THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
Lesson 5
Chapters 9-10
Nehemiah's Reaffirmation of the Covenant
Almighty God,
You have no "favorites." You call men and women to Your service from
all walks of life, like Nehemiah, the captive cupbearer to Persian King Artaxerxes
who became Your instrument to physically rebuild the walls of Your holy city of
Jerusalem. Every Christian, like Nehemiah, becomes a builder to secure the
structure of Your holy Church. Help us to discern and submit to Your divine
plan for us to work with other Christians to become the mortar and stones that
hold the Church together to receive future generations. We pray in the name of
God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
First century AD priest and historian Flavius Josephus' account
concerning Ezra's death: So it came to pass that after he had obtained this
reputation among the people, he died an old man, and was buried in a magnificent
manner at Jerusalem. About the same time, it happened also that Joachim [Joiakim],
the high priest, died and his son Eliashib succeeded in the high priesthood.
Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 11.5.6 [158]
Jerusalem's High Priests during the times of Sheshbazzar/Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah:
*Jeshua in Hebrew is the same name as the Aramaic form of Joshua (see Hag 2:2, 4), and Joiakim is the shortened form of Jehoiakim.
Seraiah was the last high priest before the Babylonians destroyed the city and the Temple and murdered Seraiah, taking his son, Jehozadak/Jozadak, with the other surviving citizens of Judah into exile. Jehozadak/Jozadak's son, Jeshua/Joshua, was among the first of the returnees from exile with Sheshbazzar and served as the high priest under governors Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (2 Kng 25:18-21; 1 Chron 5:41/6:15; Jer 52:24-27; Ezra 5:2; Hag 1:1). The High Priest Jeshua fathered Joiakim, and Joiakim fathered Eliashib (Neh 12:10) who was the covenant people's high priest during the governorship of Nehemiah (Neh 3:1).
The chief priests were not only the keepers of Sacred Scripture and its right interpretation, but they also preserved the history of the covenant people for future generations. Flavius Josephus (AD 37-100), the Jewish priest and historian who served in the Jerusalem Temple before its destruction by the Romans in AD 70, wrote in his first-century AD history of the Jews that Ezra died before Nehemiah became the governor of Judah in 445 BC: "So it came to pass that after he had obtained this reputation among the people, he died an old man, and was buried in a magnificent manner at Jerusalem. About the same time, it happened also that Joachim [Joiakim], the high priest, died and his son Eliashib succeeded in the high priesthood" (Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 11.5.6 [158]). We know from Nehemiah 3:1 that Eliashib was the high priest from the beginning of Nehemiah's governorship.
William Whiston, the historian who first translated Josephus' works, agrees with him concerning the death of Ezra prior to Nehemiah's mission and the condition in which he found Jerusalem: "This miserable condition of the Jews and their capital must have been after the death of Esdras [Ezra], their former governor, and before Nehemiah came with his commission to build the walls of Jerusalem; nor is that at all disagreeable to these histories in Jerusalem"1 (The Works of Josephus, William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1998 edition, note c, page 297).
Problematic verses in Part II of the Book of Nehemiah identified as scribal additions:
These verses appear to be scribal additions dating from the period of Rabbinic Judaism. Either the additions are absent from the oldest Hebrew manuscripts, are missing from the Greek Septuagint, or have singular verbs indicating a single subject when two subjects are present in the sentence and contradict Josephus' historical account.
Question: How many times is the priest-scribe Ezra
mentioned in Nehemiah's memoir of his mission to Jerusalem? How many times is
Ezra named in other Bible books other than the Book of Ezra? See Sir 49:13/15
and 2 Macc 1:18-36 and 2:13.
Answer: Not once. Nor is Ezra mentioned in other Bible
books, whereas Nehemiah is lauded among the heroes of God's divine plan in
Sirach 49:13/15 and named eight times in 2 Maccabees 1:18, 20, 21, 23, 31, 33,
36; and 2:13.
The inspired writer of the Book of Nehemiah inserted parts of Ezra's memoir into Nehemiah's account to show that the spiritual restoration of Ezra and the physical restoration of the city that was Nehemiah's mission were two parts of one divine plan to restore the covenant people to Yahweh's holy city of Jerusalem. The historical record of Nehemiah referred to in 7:5 in the time of Ezra's mission concludes at the end of Chapter 8 and continues with Nehemiah's reforms after the completion of the wall and gates without any mention of Ezra:
Note: Headings at the top of passages in Bible translations are not in the sacred text but are additions of the commentators/editors and may reflect a wrong interpretation based on the scribal additions as in a heading that identifies the penitential prayer in Chapter 9 as "Ezra's prayer."
