicler dearly loved fantastically big numbers. David was made king by 339,000 warriors. His donations to the temple rival the riches of Croesus.
7. He regarded Yahweh as a God of ritual, ceremony, and sacrifice. Worship was the center of all religion.
8. The Chronicler wrote pictorial drama. The perfection of David, the splendor of Solomon, and the glory of the temple-these were the mission of this author.
9. Things were good in the southern kingdom, bad in the northern kingdom.
10. Chronicles is a call to living. "'Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.'" 2 Chron. 20:20.
11. Critics have offered several objections to Chronicles:
A. Unnecessary. Endless lists of names, and so much quoted verbatim from Samuel and Kings.
B. Uninteresting. True, certain parts were superior, but so much was of little present and practical value.
C. Defective. It was such a lopsided history of Judah, so unfair to the northern kingdom, David is always so perfect.
D. Incredible. Unreal history of the Levites. Exaggeration of numbers. Jehoshaphat had an army of 1,160,000 soldiers. Members engaged in victories and defeats-beyond all reason. On one day, in a clash with the Israelites, Ahaz lost 120,000. In another case, 200,000 men, women, and children were taken captive.
12. But Chronicles is not history. It is a drama based on history. Some of Jesus' parables may not have been factual, but they served to illustrate thetruth he was inculcating.
13. Jesus intended to portray ideas and ideals-to tell us how best to live and worship.
14. The Chronicler wanted to translate ideals into actuality.
15. From history, he wanted to draw principles to help man deal wisely with life's vicissitudes.
16. Remember the circumstances of the author's day:
A. The kingdom of Israel had fallen. The Assyrians had deported 30,000 Israelites.
B. Judah fell-the Babylonians had taken captive the flower and brains of the land.
C. Cyrus allowed some of the Jews to return to Jerusalem. They were anxious to have the genuine priests take over the temple services.
D. The 520 B.C. substitute temple was a poor excuse for Solomon's temple.
E. For 150 years nothing special happened. Then came Nehemiah from Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
F. Shortly a caravan of 1,800 Hebrews came up from Babylon led by Ezra.
17. The Chronicler is true to Hebrew philosophy: obey God and prosper; disobey and reap disaster.
18. Kings says Asa did not abolish the "high places"; Chronicles says he did. (2 Chron. 14:5)
V. SOURCES
1. The author alludes to "lost sources," but he does not quote from them as he does from both Samuel and Kings.
2. Chronicles tells a somewhat different story about the reigns of both Hezekiah and Josiah, as compared with the record in Kings.
3. The Chronicler may not have been a poet in words, but he did have the soul of a poet.
4. We will never really know whether or not the Chronicler had access to records which have since been lost.
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1 CHRONICLES
1. The end of Saul. "The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, 'Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and make sport of me.' But his armor-hearer would not. ...Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it." 10:3,4.
"So Saul died for his unfaithfulness...And also consulted a medium." 10:13.
2. David anointed king. "So all the elders of Israel came to...Hebron...and they anointed David king over Israel." 11:3.
3. Moving the ark. "Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us...Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled...and he died there before God." 13:3,9,1O.
4. A tent for the ark. "David...prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it." 15:1.
5. Welfare methods. "When David had finished offering the burnt offerings... he...distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins." 16:2,3.
6. Solomon. "He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever." 17:12.
7. Taking the census. "Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to number Israel." 21:1.
"So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell seventy thousand men." 21:14.
8. David prepares for the temple. "David said, 'Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent...I will therefore make preparation for it.'" 22:5.
9. David's admonition. "Then David said to Solomon...'Be strong and of good courage...for the Lord God...is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.'" 28:20.
2 CHRONICLES
10. Solomon's prayer. "'Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people.'" 1:10.
11. Solomon builds. "Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem...at the place that David had appointed." 3:1.
12. Temple dedication. "When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering...And the glory of the Lord filled the temple." 7:1.
12. EZRA AND NEHEMIAH
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF EZRA
1. Rebuilding the Temple. 1-3.
2. The Adversaries. 4,5.
3. Decrees and Reforms. 6-10.
NEHEMIAH
4. Rebuilding the Walls. 1-6.
5. Legislation. 7-12.
6. Reforms. 13.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
EZRA
1. Shesh-bazzar's Return. 1:1-2:70 [176].
A. Preliminary. 1:1-4.
B. Preparation for Return. 1:5-11.
C. Returning Israelites. 2:1-70.
2. Building the Temple. 3:1-6:22 [177].
A. Rehabilitation. 3:1-6.
B. Work on the Temple. 3:7-6:22.
3. Ezra Returns. 7:1-8:36 [178].
A. Introduction. 7:1-10.
B. Ezra's Commission. 7:11-28.
C. Ezra's Associates. 8:1-14.
D. Temple Servants. 8:15-20.
E. Preparation for Departure. 8:21-23.
F. Transporting Treasure. 8:24-30.
G. Arrival. 8:31-36.
4. Mixed Marriages. 9:1-10:44 [179].
A. Report. 9:1-2.
B. Ezra's Reaction. 9:3-15.
C. Public Reaction. 10:1-6.
D. Public Assembly. 10:7-15.
E. Jerusalem Commission. 10:16-19.
F. List of Foreign Marriages. 10:20-4
4.NEHEMIAH
5. Nehemiah Hears News. 1:1-11 [180].
A. The News. 1:1-4.
B. Nehemiah's Prayer. 1:5-11.
6. Nehemiah's Petition Granted. 2:1-2:8 [181].
7. Nehemiah as Governor. 2:9-20 [182].
A. Nehemiah's Arrival. 2:9-11.
B. Inspection of Wall. 2:12-15.
C. Talks to Leaders. 2:16-18.
D. Conflict with Officials. 2:19,20.
8. Building the Wall. 3:1-4:23 [183].
A. Workers on the Wall. 3:1-32.
B. Reaction of Neighbors. 4:1-3.
C. Nehemiah's Imprecation. 4:4,5.
D. Further Progress. 4:6.
E. The Conspiracy. 4:7-12.
F. Defensive Measures. 4:13-23.
9. Economic Problems. 5:1-19 [184].
A. Internal Problems. 5:1-13.
B. Nehemiah's Administration. 5:14-19.
10. Continued Work on Wall. 6:1-19 [185].
A. Psychological Attacks. 6:1-14.
B. Completion of Wall. 6:15,16.
C. Tobiah. 6:17-19.
11. Reorganization of Jerusalem. 7:1-73 [186].
A. The Watchmen. 7:1-3.
B. The Population. 7:4-73.
12. Reading the Law. 7:73-8:18 [187].
A. Assembly. 7:73-8:2.
B. Reading the Law. 8:3-8.
C. Celebrate with Joy. 8:9-12.
D. Feast of Booths. 8:13-18.
13. Sundry Admonitions. 9:1-4 [188].
14. Penitential Psalm. 9:5-37 [189].
A. Doxology. 9:5.
B. God the Creator. 9:6.
C. The Covenant. 9:7,8.
D. In Egypt. 9:9-11.
E. In the Wilderness. 9:12-21.
F. Conquest of Canaan. 9:22-25.
G. Sin and Punishment. 9:26-31.
H. Plea for Mercy. 9:32-37.
15. Pledge of Keform. 9:38-10:39 [190].
A. Introduction. 9:38.
B. Signers of Document. 10:1-27.
C. Abstract of Document. 10:28-39.
16. Distribution of Peoples. 11:1-36 [191].
A. Population of Jerusalem. 11:1,2.
B. Leaders in Jerusalem. 11:3-24.
C. Towns outside Jerusalem. 11:25-36.
17. Clerical Genealogies. 12:1-26 [192].
A. Priests. 12:1-7.
B. Levites. 12:8,9.
C. High Priestso 12:10,11.
D. Joiakim. 12:12-21.
E. Source of Lists. 12:22,23.
F. Levites of Joiakim. 12:24-26.
18. Dedication of the Walls. 12:27-43 [193].
A. Rejoicing and Celebration. 12:27-29.
B. Purification. 12:30.
C. Circumambulation. 12:31-42.
D. Sacrifices. 12:43.
19. The Ideal Community. 12:44-13:3 [194].
20. Nehemiah'a Reforms. 13:4-31 [195].
A. Expulsion of Tobiah. 13:4-9.
B. Levitical Support. 13:10-14.
C. Sabbath Reforms. 13:15-22.
D. Marriage Reforms. 13:23-29.
E. Recapitulation. 13:30,31.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. The Chronicler, the author of First and Second Chronicles, is also the author of Ezra and Nehemiah.
2. We are not certain as to who this author was, but it was probably Ezra- the scribe-priest.
3. It is also probable that he wrote the Esdras books of the Apocrypha. These books cover the same events as depicted in Ezra and Nehemiah.
4. The literary style of Chronicles is identical with the style of Ezra and Nehemiah.
5. He is over-concerned with the temple and the cultus. Some have thought the author was a musician-that he belonged to the guild of Asaph.
6. The Talmud says that Ezra was the author of Ezra and Nehemiah.
7. These were written during the reconstruction period following the exile.
8. The author may have had some records at his disposal which have since been lost (Book of Genealogy, Temple Records).
9. The author was a person of great imagination, inventive skill, and profound convictions.
IV. SOME CONSIDERATIONS
1. Ezra and Nehemiah were possibly co-workers. Ezra was the managing priest while Nehemiah was the Governor-a layman.
2. Ezra was greatly concerned with the dissolution of foreign marriages.
3. It is interesting to note that neither Ezra nor Nehemiah are quoted in the New Testament.
4. Ezra was devoted to the rebuilding of Israel's worship. Nehemiah was concerned with rebuilding the walls of the city.
5. Ezra brought 1496 persons with him from Babylon-a four-months' journey.
6. Ezra is probably the father of the Hebrew Sanhedrin.
7. Ezra was primarily a reformer and propagandist.
8. Nehemiah was an engineer. He was an organizer and administrator.
9. Zerubbabel was one-time Governor of Judea, with Joshua as high priest. He had so much to do with rebuilding that the temple was known as "Zerub-babel's temple."
10. The memoirs of Nehemiah were once a separate book-before being incorporated into Ezra and Nehemiah.
11. Even if Ezra wrote those books, a later editor did a great deal of work on the narrative.
12. It may be mentioned that Josephus, the Hebrew historian, makes more use of the Esdras books than of Ezra and Nehemiah for the history of this period.
13. Throughout all of this story, it should be remembered that Nehemiah was a eunuch.
V. PRIORITY OF NEHEMIAH
1. While it is possible that Ezra and Nehemiah may have been contemporaries for a season, there is much evidence that Nehemiah was in Jerusalem long before Ezra arrived.
2. The facts which point to the priority of Nehemiah are:
A. It is not likely that the same king would send two men to Jerusalem with the same authority to do a Job at the same time.
B. In original records, Ezra and Nehemiah seem to ignore each other.
C. In preparing for a census Nehemiah alludes to Zerubbabel, but does not mention Ezra.
D. Nehemiah comes to an empty city; Ezra is working in a busy city.
E. Nehemiah finds the defenses of the city destroyed; Ezra talks about the "restored walls."
F. Nehemiah was contemporary with the high priest Eliashib; Ezra, with the high priest Jehohanan.
G. Nehemiah found children speaking the language of their foreign mothers. This would hardly have been so, if Ezra had already broken up these mixed marriages.
3. So it would appear that Nehemiah preceded Ezra in the return from Babylon.
VI. HISTORICITY
1. Biblical critics, while disposed to accept Nehemiah's history as valid, have raised many questions about Ezra as a historian.
2. So little is known about the history of Israel during the "Persian period," it is difficult to check Ezra's historicity.
3. When all is said and done, most of what Ezra writes seems to ring true- it is at least plausible.
4. It is a fact that the peculiar style of the Chronicler does persist throughout Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
VII. THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
1. Ezra was almost a fanatic regarding the origin and development of the temple cultus with all of its ceremonies, sacrifices, laws, and holy days.
2. Ezra was the builder of the exclusive and self-conscious type of postexilic Judaism.
3. It was this same type of rigid Judaism that Paul had to contend with when he carried the gospel to the gentiles.
4. In Ezra and Nehemiah, for the first time, Aramaic sources are brought to light.
5. Ezra was anxious to point out how much trouble he and Nehemiah had with their neighbors, especially in Samaria.
6. Both of them were staunch believers in Providence-always alluding to the "hand of the Lord."
7. Ezra does not show any of the solemn grandeur of the olden prophets, but he does show diligence and skill in trying to carry into effect their admonitions.
8. They lost much "culture" by throwing out the "foreigners," but they did save the "cult."
9. Moderns look down on Ezra as a fanatical legalist, but he did, at least in his way, have an answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?"
VIII. SELECTED TEXTS EZRA
1. Cyrus ends the exile. "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia...he made a proclamation...'Whoever is among you...let him go up to Jerusalem...and rebuild the house of the Lord.'" 1:1-3.
2. The reactionaries. "Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and made them afraid to build, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose." 4:4,5.
3. Stopping the work. "Then the work on the house of God...stopped...until the second year...of Darius." 4:24.
4. Ezra arrives. "Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses...and the king granted him all that he asked." 7:6.
NEHEMIAH
5. Nehemiah resumes work. '"Let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace...Let us rise up and build.'" 2:17,18.
6. The priests go to work. "Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house." 3:28.
7. A mind to work. "So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height. For the people had a mind to work." 4:6.
8. How they worked. "Each with one hand labored on the work and with the other held his weapon." 4:17.
9. A long day. "So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn till the stars came out." 4:21.
10. Refusal to be diverted. "'I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.'" 6:3.
11. Ezra reads the law. "And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly... And he read from it...from early morning until mid-day." 8:2,3.
12. The dedication. "And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites...to bring them...to celebrate the dedication with gladness." 12:27.
13. ESTHER
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Vashti and Esther. 1,2.
2. Haman and Mordicai. 3-7.
3. The Vindication. 8-10.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Affairs in the Court of Susa. 1:1-2:23 [196].
A. Wealth and Glory of Ahasuerus. 1:1-9.
B. Dethronement of Vashti. 1:10-22.
C. Search for New Queen. 2:1-4.
D. Mordecai and Esther. 2:5-7.
E. Esther Chosen Queen. 2:8-18.
F. Attempt on King's Life. 2:19-23.
2. Feud between Haman and Mordecai. 3:1-9:19 [197]
A. Haman and Mordecai. 3:1-6.
B. Haman's Plot. 3:7-15.
C. Mordecai's Plan. 4:1-17.
D. Esther's Audience. 5:1-8.
E. Pride Goes before a Fall. 5:9-14.
F. An Unrewarded Service. 6:1-5.
G. Haman's Humiliation. 6:6-14.
H. Haman's Downfall. 7:1-10.
I. Mordecai's Advancement. 8:1,2.
J. Esther's Petition. 8:3-8.
K. A New Decree. 8:9-14.
L. Popular Reaction. 8:15-17.
M. Day of Vengeance. 9:1-10.
N. Origin of the Days of Purim. 9:11-19.
3. Regulation for Observance of Purim. 9:20-10:3 [198].
A. Legalizing of Purim. 9:20-28.
B. Esther Adds Authorization. 9:29-32.
C. Greatness of Mordecai. 10:1-3.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. The author of this piece of Semitic history fiction is unknown.
2. The book was written to justify the two-day feast of Purim, which had long been celebrated by the Jews.
3. There are implications that the author was a Persian Jew.
4. The author seems to have had a cynical attitude toward religion. He depended on political intrigue.
5. The author was a skillful literary artist. Esther is regarded as a masterpiece of literature.
6. Perhaps written during the third century B.C. or possibly as late as 125 B.C.
IV. PURPOSE
1. Purim had no basis in the law. As a holiday it was probably picked up from another nation, much as modern Jews, in a secular way, celebrate Christmas.
2. The book of Esther supplies the reason for the continued celebration of the Purim festival.
3. Purim was a convivial and secular celebration and it needed some sort of racial or religious background for its justification. It was the only worldly holiday in the Jewish calendar.
4. To sum up: The book was to propagandize and justify Purim.
V. HISTORICITY
1. Herodotus, the Greek historian, makes no mention of Xerxes having either Vashti or Esther as queen.
2. Most scholars regard the book as romance fiction-designed to tickle Jewish fancy and exalt the national ego.
3. In other words, Esther should be classed as a historical novel.
4. There were objections to the book's being received into the sacred canon, there being no mention of God, prayer, or any other religious practice.
5. The ethics and morals of the book are in every way contrary to the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and the teachings of Christianity.
VI. SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. The little book is shot through with exaggerations: high gallows, six months' feast, year's beauty treatment for court maidens, 10,000 talents ($18,000,000) for financing the pogrom.
2. The book exhibits gross Jewish intolerance-75,510 gentiles were slaughtered in a single day.
3. Part of the original book of Esther was so distasteful that it was removed and put in the Apocrypha.
4. Neither Jesus nor any New Testament writer ever quotes from, or refers to the book of Esther.
5. The heroine of the book violates Jewish prohibition of marriage with the uncircumcised gentiles.
6. Esther was not accepted for the Old Testament canon until A.D.397 at the Council of Carthage.
7. The book of Esther may have something to do with creating and perpetuating the historic cleavage between historic Judaism and prophetic Christianity.
8. Esther is certainly contrary to the teaching of both the Second Isaiah and Jesus of Nazareth.
9. Esther became popular among the Jews because Purim was always a popular and festive holiday.
VII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Beauty treatment. "Now when the turn came for each maiden to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regula tions for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments." 2:12.
