Month: February 2020

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Bible Study Numbers

Numbers | Chapter 19

Whereas chapter 18 focused on the priests and the Levites and their role in keeping the Tabernacle (YHWH’s place of residence among the people) from becoming unclean, there were still risks that came from the ordinary people. Specifically, this chapter focuses on how to restore cleanliness in the presence of death.

The book of Leviticus addressed options for dealing with uncleanliness. Minor cases required a washing and waiting a day. Major cases involved waiting seven days and then offering a sacrifice. In the presence of human death, which is a major case of uncleanliness, offering a sacrifice was often a cumbersome and expensive measure. Chapter 19 provided an alternative way to deal with human death that allows for proper cleansing while not adding to the burden that is likely already on the family when someone has died.

Before we talk about the details, we should call out up front that this process, not unlike some already detailed in the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Old Testament) seems odd and a bit magicky. Just because we are wary of rituals (especially physical ones that represent spiritual postures) and of symbolic use of earthly items within those rituals, doesn’t mean that the people doing them believe that they are somehow dealing with magic cows and wizard’s water. These ceremonies are intended to take what is tangible and use it to reflect deep realities. We need to take these kinds of things in without judging them against our own comfort level on ceremonies and rituals.

YHWH tells Moses and Aaron to bring a red cow and hand it over to the priest, who is going to slaughter it outside the camp (which is a clue something unique is happening, sin offerings and other sacrifices generally happen at the altar within the tabernacle.) The blood of the cow gets sprinkled on the tent of meeting (tabernacle). This is a purification action, although not explicitly a sacrifice. More cleansing agents (hyssop, cedarwood, and scarlet yarn) get tossed into the fire along with the burning cow remnants.

Now, since we’re in the presence of a death of the cow, folks become unclean. The priest has to wash himself and his clothes and wait until the end of the evening before he’s clean again. The person who helped burn the cow must do the same thing. A person who is still clean gathers up the ashes of the cow and puts them in a clean place outside the camp. The dude who hauled the ashes out is now also unclean and must wash his clothes and wait out the evening.

What’s all of this for? The situation is reiterated in v.11. A person who touches a dead body is unclean 7 days. Instead of the sacrifice discussed earlier, YHWH will accept someone cleansing themselves with the water mixed with clean cow ash on the 3rd and 7th days. If they don’t do that, they remain unclean, and the impact of not being clean and defiles the tabernacle and could lead to immediate judgment upon them.

The cow ash water can be deployed in other situations as well. If someone dies in a tent, the tent is unclean as is any open container (vessels without lids on them). Also if someone touches a person either killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a grave or a human bone (the selection of what to include in these examples is interesting), they are unclean. Same procedure applies here, mix the ash with water, and spread it on the tent or the person on the 3rd and 7th days. At the end of the 7th day, everything is clean.

As noted earlier, a person who refuses to clean themselves runs the risk of immediate judgment. And whatever they touch also becomes unclean and shall remain that way until evening. Similarly, the person who helped sprinkle the water is also unclean and must wash his clothes and wait out the evening.

Broadly, this chapter tucks up a conversation on the nation’s mistakes related to trying to bring their uncleanliness into contact with YHWH’s holiness. Although this was already covered in Leviticus, the timely reminder was necessary given their recent attempts at rebellion. They have been reminded who is actually allowed in the presence of YHWH and His holy things (priests), who is responsible for guarding uncleanliness from physically coming into contact with those things at the tent of meeting (Levites) and how the average person can combat uncleanliness from the predicable circumstance of human death. YHWH’s holiness is nothing to mess around with and His people must be reminded of the privilege and the danger that comes with a holy God living within their presence.

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Bible Study Numbers

Numbers | Chapter 18

“Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of YHWH, shall die. Are we all to perish?” Chapter 17 ends with this question as the people take stock of their situation after a series of rebellions and tests of the unique role of the priesthood. They should neither grumble against those who YHWH has put into this role nor presume that they can elevate themselves into a similar stature through braggadocio or harassment of those currently called.

So the lament is relevant one, and ironically God’s answer is the very thing that the people have been quarreling about. How are the people to be protected in the holy presence of YHWH? The priests and Levites. The discussion in this chapter is mostly a repeat of instructions that God has already provided (the thing the people are crying out for is already in place). However, now that the Israelites are clearly recognizing the need for it, YHWH reminds Aaron (who He rarely addresses directly) and his sons of the protections that have been put into place for the people.

Ultimately, the priests are responsible for making sure the sacrifices go as they are supposed to. In turn, it’s the Levites job to protect the priests as they are doing their work in the sanctuary. What kind of protection? Well, keeping people who don’t belong from entering is a good start. If the bold Korah, for example, had simply attempted to strut into the Tent of Meeting (holy place) instead of claiming his equivalence with Aaron with his salty mouth from afar, he would have died directly. And the Levites would have borne responsibility for not protecting the area like they were supposed to.

Back to the priests, they have the same responsibility but in relation to the inside of the tent and the altar. This includes what is sacrificed and who is doing it (certainly the judgment upon Aaron’s sons would jump to his mind here for offering unauthorized sacrifices). It is in this way that the people are protected from the judgment they just encountered with the plague and the swallowing up of folks from the ground. Verse 7 affirms this unique role and YHWH’s specific intention in it. The priesthood was a gift to the lineage of Aaron and anyone who tries to infringe upon God’s gift will be put to death.