Chapter 9: The Ceremony of Expiation and Review of the History Israel's Collective Sins in a Covenant Renewal Ceremony
Nehemiah 6:15 ~ The wall was finished within fifty-two
days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
It was early in the month of Nisan (March) in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes in 2:1 when Nehemiah presented his petition to go
to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls to Persian King Artaxerxes. His trip
to probably took not more than three or four months since he traveled with a
small group by horseback, which would mean he arrived in Jerusalem after the change
of the Persian year in the twenty-first year of King Artaxerxes I (still 445 BC
by our modern calendar). The Persian new year began on the spring equinox in
March 20th/21st. The month of Elul when Nehemiah finished the wall is
the sixth month in the liturgical calendar with the end of the month equating
to our September. Therefore, it was in the early fall of the twenty-first year
of King Artaxerxes's reign when Nehemiah's workers completed the wall four days
before the end of the month (Elul had 29 days).
Nehemiah 9:1-5 ~ The Assembly of the People Confesses Their Sins
1 On
the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites, in sackcloth and with dust
on their heads, assembled for a fast. 2 Then those of Israelite stock who had
severed relations with all foreigners stood up and confessed their sins and the
iniquities of their ancestors. 3 Standing, each man in his place, they
read from the Book of the Law of Yahweh their God for one quarter of the day;
for another quarter they confessed their sins and worshipped Yahweh their God. 4 On the Levites' platform stood Jeshua,
Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, calling to Yahweh
their God in ringing tones. 5 The
Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah
said, "Stand up and bless Yahweh your God!"
The question is, "which month"? Is it still the historical review and the last day of the national assembly on Tishri the 22nd (Neh 8:18)? No; that is unlikely. It is more likely that the narrative has returned to Nehemiah's time. His workers completed the walls on the 25th of Elul just four days before the end of the month of 29 days and the beginning of the seventh month of Tishri. Then, he had to direct his attention to the rebuilding of the city's gate systems that probably took at least three weeks, which brings us to the 24th of Tishri.
During the time of threats from their neighboring provinces, the people of Jerusalem were unable to celebrate the annual festivals without a wall and gates to protect them. At the time the walls were completed the gates were not in place soon enough to allow for the celebration of the festivals of Trumpets on the 1st of Tishri, Atonement on the 10th or Shelters on the 15th to the twenty-first, with the sacred assembly on the 22nd. Therefore, when the walls and gates finally made Jerusalem secure, Nehemiah was then able to bring the many necessary animal sacrifices into the city and to proclaim a national assembly for repentance, communal atonement, and covenant renewal on the 24th of Tishri. His assembly of national repentance and covenant renewal recalls similar ceremonies held by Davidic kings Hezekiah and Josiah (2 Kng 23:1-3; 2 Chron 29:5-10; 34:29-33). Notice that there is no mention of Ezra in the narrative, affirming Josephus' account that he was dead by the time of Nehemiah's mission.
the Israelites, in sackcloth and with dust on
their heads, assembled for a fast.
Mourning rituals were commonly held in association
with penitence to express being like the dead (dead in their sins). Therefore,
the people performed rituals of fasting from food, wearing sackcloth like the
shrouds of the dead, and putting earth on their heads as if they were buried.
The people did not fast during the joyous annual feasts like they did during penitential
ceremonies (see Neh 8:10-12).
2 Then
those of Israelite stock who had severed relations with all foreigners stood up
and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.
Separation from foreigners refers to divorcing
pagan wives that took place in Ezra Chapters 9-10 to preserve the covenant
peoples' religious identity. The exiles viewed their return to the Promised
Land as a re-conquest of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, and,
as in the first conquest, it was necessary to drive out all pagan influence (Dt 7:1-6; Judg 3:5-6). Foreigners could not own the land, but they could live in
it so long as they kept the Law (Num 15:15). Foreigners could even attend the religious
festivals but could not worship within the inner courts of the Temple or eat
the sacred meals unless they converted, and the males underwent the covenant
ritual of circumcision (Ex 12:43-51; Dt 16:14).
3 Standing,
each man in his place, they read from the Book of the Law of Yahweh their God
for one quarter of the day; for another quarter they confessed their sins and
worshipped Yahweh their God.