2. Esther becomes queen. "The king loved Esther more than all the women...so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen." 2:17.
3. Haman seeks destruction of Jews. "When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down...to him...Haman sought to destroy all the Jews." 3:5,6.
4. Edict for destruction of Jews. "Letters were sent...to destroy...all Jews." 3:13.
5. For such a time. "'And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'" 4:14.
6. The gallows. "'Let a gallows...be made...tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it.'" 5:14.
7. Mordecai's kindness. "And it was found written how Mordecai had told about...two of the king's eunuchs...who had sought to lay hands upon King Ahasuerus." 6:2.
8. Mordecai honored. "Then the king said to Haman, 'Make haste, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew.'" 6:10.
9. The king hangs Haman. "Then Queen Esther answered...'Let my life be given me...and my people. For we are...to be destroyed'...Then King Ahasuerus answered...'Who is he...that would presume to do this?' And Esther said... 'This wicked Haman.'" 7:3-6.
"Then said...one of the eunuchs...'the gallows which Haman has prepared for Mordecai...is standing...' And the king said, 'Hang him...' So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai." 7:9,10.
10. The Jews saved. "'And you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king.'" 8:8.
11. Origin of Purim. "Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur." 9:26.
14. JOB
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Job, Eliphaz, and Bildad. 1-10.
2. Zophar, Job, Eliphaz, and Bildad. 11-31.
3. Elihu. 32-37.
4. God. 38-41.
5. Job. 42.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Prologue. 1:1-2:13 [199].
2. Poetic Discussion. 3:1-31:40 [200].
A. Lament of Job. 3:1-26.
B. First Cycle of Discussion. 4:1-14:22.
C. Second Cycle of Discussion. 15:1-21:34.
D. Third Cycle of Discussion. 22:1-27:23.
E. Hymn on Wisdom. 28:1-28
F. Job's Peroration. 29:1-31:40.
3. Discourses of Elihu. 32:1-37:24 [201].
A. Preface in Prose. 32:1-5.
B. Poetic Introduction. 32:6-22.
C. First Part, Job's Defense. 33:1-35:16.
D. Second Part, Mercy of God. 36:1-37:24.
4. Voice from the Whirlwind. 38:1-42:6 [202].
A. First Discourse of Yahweh. 38:1-40:5.
B. Second Discourse of Yahweh. 40:6-42:6.
5. Epilogue in Prose. 42:7-17 [203].
A. Job's Intercession for Friends. 42:7-9.
B. Job's Restoration. 42:10-17.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. The author or authors are unknown. Probably more than one-not to mention numerous subsequent editors.
2. The author may have been a Jew or an Edomite.
3. The author was a scholar of great learning-had a vast vocabulary. He was an original theological thinker.
4. The author of Job is the only Biblical writer who has been compared to Shakespeare.
5. The book is based on an ancient legend-the folk tale of Job.
6. Ezekiel knew about the story of Job in the sixth century-possibly before the present book was written. He refers to Job, along with Noah and Daniel (Eze. 14:14).
IV. AN OVER-ALL LOOK AT JOB
1. We often hear about "the patience of Job." (Jas. 5:11 King James Version) But few people know very much about the book of Job.
2. Job is a poem dealing with the meaning of life-relation of suffering to religion.
3. Job belongs to the so-called wisdom type of Hebrew literature.
4. In the Urantia Book, Jesus presents an instructive discussion of Job on (1662.3) 148:6.1 [204].
5. Jesus calls Job a "masterpiece of Semitic literature."
6. There are many earmarks of Edomite influence in Job. The original folk tale may have located Job in Edom.
7. There are folk stories similar to Job in India, Egypt, Babylon, and the Near East.
8. There are also numerous cases of "betting" between God and Satan.
9. Job is a revolt against the doctrine that there is only one cause of human suffering.
10. Job is the story of a just soul who suffered and despaired, but battled through to peace, hope, and victory.
11. Job is a tragic drama. It is in reality a philosophical debate.
12. The author of Job was an original thinker, a philosopher, a theologian, and a practical sociologist.
13. Job indicates that the time had come when Jews no longer believed that God was responsible for everything-including evil.
14. Personal experience triumphs over pessimistic theology.
V. COMPOSITION AND DATE
1. The prologue and epilogue are in prose; the book itself is a poem.
2. The book was put in its present form after the exile, during a time when Satan had appeared in Jewish theology, and could be held responsible for evil.
3. The psychology of Job is both profound and modern. The authors were well versed in the wisdom of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
4. The vocabulary "affinities" in Job number fifteen to twenty, but are not sufficient to prove connection with any other Biblical books.
5. The Job story is as old as the eighth or even tenth century B.C. But the present book was written about the third or fourth century B.C.
6. The hymn of wisdom (Chap. 28) is an interruption of the narrative and may have separate authorship.
7. There are many passages in Job that suggest familiarity with the writings of Jeremiah.
8. There are also a few verses that suggest passages in the Second Isaiah.
9. The introduction to the discourse by Elihu is both ponderous and redundant -vastly different from the rest of Job.
10. The discourses of Yahweh seem to be directed toward raising the controversy from the finite level of man to the infinite level of God.
11. In the vocabulary of Job there are many expressions not found anywhere else in the whole Bible.
12. The literary style of Job is unsurpassed on the Bible. The sensibility, vigor, and elegance are superior to that found in any Hebrew writings.
13. The author knows astronomy. He talks about Orion, the Pleiades, and the Southern Cross.
VI. THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
1. There are a number of serious problems presented in Job:
A. Why do the righteous suffer?
B. Job's friends present a sixth century view of pain and affliction; the latter part of Job tends toward the third century attitude.
C. The meaning of living faith.
D. The wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of men.
2. The drama represents the revolt of individual conscience against the tyranny of orthodoxy.
3. The book attacks the problem of retributive justice.
4. It contrasts the divinity of God and the humanity of man-relations between man and God-the mission of GRACE.
5. The paradox of adversity as the reward of integrity-the mystery of the circumstances of life.
6. How the innocent can be struck with misfortune in heroic proportions.
7. Job, in facing death, begins to wonder about the future life. "If a man die, shall he live again?"
8. Job wants to prove that orthodoxy is a sort of theological sin.
9. Job craves a mediator-he wants someone to help him in dealing with the power, mystery, and perfection of God. He really foreshadows the ministry of the incarnation of Christ.
10. At last he concludes: "Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he that vouches for me is on high."
11. Job asserts his faith in the resurrection, and exclaims: "I know that my Redeemer (Vindicator) lives."
12. Job says: "When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold."
13. Belief becomes living faith. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee."
14. And the final conclusion: "That righteousness is not the work of but the gift of God." man
VII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The sons of God. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them." 1:6.
2. The Lord gives. "'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" 1:21.
3. Power of suggestion. "'For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.'" 3:25.
4. Cause and effect. "'For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.'" 5:6.
5. Arrows of the Almighty. "'For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.'" 6:4.
6. God's presence. "'Lo, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.'" 9:11.
7. Tribulation. "'Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.'" 14:1.
8. Miserable comforters. "Then Job answered...'miserable comforters are you all.'" 16:1.
9. My Vindicator lives. "'I know that my Redeemer (Vindicator) lives.'" 19:25.
10. Be at peace. "'Agree with God, and be at peace.'" 22:21.
11. The cosmos. "'He stretches out the north over the void, and hangs the earth upon nothing.'" 26:7.
12. Man's spirit. "'But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.'" 32:8.
13. The spirit of God. "'The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.'" 33:4.
14. Divine acceptance. "'Then man prays to God, and he accepts him, he comes into his presence with joy.'" 33:26.
15. Salvation. "'"I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not requited to me. He has redeemed my soul."'" 33:27,28.
16. Morning stars. "'When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.'" 38:7.
15. PSALMS
I. OUTLINE
1. First Book. 1-41 [205].
2. Second Book. 42-72 [91].
3. Third Book. 73-89 [206].
4. Fourth Book. 90-106 [207].
5. Fifth Book. 107-150 [208].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Nothing definite is known about the author of any psalm.
2. Assumed authors of Psalms are as follows:
David-79.
Asaph-12.
Solomon-2. 72,27.
Heman-1. 88.
Jeremiah-1. 137.
Korah-10.
Moses-1. 90.
Ethan-1. 89.
Anonymous-43.
III. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. In general, the Bible presents man talking to man, or God speaking to man, but Psalms presents man talking to God.
2. The philosophy and theology of the psalms cover a time period of almost one thousand years.
3. Each book of Psalms ends with a doxology. The last book has the last psalm as its doxology.
4. Psalms covers the whole gamut of human emotions, cheerful confidence and anxious foreboding, joyful faith and brooding despondency, loving kindness and bitter animosity, tenderness and ruthlessness.
5. The theology of Psalms ranges from the near-pagan to the high levels of the Second Isaiah.
6. The range is from praise, prayer, and thanksgiving to sublime worship.
7. Psalms is the prayer and hymn book of both Judaism and the Christian church.
8. In Books 2 and 3 the name of Deity has been changed from Yahweh to Elohim.
9. Ps. 104:19-23 sounds like the Egyptian Hymn to Aton-by Amenophis IV (Ikhnaton).
10. There is a lot of modern psychiatry in the book of Psalms.
11. Many of the psalms were intended to be accompanied by music-wind instruments, string instruments, and percussion.
12. Psalms ranges from private prayers to all phases of public worship.
IV. TYPES OF PSALMS
1. Hymns. Ps. 8, 19, 29, 33.
2. Public Laments. Ps. 44, 74, 79.
3. Royal Psalms. Ps. 2, 18, 20.
4. Individual Laments. Ps. 3, 5, 6, 7, 13.
5. Songs of Thanksgiving. Ps. 30, 32, 34.
6. Sundry Groups.
A. Enthronement. Ps. 47, 93.
B. Confidence. Ps. 4, 11, 16, 23.
C. Wisdom. Ps. 1, 37, 49.
D. Liturgies. Ps. 8, 42, 43, 46.
E. Prophetic. Ps. 12, 75.
F. Mixed Poems. Ps. 9, 10, 40, 78.
V. THE PSALTER AS A COMPILATION
1. Both great variety and duplications suggest compilation.
2. Use of both Yahweh and Elohim for God shows different theologic concepts.
3. Assumption of many authors indicates compilation.
4. Wide range of doctrine shows that the individual psalms had origin over a very wide time range.
5. All but 34 psalms have some sort of superscription attached-songs for private or temple worship, Sabbath, or weddings, etc.
6. Diverse poetic structure:
A. Synonymous. Second line repeats thought of the first.
"Hear this, all peoples!
"Give ear, all inhabitants of the world." 49:1.B. Antithetic. Second line antithetic to the first.
"For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
"but the way of the wicked will perish." 1:6. hill." 3:4.C. Synthetic. The second line completes the first.
"I cry aloud to the Lord,
"and he answers me from his holy hill." 3:4.
7. Some psalms are in stanzas, others acrostic in structure.
VI. RELIGION OF THE PSALMISTS
1. The Psalter does not present any systematic scheme of Jewish theology.
2. The God concept is monotheistic, although reference is made to other "gods."
3. God is righteous, just, merciful, and gracious. And he hears the prayers of his servants.
4. The world is the handiwork of God. The psalmists are not nature lovers.
5. Man lives his life and perishes "like the beasts of the field." There are but hints of survival beyond the grave.
6. The people of God are the Hebrews, but there are references to the fact that God rules and judges all nations.
7. But oh the whole, the psalms present a rugged Hebrew nationalism.
8. The cult us is upheld, but there is scant attention paid to "blood" and the sacrifices. The temple is venerated, but some of its ceremonies are slighted.
9. Certain psalms allude to the universal rule of Israel's God. They also refer to times when all men worship God.
10. In general, the psalms refer to the "goodness of the Lord to the land of the living," but they also talk about the day of Judgment and the end of the world.
11. Many of the psalms reflect the philosophy and religious beliefs of many ancient peoples-Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Persian.
12. Many psalms can hardly be called Christian. Note the following psalms of the imprecatory category-breathing vengeance: Ps. 58, 59, 69, 109, 137, and 149.
VII. PSALMS IN WORSHIP
1. The psalms were a part of the olden temple worship.
2. The psalms were associated with the annual Jewish feasts-First Fruits, Tabernacles, Pentecost, etc.
3. There is little information as to the use of the psalms in synagogue worship.
4. The psalms are still used in modern Jewish worship.
5. The Psalter has always been a part of worship in Christian churches.
6. There are 93 quotations from the Psalms in the New Testament.
7. Of all Old Testament books, the Psalter is the one book to be wholeheartedly adopted by the Christian church.
8. In contrast to the psalms of pagan hate and revenge, attention should be called to such beautiful hymns of praise, thanksgiving, and worship as Psalms 8, 29, 51, 62, 84, 105, and 106.
VIII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The blessed man. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord." 1:1,2.
2. The fool. "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" 14:1.
3. The goodly heritage. "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." 16:6.
4. Telling the glory of God. "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." 19:1.
5. Godforsaken. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 22:1.
6. Our shepherd. "The Lord is my shepherd." 23:1.
7. Goodness and mercy. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." 23:6.
8. Earth is the Lord's. "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." 24:1.
9. Our fortress. "Yea, thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name's sake lead me and guide me." 31:3.
10. Forgiveness. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." 32:1.
11. Making the heavens. "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth." 33:6.
12. Taste and see. "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" 34:8.
13. Afflictions of the righteous. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all." 34:19.
14. Care for the righteous. "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread." 37:25.
15. Law in the heart. "I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart." 40:8.
16. Thirst for God. "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." 42:2.
17. Our refuge. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." 46:1.
18. Contemplation. "'Be still, and know that I am God.'" 46:10.
19. The thousand hills. "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills." 50:10.
20. Purge me. "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." 51:7.
21. A clean heart. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me." 51:10,
22. Gaining rest. "'O that I had wings like a dove: I would fly away and be at rest.'" 55:6.
23. Cast your burden. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you." 55:22.
24. The higher rock. "Lead thou me to the rock that is higher than I; for thou art my refuge." 61:2,3.
25. The doorkeeper. "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." 84:10.
26. A thousand years. "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night." 90:4.
27. Threescore and ten. "The years of our life are threescore and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore." 90:10.
28. Shadow of the Almighty. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty." 91:1.
29. Guardian angels. "For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways." 91:11.
30. We are of dust. "For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." 103:14.
31. The covering of light. "Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent." 104:2.
32. The Creative Spirit. "When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground." 104:30.
33. Wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 111:10.
34. Mission of Affliction. "Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I keep thy word." 119:67.
35. Light of the word. "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." 119:105.
36. Strength from the hills. "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come?" 121:1.
37. Kept from evil. "The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life." 121:7.
38. The divine presence. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" 139:7.
39. The way everlasting. "Search me, O God, and know my heart I Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." 139:23,24.
40. The divine kindness. "The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings." 145:17.
16. PROVERBS
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Wisdom. 1-9.
2. Nature and Vice. 10-25.
3. Household Affairs. 26,27.
4. Society and Government. 28-31.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. The Excellence of Wisdom. 1:1-9:18 [209].
A. Title. 1:1.
B. Purpose of the Book. 1:2-6.
C. Motto of the Book. 1:7.
D. Exhortation and Warning. 1:8-19.
E. Wisdom's Warnings. 1:20-33.
F. Benefits of Wisdom. 2:1-22.
G. Blessings of Wisdom. 3:1-35.
H. Wisdom and Scholars. 4:1-27.
I. On Marital Life. 5:1-23.
J. Group of Warnings. 6:1-19.
K. Warnings against Adulteress. 6:20-7:27.
L. Praise of Wisdom. 8:1-36.
M. Wisdom and Folly. 9:1-18.
2. Proverbs of Solomon. 10:1-22:16 [210].
3. Sayings of the Wise. 22:17-24:34 [211].
A. Introduction. 22:17-21.
B. First Collection. 22:22-23:14.
C. Second Collection. 23:15-24:22.
D. Third Collection. 24:23-34.
4. Second Group of Solomon's Proverbs. 25:1-29:27 [212].
A. First Section. 25:1-27:27.
B. Second Section. 28:1-29:27.
5. Words of Agur. 30:1-33 [213].
A. Personal Reflections. 30:1-14.
B. Numerical Sayings. 30:15-33.
6. Words of Lemuel. 31:1-9 [214].
7. The Good Wife. 31:10-31 [215].
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. It is highly probable that the seven different sections of Proverbs had a different author or collector.
2. The seven sections are:
A. Praise of Wisdom. 1:7-9:18.
B. Proverbs of Solomon. 10:1-22:16.
C. Sayings of the Wise. 22:17-24;34
D. More Proverbs of Solomon. 25:1-29:27.
E. Words of Agur. 30:1-33.
F. Words of Lemuel. 31:1-9.
G. Praise of Good Wife. 31:10-31.
3. The majority of these proverbs are of pre-exilic origin.
4. Section I is assigned to post-exilic origin because of style, and evidence of Phoenician influence.
5. Section II is the core of the book-375 proverbs. The main characters:
The righteous and the wicked.
The wise and the fool.
The rich and the poor.
The proud and the humble.
The thrifty and the lazy.
6. Section III shows every evidence of being derived from the Egyptian Wisdom Book-by Amenemope. 800 B.C.
7. So-called Solomon's proverbs were collected and edited by someone associated with King Hezekiah. This is Section IV.
8. Authors of the remaining sections are uncertain, but the dates of these parts seem to be post-exilic.
9. The book in its present form dates about 400 B.C. (subject to some subsequent editing), but parts of it may extend from 800 B.C. to 250 B.C.