As part of the reminder of that gift, YHWH reasserts what comes with it. Aaron and the priests are given everything that the people give to God. This includes the most holy things such as those that have been offered on the altar (grain, meat that isn’t consumed in the fire, etc.) These are for the priests and can be eaten in the holy place. In addition, the wave offering can be shared with the whole family (not just male lineage priests) as well as the first fruits of the land that people bring to God and the wine and the grain.

Then He talks about the “devoted” things. These essentially are the “first fruits” of the wombs, whether it be animal or human. For humans and unclean animals, they get the redemption price (money) instead of possession of the baby or animal. For clean animals, the first one is simply given to the priests. They are to burn the fat as an offering, sprinkle the blood on the altar, and then they can have the other meat for themselves. As whole, all that is given to God He gives that to the priests and their family as His provision for them. Unlike the rest of the descendants of Jacob (Israel), they don’t get land. However, to be the group who God says, “I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel” seems pretty sweet.

Now on to the Levites, YHWH has provided a means for them to be cared for as well. We knew back in Leviticus that there was a tithe happening in the land but not exactly what happened to it. Well, it goes to the Levites. And their responsibilities are reiterated. They are to keep folks of Israel away from Tent of Meeting lest their uncleanliness run smack dab into God’s holiness and lose the battle.

When it comes to the tithe, though, the Levites still have to tithe. So a tithe of the tithe is given and is counted the same as the grain or wine or bread or whatever else people are giving to YHWH. These best bits go to YHWH who then gives them to the priests. But the rest they get to keep in return for their service to the sanctuary. It’s dangerous work, not only defending the holiness of the place by keeping others out but being susceptible to defiling a holy thing yourself. And YHWH reminds them of this very danger at the end of the chapter.

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Bible Study Genesis

Genesis | Chapter 1

The start of the book sets the stage for every word and situation that is to follow. When it all began, there was God, and everything that is to come will come at His behest, direction, and intention. This is important, as this story of creation sits within the context of an ancient world where multiple gods exist pre-creation, often fighting and creating things accidentally. (The Babylonian account Enuma Elish details this.) As we’ll note throughout with other examples, there are certainly similarities between most creation accounts among nations. This is to be expected, and we should consider that the account we view in Genesis was recorded specifically to combat the erroneous nature of other false accounts.

Of specific note here is that the God of Genesis is alone. Unlike in Enuma Elish, there are no other gods. Israel’s God is the only one and everything that will happen going forward will be intentional (where other gods are forced into creating things, sometimes in relief for all the work they had done. Marduk, one of the Babylonian gods, creates humans to help with all of this work. These weary gods are almost comical.)

We are to see this “creation” as something specifically divine and unique, as the Hebrew word (bara) used for “created” is only used with God as the subject (meaning it’s never attached to human work or creation.) These events aren’t repeatable by anyone else. When we read “heavens and the earth”, it’s likely a merism, meaning something that refers to two extremes as a representation of a whole (including anything in between). So, it says heavens and earth to mean “everything”. We see similar things in the Bible in the phrase “those who go out and those who come in”. Either folk be coming out or going in, but they have to be one or the other, so it refers to everyone.

The earth is without form and void. I think we’re supposed to understand this as kind of a step 1 in the process of creation. God has creating everything initially, now He’s going to take the next steps to put it in order. Now, if we accept a Creator God who can do anything, these steps are certainly unnecessary, He can just have everything happen at once if He wishes. The question is why is this happening in stages? Why mark it out day over day? Why this creation cadence of work, rest, work, rest? These reasonable questions should inform how we’re to perceive the narrative that follows. Some folks, in this vein, contend that God wouldn’t create a world that is formless and void so what must have happened is that this opening describes the creation of a perfect world that was later had some kind of catastrophe that threw it into chaos. It was then that God starts to restore order in the commands that follow.

This is known as the Gap Theory. It’s used to combat other protests around the supposed age of the earth, the dating of dinosaur bones and their existence as a whole, etc. Without delving too far into this, this proposition seems to be more than the text itself can bear. There isn’t any indication of a gap in the text itself and it doesn’t seem to be something that any Jewish historians or commentators had a concept of. It also kind of ignores the anticipation that sits in the image of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. Now, as stated in the intro, smart people who love Jesus will disagree on the veracity of the Gap Theory. Before you accept or reject it (or any theory/perspective for that matter), find someone who really believes it and listen to how they talk about it. You’ll always get a better understanding that way vs. listening to a synopsis of it by someone who doesn’t agree with it.

As previously noted, though, we’re likely looking at step 1 of the process. And we get to see these steps because the point isn’t just to historically capture that something happened, we’re to see the intentionality, the order, the specificity around the creation. We’re able to see the details and compare them to the other stories that are out there and see that this is the true God. The details here are meant to engage in that and provide assurance and comfort to God’s people.

This leads into v. 3, God speaks. There’s no show, no negotiation, no collecting of resources. God speaks, things happen. That’s power. The raw darkness we saw in the last verse is not destroyed, it is given boundaries and a counterpart – light. It’s certainly worth noting that light and darkness are defined and created prior to creation of the sun and the moon on Day 4. God Himself appears to be the source of this light, a direct rejection of those who would worship the sun or the moon or entertain the thought that they might be gods themselves. Light exists before they are formed, and God is the source. This is interestingly reinforced in the second to last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 21, where we get a picture of this final, restored Kingdom and there is no sun at all, the Kingdom is lit by the glory of God Himself (Revelation 21:23).