The length of time agrees with Chapter 8 that the
people stood for six hours from dawn to noon listening to readings from the Law.
But instead of listening to Scripture for six hours, they listened to readings
for three hours and then confessed their sins to a priest and offered sin sacrifices
for the next three hours (see the laws concerning sin sacrifices for priests, communal
sin sacrifices, for a leader, and for private individuals in Lev 4:1-35).
4 On
the Levites' platform stood Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah,
Bani and Chenani, calling to Yahweh their God in ringing tones. 5 The Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani,
Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah said, "Stand up and
bless Yahweh your God!"
Verses 4-5 give a list of the families of prominent
laymen and Levites; some of these families were named in Ezra Chapter 8 as
having left with Ezra from Babylon to return to Judah thirteen years before
Nehemiah. Hashabneiah is the same man as Hashaniah, a priest, in Ezra 8:19 and
24 (see Neh 8:4-8). The Levitical leaders of the ceremony called for the
congregation to stand for the penitential prayer, as we stand for the Penitential
Rite in the Catholic Mass.
Nehemiah 9:5b-15 ~ Confessing the Sins of the Exodus Generation
5b "Blessed
are you, Yahweh our God from everlasting to everlasting, and blessed be your
glorious name, surpassing all blessing and praise! 6 You, Yahweh, are the one, only Yahweh,
you have created the heavens, the heaven of heavens and all their array, the earth
and all it bears, the seas and all they hold. To all of them you give life, and
the array of heaven worships you. 7 You
are Yahweh God, who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur in Chaldaea and changed
his name to Abraham. 8 Finding
his heart was faithful to you, you made a covenant with him, to give the
country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites
and the Girgashites to him and his descendants. And you have made good your promises,
for you are upright. 9 You
saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt, you heard their cry by the Sea of
Reeds. 10 You displayed signs
and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and all the people of his
land; for you knew how arrogantly they treated them. You won a reputation which
you keep to this day. 11 You
opened up the sea in front of them: they walked on dry ground right through the
sea. Into the depths you hurled their pursuers like a stone into the raging
waters. 12 With a pillar of
cloud you led them by day, with a pillar of fire by night: to light the way
ahead of them by which they were to go. 13
You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven; you
gave them right rules, reliable laws, good statutes and commandments; 14 you revealed your holy Sabbath to them;
you laid down commandments, statutes and law for them through your servant
Moses. 15 For their hunger
you gave them bread from heaven, for their thirst you brought them water out of
a rock, and you told them to go in and take possession of the country which you
had sworn to give them.
Some translations begin 9:6 with "And Ezra said," an addition that is missing from the Greek and Hebrew texts. There is no good reason to add these words since the prayer is a continuation of the Levitical prayer that began in 9:5b and Ezra was already dead by this time. Jewish Synagogues incorporate this penitential prayer into the liturgy of daily morning prayer.
In verses 5-37, the Levites summon the people to "Stand up and bless Yahweh, your God" (9:5a). Therefore, it is necessary that the assembly's prayer begins by addressing God with "Blessed are you, Yahweh our God," as it does in verse 5b. The prayer has a dual dimension: gratitude to God for His blessings and a petition for forgiveness, which should always be present in our prayers on this side of salvation history.
The theme of the prayer is a historical review of Israel apostasy from their covenant with Yahweh throughout their generations. However, the prayer also recounts God's divine blessings (9:6-15) which continued despite the covenant people's repeated acts of disobedience to God's commandments (9:16-25), and rebellions despite divine intervention (9:26-31). The prayer concludes with an appeal for deliverance from the domination of foreigners, a reference to the Persians (9:32-37), with the plea, count as no small thing this misery which has befallen us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, and all your people from the times of the Assyrian kings to the present day (9:32).
6 You,
Yahweh, are the one, only Yahweh, you have created the heavens, the heaven of
heavens and all their array, the earth and all it bears, the seas and all they
hold. To all of them, you give life, and the array of heaven worships you.
Verse 6 has a declaration of the doctrine of monotheism
(that makes the Israelites unique among all the religions of the ancient world)
and praise of Yahweh the Creator. For other references to the heaven of heavens
and all their array or in other translations "the highest heavens and all
their host" see Deuteronomy 10:14, 1 Kings 8:27, and 2 Chronicles 6:18.