IV. WISDOM LITERATURE IN GENERAL
1. Among the early wise men were:
A. Balaam-Num. 23, 24.
B. Ethan, the Ezrahite.
C. Heman, Calcol, Darda-Edomites.
2. Prov. 8 and 9 are of Canaanite origin.
3. Prov. 22:17-23:14 are directly quoted from Egyptian teachings of Amenemope. (Amenemope's teachings are also found in Ps. 1 and Jer. 17:5-8.)
4. Did Israel borrow from the surrounding nations, or did they borrow from Israel? Or did they both draw from an older and common source?
5. Wisdom literature denounced intemperate, dishonest, and selfish living. It advocated "common sense."
6. These olden "wise men" were the ancient humanists.
7. Tradition attributed many of these proverbs to Solomon, as so many psalms were assigned to David.
8. Two features of Proverbs ran contrary to Jewish practice:
A. Emphasis of monogamy.
B. Emphasis on the individual, rather than the nation.
9. Two schools of philosophy run throughout Proverbs:
A. The secular.
B. The religious.
10. The religious section of Proverbs presents the Deuteronomic ideals of social and spiritual living.
11. The pleasures of life which should be enjoyed in moderation are:
A. Perfume.
B. Wine.
C. Honey.
D. Friendship.
E. Married Life.
12. Proverbs warn against:
A. Adultery.
B. Usury.
C. Fraud.
D. Theft.
E. Ill-gotten gains.
13. Reasons for leading the "good life" are based on self-interest rather than on moral or religious grounds.
14. The wise are identical with the pious, and they are supposed to enjoy long life, security, honor, riches, and happiness.
15. The proverbs are realistic and practical. Intelligence and diligence are factors in prosperity-as well as morals and religion.
16. Throughout the book there is to be detected a strain of cynicism.
17. Wise men dealt with both proverbs and fables-parables.
V. THE WISE MEN
1. The Jews had three types of teachers: (Jer. 18:18)
A. Prophets.
B. Priests.
C. Wise men.
2. About 200 B.C. the "scribes" replaced the "wise men." Scribes began to appear even in David's time. 2 Sam. 8:17.
3. Wise men were found in Israel before the eighth century B.C. See Isa. 29:14; Jer. 18:18.
4. There were also "wise women." One such lived in Tekoa-the home of Amos. 2 Sam. 14:1-20.
5. Solomon's wisdom was known to "all the kings of the earth." 1 Kings 4:29-34. (Possibly much of Solomon's wisdom was lost-by loss of the record.)
6. Wise men sat at the city gate-dispensing (for a fee) both wisdom and judgment.
7. They also gave advice in private-making "house calls."
8. Isaiah taunts the wise men for charging fees. Isa. 55:1.
9. The wise men, in Israel, did the work of modern psychologists and psychiatrists.
10. The wise men were naturalists-dealing with ants and other animal life.
11. Hebrew wise men often administered their wisdom in religious capsules, like "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
12. Many of the wise men tended to personify wisdom. (Wisdom was a member of a later Jewish and early Christian trinity.)
13. Personification of wisdom is suggested in Job 28. (Also 8 and 9)
14. The New Testament concept of wisdom is suggested in Jas. 3:17. "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity."
15. Like the psalms, the proverbs are formulated in three styles.
A. Synonymous. 7:1.
B. Antithetic. 10:5.
C. Synthetic. 18:13.
VI. PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY
1. The fact that Proverbs and Ecclesiastes got into the sacred canon proves that the teachings of the wise men became recognized and "respectable" in Israel.
2. To some extent "wisdom" became equated with the law.
3. In dealing with the practical problems of everyday life, wisdom somewhat made atonement for the grave errors of the false belief in Providence.
4. Wisdom literature held up high standards for:
A. Family life-monogamy.
B. Respect for mother and wife.
C. Chastity and marital fidelity.
Oppression of the poor was condemned, and gluttons, drunkards, sluggards, and robbers were denounced.
5. But in spite of such high ethical standards in the proverbs, they taught that goodness was usually motivated by personal interest and success.
6. In warning men against "strange women," the man is told to shun such a life because of its effect upon his physical and material state-nothing is said about sinfulness.
7. Proverbs foreshadows a growing belief in the "resurrection and life after death."
8. But in general, Proverbs teaches that all of the rewards for goodness and penalties for wickedness are fully experienced right here on earth. In neither case do they carry over into the next life.
9. Proverbs is liberally quoted in the New Testament. In other passages the teachings of Proverbs are implied. Even Jesus quoted from Proverbs a few times.
VII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The fear of the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." 1:7.
2. The upright. "For the upright will inhabit the land." 2:21.
3. Trusting God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight." 3:5.
4. Happiness and wisdom. "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding." 3:13.
5. Crooked speech. "Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you." 4:24.
6. Learn from the ants. "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." 6:6.
7. Jealousy. "For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge." 6:34.
8. Better than jewels. "For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her." 8:11.
9. Beginning of wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 9:10.
10. Stolen water. "'Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.'" 9:17.
11. Hatred and love. "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." 10:12.
12. Pride and disgrace. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom." 11:2.
13. Fruit of the righteous. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life." 11:30.
14. Evil and the righteous. "No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble." 12:21.
15. Hasty wealth. "Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it." 13:11.
16. Sparing the rod. "He who spares the rod hates his son." 13:24.
17. The deceptive way. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." 14:12.
18. Tranquillity. "A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot." 14:30.
19. The soft answer. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." 15:1.
20. The eyes of the Lord. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place." 15:3.
21. Food and emotions. "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it." 15:17.
22. The hot temper. "A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention." 15:18.
23. The spirit counts. "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit." 16:2.
24. The fountain of life. "Wisdom is a fountain of life." 16:22.
25. Mealtime emotions. "Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife." 17:1.
26. Cheerfulness. "A cheerful heart is a good medicine." 17:22.
27. Virtue of silence. "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise." 17:28.
28. Enduring sickness. "A man's spirit will endure sickness; but a broken spirit who can bear?" 18:14.
29. A man's gift. "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men." 18:16.
30. Finding a wife. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing." 18:22.
31. Wine a mocker. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler." 20:1.
32. The spirit of man. "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord." 20:27.
33. Control of speech. "He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." 21:23.
34. A good name. "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches." 22:1.
35. Child training. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." 22:6.
36. Shun winebibbers. "Be not among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat." 23:20.
37. Sparkling wine. "Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup." 23:31.
38. Don't envy evildoers. "Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked." 24:19.
39. Wise words. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." 25:11.
40. The fool and his folly. "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself." 26:4.
41. The tomorrow. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." 27:1.
42. The wicked flee. "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." 28:1.
43. Four mysteries. "Four (things) I do not understand:
the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a maiden." 30:18,19.
44. Strong drink. "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress." 31:6.
17. ECCLESIASTES
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Vanity. 1-6.
2. Wisdom. 7-10.
3. Charity. 11,12.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Koheleth's World Outlook. 1:1-4:3 [216].
A. Superscription. 1:1.
B. Nature's Aimless Toil. 1:2-11.
C. Purposelessness of Life. 1:12-2:26.
D. Futility of Human Effort. 3:1-15.
E. Amorality of Nature. 3:16-4:3.
2. Wise Man's Experience. 4:4-9:16 [217].
A. Wise Conduct of Life. 4:4-5:20.
B. Frustration of Hope. 6:1-12.
C. Enjoyment of Good. 7:1-22.
D. Source of Wisdom. 7:23-29.
E. Necessity of Compromise. 8:1-9.
F. Aimlessness of History. 8:10-17.
G. Death as Fate. 9:1-16.
3. Advice to Disciples. 9:17-12:7 [218].
A. Various Maxims. 9:17-10:20.
B. Need for Action. 11:1-8.
C. Rejoice while Young. 11:9-12:7.
4. Epilogue. 12:8-14 [219].
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. The "Preacher" lived in Jerusalem or its environs, during a time of oppression.
2. He was a high-minded and realistic humanist.
3. The epilogue was added by some devout and admiring intellectual.
4. The book got in the sacred canon because it was supposed to have been written by Solomon.
5. Koheleth is a fictitious name ascribed as author by some later-day editor.
6. Date: As late as 200 B.C. It probably grew by accumulation.
IV. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. This was the most controversial of all books admitted into the Old Testament canon.
2. The key to the book is: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." 1:2; 12:8.
3. The book possesses no form. Thirty to forty maxims are loosely held together.
4. Ecclesiastes is a post-exilic book.
5. Nature is presented as moving in a circle-an ever-recurring cycle. This was a widespread philosophy-Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Greek.
6. The book is cynical and mildly pessimistic.
7. The book discusses wisdom, pleasure, wealth, labor, and evildoing.
8. The plight of the oppressed, the discontented, the lonely, is presented- along with the incongruities of society.
9. The philosophy is mildly Epicurian-"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
V. CONTENTS
1. The course of nature does not alter-the present is as the past. Nothing is new.
2. There is but little satisfaction in great accomplishments. Better get wisdom-improve the mind. But in the end the wise man dies like the fool.
3. The frustration of "opposites." The futile struggle of life. Weeping and laughing-what is the purpose of life?
4. How is man better than the beast-both live and die-return to dust.
5. It is vain to toil for riches and then leave them to others.
6. Quietness has twice the value of toil.
7. When you worship be humble and listen. Don't talk much.
8. Don't make rash vows, but pay when you do make them.
9. Don't be surprised by injustice and corruption.
10. Learn how to accept your lot-practice contentment.
11. Too much levity and mirth become fools.
12. The righteous may have misfortune, and the wicked may prosper. But the wise man will avoid extremes and fear God.
13. The author of Ecclesiastes decides that he cannot solve the "riddle of life."
14. As long as there is life, there is hope-but the dead know nothing.
15. Time and chance happen to all. Wisdom is the only real comfort and satisfaction.
16. Folly may plague you, but wisdom removes difficulties.
17. Take life as it is. "Master the art of living with yourself as you are, and the world as it is."
18. "In the days of your youth remember your Creator."
19. The book presents little hope for the future life. Immortality and the resurrection find no mention in Ecclesiastes.
VI. COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
1. There is evidence that orthodox editors may have, here and there, added thoughts tending to correct the author's pessimism, and uphold the doctrine of God's supremacy.
2. Such an addition: "Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment." 12:13,14.
3. One theory of authorship of Ecclesiastes contends that:
A. The first author was a Greek philosopher.
B. The next editor was a Sadducean Jew.
C. The book was revised by an Epicurean, followed by a "wisdom" editor.
D. The last of the redactors was a pious Hebrew who sought to introduce touches of orthodox theology.
4. Critics claim that there are thirty-seven kinds of teaching in the book.
5. Maybe the trouble in Ecclesiastes represents the conflict of an orthodox Jew's becoming a Greek humanist-complicated by the later ideas of wisdom editors.
6. When all is said and done, we still think the book was originally written by one person.
7. It has been suggested that this book was not written for the general public, but as a textbook for the wisdom schools.
8. Ecclesiastes reflects many teachings found in Greek, Egyptian, Iranian, and Babylonian literature.
VII. THEOLOGY
1. Ecclesiastes uses Elohim for God. The outlook is universalistic. The name Israel occurs only once.
2. The book does not regard "nature" as a revelation of God.
3. But the author did regard God as a Creator. But nature seemed to be a "soulless mechanism."
4. Koheleth depersonalizes all nature. His thought is highly modern in concept.
5. The account of opposites and contrasts is the most impressive part of the book.
6. The book is strongly fatalistic and deterministic.
7. The book is strongly predestination in philosophy.
8. At death "all go to one place-both man and beast." There is little hope of a future life.
9. The doctrine of Ecclesiastes is found in 2:24,25. "There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?"
10. On the other hand, the book declares that "happiness is the gift of God."
11. The whole book, like Proverbs, exalts wisdom. Only the wise discover the "meaning of life."
12. The whole book is marked by Hebrew skepticism, like the 28th chapter of Job.
13. But all are warned against depending on wisdom without the recognition of God.
14. But still the author was a conformist.
15. The real theology of the book is to be found in the epilogue.
16. The God of mercy and love is never mentioned. Prayer is not anywhere noted.
17. After all, the book, taken as a whole, seems to repudiate the "humanism" which at first seems to be the keynote of the book.
18. Koheleth was an opportunist-he was something of a modern pragmatist.
19. But it is a far cry from these teachings to the New Testament gospel of the heavenly kingdom.
Note: ECCLESIASTICUS-The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach-is one of the outstanding books of the Apocrypha, and in many respects is very much like Ecclesiastes. Some have found it difficult to understand how the one got into the sacred canon, while the other got left out.
VIII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Theme song. "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." 1:2.
2. Everpresent weariness. "All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it." 1:8.
3. Fatalism. "'What befalls the fool will befall me also; why then have I been so very wise?'" 2:15.
4. Can't take it with you. "I hated an my toil...seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me." 2:18.
5. The seasons. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." 3:1.
6. Divine stability. "Whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it." 3:14.
7. Dust to dust. "All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again." 3:20.
8. Love of money. "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money; nor he who loves wealth, with gains this also is vanity." 5:10.
9. Sweet sleep. "Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let him sleep." 5:12.
10. A good name. "A good name is better than precious ointment."' 7:1.
11. Folly of anger. "Be not quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools." 7:9.
12. Self-righteousness. "Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise." 7:16.
13. Man's uprightness. "This alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices." 7:29.
14. Delayed punishment. "Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil." 8:11.
15. Uncertain future. "The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing." 9:5.
16. Bread and wine. "Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything." 10:19.
17. Cast your bread. "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." 11:11.
18. Remember your Creator. "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth." 12:1.
19. Dust to dust. "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." 12:7.
20. Making books. "Of making many books there is no end." 12:12.
18. THE SONG OF SOLOMON
(The Song of Songs) (Canticles)
I. OUTLINE
1. Songs of the Bride. 1:2-8 [220].
2. Dialogue-Bride and Groom. 1:9-2:7 [221].
3. Reminiscences of Bride. 2:8-3:5 [222].
4. Procession of Bridegroom. 3:6-11 [223].
5. Songs of the Lover. 4:1-5:1 [224].
6. Lost Bridegroom. 5:2-6:3 [225].
7. Beauty of Bride. 6:4-7:9 [226].
8. Songs of Bride. 7:10-8:4 [227].
9. Love Lyrics. 8:5-14 [228].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. There was no single author. The book is an anthology of love songs.
2. The abundant repetitions show that the book is a compilation.
3. It is folk poetry-simple and naive.
4. The collection of songs probably extended over several hundred years. The book was probably put together in the third century B.C., possibly earlier.
III. PLACE IN THE CANON
1. It Is called "Song of Songs," as we speak of "Lord of Lords."
2. In the earlier times the book was titled "Canticles."
3. There were many objections to the inclusion of this book in the canon. It probably gained such recognition because Solomon was supposed to be the author.
4. It became Scripture notwithstanding that the name of God does not appear.
5. Its mystic and allegorical interpretations led to its acceptance into the Scripture canon.
IV. PECULIAR FEATURES
1. It is lyric poetry-of exquisite beauty and sensuous symbols.
2. It is monologue-practically no dialogue. But it is not drama.
3. It is shot through with repetitions.
4. Our modern term of "love sickness" is derived from this book.
5. It is wholly lacking in "structure."
6. It is manifestly folk poetry.
7. The imagery is extravagant; the metaphors are overbold and sensuous.
8. The geography ranges from the northern kingdom through Judea and even to Trans-Jordan.
9. The range is far wider than just the Hebrew people.
10. The Song has a vocabulary all its own-scores of words not found elsewhere in the Bible.
11. There is evidence of both Egyptian and Syrian love poetry.
12. Some features may have been derived from the earlier fertility cults.
V. INTERPRETATIONS
1. Allegorical. That the groom was Yahweh and the bride, Israel, the "chosen people," was the early concept of the book.
2. It is the allegorical interpretation that helped Christians to accept the book-the idea that Christ is the bridegroom and the church the bride.
3. There has been a tendency for Roman Catholics to identify the bride with the Virgin Mary.
4. Martin Luther thought the bride was a symbol of the state.
5. Dramatic Interpretation. This idea never gained much acceptance.
6. Wedding Ceremony. Again this concept never gained wide belief.
7. Secular Love Song Interpretation. This is the modern view of the book. Today scholars take the book for just what it appears to be.
8. The Liturgical Interpretation. There may be some validity to this idea. At least this might be considered along with the fact of its being a secular collection of folk love lyrics.
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Flowers of love. "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." 2:1.
2. Little foxes. "Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards." 2:15.
3. Formidable affection. "'Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?'" 6:10.
4. Unquenchable love. "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it." 8:7.
19. ISAIAH-THE FIRST
(Isaiah 1-39)
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Messages of Isaiah. 1-12.
2. Prophecies about Nations. 13-23.
3. Apocalyptic Oracles. 24-27.
4. Oracles on Judah and Assyria. 28-33.
5. Judgments and Promises. 34,35.
6. Historical Accounts. 36-39.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. They Have Rebelled against Me. 1:1-5:30 [229].
A. Superscription. 1:1.
B. Booklet of Oracles. 1:2-2:5.
C. Day of the Lord. 2:6-22.
D. Doom of Rulers. 3:1-15.
E. The Proud Women. 3:16-4:1.
F. Zion Purged. 4:2-6.
G. Song of the Vineyard. 5:1-7.
H. The Rebellions. 5:8-30.
2. Bind Up the Testimony. 6:1-8:18 [230].
A. His Vision of God. 6:1-13.
B . The Syro-Ephraimite War. 7:1-8:15.