In this first day we also see God giving things names. He creates them and then He names them, showing He has ultimate authority. In the ancient world, names were a big deal. Without a name, you were non-existent. This reference has parallels in the Enuma Elish story as everything was nameless prior to creation there as well. Again, this isn’t really a surprise, the implication is consistent in both.

We see evening and morning, the first day. This sequence supports the Jewish interpretation of counting days, from sundown to sundown. Not sure that’s a necessary extrapolation but that’s where it comes from. The presence of morning and evening without the sun allows for interpretive wiggle room on the understanding of “days”, which some take as literal 24 hour days and some take as ages. Both are allowable interpretations of the underlying Hebrew word used (unless you ask a particularly aggressive literal, 24 hour day person, they tend to be feisty about that definition. The days as “ages” folks tend to be a bit more laid back about the whole thing, but they are folks trying to keep peace between the Genesis account and modern science, so they’re a conciliatory bunch anyway.)

How should we read this then? For purposes of understanding the text as it sits, I’m not sure it particularly matters. For a God who can create absolutely everything with just His word and in an instant, the argument over exactly how long it took doesn’t seem all that relevant. The extension of the creation over any amount of time must serve a different purpose then just the laying down of historical fact or scientific example. To that end, it functions in the narrative as a simple breaking point and likely an example of the human rhythm of work and then rest (the same function that the rest on day 7 provides.) Humanity will follow God’s example to work, know it is good, rest, and then start again the next day.

The second day brings an “expanse” to separate the waters above and the yet unrestricted waters below. Understanding terms is helpful, here. What the ESV translates as “expanse” is the Hebrew word raqiya. This word is later used in the Psalms to describe “skies” or “heavens” (some translations do use “dome” or “firmament”). So, the expanse is the sky, which sets the scene for putting the sun and moon up in it in the days to come.

What is less clear is this bit about the waters above. There’s no language issue to provide direction here, we are left to understand what waters may exist above the sky, There are a number of theories. It could just mean the clouds (which can be considered above as well as in the sky.) It could be kind of a poetic notion of where God keeps the rain (you know, Job 38 style). There’s also a pretty extensive theory about it being a water vapor canopy that was eventually the source of the Flood and regulated weather down below so that the entire earth had quasi-tropic weather. This theory also holds that the canopy would increase air pressure, which is beneficial for health and may have contributed to the long life of the pre-flood citizens of earth.

What’s the answer? The truth is, the text doesn’t say. In the context of understanding Genesis, I’m not sure it matters. Either way, God has started to take the raw materials of creation and set boundaries for it. The balance is His to control and He is doing so and it is good.

The third day comes and God deals with the water below the sky. It’s interesting to note that in the ancient world the water was considered unpredictable, dangerous and powerful. Biblically, we see this notion show up in the beasts that come out of the sea in Daniel 7, the fear as the disciples get caught up in the storms on the lake of Galilee, and even the discussions of the great beasts like leviathan. However, here we have a creator God who speaks to the waters and they obey Him (just like Jesus in that storm situation).

Water is bundled together into massive bodies, leaving land exposed as a separator. Again, God names them, He is in control. Where other cultures may look around them and see gods or deities in land masses, great bodies of water or other unique elements of the environment, a follower of God looks and sees God’s creative work and a reminder that He is sovereign over that creation. This had relevance for the Israelites who were surrounded by competing gods of nature, as well as in our time in some of the movements that point us with reverence to nature instead of nature’s God.

Now that the land is revealed, God creates plants to sprout from it. Note the use of “seed’ four different times here. The plants that are created are one thing, but we’re introduced to the care taken for their continuation. We see plants that produce seed that will produce new plants of the same kind. They are intended to bear fruit and intended to propagate themselves across the world. This is good.

Remember, the concept of “seed” is one of the major themes in Genesis. The same word used here for the plants and trees and such is what is used to describe the offspring of animals and humans.

Day 4 is the installation of what we would call the sun and moon into the sky. Genesis doesn’t use those terms, likely because these were also parts of creation that other cultures had already started to worship. In fact, the heavenly realms were ripe for being turned into objects of worship. Here, we see the sun, moon, and stars subservient to God. We also see God molding His creation into a rhythm, the regulation of time, seasons, night and day.

Day 5 we see life created in the seas and in the air and our first notion of “blessing”. What sticks out as interesting here is the specific mention of the “great sea creatures”. It seems odd, in both a sea and sky full of creatures of all variation, the giant sea creatures get a starring role. However, from what we’ve seen so far, the Genesis account seems to at least have in view the notion of speaking to that which people are mistakenly worshiping. Certainly there are ancient myths of divine monsters (the Hebrew word can be translated as dragon) and the mention here affirms that God has made these creatures, they are not divine and there is only one God. (We see that term “bara” again, the create term that only refers to something God does.)

We also get the first blessing. As we watch for blessings in Genesis, the context will generally explain how we are to understand them. In this case, God blesses the creatures that they should be fruitful and multiply, to populate the skies and the water.

As you look back at the text, notice that it has been specifically and intentionally poetic: the same pattern in repetition for the days, the continuous affirmation that things are good.