The historical review in 9:7-15:
The historical review begins with a reminder God's call to Abram to come out of the city of Ur and into Canaan. 9:8 ~ Finding his heart was faithful to you, you made a covenant with him, to give the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites to him and his descendants. The Abrahamic covenant included God's promise to give his descendants the land of Canaan.2
Question: What were the covenants Yahweh
made with individuals before Abraham? What were the three covenant promises
God made Abraham? See Gen 12:1-3; 15:5-6; 17:4-8; 22:15-18 and the
chart on Yahweh's Eight Covenants.
Answer: God made covenants with Adam and
Noah before the Abrahamic covenant. He promised Abraham land/a kingdom, many
descendants, and a world-wide blessing.
Question: Did Abraham realize the fulfillment
of these promises in his lifetime? In what descendant of Abraham were these
promised fulfilled?
Answer: No, not in his lifetime. The
descendants of Abraham did receive the land God promised and even a kingdom,
but not the worldwide blessing. Jesus of Nazareth and His Kingdom of the
Church with her world-wide blessing for all future generations of humanity
fulfilled all three of the Abrahamic promises.
Compare the six different peoples in verse 8 with the ten listed in Genesis 15:19-21, the six in Exodus 34:11b, and the seven named in Deuteronomy 7:1. These are the different groups of people who inhabited the land of Canaan between the time God made His covenant with Abram (Abraham) and the Israelite conquest of Canaan. For the Patriarchal era, the penitential prayer only mentions Abraham and not the continuation of the Abrahamic covenant through Isaac and Jacob.
Nehemiah 9:16-21 ~ The Ancestors' Arrogance and Ingratitude
16 But
they and our ancestors acted arrogantly, grew obstinate and flouted your
commands. 17 They refused to
obey, forgetful of the wonders which you had worked for them; they grew obstinate
and made up their minds to return to their slavery in Egypt. But because you
are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, patient and rich in faithful love
[hesed], you did not abandon them! 18 Even
when they cast themselves a calf out of molten metal and said, "This is your God
who brought you up from Egypt!" and committed monstrous impieties, 19 you, in your great compassion, did not
abandon them in the desert: the pillar of cloud did not leave them, leading
them on their path by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, lighting the way
ahead of them by which they were to go. 20 You gave them your good spirit to instruct them, you
did not withhold your manna from their mouths, you gave them water for their
thirst. 21 For forty years you
cared for them in the desert, so that they went short of nothing, their clothes
did not wear out, nor were their feet swollen."
The Hebrew word hesed has the unique meaning of faithful, covenant love and appears twice in the confession of repentance (i.e., 9:17, 32). See the document "Is Hesed the Same as Agape."
Verses 16-21 contain a confession of the covenant people's sins during the Exodus journey and wilderness years. The prayer recounts a list of when they were persistent in resisting Yahweh's commands despite God's continuing acts of mercy:
In 18b-21, the prayer lists the ways God continued to care for the Israelites despite their sins:
Nehemiah 9:22-25 ~ The
Continuing Review of Israel's History up to the Conquest of Canaan
22 "You
gave them kingdoms and peoples, allotting them these as frontier lands; they occupied
the country of Sihon king of Heshbon, and the country of Og king of Bashan. 23 You gave them as many children as
there are stars in the sky and brought them into the country which you had promised
their ancestors that they would enter and possess. 24 The children entered and took
possession of the country and before them you subdued the country's
inhabitants, the Canaanites, whom you put at their mercy, with their kings and
the peoples of the country, for them to treat as they pleased; 25 they captured fortified towns and a
fertile countryside, they took possession of houses stocked with all kinds of
goods, of storage-wells ready-hewn, of vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees
in profusion; so they ate, were full, grew fat and reveled in your great
goodness."
Verse 22 recounts the territory God gave the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan, including the lands of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River (Num 21:32-35; Dt 2:24-3:11).
Verse 23 acknowledges that God kept the promises from His covenant with Abraham for land and many descendants (Gen 12:1-3; 15:4-6, 18-21; 22:17), and verses 24-25 summarize Israel's successful conquest of Canaan in the Book of Joshua.