C. Withdrawal of the Prophet. 8:16-18.
3. His Anger Is Not Turned Away. 8:19-10:4 [231].
A. Fragments of Prophecy. 8:19-22.
B. Messianic King. 9:1-7.
C. Judgments of Ephraim. 9:8-10:4.
4. Be Not Afraid of Assyria. 10:5-12:6 [232].
A. Assyrian Threat. 10:5-34.
B. Messianic Age. 11:1-16.
C. Outburst of Thanksgiving. 12:1-6.
5. "Uproar of Many Peoples." 13:1-23:18 [233].
A. Doom of Babylon. 13:1-22.
B. Downfall of a Tyrant. 14:1-23.
C. Assyria's Overthrow. 14:24-27.
D. About Philistia. 14:28-32.
E. Death of Moab. 15:1-16:14.
F. Doom of Syro-Ephraimite Alliance. 17:1-6.
G. Idolatrous Worship. 17:7-11.
H. The Storm. 17:12-14.
I. Concerning Egypt. 18:1-20:6.
J. Babylon's Fall. 21:1-10.
K. Cry from Edom. 21:11,12.
L. Doom of Kedar. 21:13-17.
M. Eve of Disaster. 22:1-14.
N. Downfall of Shebna. 22:15-25.
O. Concerning Tyre. 23:1-18.
6. Awake and Sing. 24:1-27:13 [234].
A. First Cycle. 24:1-23.
B. Second Cycle. 25:1-9.
C. Third Cycle. 25:10-27:1.
D. Fourth Cycle. 27:2-13.
7. Be Not Scoffers. 28:1-32:20 [235].
A. The Storm. 28:1-22.
B. Parable of Farmer. 28:23-29.
C. The Work of God. 29:1-14.
D. Rejection of Security. 29:15-30:17.
E. Power of God. 30:18-31:9.
F. An Appendix. 32:1-20.
8. The Recompense of God. 33:1-35:10 [236].
A. Prophetic Entreaty. 33:1-24.
B. End of Enemies of God. 34:1-17.
C. Transformed World. 35:1-10.
9. Isaiah and Hezekiah. 36:1-39:8 [237].
A. Sennacherib's Demands. 36:1-37:4.
B. Oracle on His Departure. 37:4-7.
C. Hezekiah's Prayer. 37:8-20.
D. Oracle of Defiance. 37:21-29.
E. Sign for the Remnant. 37:30-32.
F. Oracle on His Departure. 37:33-35.
G. Destruction of Assyrians. 37:36-38.
H. Hezekiah's Illness. 38:1-22.
I. Embassy of Merodach-baladan. 39:1-8.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. Isaiah the First was born about 770-760 B.C. He grew up and lived in Jerusalem and its environs.
2. He was very familiar with the temple and its services. He may have been a priest.
3. He married a "prophetess" and they had two sons.
4. Isaiah was a cultured Jew and was well educated. He associated with the elite and was a counselor of kings.
5. His forty years of public work covered the reigns of four kings:
Uzziah (Azariah).
Jot ham.
Ahaz (Jehoahaz I).
Hezekiah.
6. Micah was his contemporary and Amos and Hosea were preaching in the northern kingdom.
7. Isaiah all but practiced medicine.
8. His life was divided into four major periods:
Early ministry. 742-734.
Withdrawal. 734-715.
Middle ministry. 715-705.
Later ministry. 705-701.
9. He was a statesman and a sociologist as well as a prophet.
10. Isaiah was "an aristocrat of the spirit."
11. He was probably a member of the king's supreme council.
12. He was surrounded by a group of disciples-"school of the prophets."
IV. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. Divisions of the book:
A. First Isaiah-Chapters 1-39 [238].
B. Second Isaiah- " 40-55 [239].
C. Third Isaiah- " 56-66 [240].
2. First Isaiah taught before the exile.
Second Isaiah taught during the exile.
Third Isaiah taught after the exile.
3. The three books were put together about 180 B.C.
4. Isaiah is the largest book in the Bible.
5. There are possibly two reasons why the three groups of writings were put together:
A. Because they were the only major prophetic writings in the form of poetry-verse, meter.
B. Maybe the "Isaiah cult" wanted, to have a book bigger than Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or the minor prophets.
(Note: The Psalms were all put together about 150 B.C.)
6. Many of the minor prophets were in poetic form, but not Jeremiah or Ezekiel.
7. With the exception of a few bits of historical prose, all of Isaiah is in verse, and it is so arranged in the Revised Standard Version.
8. There are 17 bits of prose scattered here and there through the book.
9. There is no such person as the Third Isaiah. This group of collected writings (Chapters 56-66) contains passages from both First and Second Isaiah.
10. There is intimation in the Urantia Book that the exile priests were not altogether friendly to the Second Isaiah. They preserved his writings because of their sheer grandeur and beauty. (Urantia Book (1068.1) 97:7.1 [241]
V. COMPONENTS AND COMPOSITION
1. One of the major components is the oracles-reproaches, threats, exhortations, and promises.
2. There are numerous memoirs-consisting of prophetic biography and autobiography.
3. Other material covers history, wars, and teachings.
4. The Isaiahs wrote most of the book, but later editors added much, sometimes copying from others-see Isa. 2:2-4 and Micah 4:1-3.
5. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the largest find was two manuscripts of Isaiah, dating possibly from the second century B.C.
6. Chapters 33 and 34 bear marks of the middle of the second century B.C.; Chapters 24-27, after 128 B.C.
VI. TEACHINGS OF ISAIAH THE FIRST
1. The story of the First Isaiah is also found in 2 Kings Chapters 19 and 20.
2. Yahweh was sovereign Lord-holy, just, and good.
3. Yahweh was "the Holy One of Israel."
4. God was "weary of all the rituals" of the temple service. He wanted Israel to "cease to do evil and learn to do good."
5. He denounced "pride and self-indulgence."
6. God was an ideal and ethical aristocrat.
7. God was "universal" and would save the "remnant."
8. Isaiah had much to say about the relation of God to man and his world.
9. God was a defender as well as a judge.
10. The "Fatherhood of God"-for Israel.
11. Isaiah all but organized a "personal cult"-within Judah.
12. Righteousness and social conduct were more important than sacrifices and formal worship.
13. He thunders: "Believe the oppressed."
14. His favorite phrases:
"Thus saith the Lord."
"The Lord of Hosts."
"Mighty One of Israel."
"Let us reason together."
15. He pleads for wise leadership.
16. God will purge, but also restore.
17. Song of the vineyard, 5:1-7, is a beautiful song and parable.
18. He denounced the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
19. The story of the making of a prophet-the live coal touching his mouth.
20. In 7:14 is the passage: "a virgin shall bear a son." In the Revised Version-"young woman."
21. In 8:16 he says: "Bind up... seal "-the time of his withdrawal.
22. In 14:13,14 is mentioned Mount Assembly, (See Urantia Book (489.4) 43:4.1 [242]. Also Eze. 28:14.) Mount Assembly is the residence of the Faithful of Days on the constellation headquarters.
VII. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
1. The book has been edited and rearranged many times.
2. Four passages in the Third Isaiah are assigned to the First Isaiah in the Urantia Book, viz., Isa. 60:1. 61:1. 61:10. 63:9. (Urantia Book (1066.7) 97:5.3) [243]
3. Earmark of editor: Isa. 7:20. "Razor"-footnote explains that razor refers to the king of Assyria.
4. Some quotations from Isaiah the First in the Urantia Book: 28:17. 14:3. 30:21. 12:2. 1:18. (Urantia Book (1066.6) 97:5.2) [244]
5. There is a lot of history in Isaiah, dealing with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.
6. Isaiah advocated a peace policy with Assyria; he opposed Hezekiah's alliance with Egypt.
7. Jerusalem was saved from the army of Sennacherib by an outbreak of bubonic plague 701 B.C. But in 2 Kings it says that Hezekiah paid a large tribute.
8. There are two separate accounts of this siege of Jerusalem. According to history there was but one event.
VIII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Learning to do good. "Cease to do evil, learn to do good." 1:16,17.
2. Let us reason together. "Come now, let us reason together...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." 1:18.
3. Learn war no more. "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;...neither shall they learn war any more." 2:4.
4. Alcoholism. "Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening till wine inflames them." 5:11.
5. The young woman. "Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." 7:14. (King James Version renders it "virgin.")
6. Consulting mediums. "When they say to you, 'Consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter,' should not a people consult their God?" 8:19.
7. The seven adjutant spirits. "The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." 11:2.
8. The little child. "And a little child shall lead them." 11:6.
9. Trust and not be afraid. "'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid.'" 12:2.]
10. Downfall of Lucifer. "'How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!...You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God...I will make myself like the Most High."'" 14:12-14.
11. Perfect peace. "'Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.'" 26:3.
12. Here a little and there a little. "'It is precept upon precept...line upon line...here a little, there a little.'" 28:10.
13. Source of our strength. "'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.'" 30:15.
14. The still, small voice. "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left." 30:21.
15. The rock in a weary land. "Each will be like a hiding-place from the wind... like the shade of a great rock in a weary land." 32:2.
16. Bread shall be sure. "He will dwell on the heights;...his bread will be given him, his water will be sure." 33:16.
17. Joy and gladness. "They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 35:10.
20. DEUTERO-ISAIAH
(Isaiah 40-55)
(Also Third Isaiah 56-66)
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Israel's Salvation. 40,41.
2. Servant of the Lord. 42-44.
3. God and Cyrus. 45-48.
4. The New Israel. 49:1-13-
5. The Comforted. 49:14-50:11.
6. Warnings and Encouragement. 51-52:12.
7. Suffering of the Servant. 52:13-53:12.
8. The New Zion. 54.
9. Exhortations and Promises. 55-66.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. The Coming of God. 40:1-48:22 [245].
A. Coming of the Lord. 40:1-11.
B. The Creator. 40:12-31.
C. Trial of the Nations. 41:1-42:4.
D. Divine Intervention. 42:5-17.
E. Blind and Deaf Servant. 42:18-43:7.
F. Yahweh and Israel. 43:8-13.
G. Redemption by Grace. 43:14-44:5.
H. Yahweh's Glorification. 44:6-8.
I. Making Idols. 44:9-20.
J. Anointing of Cyrus. 44:21-45:13.
K. Conversion of Nations. 45:14-25.
L. Yahweh's Salvation. 46:1-13.
M. Virgin of Babylon. 47:1-15.
N. History and Prophecy. 48:1-22.
2. Redemption of Israel. 49:1-55:13 [246].
A. Servant of the Lord. 49:1-26.
B. Confessing Servant. 50:1-11.
C. Coming Salvation. 51:1-16.
D. Lord Becomes King. 51:17-52:12.
E. Suffering Servant. 52:13-53:12.
F. Consolation of Israel. 54:1-17.
G. Grace Abounding. 55:1-13.
3. Admonitions and Promises. 56:1-66:24 [247].
A. Prophetic Instructions. 56:1-8.
B. Blind Leaders. 56:9-57:13.
C. Persisting Grace. 57:14-21.
D. Service of God. 58:1-14.
E. God's Intervention. 59:1-21.
F. Coming Glory of God. 60:1-22.
G. Glad Tidings to Zion. 61:1-11.
H. Messianic People. 62:1-12.
I. Year of Redemption. 63:1-6.
J. Prophet's Prayer. 63:7-64:12.
K. Judgment and Salvation. 65:1-25.
L. The New Birth of Zion. 66:1-16.
M. Eschatological Summary. 66:17-24.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. Next to nothing is known of the author-not even his name; only that he lived and preached in Babylon during the exile.
2. He is the most impersonal of all the prophets, yet he is at the top of them-comparable to Paul.
3. He is equal to any disaster, and proclaims his message with a sovereign independence.
4. He knows all the traditions of Israel and the Babylonian astrology and magic.
5. Comparison of a Cyrus cylinder with Isa, 45:1 suggests that the author may have belonged to Cyrus's official family.
6. His anger might be great, but always his compassion triumphed.
7. He originated a "theology of world history."
8. He was the most evangelical of all the prophets.
9. He was the founder of the synagogue.
10. He was Israel's greatest poet, profoundest philosopher, and transcendent prophet.
11. He scales the heights of ecstatic praise and descends to the depths of darkest grief.
IV. LITERARY STYLE
1. There is little in common when we compare the literary style of the First and Second Isaiahs.
2. Chapters 56-66, again, are in a different style than Chapters 40-55.
3. Careful study reveals a "wholeness" and continuity of plan in Deutero-Isaiah. The poetic form, structure, and style suggest that this book was written-rather than being a record of preaching.
4. It is probable that he preached his own poetry-just the reverse practice of the former prophets.
5. His oriental style may at times tend toward rhetorical excess.
6. Isaiah is much improved by being read aloud.
7. Deutero-Isaiah is the most dramatic in style of all the Old Testament writings, not excepting Job.
8. Much of this Isaiah could be the better understood by reading Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
9. The high points of his work are the four "suffering servant" songs: 42:1-4. 49:1-6. 50:1-9. 52:13-53:12.
10. He is fond of quotations and uses them very effectively.
11. His writings are characterized by:
A. Poetic parallelisms.
B. Varied grammatical construction.
C. Repetitions-a dozen types.
D. Clever rhetorical devices.
E. Alliterations.
F. Even rhymes.
G. Dramatic style.
12. His work shows Isaiah to be a master of oriental literary devices, viz.:
Strong contrasts.
Figurative forms.
Question devices.
Dialogue.
Quotations.
Satire (44:9-20).
Historic analogue.
Use of imperatives.
Repetition (Comfort, comfort, 40:1).
13. Me was a master of oriental imagery. He portrayed God as:
Shepherd.
Conqueror.
Warrior.
Woman in travail.
Destroyer.
Leader of the blind.
King on his throne.
Universal judge.
Faithful husband.
Father of Israel.
Creator.
Redeemer.
Lord of nature and history.
14. There is a characteristic use of triads. See 47:4. "Our Redeemer-the Lord of Hosts is his name-is the Holy One of Israel."
V. TEACHINGS OF ISAIAH
1. Isaiah is always referring to history-Yahweh's dealings with his people.
2. The theme song: Joy in the presence of sorrow, defeat, and disaster.
3. Israel's Creator is to become a Redeemer.
4. The work is a drama of creation, history, arid redemption.
5. Yahweh is the eternal-everlasting God.
6. Yahweh alone is God.
7. God reveals himself in his word.
8. Isaiah proclaimed Cyrus as God's agent of deliverance.
9. Yahweh is the Holy One of Israel.
10. Israel would be led by Yahweh.
11. Israel is chosen to become the "light of the nations."
12. Yahweh rules in the kingdom of men.
13. The teaching is dominated by promises, assurance, and exhortation.
14. There is an absence of invective and threats in contrast to the other prophets.
15. He is typically Hebrew. His poems are:
A. Episodic-rather than rational.
B. Dramatic-rather than expository.
C. Lyrical-rather than prosaic.
16. A typical verse:
"Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and will be glorified in Israel." 44:23.
17. He was fond of portraying spiritual redemption in the imagery of military victory.
18. He reiterates: Remember history and expect the new age.
19. His battle cry: "Fear not."
20. "Behold" is the theme word.
21. An earmark is: "Thus says the Lord."
22. Creation is the beginning-salvation the end.
23. The end of national gods. "I am God and there is none other."
24. Monotheism becomes of philosophic age-theologic maturity.
VI. WORLD INFLUENCE OF THE ISAIAHS
1. In the New Testament Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all made use of Isaiah as referring to Christ's work. There are more than 25 quotations in the New Testament.
2. Jesus many times made use of Isaiah in reference to his work.
3. The "suffering servant" is the great problem of Isaiah. Does it refer to:
A. Some prophet?
B. Israel?
C. Messiah-Christ?
4. Three world religions come from Deutero-Isaiah:
A. Judaism.
B. Christianity.
C. Islam.
VII. DEUTERO-ISAIAH IN THE URANTIA BOOK
1. The following passages appear in Third Isaiah, but according to the Urantia Book (1069.6) 97:7.11 [248]) were written by Second Isaiah: 57:15 [249]. 66:1 [250]. 58:11 [251].
2. Quotations in the Urantia Book, p. (1068.5) 97:7.5 [252]: 40:15 [253]. 55:9 [254]. 45:18 [255]. 44:6 [256]. 51:6 [257]. 41:10 [258]. 45:21 [259]. 43:1 [260]. 43:2 [261]. 49:15,16 [262]. 55:7 [263]. 40:11 [264]. 40:29-31 [265]. 57:15 [249]. 44:6 [256]. 50:2 [266]. 42:16 [267]. 43:7 [268]. 43:25 [269]. 66:1 [250]. 57:15 [249]. 58:11 [251]. 59:19 [270].
VIII. THE THIRD ISAIAH
1. There was no such person as the Third Isaiah. These writings were produced by ardent members of the "Isaiah cult."
2. Chapters 56-66 were produced after the exile.
3. This third group of writings was added to Isaiah by his followers, and also because they were written in verse-poetic.
4. Jesus uses passages from Third Isaiah about his gospel message. Luke 4:18-21. (Isa. 61:1,2)
5. Many sayings of the first Isaiah are found in Third Isaiah. (Some examples are found on (1066.6) 97:5.2 [244] of the Urantia Book.)
6. There were several authors of Third Isaiah, as shown by inconsistencies and contradictions.
7. Third Isaiah talks about the "new age"-new heavens and the new earth.
8. Third Isaiah sounds much like the writings of Haggai and Zechariah.
9. Remember: These are the times of Ezra and Nehemiah.
10. When the passages of First and Second Isaiah are removed from Third Isaiah there is not much left of high spiritual or prophetic value.