We’re now on to day 6 and we get more detail on this day than all the previous days. The earth, unlike the water and the sky, has a specific instruction to produce living creatures, which it does. Just like the plants, we see a variety of creatures come forth from the land; livestock, creeping things, and beasts. And it is good.

The God decides to make man. The text uses a plural, here, that man should be made in “our” image. As Christians, we look back and can understand this as a glimpse of a God that exists in trinity. However, especially in a fiercely monotheistic creation account so far, some think of that as a stretch. Other explanations have been offered, such as maybe he’s talking about other created beings like angels. That one doesn’t make much sense, though, it would mean man is created in the shared image of God and angels.

Since we already have met the Spirit of God hovering over the water (which doesn’t put monotheism at risk, it’s still God), the traditional Christian interpretation seems like the right bet.

Man is created (bara, for the third time) in God’s image and likeness. These could certainly be seen as repetitive, synonymous terms. In general, we should likely read this as humans being given some characteristics of God that are not shared with the rest of creation. The further implication is that this allows humans to have a relationship with God that is different than animals or other parts of the creation. Finally, we should recognize that bearing the image of God comes with the expectation that we act consistently with that image.

The humans are given authority over the rest of the creation, and not just the land animals that were created that same day. It’s everything, the fish, the birds, the livestock, the creepers; all of it. The language here certainly has lineage in subduing as a hostile action or conquest. However, that doesn’t seem to be the relationship between man and the rest of God’s creation. Man doesn’t appear to need any of the animals for food at this point. And, we’ll note soon that man is given work to do but it is good and blessed, there’s no indication the animals are being used to assist in the work (although, rightly noted that there isn’t an indication that they weren’t, either.)

Still, in their uniqueness, man does not seem positioned to either fear the animals nor relate to them in a hostile manner. In fact, man will be given the responsibility of naming these creatures. So, although there is certainly a hierarchy here, the relationship at this point seems to be one of mutual benefit and one that is peaceful. To mistreat creation would be to act differently than God has to that which is subservient to Him, a violation of carrying His image and likeness.

There is a call out in v. 27 where we see the affirmation again that God created man in his own image (repeated again), then specifically called out “…male and female he created them.” This affirms, certainly, that both men and women share this unique “image” and “likeness” of God. It’s how Christians came to understand the value of all life, given that all human beings have been created in that same image and likeness thus having inherent value and worth.

God blesses the humans with the same blessings as the animals, but this time the words are “said to them” vs. just spoken among or over them. Their blessing is to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” and God has given all of the plants to sustain them while they do so. It’s this section that is the basis for folks believing that meat was not eaten in the Garden of Eden. In general, as we look at blessings, we should consider blessings the provision of advantages and/or privilege, where curses are forces that hinder or restrict. As we look back here we see that God has called them to multiply and then described how He is blessing them in order to do that. And that is very good.

Day 7 God rests. Unlike other ancient myths, God does not rest because He needs to, He does so as an example to humanity (similar to the work/rest rhythm we saw in the previous days). Interestingly, God blesses the day itself, setting it apart. As we understand blessing, I think the fair way to see this is a day set apart for our example and one that is ultimately to serve creation, to give it advantage or privilege. For all talk of trying to get people to keep the Sabbath, we should recognize that by not doing so we are willfully snubbing our noses up at rest that God has created for us as a blessing. That’s a mistake.

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Bible Study Genesis

Genesis | Introduction

The word Genesis comes from the first word of the book. The Hebrew word is translated as “In the beginning”, the companion Greek word is genesis (guh-nessiss), meaning “origins”. (That Greek word is transliterated to our English “Genesis”. Transliteration just means to take a word from another language and treat it like it’s a legit word in your language. It’s word theft, really. Phil Collins didn’t even know he was a criminal.)

The authorship is debatable. Up until the 18th century it was pretty much acknowledged that Moses was the author of Genesis as well as the 4 books that follow, known as the Pentateuch) and that for the most part the modern version we have was sourced from documentation sometime between the 10th and 9th century, BC. There are problems with this, however. For example, Moses’ death is recorded in these first 5 books, some locations are referred to using names that are believed to have not been around until the 8/7th century BC, and there are references to a king being in Israel (Genesis 36), which happened beyond Moses’ time.

There are a number of proposed solutions which contain various puzzle pieces like multiple documents, multiple authors, various motivations for writing, intertwined source material and so on. Some perhaps retain Moses as the author with suggestions of minor editing to include his death and location correction so folks know which location is being referred to after a name change. Smart people who love Jesus haven’t come to anything resembling an agreement or particularly a way forward to what an agreement would look like in this area. So, we’re left with the text itself which does not bear the name of an author. So, we will proceed without knowing.

Things to watch for in Genesis:
– It is not a book in a traditional sense in that there isn’t a single, consistent plot that winds throughout the book. However, all of the stories are moving in the same direction, contributing to progression of our understanding of God and His relationship to his creation.
– That said, there is a clear focus change from chapters 1-11, which are universal, to the rest of the book, which focuses on a single family line.
– The stories weren’t written in a vacuum, they had relevance to those reading or hearing of them in those days (they certainly weren’t written just for a 21st century audience). In general, Israel’s history has been a troubled one, they very rarely saw sustained periods of peace. As such, Genesis doesn’t shy away from hard questions of people of faith. It was likely formally written down to attempt to serve that very thing.
– They also lived in the context of competing gods and idols. As such, the text interacts with that. We see a fiercely monotheistic God who controls/creates everything with ease, compared to other creation accounts filled with strife and gods fighting with each other.
– Watch for consistent themes of land, blessing (and curses), and offspring. They have relevance in every major story.
– Watch for contrasting characters. Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Judah and Joseph. Many of the stories put two characters up against each other for evaluation. Some are obvious, some less so (like Sarah and Hagar, where Hagar is understood in a much better light upon the comparison.)