Nehemiah 9:26-37 ~ The
Historical Review from the Assyrian and Babylonian Conquests to the Return from
Exile
26 "But
they grew disobedient, rebelled against you and thrust your law behind their backs;
they slaughtered your prophets who had reproved them to bring them back to you,
and committed monstrous impieties. 27 So
you put them at the mercy of their enemies who oppressed them. But when they
were being oppressed and called to you, you heard them from heaven and because
of your great compassion you gave them deliverers who rescued them from their
oppressors' clutches. 28 But
once at peace again, again they did what was wrong before you; so you put them
at the mercy of their enemies who then became their rulers. When they called to
you again, you heard them from heaven and, because of your compassion, rescued
them many times. 29 You
warned them, to bring them back to your law, but they became arrogant, did not
obey your commandments and sinned against your rules, in whose observance is
life; they turned a stubborn shoulder, were obstinate, and disobeyed. 30 You were patient with them for many
years and warned them by your spirit through your prophets, but they would not
listen; so you put them at the mercy of the people of the country. 31 But, because of your great compassion,
you did not destroy them completely nor abandon them, for you are a gracious, compassionate
God. 32 Now, our God, the
great God, the Mighty and Awe-inspiring One, maintaining the covenant and your
faithful love [hesed], count as no small thing this misery which has befallen
us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, and all your people from
the times of the Assyrian kings to the present day. 33 You have been upright in all that has
happened to us, for you acted faithfully, while we did wrong. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests and
our ancestors did not keep your law or pay attention to your commandments and
obligations which you imposed upon them. 35
Even in their own kingdom, despite your great goodness which you
bestowed on them, despite the wide and fertile country which you had lavished on
them, they did not serve you or renounce their evil deeds. 36 See, we are slaves today, slaves in
the country which you gave to our ancestors for them to eat the good things it
produces. 37 Its abundant
produce goes to the kings whom, for our sins, you have set over us, who rule over
our persons and over our cattle as they please. We are in great distress."
The historical review continues with the people's confession that after Yahweh kept His promise to give the Israelites a land of their own and His continued protection and blessings as long as they were obedient to His commands and prohibitions (Lev 26:1-13; Dt 28:1-14), the Israelites again became disobedient and rebellious. They murdered God's prophets and committed monstrous acts of impiety (verse 26). In response to their sins, Yahweh withdrew His blessings and protection, and they suffered at the hands of their enemies (verse 27a). When the people repented and turned back to their covenant relationship with God, He heard their pleas, took them back as His covenant people and rescued them from their enemies (verse 28b). These failures in obedience followed by judgment and repentance became a continuing cycle until the day of the covenant renewal in the time of Nehemiah (verses 29-31).
31 But,
because of your great compassion, you did not destroy them completely nor abandon
them, for you are a gracious, compassionate God.
Reminding God of His great compassion paves the way
for what follows in verses 32-37:
Nehemiah 10:1-27 ~ A Record of the Names of The Men
Who Made a Solemn Oath to Yahweh
1 In view of all this
we make a firm agreement, in writing. Our princes, our Levites, our priests and
the rest of the people have put their names to the document under seal.
2 On the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah;
3 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
4Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
5 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
6 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
7 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
8 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
9 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.
10 The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
11 and their kinsmen Shebaniah, Hodaviah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
12 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
13 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
14 Hodiah, Bani, Chenani.
15 The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
16 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 17 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Nehemiah 10:1/9:38-10:39 attaches their admission of past failures to their new pledges with the words, 1 In view of all this we make a firm agreement, in writing. Nehemiah's first-person singular account will not begin again until 12:3 and 13:6-31.
The priests' names in 10:2-8 are clan names rather than the names of individuals. Many of the laymen's names in 10:14-27 correspond to Ezra Chapter 2 and Nehemiah 7, suggesting that individuals signed as leaders of their families. The list of those who signed the document marked with Governor Nehemiah's seal included:
All these swore to refrain from marriages with pagans and gave their sworn oath to observe God's laws and statutes. Notice that Ezra's name is missing from the list which suggests, as Josephus testified, he had already died by this time.
Nehemiah 10:29-40c* ~ Articles of the Oath
29 And the rest
of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple
slaves and all those who had severed relations with the people of the country
to adhere to the law of God, as also their wives, their sons, their daughters,
that is, all those who had reached the age of discretion, 30 have joined their
esteemed brothers in a solemn oath to follow the law of God given through
Moses, servant of God, and to observe and practice all the commandments of
Yahweh our Lord, with his rules and his statutes. 31 We will not give our daughters in marriage to
the peoples of the country, nor allow their daughters to marry our sons.