11. There is no mention of the "servant of the Lord" in Third Isaiah.
12. Third Isaiah is more devoted to the "cult," Sabbath-keeping, fasting, temples, worship, and sacrifices.
SUMMING IT ALL UP
If you had to put all of all three Isaiahs in one verse, it might be Isa. 41:13:
"For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, 'Fear not,
I will help you.'"
IX. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Comfort, comfort. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." 40:1.
2. The God of nature. "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span...weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance." 40:12.
3. The waters of affliction. "When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you." 43:2.
4. Suffering with us. "You have burdened me with your sins, you have wearied me with your iniquities." 43:24.
5. Blotting out our sins. "I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." 43:25.
6. The eternal purpose. "'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.'" 46:10.
7. Joy and gladness. "They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 51:11.
8. Man of sorrows. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." 53:3.
9. Wounded for our transgressions. "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities." 53:5.
10. The contrite heart. "'I dwell...with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit.'" 57:15.
11. No rest for the wicked. "'But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot rest, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.'" 57:20,21.
12. The Lord's fast. "'Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily.'" 58:6,8.
13. Like a watered garden. "'And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water.'" 58:11.
14. Arise and shine. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." 60:1.
15. Christ's anointing. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted." 61:1.
16. Sharing our afflictions. "In all their affliction he was afflicted." 63:9.
17. The heavenly throne. "Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.'" 66:1.
21. JEREMIAH
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Call to Repentance. 1-10.
2. Persecution Begins. 11-12.
3. Captivity Foretold. 13-18.
4. More Persecutions. 19-38.
5. Delivered by Nebuchadnezzar. 39,40.
6. In Egypt. 41-45.
7. National Threatenings. 46-51.
8. Zedekiah. 52.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Inaugural Visions. 1:1-19 [271].
A. Call of Jeremiah. 1:1-10.
B. Visions of Rod and Pot. 1:11-16.
C. Encouragement to Jeremiah. 1:17-19.
2. Early Oracles. 2:1-6:30 [272].
A. Israel's Faithlessness. 2:1-37.
B. Plea for Repentance. 3:1-4:4.
C. Foe from the North. 4:5-31.
D. Israel's Sinfulness. 5:1-31.
E. Threats and Warnings. 6:1-30.
3. Vanity of the Cultus. 7:1-8:3 [273].
A. The Temple Sermon. 7:1-20.
B. Sinful Rites. 7:21-8:3.
4. Miscellaneous Materials. 8:4-10:25 [274].
5. Events in Jeremiah's Life. 11:1-12:6 [275].
A. Jeremiah and the Covenant. 11:1-14.
B. Plot against his Life. 11:15-12:6.
6. Israel and her Neighbors. 12:7-17.
7. Parables and Warnings. 13:1-27.
8. Drought and Catastrophes. 14:1-15:4.
9. Lamentations of Jeremiah. 15:5-21.
10. Threats and Promises. 16:1-21.
11. Sundry Materials. 17:1-27.
12. Parables and Imprisonment. 18:1-20:18.
13. Oracles about Kings. 21:1-23:8.
14. Oracles about Prophets. 23:9-40.
15. Vision of the Figs. 24:1-10.
16. Warnings to Judah. 25:1-14.
17. Yahweh's Wrath. 25:15-38.
18. Conflict with Leaders. 26:1-29:32.
19. The Book of Comfort. 30:1-31:40 [276].
A. Terror of Yahweh. 30:1-11.
B. Salvation of Israel. 30:12-22.
C. Slaves of Yahweh. 30:23-31:14.
D. Rachel's Weeping. 31:15-22.
E. Restoration of Land. 31:23-28.
F. New Covenant. 31:29-37.
G. Rebuilding Jerusalem. 31:38-40.
20. Jeremiah Foretells the Downfall of Jerusalem. 32:1-44.
21. Promises of Restoration. 33:1-26.
22. Warning to Zedekiah. 34:1-7.
23. The Broken Pledge. 34:8-22.
24. The Rechabites. 35:1-19.
25. Prophetic Scrolls. 36:1-32.
26. Fall of Jerusalem. 37:1-40:6.
27. Assassination of Gedaliah. 40:7-41:18.
28. Flight to Egypt. 42:1-43:7.
29. Jeremiah in Egypt. 43:8-44:30.
30. Oracle of Baruch. 45:1-5.
31. Oracles against Nations. 46:1-51:64.
32. Historical Appendix. 52:1-34.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. Jeremiah and his secretary, Baruch, wrote the original book.
2. Baruch's scroll was cut up and burned by King Jehoiakim, but Jeremiah re-dictated it. This was in December 605 B.C.
3. The book was added to up to the times of Zedekiah.
4. After the fall of Jerusalem a Deuteronomic editor revised the book and gave it the flavor of the "cult."
5. The memoirs section may have been written by Baruch while in Egypt.
6. The D editorship was completed about 550 B.C.
7. All of Chapter 24 seems to be the product of the D editor. This is also probably true of Chapter 45.
8. A common date of Jeremiah is 620 B.C.
IV. JEREMIAH AND HIS MESSAGE
1. Jeremiah was born during the reign of Josiah (640-609) and lived during the days of the downfall of empires.
2. Josiah was killed at Megiddo in the battle with Neco of Egypt.
3. Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) was placed on the throne by the king of Egypt, and his eleven years covered much of Jeremiah's activities.
4. This king was pompous and proud and rejected most of the council of Jeremiah.
5. After the battle of Carchemish he transferred his loyalty to Babylon.
6. When Jerusalem neglected to pay tribute, the king of Babylon took the city. He put another son of Josiah on the throne-Zedekiah. He was more friendly to Jeremiah.
7. Finally, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and appointed Gedaliah governor. (August 587 B.C.)
8. In five years the governor was assassinated and Jeremiah with others fled to Egypt.
9. Jeremiah was born and grew up in a village two miles northeast of Jerusalem-Anathoth.
10. Jeremiah was influenced by Hosea-and quotes from him.
11. When Jeremiah prophesied trouble from the "north," the Jews thought he referred to the Scythians, but later decided that it was the Babylonians.
12. Jeremiah was never in full favor with the kings. Even Josiah consulted Huldah, the prophetess. (2 Kings 22:14-20)
13. Jeremiah was not an advocate of Josiah's Deuteronomic reforms-in fact, opposed some of them.
14. Jeremiah always counseled submission to the Babylonians.
15. Jeremiah was always opposed to sacrifices.
16. When Jeremiah advised surrendering to the Babylonians, they cast him into a prison, where he sank in the mire up to his armpits.
17. To show his faith in the ultimate return from captivity, Jeremiah purchased a field in his native village.
18. The Babylonian governor took Jeremiah out of prison and gave him his liberty.
19. He was taken to Egypt against his will.
20. There is a legend that Jeremiah was stoned to death in Egypt by his exasperated fellow countrymen.
21. Jeremiah was not a mystic. He had a strong personality. We know more about the "inner life" of Jeremiah than of any other prophet.
22. It is possible that he was forbidden to marry. (16:1-13)
23. He suffered many seasons of bitterness and despair. But he was no "weeping prophet."
24. The idea of his being a "weeping prophet" comes from ascribing authorship of the book of Lamentations to him.
25. At one time he did pray for vengeance on his enemies-even on their wives and children.
26. Jeremiah was comforted by a very loyal negro servant.
27. Jeremiah came from a wealthy priestly family.
28. The kings and princes regarded Jeremiah as a traitor.
29. He proclaimed a "new covenant" to be "written upon men's hearts."
30. And this is the beginning of individual religion, as contrasted with nationalistic religion.
V. JEREMIAH'S THEOLOGY
1. Jeremiah was not a theologian, but his writings were theologically sound.
2. He did not adore God with awe like Isaiah and Ezekiel; he wrestled with God like Jacob.
3. He believed in the sovereignty of God-God as the Creator of the natural order.
4. Yahweh was the controller and director of history.
5. He was "a God at hand and a God afar off"-both immanent and transcendent.
6. A God of love-justice, mercy, and power.
7. The Father of Israel.
8. "I have loved you with an everlasting love."
9. God wants not sacrifice and ritual, but repentance and obedience.
10. Jeremiah was a real monotheist.
11. He taught religion for the individual-rather than for the nation.
12. He taught a new covenant for the heart of each individual.
13. Yahweh deals with man's heart-seat of both mind and the emotions.
14. Jeremiah was the prophet of personal religious experience.
15. You will find God if you "seek him with a whole heart."
16. He taught the religion of sin, repentance, and salvation.
17. Human nature is fickle. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt." 17:9.
18. He regarded man as being innately stubborn.
19. Repentance means "conscious turning away from all evil."
20. Jeremiah is author of the proverb about the Ethiopian changing his skin or the leopard his spots.
21. Motivation becomes a big part of religious experience.
VI. SUMMARY OF JEREMIAH'S LIFE
Jeremiah lived 100 years after Isaiah, during the capture and destruction of Jerusalem. His life (640-587) brought him in contact with events in the reigns of the last of the Judean kings:
1. Manasseh. 687-642. 2 Chron. 33. Jer. 15:4.
2. Amon. 642-640. 2 Kings 21:18-23. 2 Chron. 33:21-24. Jer. 1:2.
3. Josiah. 640-609. 2 Kings 21:24-26; 23:29,30. Jer. 25:3.
4. Jehoahaz II. 609 - 3 mo. 2 Kings 23:31-34. Jer. 22:11.
5. Jehoiakim. 609-598. 2 Kings 23:36-24:6. Jer. 22:18.
6. Jehoiachin. 598 - 3 mo. 2 Kings 24:6-15. Jer. 52:31-34.
7. Zedekiah. 598-587. 2 Kings 24:17-20. Jer. 2:1-7; 34:1-11; 52:1-11.
VII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The start of Jeremiah's work. '"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.'" 1:5.
(Note: This text recalls teachings of the Urantia Book, respecting Thought Adjusters getting advance projections regarding their prospective human subjects, as found on (1185.4) 108:1.2 [277]
2. Broken cisterns. "'My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'" 2:13.
3. What was wrong. "'From the least to the greatest of them, every one is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, every one deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.'" 6:13,14.
4. No peace. "'We looked for peace, but no good came, for a time of healing, but behold, terror.'" 8:15.
5. No balm in Gilead. "'Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?'" 8:22.
6. We glory in the Lord. "'But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practice kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight.'" 9:24.
7. The deceitful heart. "'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?'" 17:9.
8. Jeremiah in stocks. "Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord." 20:2.
9. Pashhur's fate. "'And you, Pashhur...shall go into captivity...and there you shall die...you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely?'" 20:6.
10. A God at hand. "'Am I a God at hand...and not a God afar off?...Do I not fill heaven and earth?'" 23:23,24.
11. Jeremiah surrenders. "'Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves.'" 26:15.
12. Finding God. "'You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart.'" 29:13.
13. Joy for mourning. "'I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.'" 31:13.
14. Eating sour grapes. "'In those days they shall no longer say: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." ...Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.'" 31:29,30.
15. Jeremiah's scroll. "Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch ...who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words...which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire." 36:32.
16. Jeremiah in the pit. "They took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern... And there was no water in the cistern, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire." 38:6.
17. The fate of Zedekiah. "He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters...The Chaldeans burned the king's house...and broke down the walls of Jerusalem." 39:7,8.
18. Jeremiah goes to Mizpah. "Then Jeremiah went to...Mizpah, and dwelt... among the people who were left in the land." 40:6.
19. Go to Egypt against Jeremiah. "And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord." 43:7.
22. LAMENTATIONS
I. OUTLINE
1. Misery of Jerusalem. 1:1-22 [278].
2. Divine Judgments. 2:1-22 [279].
3. Personal Lament and Prayer. 3:1-66 [280].
4. The Past and the Present. 4:1-22 [281].
5. National Prayer for Mercy. 5:1-22 [282].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Jeremiah was not the author of Lamentations. The book was ascribed to him probably because of 2 Chron. 35:25.
2. The five poems were by different authors.
3. The nature of the book differs from Jeremiah in that there is:
A. Higher regard for kings, princes, and priests than Jeremiah had.
B. More concern for the cultus than Jeremiah had.
C. Expectation of help from Egypt, which is contrary to the counsel of Jeremiah. (Lam. 4:17. Jer. 42:13-17)
4. Date: Probably 586-500 B.C.
III. FORM AND STRUCTURE
1. These dirges originated as a funeral spell to keep the dead in place and thus protect the living.
2. These dirges were composed by women professionals.
3. Lamentations has to do with sorrow over the fall and destruction of Jerusalem.
4. The first four poems are arranged as an alphabetic acrostic of twenty-two lines-one for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
5. The book is a good illustration of perfect metrical structure.
6. These poems are really elegies.
- - - - - -
It is the intent of this book to memorialize the tragic destruction of Jerusalem-to teach the lesson of the penalty for sin and, afford hope for the future.
IV. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Wormwood and gall. "Remember my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the gall!" 3:19.
2. Waiting for salvation. "It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." 3:26.
3. Source of affliction. "For he does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men." 3:33.
23. EZEKIEL
I. OUTLINE-BRIEF
1. Oracles of Judgment. 1-24.
2. Against Foreign Nations. 25-32.
3. Restoration of Israel. 33-39.
4. The New Community. 40-48.
II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE
1. Judgment on Judah. 1:1-24:27 [283].
A. The Call. 1:1-3:27.
B. Fate of Jerusalem. 4:1-5:17.
C. Oracle against Mountains. 6:1-14.
D. The Coming End. 7:1-27.
E. Visit to the Temple. 8:1-11:25.
F. Symbols of Exile. 12:1-28.
G. Oracles against Prophets. 13:1-23.
H. Judgments on Idolaters. 14:1-23.
I. The Vine. 15:1-8.
J. Unfaithful Wife. 16:1-63.
K. Two Eagles. 17:1-24.
L. Individual Responsibility. 18:1-32.
M. Apostasy. 19:1-20:49.
N. The Sword. 21:1-32.
O. Indictment of Jerusalem. 22:1-23:49.
P. Caldron of Fire. 24:1-14.
Q. Death of Ezekiel's Wife. 24:15-27.
2. Oracles against Foreign Nations. 25:1-32:32 [284].
A. Ammon and Others, 25:1-17.
B. Against Tyre. 26:1-28:26.
C. Egypt. 29:1-30:26.
D. Downfall of Great Cedar. 31:1-18.
E. Lament over Egypt. 32:1-32.
3. Restoration of Israel. 33:1-39:29 [285].
A. Oracles on Responsibility. 33:1-33.
B. Shepherds of Israel. 34:1-31.
C. Restoration of Mountains. 35:1-36:38.
D. Valley of Dry Bones. 37:1-14.
E. The Two Sticks. 38:15-28.
F. Gog and Magog. 38:1-39:29.
4. Restored Community. 40:1-48:35 [286].
A. The Temple. 40:1-42:20.
B. The Altar. 43:1-27.
C. Ordinances. 44:1-31.
D. Sacred District. 45:1-46:24.
B. River from the Temple. 47:1-23.
F. Allotment of Territories. 48:1-35.
III. AUTHORSHIP
1. Ezekiel was author of the original book. But the book was subjected to a thorough job of rewriting by a later editor.
2. The editorial work was so extensive as to almost make this editor a coauthor.
3. The editor greatly amplified the reasons for the captivity: idolatry, lewdness, false prophets, Sabbath-breaking, immorality, social sins, etc.
4. The editor may have also been a priest.
5. The editor made use of more than fifty characteristic words or phrases in his work. The phrase "Then they will know that I am the Lord" he uses 56 times.
6. Date: Generally accepted - 593-571 B.C.
IV. EZEKIEL HIMSELF
1. The author was familiar with the temple and had heard the preaching of Jeremiah.
2. His book covers 22 years of his life.
3. He was taken to Babylon along with King Jehoiachin.
4. He lived in a colony of exiles at Tel Abib on the Chebar, a canal of the Euphrates irrigation system.
5. He was married and had a house of his own. His great tragedy was the loss of his wife.
6. In trying to solve his problems, Ezekiel failed to make adjustment to reality; he retreated into a dream world of his own fantasy.
7. It would seem that he finally resolved his conflicts on the higher level of religious adjustment and became a prophet.
8. He had visions and was addicted to allegories.
9. He contributed much to the doctrine of angelology among the Hebrews.
10. It is strange that neither Jeremiah nor Ezekiel ever mentions the other. The same is true of Amos and Hosea.
11. From 3:25,26, 4:4, 24:27, and 33:22 we may conclude that his ailment was catatonic schizophrenia.
12. You recall that King Saul was afflicted with manic-depressive psychosis. Now we have Ezekiel with schizophrenia.
V. CHAPTERS 40-48
1. It is doubtful if Ezekiel wrote these chapters. The concept of a "new age" belongs to the editor rather than Ezekiel.
2. The new Jerusalem and new ideas about inner religious experience also belong to the editor.
3. Ezekiel was more pessimistic than the editor.
4. The book of Ezekiel is replete with new ideas and concepts. And this all suggests that numerous writers and editors contributed to the book as we now have it.
VI. EZEKIEL'S MESSAGE
1. Like Isaiah, he protested against foreign alliances.
2. He is the outstanding prophet teaching about angels.
3. Yahweh had as wives two sisters; one consorted with the Assyrians and was punished; the other with the Egyptians and was likewise destroyed.