As to how to read Genesis appropriately, much of the complication comes from expectations we have of the stories. If we expect it to speak as a science journal, we will evaluate the veracity and truth of the book based upon those expectations. If we expect it to be a history book, we will evaluate it the same way. We will do our best to not bring more to the text than it allows us while also remaining firm in the belief that it is, in whichever case, a true and reliable narrative. Smart people who love Jesus will react to Genesis differently, I encourage you to remain open on how to read the book and gracious with those who read it differently.

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Introduction

Lamentations was written after the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and exile of its people, so would put it after 587 BC. Because it doesn’t say anything about being restored and the temple being rebuilt (which happened around 520) it was most likely written in those exile years. We can’t miss the writing style, this is poetry; in fact, it’s dirge poetry (funeral poetry), which shouldn’t be a surprise given a name like Lamentations. If you’re not used to reading poetry, I’d recommended reading it out loud, it’ll flow better and you’ll get more out of it. You can do it quietly if you wish, but if you just read it straight as if it is prose (story telling) you miss some of the lyricism in the art form. (If the Lord didn’t feel it necessary to take it in as poetry, the Holy Spirit would have inspired it differently. Engage in it correctly.)

In some way or another, each chapter is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet, with each line or set of lines starting with the next letter in the alphabet. That’s why they are all 22 lines (there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet) except for chapter 3, which has 66 lines as there are 3 lines per alphabet letter). It’s a bit of a high art form, this acrostic funeral poetry, but it’s certainly intentional.

We don’t know for sure who the author is. It could be Jeremiah, because once you get tagged as the guy who weeps and laments, they are going to start framing you for other lamentations that are out there that are unsolved. Or, could be someone else or a group of people. Not sure it particularly matters, the book itself doesn’t seem to care so perhaps we shouldn’t either.

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Chapter 1

The opening chapter will bounce back and forth between narration and then commentary by the city of Jerusalem herself, who bemoans the state she has fallen into after the Babylonian siege. Obviously, we have to be careful with the language. It’s emotionally heightened, meaning it’s often exaggerating reality but is rightly communicating how that reality feels. Also, cities don’t talk 4 realz so we need to accept the use of personification (giving human thoughts/characteristics to something that isn’t human).

The narrator starts describing the city of Jerusalem (commentary won’t be extensive here, these are just images to digest). These are not happy pictures. A once vibrant city is now empty, like a widow, she is abandoned. The city has fallen greatly and weeps in her loneliness. No one came to her aid during the attack, in fact later we’ll learn that it feels as though the surrounding friends were glad at the downfall of Jerusalem.

We’re told that Judah (southern kingdom, Jerusalem is in Judah) was exiled so they could be forced to do hard labor (hmm, ring any bells, Israel??? God brings you out of slavery, gives you a sweet land, and you’ve landed yourselves right back in the same position for all the reasons our friend Amos laid out.) In this slavery, they find no rest (something that God promises them back in Deuteronomy and that Jesus promises to his Kingdom folk now). Now, again, this language is a bit exaggerated in that not everyone had to do hard labor. And eventually they acclimate to the society and some choose to stay there even when the approval is given to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

v.5 gives the first glimpse of acknowledging how this happened – Jerusalem is afflicted for the multitude of her transgressions (it’ll come back in v.8 and continue to become more consistently mentioned as the chapters go on). But we quickly jump off this point and back into the woes and such. We get a couple references to Zion (this is the mount upon which the temples are built). v.6 shows how the royalty have been brought low, unable to find food and having to flee without strength. Jerusalem remembers all the good she had before this happened and now how her enemies mock her now that she has fallen.

In v.9, the “…uncleanness in her skirts” means it’s caught up on her, stuck to her, yet she didn’t expect this trouble (which is foolish, God had been warning them over and over about this outcome. They weren’t listening). Also, we get the first commentary from Jerusalem “O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed”. She will speak again in v.11, “Look, O Lord, and see for I am despised…” and it will continue to be her talking, not the narrator, through v.16.

You’ll notice that although the narrator had stated that it was the sins of the city (the people, obviously) that caused all of this, when Jerusalem speaks she is much more dodgy on the subject. Her lament in v.11-16 describes these troubles as having been, “…brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.” Although true, she seems to dodge the blame here, she paints God as a persistent menace (sending fire, tripping her up, leaving her disoriented, etc.) From her perspective, God loads up all of her sins and binds them to her, leaving her weighed down and burdened, unable to fight against those who came to attack. And those who could defend Jerusalem (her mighty men) were unable to do so. God has put them through the ringer, winepress style. (It is interesting how many of the descriptions of Jerusalem here carry on and are applied to the judgment of Babylon in Revelation.)