32 If the people of the country
bring goods or foodstuff of any kind to sell on the Sabbath day, we will buy nothing
from them on Sabbath or holy day. In the seventh year, we will forgo the produce
of the soil and the exaction of all debts. 33
We recognize the following obligations: to give one-third of a shekel
yearly for the service of the Temple of our God: 34 for the loaves of permanent offering, for the
perpetual oblation, for the perpetual burnt offering, for the sacrifices on Sabbaths,
on New Moons and on festivals, for the consecrated gifts, the sin offerings to
expiate for Israel, in short, for the whole work of the Temple of our God;
36 and further, to bring yearly to the Temple of
our God the first-fruits of our soil and the first-fruits of all our orchards,
37also the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, as the law prescribes,
the first-born of our herds and flocks should be taken to the Temple of our God
for the priests officiating in the Temple of our God.
38 Furthermore,
we shall bring the best of our dough, of every kind of fruit, of the new wine
and of the oil to the priests, to the storerooms of the Temple of our God, and
the tithe on our soil to the Levites; the Levites will themselves collect the tithes
from all the towns of our religion.
39 An Aaronite priest
will accompany the Levites when they collect the tithes, and the Levites will
bring a tenth part
40ab of the tithes to the Temple of
our God, into the treasury storerooms; for these rooms are where the Israelites
and the Levites are to bring the contributions of corn, wine and oil, and where
the vessels of the sanctuary are, and the officiating priests, the gatekeepers and
the singers.
35 Furthermore, as regards deliveries of
wood for burning on the altar of our God as the law prescribes, we have arranged,
by drawing lots, how these deliveries are to be made at the Temple of our God by
the priests, the Levites and the people by families, at stated times every year.
40c We will no longer
neglect the Temple of our God.
*in other translations, these verses are numbered
9:38-10:39c. Notice that 10:35 is listed out of order, coming after 40ab and before
40c.
In 10:29-40, the people pledge to keep not just the Law of the Pentateuch in general, but also the right interpretations of the Law according to the religious hierarchy. In verse 29, "the rest of the people" do not sign the covenant document that their leaders signed for them, but they do take the oath to keep the Law as interpreted by the religious authorities.
Question: What is the rule today for the right
interpretation of Scripture? See Mt 16:18-19; 2 Pt 1:20-21 and CCC 84-85.
Answer: The Kingdom of the Church founded by Jesus
Christ has the ultimate authority to interpret Scripture. Individuals may read
and discern Scripture, but if their understanding differs from that of the teachings
of the Church, they are in error.
Verse 29: and all those who had severed relations with the people of the country to adhere to the law of God refers to those who swore to separate themselves from unlawful marriages with foreigners during the time of Ezra thirteen years earlier, which they renew in verse 31 (Ezra 6:21).
all those who had reached the age of discretion, 30 have joined their esteemed brothers in a
solemn oath to follow the law of God given through Moses, servant of God, and
to observe and practice all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, with his rules
and his statutes.
The oath was binding on all the members of the congregation,
men, women, and young people who had reached the age of discernment.
Question: What promises did God make to those who
kept His commandments and prohibitions? See Lev 26:3-13 and Dt 28:1-14.
Answer: If the Israelites lived according to His Laws
and commandments, God promised agricultural prosperity, peace, and protection
from enemies and wild animals, victory over foreign armies, many offspring, and
a continuation of the Sinai covenant with God's presence dwelling among His people.
The laws listed in the oath concerning conduct include:
Taking an oath not to intermarry with pagans ("people of the country") is a renewal the oath their ancestors swore in obedience to God's command in Deuteronomy 7:3-4 to protect and preserve the religious identity of Yahweh's covenant people (which Josh 3:5-6 tells us they immediately broke after conquering Canaan by making marriages with pagans).
Verse 32a stipulates rules for the Sabbath observance, repeated eight times in the Pentateuch (see above). The Sabbath "rest" was a "sign" of the Sinai Covenant (Ex 31:13) and working on the Sabbath was a death penalty offense (Ex 35:2). The mercy extended in the Sabbath year obligations in verse 32b recalls Nehemiah's order to forgive all pledges the poor made to obtain food in Chapter 5.
Verses 32b-40c include pledges to observe obligations associated with the Temple. Different sections of the Law prescribe the gifts for the Temple, but this is the first time they are all brought together in one list:
Exodus 30:12-14 required a half shekel payment by every man who was twenty years old or older as a symbolic ransom. The amount later became the annual Temple tax in 2 Chronicles 24:9. In verse 33, the lesser pledge of a third of a shekel in Nehemiah's time may have been because Nehemiah recognized the poor economic conditions of his struggling people and his desire not to place an undue burden on the poor who were always his concern.