4. He was the prophet of allegories-winds, fire, wheels within wheels, etc.
5. He introduced the idea of God as a shepherd, which Jesus used so effectively.
6. He talked about "individual religious experience"-"God's law written on the tablets of the heart."
7. Individual responsibility for sin- "Whoso sinneth, he shall die." He denounced concept of fathers' eating sour grapes and the children's teeth being set on edge.
8. Ezekiel tried to reform the Jewish ritual. Not so much against ceremonies as was Jeremiah.
9. He uttered curses against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Sidon, and Egypt.
10. He presented a universal God, but not a universal religion-Yahweh and Israel belonged together.
11. It would seem that the allegories of Ezekiel had considerable influence on the author of Revelation-the river of life, foursquare city, etc.
VII. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Seraphic velocity. "And the living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning." 1:14.
2. Called "Son of man." "And he said to me, 'Son of man, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.'" 3:1.
3. Divine wrath and anger. "'Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken in my jealousy.'" 5:13.
4. Cause and effect. "'And you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord God.'" 14:23.
5. Like mother, like daughter. "'Behold, every one...will use this proverb about you, "Like mother, like daughter."'" 16:44.
6. Eating sour grapes. "'What do you mean..."The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.'" 18:2,3.
7. No pleasure in death of the wicked. "'Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God.'" 18:23.
8. References to Lucifer. "'You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you...Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.'" 28:15,17.
9. His aphonia cured. "So my mouth was opened, and I was no longer dumb." 33:22.
10. Showers of blessing. '"And I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.'" 34:26.
11. Being unafraid. "'They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.'" 34:28.
12. A new heart. "'A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you.'" 36:26.
13. The valley of dry bones. "There was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone." 37:7.
14. Gog and Magog. "'I will summon every kind of terror against Gog.'" 38:21. "You shall fall...for I have spoken, says the Lord God." 39:5.
(Note: For a hundred years prophetic students have referred this prophecy about Gog and Magog to Russia.)
24. DANIEL
I. OUTLINE
1. Six stories of Daniel. 1:1-6:28 [287].
A. Introduction. 1:1-21:
B. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. 2:1-49.
C. The Three and Fiery Furnace. 3:1-30.
D. Nebuchadnezzar's Madness. 4:1-37.
E. The Feast. 5:1-31.
F. The Lions' Den. 6:1-28.
2. The Three Visions. 7:1-12:13 [288].
A. Four Beasts. 7:1-28.
B. Ram and He-Goat. 8:1-27.
C. The 70 Weeks. 9:1-27.
D. Last Days. 10:1-12:13.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Book was written during the Maccabean wars.
2. It was written during the reign of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes).
3. The writer knew about Jeremiah.
4. Daniel is mentioned as a prophet in Matt. 24:15.
5. The book was not written during the captivity.
6. It was not written by Daniel, though he was probably a real person.
7. The book is the work of one author.
8. Copies of Daniel were found among the Dead Sea scrolls.
9. It was written about 165 B.C.
III. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
1. Greek culture is spreading and a Greek Bible is produced.
2. In 175 B.C. Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) becomes ruler of the Seleucid empire.
3. Antiochus determines to stamp out the Jewish religion. He plunders the temple, kills Jews, and razes the walls of Jerusalem.
4. In 168 B.C. he sets up an altar in the temple (Jupiter), profanes the Sabbath, and forbids circumcision.
5. All this brings on the Maccabean revolt. The temple was cleansed and rededicated.
6. The book of Daniel was written to help the Jews withstand the persecutions of Antiochus.
7. Antiochus died in his campaign against the Parthians in 163 B.C.
IV. COMPOSITION OF THE BOOK
1. Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream-the golden idol, and the fiery furnace.
2. Then comes the feast of Belshazzar and the lions' den.
3. Then the vision of the four beasts and the little horn.
4. Interpretation of the little horn:
A. Protestants, in general, have referred it to Antiochus Epiphanes.
B. Seventh Day Adventists and other sects refer it to the Papacy.
C. Others have referred it to Hitler, Stalin, etc.
5. Other visions have to do with empire history, Alexander the Great, and Roman history.
6. Daniel becomes "head of the wise men" of Babylon.
V. TEACHINGS OF DANIEL
1. Daniel is the first of the apocalyptic books-the doctrine of the end of the age.
2. The kingdom is literal-the Messiah sits on David's throne. It is an "everlasting kingdom."
3. Daniel presents an advanced theology regarding angels, survival, the resurrection, and many other features.
4. He presents the concept of "the Son of Man," along with Enoch, and may have had some part in Jesus' deciding to adopt such a title.
5. The theology is that God foreknows all things and determines everything.
6. In theology Daniel is midway between the doctrines of the olden prophets and the times of Jesus.
7. Daniel gives angels a new and enlarged personal dignity.
8. The book of Daniel is the prime textbook of all the Adventist denominations.
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. A dietetic test. "'Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance...be observed by you, and according to what you see deal with your servants.' At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's rich food." 1:12,13,15.
2. Wise men and the king's dream. "Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed." 2:12.
"Daniel answered the king, 'No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery which the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.'" 2:27,28.
3. Daniel honored. "Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts." 2:48.
4. Three worthies in the fiery furnace. "He answered, 'But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'" 3:25.
5. Rule of the Most Highs. "'To the end that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men.'" 4:17.
6. Handwriting on the wall. "The fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace." 5:5.
"'This is the interpretation of the matter...God has numbered the days of your kingdom...You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting... your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.'" 5:26-28.
7. Daniel in the lions' den. "And Daniel was...cast into the den of lions... Then Daniel said to the king...'My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me.'" 6:16,21,22,
8. Vision of the four beasts. "'And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another...I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked...As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat.'" 7:3,8,9.
9. Alexander the Great. "Behold, a he-goat came from the west...without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes." 8:5.
10. The 2,300 days. "'For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.'" 8:14.
11. The abomination of desolation. "And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate." 11:31.
12. Mention of Michael. "'At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.'" 12:1.
13. A special resurrection. "'And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.'" 12:2.
25. HOSEA
I. OUTLINE
1. Hosea's Married Life. 1:1-3:5 [289].
A. Wife and Children. 1:1-9.
B. Restoration. 1:10-2:1.
C. Repentance. 2:2-23.
D. Redemption. 3:1-5.
2. Israel's Unfaithfulness. 4:1-13:16 [290].
A. Spiritual Unfaithfulness. 4:1-7:7.
B. Political Unfaithfulness. 7:8-10:15.
C. Love of God. 11:1-11.
D. Ephraim's Doom. 11:12-13:16.
3. Call to Repentance. 14:1-9 [291].
A. Take Words. 14:1-3.
B. The Lord's Response. 14:4-8.
C. Postscript. 14:9.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Hosea, prophet to the northern kingdom, wrote the book, probably about 750 B.C.
2. He wrote during the reign of Jeroboam, shortly before Isaiah the First.
3. Soon after the writing a Judaic editor made slight changes and additions.
III. SERMONS AND ADDRESSES
1. He denounced the fertility cults, the calf of Samaria.
2. He preached against political intrigue-foreign alliances.
3. He held up the "covenant of love" and asked Israel to return to its "first love."
4. Much of Hosea's preaching was done at the autumn festival.
5. He made a new presentation of Yahweh as:
A. Almighty Power.
B. Judge.
C. Savior.
D. Giver of Victory.
E. Giver of Rain.
6. He preached a coming retribution.
7. We have every reason to believe that they had written laws at this time.
IV. THE PROPHET AND HIS HOME
1. Hosea had a home in the country, and was a man of the country.
2. He says the Lord instructed "him to marry a harlot. Probably a temple prostitute.
3. Accordingly, he married Corner and they had three children.
4. Gomer left him, returned to harlotry, and ended up in the slave market, where Hosea found her and took her back.
5. Hosea used this experience with Gomer as an illustration of how Israel had gone after other gods, and how Yahweh had forgiven and taken Israel back.
6. He made an allegory of his marriage and applied it to Israel and its relationship to Yahweh.
V. THE BOOK
1. Hosea is a small but very influential book among Old Testament writings. More than 30 direct and indirect quotations from it are contained in the New Testament.
2. Hosea was among the early prophets to teach personal relations with God.
3. His religion sounds like the Second Isaiah and the later New Testament Gospels.
4. Jeremiah knew about Hosea and made use of his writings.
5. Hosea taught that God was righteous in all his acts.
6. His message was: "'Come, let us return to the Lord.'" (6:1)
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Sons of God. "It shall be said to them, 'Sons of the living God.'" 1:10.
2. Hosea marries a harlot. "'For their mother has played the harlot.'" 2:5.
3. Value of knowledge. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." 4:6.
4. Returning to God. "'Come, let us return to the Lord;...he has stricken, and he will bind us up.'" 6:1.
5. Love, not sacrifice. "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice." 6:6.
26. JOEL
I. OUTLINE
1. The Locust Plague. 1:1-2:27 [292].
A. Title. 1:1.
B. Universal Mourning. 1:2-20.
C. The Locust Attack. 2:1-11.
D. Call to Repentance. 2:12-17.
E. Promise of Restoration. 2:18-27.
2. Blessings and Judgment. 2:28-3:21 [293].
A. Outpouring of the Spirit. 2:28,29.
B. The Day of the Lord. 2:30-32.
C. God's Purpose. 3:1-3.
D. Sins and Punishment. 3:4-8.
E. The Final Battle. 3:9-11.
F. Last Judgment. 3:12-16.
G. Blessings of Judah. 3:17-21.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Joel was the author and he lived in or near Jerusalem.
2. He has been called the "temple prophet."
3. The book was written about 350 B.C.; certainly, later than 400.
4. Joel was a great borrower. He quotes, without credit, from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Psalms, Nehemiah, Exodus, Jonah, Zechariah, Amos, and Micah.
5. His quoting from so many prophets makes him one of the later prophets.
III. LOOK AT THE BOOK
1. It is a rhythmic book-even when not in poetic form.
2. Joel is clever in using contrasts, repetitions, metaphors, and alliterations.
3. The real locust plague he describes is attributed to Yahweh, because of wrongdoing; the curse is removed upon repentance. (Joel did not know about the 17-year locusts.)
4. The exponents of the "social gospel" point to Joel to prove that man's spiritual capacity is improved by satisfaction of physical needs.
5. It was Joel's prediction of the pouring out of the Spirit upon all flesh that Peter quoted on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:16-21. Joel 2:28-32)
6. But for the time being, God's spirit dwelt only with Israel.
7. Cried Joel: "Rend your hearts and not your garments." 2:13.
8. Joel pronounced judgment upon all nations who had sold Jews into slavery.
IV. LEADING IDEAS
1. Blessings and judgments through nature (the locusts).
2. Necessity for heartfelt repentance.
3. Salvation by grace through faith.
4. Importance of formal worship.
5. Israel as the "chosen people."
6. God in history.
7. The "Day of the Lord."
8. Outpouring of the Spirit.
9. Final judgment of the nations.
10. Final blessings of Israel.
11. The little book of Joel had considerable influence upon many writers of the New Testament.
V. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Rend your hearts. "'Rend your hearts and not your garments.' Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil." 2:13.
2. Pouring out the spirit. "'And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.'" 2:28.
3. Darkened sun and moon. "'The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.'" 2:31.
4. Plowshares into swords. "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say 'I am a warrior.'" 3:10.
5. The valley of decision. "Multitudes, multitides, in the valley of decision!" 3:14.
27. AMOS
I. OUTLINE
1. Oracles against Nations. 1:1-2:16 [294].
A. Motto. 1:1,2.
B. Against Neighbors. 1:3-2:3.
C. Against Judah. 2:4,5.
D. Against Israel. 2:6-16.
2. The Doom of Israel. 3:1-6:14 [295].
A. Israel and God. 3:1-8.
B. Corruption of Samaria. 3:9-4:3.
C. Israel's Guilt. 4:4-5:3.
D. Exhortation and Denunciation. 5:4-15.
E. Coming of God. 5:16-25.
F. Invasion and Exile. 5:26-6:14.
3. Visions and Ministry. 7:1-9:15 [296].
A. Visions and Narrative. 7:1-8:3.
B. Impending Doom. 8:4-14.
C. Finality of Doom. 9:1-7.
D. Epilogue. 9:8-15.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Amos was the first of the prophets who left us a record of his message.
2. Amos came from Tekoa-six miles south of Jerusalem. Now a cluster of ruins on a hill.
3. Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores-wild fig trees. He was not an untutored rustic-he was an educated man.
4. While he came from the south, he preached in the northern kingdom.
5. He taught during the reign of Jeroboam II, 786-746 B.C.
6. Amos was a great student and observer of nature.
7. He was not a prophet by profession-he did not belong to the "school of the prophets."
8. Amos did not write the book as we have it, but he supplied the material. From writings and tradition his disciples compiled the book.
9. A later optimist made bold to add three passages of hope-4:13 [297], 5:8,9 [298], and 9:5,6 [299].
10. Date: Around 750 B.C.
III. THE MESSAGE OF AMOS
1. Amos denounced the neglect of the poor and the sensuality of the rich.
2. He was a "prophet of doom." He proclaimed the downfall of the kingdom.
3. The Israelites thought that they were the "chosen people"-that Yahweh belonged to them.
4. Yahweh was "Lord of nature" as well as "Ruler of nations."
5. Yahweh is a "God of righteousness."
6. He proclaimed a doom that was final and complete.
7. The "ivory embellishments" denounced by Amos have recently been excavated and are to be found in the Palestine museum.
8. Amos said: The ritual cannot take the place of righteousness.
9. Amos extended the moral jurisdiction of Yahweh over all nations.
10. He planted the roots of universal monotheism as it pervaded Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
11. Amos was the Martin Luther of the Jewish religion.
12. His reforms were so radical that Amaziah accused him of sedition.
13. Amos proclaimed the new and unlimited sovereignty of God.
14. His originality was complete.
IV. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Revealing his secrets. "'Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.'" 3:7.
2. The God of nature. "He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth." 5:8.
3. Seeking the good. "Seek good, and not evil, that you may live." 5:14.
4. Hating evil. "Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate." 5:15.
5. Justice and righteousness. "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an overflowing stream." 5:24.
6. Ease and security. "'Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria.'" 6:1.
7. Again the dark sun and moon. "'I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.'" 8:9.
28. OBADIAH
I. OUTLINE
1. Edom's Judgment, vs. 1-14 [300].
A. Title. 1.
B. Warning to Edom. 2-4.
C. Edom's Destruction. 5-9.
D. Reasons for Judgment. 10-14.
2. The Day of the Lord. 15-21.
A. Universal Judgment. 15,16.
B. Restoration of Israel. 17-21.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. The author is unknown. Some think there were two authors.
2. The book was written after the exile.
3. Date: Sometime during the 5th century B.C.
III. LOOK AT THE BOOK
1. The book deals with the traditional enemies of Israel. The Edomites refused to let the Israelites pass through their land when entering Canaan.
2. Israel and Edom are supposed to be descendants of twin brothers-Jacob and Esau.
3. Edomites were very cruel to Jews during the destruction of Jerusalem, aided their enemies, and persecuted refugees.
4. Some passages are found in Jeremiah and Joel. (Jer. 49:7-22. Joel 3:19. Obad. v. 1-4.) Perhaps all quoted from an earlier oracle.
5. The first half deals with the expulsion of the Edomites; the second half with the coming of the kingdom of God.
6. Joel 2:32 quotes Obadiah, so this book was written before Joel. (Obad. v.17)
IV. LEADING IDEAS
1. God's judgment of the nations through history.
2. Obadiah was somewhat of a narrow nationalist.
3. His doctrine does not sound much like the teachings of the Second Isaiah.
4. The soul-sleepers rely much on the doctrine of verse 16.
5. The last half of the book is among the strongest pictures of the "everlasting kingdom"-comparable with Daniel and Revelation.
V. SELECTED TEXTS
1. State of the dead. "They shall drink and stagger, and shall be as though they had not been." v. 16.
29. JONAH
I. OUTLINE
1. Jonah Fleeing from God. 1:1-17 [301].
2. Psalm of Thanksgiving. 2:1-10 [302].
3. The Reluctant Missionary. 3:1-10 [303].
4. Absurdity of Limiting God's Mercy. 4:1-11 [304].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Author is unknown. The book was post-exilic. Date: Somewhere between 400 and 300 B.C.
2. It could not have been written by the prophet Jonah mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 [305] (eighth century).
3. It is a skillful piece of literature. While it is unique among all Old Testament writings, it deserves a place among the Scriptures.
4. Jonah is the noblest missionary evangelistic tract in the Bible.
III. JONAH IN THE URANTIA BOOK
1. On (1428.2) 130:1.2 [306] Jesus used the story of Jonah to teach a valuable lesson to the young man at Joppa. He did not inform his pupil as to whether the story was history or parable.
2. On (1767.3) 159:4.1 [307] Jesus discussed Jonah with Nathaniel. He as much as said Jonah was an evangelistic parable or allegory.
3. The references in Matt. 12:39-41 and Luke 11:29-32, where Jesus refers to Jonah in connection with his own death, do not appear in the Urantia Book.
4. Even if Jesus did make use of the Jonah story, it does not follow that such use of the story means that Jesus is validating the Jonah narrative as history. If a modern preacher refers to Shakespeare's Macbeth, it does not mean that he regards Macbeth as a historical person.
5. Jesus, in referring to the prodigal son, in the parable of that name, does not mean that this prodigal son was a historical character.
IV. HISTORY OR PARABLE?
1. In the Old Testament we have psalms, proverbs, histories, sermons, letters, and parables. It is important that any book should be placed in its proper category.