One thing not to miss is in v.12 where it talks about the, “…day of his fierce anger”. We should understand this as being a valid reference of “the day of Lord”, a popular phrase among the minor prophets and beyond. It’s not one specific day, however it does refer to a distinct time when God will act and his justice will be carried out. It happened when Assyria took Israel into exile, it happened when Babylon ransacked Judah and exiled them, it happened in Jesus time, and will happen again (and finally, I’d presume) at Christ’s return.

In v.18 we finally get Jerusalem to admit her part in this: “The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word.” And this is to be a warning to all those who surround her. As the weight of her responsibility sits upon her, she cries out in v.20. And yet those who surround her won’t help, they are glad God has done what He has done. These nations were false friends and were only using Jerusalem (again, much like those who do not mourn Babylon’s downfall in Revelation except that they may be next). Which, interestingly enough, is what Jerusalem asks for here. God has brought justice to Jerusalem, now Jerusalem asks for equal treatment to the evil nations that surround her; for God to deal with them as He has dealt with her.

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Chapter 2

The lament continues. It’s a new poem and the acrostic starts over again. Similar to the last one we have different perspectives throughout the poem. It starts with the narrator in v.1-10. In v.11, the perspective shifts to a personal one, “My eyes are spent with weeping…”, it seems like a prophet of sorts who weeps for the nation and its disobedience but who doesn’t consider himself part of the nation that disobeyed. He speaks to Jerusalem. Jerusalem responds, not to the prophets words, but back to God, just like the end of the last one, asking God to look upon them and have pity on how harshly He has dealt with them.

I’m not going to necessarily go line by line here, much of it is easy enough to understand. Again, though, it’s best to read through it by saying it out loud.

Lots about how angry God is in this chapter. When it says, “He has cast down heaven to earth the splendor of Israel” we are reminded that this nation was one that was once lifted up, brought high by the Most High God, and now they are brought low, cast from being held up by God and left to their own destruction. The phrase, “…day of his anger” is repeated here from chapter 1 and will continue to show up.

Notice in v.2 we’re told that the strongholds of Judah are broken down, which they were indeed warned about by the prophet Amos. God’s “right hand” has been withdrawn, the power hand that shows up in such circumstances as attacking Pharaoh’s armies and protecting his people, is no longer there to protect them. As a result, their enemies come and the narrator attributes the deaths that occurred during the siege of Jerusalem to God himself, saying “…he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes in the tent of the daughter of Zion…” This is likely in reference to the the many military men who fled with the king when the Babylonians came into town. They were eventually caught and either killed or captured (and the king himself had his eyes gouged out after they killed his kids in front of him and then he was led away). Jeremiah 52 has the deets if you want to read up on it.

Here’s the thing with all of this – I don’t like it. This killing and anger and abandoning of people, I don’t like it. But then I think of two things.

1.) These are indeed a rebellious people. As we read some of the prophets that came before this…why aren’t the people listening? God warned them and warned them and warned them. He called them to repentance over and over again. All that they mourn over losing were things God graciously gave them to begin with. They are not entitled to his mercy here, what they had they never earned anyway. And they took that status of being God’s people and they spit in his face. If the reactions recorded in Lamentations are to be believed, it seems like God’s methods work do they not? I worry that my initial reaction to this means that I don’t think sin is as bad as it really is.

2.) Justice isn’t mine, it’s God’s. Perhaps I can’t look at the world like that because I’m not humanly capable of it. We can handle the mercy stuff because it’s given out freely to anyone willing to turn and follow it into the Kingdom. But the justice, I don’t get to deal it out because I wouldn’t get it right. Too harsh, too soft, too gullible, whatever the issue is I know that I have it. So I can only communicate that God is ultimately just and will handle things appropriately.

In v.6, we’re reminded that not only are the people being punished but the very place where God lived among the people, the Temple (his booth, his meeting place), has also been destroyed. Not only that, but v.9 will say that the prophets of the people are no longer receiving visions of the Lord. He has gone silent. He has abandoned them.
Recognize the image from v.8? That’s right, Amos again. That plumb line used to show how out of joint the walls were shows back up and did the very thing he said he would. Continuing into v.9, that which protects them has been ruined, the law (part of their identity as God’s people) is no more, and the visions are gone. And the elders know it – they mourn for their circumstances they are now in.

v.10 switches to this prophet character. Either this is indeed just a character being used to express a prophet’s perspective or is a real dude who speaks but who is not among the prophets with no vision. In either case, he’s devastated both emotionally and physically. Especially worth noting is his reaction to the least able in society, the infants and the babies, who are being impacted by the sins of the parents. There was indeed a great famine in the city at the time. Children are not only dying here but, jump to v.20, it seems like mothers may be eating their children to stay alive (again, the depth of their depravity).

15-16 speaks of the perspective of her enemies – how they scoff and celebrate and her downfall. Directly following, a reminder that God said this would happen. v.20 Jerusalem now speaks and demands that the Lord see what the destruction He has brought is doing to them. They protest at the impact on the children and how those who (are supposed to) do the work of God are being killed within the place where the Lord dwells. How could He let this happen? The young and the old are dead, the youth have died, and they lay it at God’s feet – He has killed them in the day of his anger (phrase is back in both 21 and 22).

Remember the type of writing this is, it’s a lament, not a straightforward argument (although it contains elements of one). It kind of makes you wish for a Job type response, kind of an “are you done?” moment where God reminds them of who they are, who He is, and how many times he warned them and called them to repentance. But that’s not what’s happening here, we get predominantly the weeping and wailing in the streets.