Question: In Jesus' time, the Temple tax was two-drachmas
(the didrachma). Two Greek drachmas were equal to a half shekel. When
challenged to pay the Temple tax in Matthew 17:24-27, how did Jesus pay the tax,
and what was significant about the incident?
Answer: He told Peter to catch a fish, to open its
mouth, and he would find a shekel. He was to give the shekel, that equaled two
drachmas but did not bear a pagan image, to the tax collectors. The miracle of
finding the whole shekel in the fish provided payment of the Temple tax for Jesus
and Peter; it was an example of Jesus taking care of those who belong to Him.
The allotment for wood for the sacrificial altar in the Temple refers to the law in Leviticus 6:2-23 where the chief priests were responsible for keeping the altar fire burning day and night. However, there were no instructions for who was to provide the wood. As far as tithing and Temple support, Nehemiah also gives more details in these requirements that establish a system for financing the costs of the daily Temple liturgy and supporting the clergy. Many of the laws providing for the Temple and its ministers are in Deuteronomy and 2 Chronicles (cf., Dt 14:22-28; 26:1-5; and 2 Chron 24:6-9), but Nehemiah wisely brings the various laws together in one document.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
Why were the names of Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the
layman added to passages to make it appear they worked together to bring reform
and stability to Jerusalem and Judah? The 1st-century AD priest and
historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote that Ezra died before Nehemiah arrived in
Jerusalem. Ben Sirach's list of heroes (Sir 49:13) only lauds Nehemiah's
service and not Ezra's, and the book of 2 Maccabees does not mention Ezra but
extols the works of Nehemiah, naming him eight times
(2 Macc 1:18, 20, 21, 23, 31, 33, 36; and 2:13). Ezra doesn't become
an important historical figure until the development of Rabbinic Judaism, beginning
a century after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.
Rabbinic Judaism raised Ezra to a position of importance comparable to Moses
and, therefore, it is assumed that Rabbinic scribes added Ezra the priest's
name to the Book of Nehemiah for him to share in Nehemiah the layman's accomplishments
despite the testimony of the first-century AD chief priest Flavius Josephus.
Does God value the service of a priest or religious leader above a layman's? God did not discriminate between priests and laymen in the Bible, nor does He, in His continuing plan of salvation. In fact, God called more laymen and women than the clergy as His special agents to become saints and to move forward His divine plan in the Bible. How many of Jesus' twelve Apostles and seventy disciples were priests? None; only Matthew-Levi was probably a lesser Levitical minister who performed a role similar to a deacon. Priests did not come to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah until sometime after the miracle at Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2 (see Acts 6:7). Therefore, because you are a layman or laywoman, do not think that you cannot serve God in moving forward His divine plan for humanity's salvation.
Endnotes:
1 Scripture never calls Ezra the Persian governor of
Judah; Whiston made an assumption not supported by Scripture.
2 Ur of the Chaldeans is usually identified as the ancient city in southern Mesopotamia that was one of the great cities of the Sumerians, prominent around 2500-2000 BC. However, there were several cities named Ur in antiquity. The Bible always refers to Abraham's Ur as "Ur of the Chaldeans" (Gen 11:28, 31; 15:7) which may be to distinguish it from the famous city of the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia. The Chaldeans only came into southern Mesopotamia after c. 1,000 BC, long after Abraham's lifetime (c. 2000 BC). During his lifetime, the Chaldeans lived in northern Mesopotamia where there was another city named Ur located closer to Haran where Abraham and his father settled after leaving Ur and before he traveled to Canaan (Gen 11:31).
3. Previously any Temple tax was only collected occasionally (see 2 Kng 12:4-15) and not annually; for Temple expenditures necessary to support the liturgy of daily worship, the weekly Sabbath, and monthly new moon festivals, and annual feast days, see Num 28-29.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2019 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates
Scripture is either quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Abrahamic covenant: (CCC 72, 992, 2571)
Promises made to Abraham (CCC 422, 705, 706, 1222; 1716, 1725, 2571, 2619)
God and His Covenant with His people (CCC 238, 781, 1102, 1612, 2058)
The Sinai Covenant (CCC 1961-64)