2. In the case of the real prophets, little or nothing is said about the prophet-all attention is paid to his message. In the case of Jonah, all attention is paid to the so-called prophet, while his message is granted but eight words.
3. Would a real prophet turn his back upon God's call and run away in the opposite direction, taking a ship for Spain?
4. And when he did reluctantly return to his mission, would he stupidly mourn over the success of his work?
5. A storm is created to plague Jonah's boat, and a calm ensues when he is thrown overboard.
6. Three days in the fish's belly-and then coming up alive-is just too much, to accept.
7. History recognizes no "king of Nineveh." The size of the city as shown by its ruins is not the preposterous size given in Jonah.
8. Could a gourd grow into the size of a shade tree overnight?
9. Could Jonah warn and convert a whole city in one month?
10. This parable is a protest against the bitterness of the Jews toward gentiles-especially against the edict directing all Jews to give up their gentile wives and children.
11. The book does present a powerful spiritual message-one of tolerance, divine mercy, and love.
V. LOOK AT THE BOOK
1. Regarded as a parable or an allegory, the story is well done-it is really a masterpiece.
2. The name for God is both Yahweh and Elohim. This would not occur in a serious religious narrative.
3. In olden times Jonah was spoken of as being three days in "the belly of hell." They did not regard the book as factual.
4. The psalm introduced in Chapter 2 is much like those found elsewhere in the Old Testament. In almost a dozen psalms there are passages remindful of Jonah.
VI. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Jonah's commission. "'Arise, go to Nineveh...and cry out against it.'... But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish...He went down to Joppa and found a ship...so he paid the fare, and went on board." 1:2,3.
2. Jonah thrown overboard. "So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea." 1:15.
3. The big fish. "And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." 1:17.
4. Jonah prays. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish." 2:1.
5. God speaks to the fish. "And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." 2:10.
6. Jonah's disappointment. "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry...And he...said...'It is better for me to die.'" 4:1-3.
7. And God creates a plant. "God appointed a plant...that it might be a shade over his head...So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But... God appointed a worm which attacked the plant...and the sun beat upon Jonah's head so that he was faint." 4:6-8.
8. Mercy for mankind. "'You pity the plant... should not I pity Nineveh, that great city?'" 4:10,11.
30. MICAH
I. OUTLINE
1. Background. 1:1-4 [308].
2. The Assyrian Crisis. 1:5-16.
A. Wailing Prophet. 1:5-9.
B. The Alarm. 1:10-16.
3. Of Ethical Concern. 2:1-3:12 [309].
A. Men of Wealth. 2:1-10.
B. False Prophets. 2:11.
C. Dreams of Restoration. 2:12,13.
D. Appeal to the Leaders. 3:1-12.
4. Visions of Glorious Future. 4:1-5:15 [310].
A. Universal Religion. 4:1-8.
B. Way of Monarchy. 4:9-5:6.
C. A World of Purity. 5:7-15.
5. Adversity and Triumphs. 6:1-7:20 [311].
A. God's Controversy. 6:1-5.
B. Fundamentals of Religion. 6:6-8.
C. Plea for Jerusalem. 6:9-16.
D. Pessimism of Despair. 7:1-6.
E. Triumph of Faith. 7:7-20.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. The book was the work of Micah.
2. Micah lived at Moresheth, which survives today as Morissa, in southwestern Palestine.
3. He was a contemporary of Isaiah.
4. He lived only twenty miles from Amos.
5. His work was of more importance than was generally recognized.
6. He was a "proletarian" prophet. He was but little influenced by Isaiah.
7. Most of his work was done in the days of Hezekiah-715-686 B.C.
8. Micah was a poet-he wrote in verse.
III. MICAH AND HIS TIMES
1. Micah does not talk much about either idolatry or immortality. His message is: "Do justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God."
3. The three parts of the book deal with:
A. Judgment.
B. Comfort.
C. Salvation.
4. Micah longed for a universal religion.
5. Almost a hundred years later, Jeremiah remembered Micah. (Jer 26:18,19) [312]
6. He exposed the dishonest and corrupt officials.
7. Micah was not in the literary class of Deutero-Isaiah and Amos, but he was far superior to Ezekiel.
8. Micah is one of the best unified books in the Old Testament. It has received but little editorial tampering.
9. Micah started the campaign of "social reform" that was taken up by Zephaniah, the psalmists, John the Baptist, Jesus, Francis of Assisi, and John Wesley.
IV. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Futility of prayer. "Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hid his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil." 3:4.
2. Conversion of the nations. "And many nations shall come, and say: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.'" 4:2.
3. Swords into plowshares. "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks...neither shall they learn war any more." 4:3.
4. Individual character. "They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid." 4:4.
5. Worthless sacrifices. "'Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?'" 6:7.
6. What the Lord requires. "'He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?'" 6:8.
7. Attributes of God. "Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love." 7:18.
31. NAHUM
I. OUTLINE
1. The Acrostic Poem. 1:1-9 [313].
2. Marginal Notes. 1:10,12,13,15 [314].
3. The Long Poem. 1:10-3:19 [315].
A. Nineveh's Crime. 1:11,14.
B. The Attack. 2:1-5.
C. Flight and Capture. 2:6-10.
D. More Crimes. 2:11-13.
E. Woe to Bloody City. 3:1-4.
F. The Fall. 3:5-19.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. The main poem is by Nahum.
2. Nahum lived in Elkosh-an unknown location.
3. The introductory or short poem may have been supplied by a later editor.
4. Date: Nineveh fell in August 612. The book was probably written sometime between 614 and 612 B.C.
III. COMPOSITION
1. There is none of the spirit of Amos, Hosea, Micah, or Isaiah in Nahum.
2. Nahum gloats over the fall of Nineveh-the Assyrian capital.
3. Despite its spiritual deficiencies, Nahum is one of the outstanding literary masterpieces of the Bible.
4. It is an oracle of vengeance. For vigor and fervor, it holds a place all its own.
5. In 2:4 [316] it reads: "The chariots rage in the streets, they rush to and fro through the squares." This verse has been construed as a prophecy-foretelling railroads and automobiles.
6. It is a poem of revenge-a masterpiece of vindictive literature.
7. To the Jews, Assyria was a symbol of the incarnation of evil-a bloodthirsty militarism.
8. Nahum was a contemporary of Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah.
9. It is supposed to portray the moral indignation of a righteous God, who is international in his jurisdiction.
10. Tyrants become corrupt, dissolute, drunken, and effeminate, and then they are doomed.
IV. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The divine stronghold. "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble." 1:7.
2. Peace messengers. "Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace!" 1:15.
3. Railroads and automobiles. "The chariots rage in the streets, they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches, they dart like lightening." 2:4.
32. HABAKKUK
I. OUTLINE
1. Why Does God Permit Evil? 1:1-17 [317].
A. Title. 1:1.
B. First Series of Questions. 1:2-4.
C. The Bitter Nation. 1:5-11.
D. Second Series of Questions. 1:12-17.
2. The Just Shall Live by Faith. 2:1-20 [318].
A. Answer from the Tower. 2:1-4.
B. The Woes. 2:5,6.
C. Tyranny Self-destructive. 2:7-20.
3. Psalm of Praise. 3:1-19 [319].
A. Title. 3:1.
B. Introduction. 3:2.
C. Theophany. 3:3-15.
D. Joy despite Adversity. 3:16-19.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. In 1948 a commentary scroll was discovered in a cave near the Dead Sea.
2. Habakkuk was a Levitical temple musician.
3. Habakkuk, with the help of one or two editors, wrote the book.
4. Date: From about 615 to 605, perhaps about the date of the battle of Carchemish.
III. TEACHING OF HABAKKUK
1. Habakkuk was a philosophical prophet. He wrestled with the problem: "Why should a righteous God allow the wicked to prosper and to triumph over the saints?"
2. The outstanding text: "The righteous shall live by his faith." 2:4. Twice quoted by Paul-Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11. Also noted in Heb. 10:38.
3. While Habakkuk does not fully answer the question of why the forces of violence and oppression are allowed to swallow up the righteous, he does present one of the higher flights of poetry to be found in all of the Old Testament.
4. There are four divisions of the book:
A. Why does the God of right permit the rule of wrong?
B. The oracle-why is a foreign nation allowed to plunder the people of God?
C. Woes on the robbers-"greedy as hell, insatiable as death"-selfish plunderers, oppressors, insulting idolaters.
D. A psalm of deliverance.
5. Habakkuk quotes from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea.
6. A favorite verse: "The-Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." 2:20.
7. This old problem of evil is dealt with in Job and in many of the psalms- note: Ps. 73.
8. Habakkuk seems to conclude: "Evil carries in it the seeds of its own destruction."
9. The fellowship with God is the greatest of all riches.
IV. SELECTED TEXTS
1. Living by faith. "But the righteous shall live by his faith." 2:4.
2. Earth filled with the glory of the Lord. "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." 2:14.
33. ZEPHANIAH
I. OUTLINE
1. Judgment of Jerusalem. 1:1-18 [320].
A. Title. 1:1.
B. Threat of Destruction. 1:2-6.
C. Lord's Sacrifice. 1:7.
D. Punishment of Princes. 1:8,9.
E. The Day in Jerusalem. 1:10,11.
F. Fate of the Indifferent. 1:12-16.
G. Universal Judgment. 1:17,18.
2. Judgment of the Nations. 2:1-15 [321].
A. Summons to Punishment. 2:1,2.
B. Seeking the Lord. 2:3.
C. Oracle against Philistia. 2:4-7.
D. Oracle against Others. 2:8-12.
E. Warning to Assyria. 2:13,14.
F. Editorial Addition. 2:15.
3. Threats and Promises. 3:1-20 [322].
A. Charges against Jerusalem. 3:1-5.
B. Failure of Discipline. 3:6,7.
C. Universal Punishment. 3:8.
D. Conversion of Nations. 3:9,10.
E. Security of the Remnant. 3:11-13.
F. The Golden Age. 3:14-20.
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Zephaniah was an aristocratic citizen of Jerusalem. He has little or nothing to say about the poor.
2. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah and borrowed from both Amos and Isaiah.
3. He was the fourth generation descendant of King Hezekiah and a second cousin once removed of Josiah, the king.
4. Most of the passages of comfort and promise are regarded as the work of later editors.
III. TEACHINGS OF THE BOOK
1. His loud cry: "The day of the Lord-a day of wrath, trouble, distress, and darkness."
2. His pronouncements were made with a vast and rapidly changing international background.
3. Perhaps Zephaniah was the first Old Testament prophet to change the "day of the Lord" from the "Messianic age" to the coming of Yahweh himself- "the end of the world."
4. This book is a good illustration of how the editors did not hesitate to append their notes with God speaking in the first person.
5. Some of the additions sound more like Deutero-Isaiah than like Zephaniah.
6. In Zephaniah God has a conscience. He cannot allow the sins of even his "chosen people" to go unpunished.
7. There is a hint in this book that during the "new age" all peoples will be converted to Yahweh.
8. One of the major conclusions of the book is: "The Lord resists the proud and rewards the humble."
The book is devoid of outstanding and significant passages.
34. HAGGAI
I. OUTLINE
1. Appeal to Rebuild Temple. 1:1-15 [323].
A. Objections. 1:1-11.
B. People's Response. 1:12-15.
2. Promise of Better Times. 2:1-8 [324].
3. Glory of the Temple. 2:9 [325].
4. Holiness. 2:10-14 [326].
5. Promises of the Lord. 2:15-19 [327].
6. Zerubbabel. 2:20-23 [328].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Haggai was a post-exilic prophet, but he did not write the book.
2. Some interested party, from notes supplied by Haggai, wrote the book. All of his work is referred to in the third person.
3. Haggai was probably of a priestly family.
4. He was born in Babylon, and later lived in Jerusalem.
5. He was a contemporary and co-worker of Zechariah.
6. In its present form, the book presents evidence of later editors making changes.
7. Date: About 520 B.C.
III. LOOK AT THE BOOK
1. Notwithstanding what has been said about rebuilding the temple-it was really Haggai who got the job going and finished in four years.
2. Times were bad-there was a shortage of food. There was also inflation. "Wages" were compared to a "bag with holes in it."
3. The best known verse is 2:7 referring to the Messiah as "the desire of all nations." (King James Version)
4. This book is unlike any other in the Old Testament in that it is not a prophet's message first-handed, but rather an account of a prophet's teaching and the results.
5. Haggai was indeed a "minor" prophet. Spiritually regarded, he could be regarded even as a second or third class prophet.
6. But he did arouse the people to rebuild the temple.
7. When Zerubbabel, of David's line, was appointed governor of Palestine, Haggai thought it was evidence that the line of David was to rule the country. But he never became king.
8. Both Haggai and Zechariah were great enemies of the Samaritans. This was the start of the long-lasting bad feelings between the Jews and the Samaritans.
9. In Chapter 1, verse 6, there is a strong suggestion of inflation. "And he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes."
There are no outstanding passages.
35. ZECHARIAH
I. OUTLINE
1. Call to Repent. 1:1-6 [329].
2. Visions of Zechariah. 1:7-6:8 [330].
A. Four Horsemen. 1:7-17.
B. Four Horns. 1:18-21.
C. Angel with Measuring Line. 2:1-5.
D. Call to the Exiles. 2:6-13.
E. About Joshua. 3:1-10.
F. Lampstand and Olive Trees. 4:1-14.
G. Flying Scroll. 5:1-4.
H. Woman in the Measure. 5:5-11.
I. The Four Chariots. 6:1-8.
3. Symbolic Crowning of Zerubbabel. 6:9-15 [331].
4. Deputation from Bethel. 7:1-8:23 [332].
A. The Inquiry. 7:1-3.
B. Zechariah's Reply. 7:4-8:23.
5. The Coming of the Greeks. 9:1-17 [333].
6. Restoration of Scattered Israel. 10:1-12 [334].
7. Parable of the Shepherds. 11:1-17 [335].
8. Visions of Israel's Future. 12:1-14:20 [336].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. Haggai was an old man; Zechariah a young man.
2. Zechariah taught from 520 to 518 B.C. He began to teach during the last month of Haggai's ministry.
3. He was a priest as well as a prophet.
4. Zechariah was author of the first eight chapters, though they were later subjected to some editing.
5. The Second Zechariah, of unknown identity, formulated Chapters 9 to 14.
6. The First Zechariah wrote during the Persian period; the Second Zechariah during the later Greek period (in the third century).
7. He continued the work of Haggai as regarded the urge to rebuild the temple and exclude the Samaritans.
III. THE BOOK
1. The three main sections of the first part:
A. The call to repentance.
B. The eight visions.
C. Coming of the Messianic age.
2. The eight visions:
A. The four horsemen.
B. Four horns and four smiths.
C. Angel with measuring line.
D. Acquittal of Joshua.
E. Seven-branched lamp stand and the two olive trees.
F. The flying scroll.
G. Woman and the measure.
H. The four chariots.
3. Zechariah fully believed that the Messianic age was about to dawn. He regarded Zerubbabel as being of the "seed of David" and as about to occupy the "throne of David."
4. But the secret police of Darius, getting wind of such things, soon hurried Zerubbabel off the stage of action.
5. The last half of the book seems to pertain to the times of Alexander the Great.
6. Yahweh is getting farther and farther away from the prophets. Formerly they talked directly to Yahweh. Now God only speaks in visions, which are interpreted by angels.
7. The book of Zechariah introduces two almost new concepts:
A. Angelology. Angels attain new heights of importance.
B. Satan. He first appears as a personality.
8. The interpretation of the eight visions had, in general, to do with the coming of the Messianic kingdom.
9. Zechariah is quoted often in the New Testament. The episodes associated with Zechariah are:
A. Triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Zech 9:9 [337]. Matt 21:5 [338]. John 12:15 [339].
B. Betrayal for 30 pieces of silver. Zech 11:12,13 [340]. Matt 27:9,10 [341].
(This is incorrectly ascribed to Jeremiah.)
C. The pierced hands. Zech 12:10 [342]. John 19:37 [343].
D. The smitten shepherd. Zech 13:7 [344]. Matt 26:31 [345]. Mark 14:27 [346].
IV. ZECHARIAH AND OLD TESTAMENT RELIGION
1. Along with Haggai, he was foremost in the rebuilding of the temple.
2. He was also a strong influence in keeping up enmity against the Samaritans.
3. He was the first prophet actually to proclaim the Messianic age, which takes definite form as a future hope of the Jews.
4. He proclaimed that he had had a direct revelation from Yahweh-a new experience for post-exilic prophets.
5. He established the technique of "visions" as a new and more common method for Yahweh to reveal himself to prophets.
6. Angelology, introduced by Ezekiel, is now an established feature in Hebrew theology.
7. Satan finds his place in all later-day Jewish religion.
8. The gentiles are to share in the glory of the rule of the Messiah over all the world.
9. But Israel must be cleansed from all sin and iniquity.
10. And it was in fulfillment of these conditions that John the Baptist came preaching repentance, baptism, and the kingdom of heaven.
V. SELECTED TEXTS
1. The apple of his eye. "He who touches you touches the apple of his eye." 2:8.
2. The brand plucked from the burning. "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan!...Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?'" 3:1,2.
3. Not by might or power. "Then he said to me...'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." 4:6.
4. His people. "'And they shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.'" 8:8.
5. Promoting peace. "'Speak truth to one another, render...judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, says the Lord.'" 8:16,17.