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Chapter 3

There is only a single narrator in this one and it seems to be a man who has had this broad judgment of God land upon him (and his descriptions are rough). Yet, there is a turn in v.22, and he reminds himself of the things he knows of God and his character.

At the beginning here, we transition from this justice coming upon the nation of Judah/city of Jerusalem to the perspective of a single fella. It makes the situation much more personal. Where we were able to relegate some of the impacts in chapters 1 and 2 to a broad group who assuredly deserved what they were getting, here we have a man who could just as easily have been one of us, and we get to live out some of this judgment through his perspective.

This man has been in darkness (like the sun has fallen, get it?) and has thought it is certain that God’s hand was against him over and over again. It’s tough to know how much of v.2 and forward is intended to be literal (does he really have broken bones?) or is it a figurative description of what it’s like to be under God’s judgment? The ESV study notes on this are inconsistent, they seem to pick and choose which ones to take literally and which ones not to dependent, it seems, upon whether there is a compelling OT reference for the item in question. I’m not sure it matters either way as either are really possible in the chaotic circumstances of the Babylonian siege.

We do see similar themes carried through to a personal level from what we’ve heard in the first 2. This man is captive (v.7) and God is not listening to his prayers (v.8). And God seems to be hindering his progress at every potential turn (he has made his paths crooked.) The opposite, of course, is what is used to describe John the Baptizer’s work that God set up to prepare people for Jesus. God is a path man one way or the other.

In v.10, that bear/lion combo from Amos shows up (dang, I mean, that’s some consistency on how God speaks right there.) Obviously, “…tore me to pieces” has to be figurative, the man who is speaking is not dead. I’m not sure why the kidneys are in play in v.13 but it’s a very specific and intentional target. It’s also unclear as to whether it is this specific targeting that has made this man a laughingstock (maybe the arrow is still in his kidney, like sticking out of his body all goofy looking) or it’s just a continuation of how God has brought him low. He eats bitterness and drinks wormwood (also bitter, generally associated with some kind of rough times in the Bible, Revelation and Amos included).

Speaking of eating, he also eats gravel. Again, probably not literal, although it could be given the extent of the famine described in Jeremiah and referenced in Lamentations 2. This man has no joy, no hope of happiness, and he says, “My endurance has perished, so has my hope from the Lord.” He calls out that his troubles would be remembered by others as he himself continually remembers them.

But…in spite of all of this…our man remembers the following and has hope. The steadfast love of God never ceases! His mercies never come to an end! They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness, The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him”! I added the exclamation points (no punctuation would have been in the Hebrew). But what a thing to remember. Think of our modern cultural despondence about much more minor things as what this man is going through at the direct hand of God. And yet, his powerful reminders bring him hope. Man alive, we have got to fight for some perspective in our modern lives. We have blindness, relative cultural blindness, and assuredly the world around us and the Biblical examples in the OT should change that in us.

In v.25 our man extols the virtues of patience, in waiting on God to do what God does. It is not only necessary, it is good! Let him sit alone in silence, let him put his mouth in the dust, let him give his cheek to the one who strikes (familiar, yes?) and let him be filled with insults. What a call to perseverance!

And then the assurance that God will not tarry forever. Yes, he has caused grief here, but he will have compassion and does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. (Interesting, what do we call this, then? How does this narrator man see it this way?) In v.34, we are reminded of things God does not approve of – mistreatment of prisoners, the denial of Justice in the presence of God, he’s not down with it.

v.37 is a reminder of God’s sovereignty. To pull this all together, rough times have come upon God’s people and yes, God directed it. Yet, we know God is a God of endless mercy and faithfulness (even when Israel has not been faithful) and he abhors injustice. And so, yes, this is all at his hand. The major question here is, do we trust him? If He can be trusted, then we are assured He is just. If he cannot be trusted, than our laments will fall on deaf ears regardless.

Narrator man decides that God is indeed right and just here, so the reaction is that the community should test and examine their ways and return to the Lord! He cries out that the people would return to God and that, in turn, God would allow their prayers to go through, that ultimately He would return to them (remember the preceding themes of his absence from the Temple).

And this happens. Dig on v.55. In the depths of the pit (when our man is at his lowest), God does indeed hear him. In fact, God responds and says, “Do not fear!” Now we see that God has indeed taken up this man’s cause, redeemed his life (we should probably see all of this as a consequence to the calls of repentance in v.40 onward).

v.64, God will repay the the wrong done to this man by his enemies. Our man seems confident that the curse he is under will move to them and that same anger that landed on him will be directed to them and that God will pursue vengeance on his behalf.

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Chapter 4

Chapter 4 returns to woe and the rough state of Jerusalem but will end in a fulfillment of their requests. They have asked God up to this point that he see what is happening to them and ultimately make it stop and also that the justice that is coming upon them would also come upon those around them who are guilty of what they have been guilty of. (Of course, as God’s people, it’s been made clear in places like Amos that God holds them to a higher standard as they should have known better so the call to justice for those surrounding them isn’t quite equivalent. However, it’s still appropriate.)

There are points at this chapter where it is unclear who/what the subject is of a given line. For example, it seems likely that v.1 is in reference to people (the last time we saw the phrase “at the head of every street” was in 2:19 and referred to hungry children). So, they could be the “holy stones”. But are they the gold, too? Could this just generally be riches of Jerusalem, the gold and the stones? It’s not clear. However, the next few verses are talking about Jerusalem’s children so that option seems to make the most sense.