6. The king riding on a colt. "Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt.'" 9:9.
7. Man's spirit. "Thus says the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him." 12:1.
8. Him whom they pierced. "'So that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him.'" 12:10.
9. Wounded in house of a friend. "'"What are these wounds on your back?" He will say, "The wounds I received in the house of my friends."'" 13:6.
10. God and his angels. "The Lord your God will come, and all the holy ones with him." 14:5.
36. MALACHI
I. OUTLINE
1. Superscription. 1:1 [347].
2. God's Love for Israel. 1:2-5 [348].
3. Sins of the Ministry. 1:6-2:9 [349].
4. Degradation of Marriage. 2:10-16 [350].
5. God of Justice. 2:17-3:5 [351].
6. Sins of Common People. 3:6-12 [352].
7. The Good of Serving God. 3:13-4:3 [353].
8. Conclusion. 4:4-6 [354].
II. AUTHORSHIP
1. Nothing is known of Malachi except what is disclosed in the book.
2. The Jews were under a Persian governor, so it is dated about 460 to 450 B.C.
3. There is a unity of thought and mannerism which suggests that the book was written by one person.
III. THE TIME
1. Malachi says the priests are slovenly about their duties and the people neglect to pay tithes and offerings.
2. This suggests sometime before Nehemiah began his reforms.
3. This time is also suggested by the conquest of the Edomites by the Nabataean Arabs.
4. The people are discouraged. "Where is the God of justice?" 2:17. What evidence that God loves us? 1:2.
5. Malachi might be subtitled "A message for an age of discouragement."
IV. THE MESSAGE
1. Malachi offers three answers to the wailing of the people-where is the God of justice?
A. The hard times caused by the disloyalty of the people.
B. The punishment of their old adversaries-the Edomites.
C. The justice of the final judgment.
2. This book presents the first real denunciation of divorce by a Hebrew prophet.
3. Malachi presents the first actual mention of the "Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man." 2:10 [355].
4. The book is dominated by a passion for God associated with profound sympathy for man.
5. Malachi vies with all the other Old Testament prophets in exalting the universal nature of God.
6. Malachi is directly or indirectly quoted in the New Testament: Mark 1:2 [356] (Mal 3:1 [357]); Mark 9:11 [358] and Luke 1:17 [359] (Mal 4:5 [360]); Rom 9:13 [361] (Mal 1:2,3 [348]).
V. SELECTED TEXTS
1. God hates divorce. "'For I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel.'" 2:16.
2. God's changelessness. "'For I the Lord do not change.'" 3:6.
3. Robbing God. "'You are robbing me...in your tithes and offerings.'" 3:8.
4. The book of remembrance. "Those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; ...and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and thought on his name." 3:16.
5. The sun of righteousness. "'But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.'" 4:2.
6. The sending of Elijah. "'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.'" 4:5.
Links:
[1] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/1.htm1
[2] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/1.htm
[3] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/10.htm
[4] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/12.htm
[5] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/21.htm
[6] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/28.htm
[7] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/37.htm
[8] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/1-1.htm
[9] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/2-4.htm
[10] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/4-1.htm
[11] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/5-1.htm
[12] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/5-29.htm
[13] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/9-20.htm
[14] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/11-1.htm
[15] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/11-10.htm
[16] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/11-27.htm
[17] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/12-1.htm
[18] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/12-9.htm
[19] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/13-2.htm
[20] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/14-1.htm
[21] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/15-1.htm
[22] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/16-1.htm
[23] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/17-1.htm
[24] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/18-1.htm
[25] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/19-1.htm
[26] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/19-30.htm
[27] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/20-1.htm
[28] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/21-8.htm
[29] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/21-22.htm
[30] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/22-1.htm
[31] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/22-20.htm
[32] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/23-1.htm
[33] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/24-1.htm
[34] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/25-1.htm
[35] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/25-7.htm
[36] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/25-12.htm
[37] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/25-19.htm
[38] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/26-1.htm
[39] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/26-34.htm
[40] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/28-10.htm
[41] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/29-1.htm
[42] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/32-1.htm
[43] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/33-17.htm
[44] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/35-27.htm
[45] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/36-1.htm
[46] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/37-1.htm
[47] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/38-1.htm
[48] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/39-1.htm
[49] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/42-1.htm
[50] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/46-1.htm
[51] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/49-1.htm
[52] https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/50-1.htm
[53] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahwist
[54] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elohist
[55] http://www.biblicalproportions.com/modules/ol_bible/King_James_Bible/Genesis/
[56] https://biblehub.com/genesis/2-4.htm
[57] https://biblehub.com/genesis/3-23.htm
[58] https://biblehub.com/genesis/9-20.htm
[59] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-77-midway-creatures#U77_2_3
[60] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-75-default-adam-and-eve#U75_4_8
[61] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-93-machiventa-melchizedek#U93_5_13
[62] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/1.htm
[63] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/2.htm
[64] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/3.htm
[65] http://kingjbible.com/exodus/8.htm
[66] http://kingjbible.com/exodus/12.htm
[67] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/13.htm
[68] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/16.htm
[69] http://kingjbible.com/exodus/19.htm
[70] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuteronomist
[71] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-96-yahweh-god-hebrews#U96_0_2
[72] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-96-yahweh-god-hebrews#U96_4_2
[73] https://biblehub.com/acts/7-22.htm
[74] https://biblehub.com/exodus/2-18.htm
[75] https://biblehub.com/exodus/18-3.htm
[76] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/20-1.htm
[77] https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/34-10.htm
[78] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/1.htm
[79] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/8.htm
[80] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/11.htm
[81] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/16.htm
[82] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/17.htm
[83] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/27.htm
[84] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/1-1.htm
[85] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/8-1.htm
[86] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/11-1.htm
[87] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/16-1.htm
[88] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/17-1.htm
[89] https://biblehub.com/niv/leviticus/27-1.htm
[90] http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/sirach/sirach50.htm
[91] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/42.htm
[92] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/84.htm
[93] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/150.htm
[94] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/1-1.htm
[95] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/10-11.htm
[96] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/13-1.htm
[97] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/20-1.htm
[98] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/22-2.htm
[99] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/25-1.htm
[100] https://biblehub.com/niv/numbers/33-1.htm
[101] https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/1-1.htm
[102] https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/4-44.htm
[103] https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/29-1.htm
[104] https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/31-1.htm
[105] https://biblehub.com/matthew/4-4.htm
[106] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/8-3.htm
[107] https://biblehub.com/acts/3-22.htm
[108] https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/18-15.htm
[109] https://biblehub.com/matthew/4-7.htm
[110] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/6-16.htm
[111] https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/9-9.htm
[112] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/25-4.htm
[113] https://biblehub.com/matthew/4-10.htm
[114] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/6-13.htm
[115] https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/13-1.htm
[116] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/19-15.htm
[117] https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-31.htm
[118] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/24-1.htm
[119] https://biblehub.com/galatians/3-13.htm
[120] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/21-23.htm
[121] https://biblehub.com/mark/12-30.htm
[122] https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/6-5.htm
[123] https://biblehub.com/niv/romans/10-6.htm
[124] https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/30-12.htm
[125] https://biblehub.com/niv/joshua/1-1.htm
[126] https://biblehub.com/niv/joshua/13-1.htm
[127] https://biblehub.com/niv/joshua/22-1.htm
[128] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/1.htm
[129] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/1-1.htm
[130] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/2-6.htm
[131] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/17-1.htm
[132] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Jasher_%28Biblical_references%29
[133] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Wars_of_the_Lord
[134] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/1-10.htm
[135] https://biblehub.com/niv/joshua/15-13.htm
[136] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/1-27.htm
[137] https://biblehub.com/niv/joshua/17-11.htm
[138] https://biblehub.com/niv/joshua/24-28.htm
[139] https://biblehub.com/niv/judges/3.htm
[140] https://biblehub.com/niv/ruth/1-1.htm
[141] https://biblehub.com/niv/ruth/1-19.htm
[142] https://biblehub.com/niv/ruth/2-1.htm
[143] https://biblehub.com/niv/ruth/3-1.htm
[144] https://biblehub.com/niv/ruth/4-1.htm
[145] https://biblehub.com/niv/ruth/4-13.htm
[146] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/1-1.htm
[147] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/4-1.htm
[148] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/7-2.htm
[149] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/13-1.htm
[150] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/15-1.htm
[151] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/19-1.htm
[152] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/21-1.htm
[153] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/27-1.htm
[154] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_samuel/1-1.htm
[155] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_samuel/5-1.htm
[156] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_samuel/9-1.htm
[157] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_samuel/13-1.htm
[158] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_samuel/21-1.htm
[159] https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/7-12.htm
[160] https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/14-2.htm
[161] https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/10-5.htm
[162] https://biblehub.com/2_samuel/3-27.htm
[163] https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/21-4.htm
[164] https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/14-24.htm
[165] https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/26-19.htm
[166] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/28.htm
[167] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_kings/1.htm
[168] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_kings/3-1.htm
[169] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_kings/12-1.htm
[170] https://biblehub.com/2_kings/17-41.htm
[171] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_kings/18-1.htm
[172] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_chronicles/1-1.htm
[173] https://biblehub.com/niv/1_chronicles/10-1.htm
[174] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_chronicles/1-1.htm
[175] https://biblehub.com/niv/2_chronicles/10-1.htm
[176] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezra/1-1.htm
[177] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezra/3-1.htm
[178] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezra/7-1.htm
[179] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezra/9-1.htm
[180] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/1-1.htm
[181] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/2-1.htm
[182] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/2-9.htm
[183] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/3-1.htm
[184] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/5-1.htm
[185] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/6-1.htm
[186] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/7-1.htm
[187] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/7-73.htm
[188] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/9-1.htm
[189] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/9-5.htm
[190] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/9-38.htm
[191] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/11-1.htm
[192] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/12-1.htm
[193] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/12-27.htm
[194] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/12-44.htm
[195] https://biblehub.com/niv/nehemiah/13-4.htm
[196] https://biblehub.com/niv/esther/1-1.htm
[197] https://biblehub.com/niv/esther/3-1.htm
[198] https://biblehub.com/niv/esther/9-20.htm
[199] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/1-1.htm
[200] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/3-1.htm
[201] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/32-1.htm
[202] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/38-1.htm
[203] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/42-7.htm
[204] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-148-training-evangelists-bethsaida#U148_6_1
[205] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/1.htm
[206] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/73.htm
[207] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/90.htm
[208] https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/107.htm
[209] https://biblehub.com/niv/proverbs/1-1.htm
[210] https://biblehub.com/niv/proverbs/10-1.htm
[211] https://biblehub.com/niv/proverbs/22-17.htm
[212] https://biblehub.com/niv/proverbs/25-1.htm
[213] https://biblehub.com/niv/proverbs/30-1.htm
[214] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/31-1.htm
[215] https://biblehub.com/niv/job/31-10.htm
[216] https://biblehub.com/niv/ecclesiastes/1-1.htm
[217] https://biblehub.com/niv/ecclesiastes/4-4.htm
[218] https://biblehub.com/niv/ecclesiastes/9-17.htm
[219] https://biblehub.com/niv/ecclesiastes/12-8.htm
[220] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/1-2.htm
[221] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/1-9.htm
[222] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/2-8.htm
[223] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/3-6.htm
[224] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/4-1.htm
[225] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/5-2.htm
[226] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/6-4.htm
[227] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/7-10.htm
[228] https://biblehub.com/niv/songs/8-5.htm
[229] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/1-1.htm
[230] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/6-1.htm
[231] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/8-19.htm
[232] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/10-5.htm
[233] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/13-1.htm
[234] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/24-1.htm
[235] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/28-1.htm
[236] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/33-1.htm
[237] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/36-1.htm
[238] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/1.htm
[239] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/40.htm
[240] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/56.htm
[241] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-97-evolution-god-concept-among-hebrews#U97_7_1
[242] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-43-constellations#U43_4_1
[243] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-97-evolution-god-concept-among-hebrews#U97_5_3
[244] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-97-evolution-god-concept-among-hebrews#U97_5_2
[245] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/40-1.htm
[246] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/49-1.htm
[247] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/56-1.htm
[248] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-97-evolution-god-concept-among-hebrews#U97_7_11
[249] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/57-15.htm
[250] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/66-1.htm
[251] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/58-11.htm
[252] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-97-evolution-god-concept-among-hebrews#U97_7_5
[253] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/40-15.htm
[254] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/55-9.htm
[255] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/45-18.htm
[256] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/44-6.htm
[257] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/51-6.htm
[258] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/41-10.htm
[259] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/45-21.htm
[260] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/43-1.htm
[261] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/43-2.htm
[262] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/49-15.htm
[263] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/55-7.htm
[264] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/40-11.htm
[265] https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/40-29.htm
[266] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/50-2.htm
[267] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/42-16.htm
[268] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/43-7.htm
[269] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/43-25.htm
[270] https://biblehub.com/isaiah/59-19.htm
[271] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/1-1.htm
[272] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/2-1.htm
[273] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/7-1.htm
[274] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/8-4.htm
[275] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/11-1.htm
[276] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/30-1.htm
[277] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-108-mission-and-ministry-thought-adjusters#U108_1_2
[278] https://biblehub.com/niv/lamentations/1-1.htm
[279] https://biblehub.com/niv/lamentations/2-1.htm
[280] https://biblehub.com/niv/lamentations/3-1.htm
[281] https://biblehub.com/niv/lamentations/4-1.htm
[282] https://biblehub.com/niv/lamentations/5-1.htm
[283] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezekiel/1-1.htm
[284] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezekiel/25-1.htm
[285] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezekiel/33-1.htm
[286] https://biblehub.com/niv/ezekiel/40-1.htm
[287] https://biblehub.com/niv/daniel/1-1.htm
[288] https://biblehub.com/niv/daniel/7-1.htm
[289] https://biblehub.com/niv/hosea/1-1.htm
[290] https://biblehub.com/niv/hosea/4-1.htm
[291] https://biblehub.com/niv/hosea/14-1.htm
[292] https://biblehub.com/niv/joel/1-1.htm
[293] https://biblehub.com/niv/joel/2-28.htm
[294] https://biblehub.com/niv/amos/1-1.htm
[295] https://biblehub.com/niv/amos/3-1.htm
[296] https://biblehub.com/niv/amos/7-1.htm
[297] https://biblehub.com/amos/4-13.htm
[298] https://biblehub.com/niv/amos/5-8.htm
[299] https://biblehub.com/niv/amos/9-5.htm
[300] https://biblehub.com/niv/obadiah/1.htm
[301] https://biblehub.com/niv/jonah/1-1.htm
[302] https://biblehub.com/niv/jonah/2-1.htm
[303] https://biblehub.com/niv/jonah/3-1.htm
[304] https://biblehub.com/niv/jonah/4-1.htm
[305] https://biblehub.com/2_kings/14-25.htm
[306] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-130-way-rome#U130_1_2
[307] https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-159-decapolis-tour#U159_4_1
[308] https://biblehub.com/niv/micah/1-1.htm
[309] https://biblehub.com/niv/micah/2-1.htm
[310] https://biblehub.com/niv/micah/4-1.htm
[311] https://biblehub.com/niv/micah/6-1.htm
[312] https://biblehub.com/niv/jeremiah/26-18.htm
[313] https://biblehub.com/niv/nahum/1-1.htm
[314] https://biblehub.com/nahum/1-10.htm
[315] https://biblehub.com/niv/nahum/1-10.htm
[316] https://biblehub.com/nahum/2-4.htm
[317] https://biblehub.com/niv/habakkuk/1-1.htm
[318] https://biblehub.com/niv/habakkuk/2-1.htm
[319] https://biblehub.com/niv/habakkuk/3-1.htm
[320] https://biblehub.com/niv/zephaniah/1-1.htm
[321] https://biblehub.com/niv/zephaniah/2-1.htm
[322] https://biblehub.com/niv/zephaniah/3-1.htm
[323] https://biblehub.com/niv/haggai/1-1.htm
[324] https://biblehub.com/niv/haggai/2-1.htm
[325] https://biblehub.com/haggai/2-9.htm
[326] https://biblehub.com/niv/haggai/2-10.htm
[327] http://esv.scripturetext.com/haggai/2.htm
[328] http://esv.scripturetext.com/haggai/2-20.htm
[329] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/1-1.htm
[330] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/1-7.htm
[331] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/6-9.htm
[332] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/7-1.htm
[333] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/9-1.htm
[334] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/10-1.htm
[335] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/11-1.htm
[336] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/12-1.htm
[337] https://biblehub.com/zechariah/9-9.htm
[338] https://biblehub.com/matthew/21-5.htm
[339] https://biblehub.com/john/12-15.htm
[340] https://biblehub.com/niv/zechariah/11-12.htm
[341] https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/27-9.htm
[342] https://biblehub.com/zechariah/12-10.htm
[343] https://biblehub.com/john/19-37.htm
[344] https://biblehub.com/zechariah/13-7.htm
[345] https://biblehub.com/matthew/26-31.htm
[346] https://biblehub.com/mark/14-27.htm
[347] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/1.htm
[348] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/1-2.htm
[349] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/1-6.htm
[350] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/2-10.htm
[351] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/2-17.htm
[352] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/3-6.htm
[353] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/3-13.htm
[354] https://biblehub.com/niv/malachi/4-4.htm
[355] https://biblehub.com/malachi/2-10.htm
[356] https://biblehub.com/mark/1-2.htm
[357] https://biblehub.com/malachi/3-1.htm
[358] https://biblehub.com/mark/9-11.htm
[359] https://biblehub.com/luke/1-17.htm
[360] https://biblehub.com/malachi/4-5.htm
[361] https://biblehub.com/romans/9-13.htm