And as the following verses will show, the children are in rough shape. Infants are starving, the rich who feasted on delicacies have nothing to eat, those who are used to rich, luxurious clothing (purple) embrace the ashes. v.6 compares that which Jerusalem is going through to Sodom and serves to point out that this judgement upon God’s people is longer and has brought a startling reversal (or what we may consider a revealing of true reality) of the earthly values Jerusalem was using to understand her position vs. how God measures that (unworking princes, finely chiseled bodies, beautiful vs. darkened faces, shriveled skins and dry bones.)

v.9 speaks of how it is more fortunate to have died quickly by the sword (just like quick judgment upon Sodom) vs. the victims of protracted hunger. For such a thing has caused abominable behavior (again the cannibalism of children by their own mothers, who failed to feed them as noted earlier). By the way, that they would do this is revealing of their posturing towards God. This is most certainly a grievous disobedience.

v.13 should cut to the quick of any leader/pastor of God’s people. This judgment was for the sins of the prophets and the iniquities of the priests. They are filthy in the eyes of God and the eyes of the people, in fact they are described in terms of that which makes everyone else unclean (dead people/can’t touch garments, lepers /saying unclean) and end up ostracized from that society. The Lord has scattered them and they shall have no honor. The iniquity of the people falls heavy on these fellas for not being faithful and caring for the people.

Then we are back on the perspective of the outsiders who have entered and ransacked Jerusalem. And they were fierce. But then v.21, Jerusalem will get what they want – that their enemies, Edom (and implied others) will get the same cup that Jerusalem is now drinking from. And in v.22, we find that the punishment is coming to and end. It has been accomplished, and they shall be returned from exile, but it will indeed pass to their enemies, the two things that they have been asking for.

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Chapter 5

I’ll be honest, this chapter seems oddly placed as we ended the last one with a promise that the punishment has been accomplished and then this one fires back up with a reminder of what has occurred. Either we accept the chapter progression as non-linear (meaning they aren’t intended to “progress” or follow one another in any particular order) or it’s a framing that their restoration, although imminent, will be a bumpy path and not something that happens overnight. The remnants of the judgment will continue to impact them for the years to come, even as God promises ultimate restoration. At this point I’m open to either option.

This chapter opens like many other lines in this series of laments, a call for God to acknowledge what is going on with His people (See! Remember! Hear!). This particular chapter does seem to focus on the long game, though, where the call is to see how their inheritance is gone, the impact to the mothers and fathers, the sins of the fathers – it may not be intentional but some of these afflictions take a more long-term perspective instead of moment-level problems (fellas eating gravel, children starving, etc.).

Even the basics are difficult to come by (they’re paying for water, bread must be bargained for or the ingredients obtained through the path of brigands). They can’t protect their women (this is where it matters which way we think the chapter is framed as. This could be the remnants of people acting like a bunch of hooligans or it could be Babylonians who are around doing this kind of thing.)

Also, the people have lost their identity, their way of life (of sorts). The old men are no longer at the city gate conducting affairs, there is no music, no dancing. These are important aspects of life that no longer exist in their state. When they ask God for restoration, it’s not just for changes to their physical circumstances, it is a request back to the identity God gave them (the covenant provides that) and the freedoms and celebrations that come with that.

The acknowledgment in the tail end of the chapter rings from the early chapters, they have sinned, it is the core of this judgment. But there is a reminder that although they have fallen away, God has not, and he reigns forever. The plea at the end is one of restoration, a final sounding of the persistent call of God to hear the cries of His people. However, no effort is taken in the final lines to express optimism in this area.

How Lamentations Points Us to Jesus

1.) We have a perfect high priest. Much of this judgment is laid at the feet of foolish, weak and corrupt priests. They were supposed to protect the people, keep them on the straight and narrow, facilitate their worship and their reconciliation back to God. They bailed, couldn’t keep it together. Jesus, as our high priest, does all of those things. We will never be subject to an insufficient, fickle, or selfish priest-group again.

2.) The covenant has not changed, but what provides us identity in the covenant has. The rules/laws have always been about identity, who are God’s people, what do they do and how are they connected to God. When they didn’t live up to those they reconciled through sacrifice and were called to turn back and live back in consistency with the identity that they have been given in the covenant. However, in Jesus that sacrifice has been made once and for all. And our identity is within that sacrifice and expression of that is living in consistency with what Jesus says and does. Our failure to live consistent with that identity remains sin, repentance is turning back and living consistent with that identity again. The cost for God allowing that is Christ’s death on the cross (the sacrifice).

3.) Some of these “day of the Lord” promises will be kept long term upon Christ’s return. God makes long-term promises to His people and we are included in that. Ultimately, those who fall on the wrong side of his justice will be reckoned with but the ultimate culmination of that will not be until Jesus returns to once and for all establish His Kingdom with His people.

4.) God’s justice is fierce and real. He’s not messing around. Jesus takes what has happened physically here to God’s people and moves the impact to himself. The fate that rightly awaits us in our sin has been rewritten to declare our innocence because of what Jesus has done. It is good to be reminded that our shallow, passive reaction to our own sin is often miles away from God’s reaction to that same issue.