Category Archives: Bible 911

Bible 911 – Deuteronomy

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And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. Deuteronomy 9:11 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 9:11 is the “second telling” of God giving the stone tablets to Moses, the first telling is in Exodus 19 – 34. I spent a lot of time in Exodus and noticed some things for the first time.

  • To me it seems like Exodus may have been a running journal. In about 100 days Moses had two forty-day visits with God in person. He had to deal with ex-slaves acting and partying like their Egyptian overlords and a brother who dropped the ball. Add 3,000 dead revelers and that was a serious time for the shepherd from the back side of Midian. No wonder God wrote down the Law. (Contrast that to the 3,000 added to the Church on the Day of Pentecost.)
  • I counted five trips up and down the mountain from Exodus 19 to 32.
  • It seemed like he was adding laws to go with his activities and meetings with God. For just a narrative of Moses’ time at Horeb read Exodus 19, 20:18-22, 23:20-23, 24, 31:18, and 32-34. The laws, commands, and instructions that are in between those passages, read that as what he wrote in the “Book of the Covenant Law”.
  • The Father wrote on tablets of stone (twice) and the second copy went into the Chest of the Ark; Moses wrote a book that was to testify against the people if they did wrong. It made me think that the leadership could use that book as a reference guide.
  • I do not remember anyone preaching on the names of God and using El Kanna (Exodus 34:14) as part of the sermon. I read enough to know that Kanna needs more study.

Timeframes

The visitation to Mount Horeb is associated with Pentecost because of the amount of elapsed time after Passover. They spent two years by Horeb building the Ark and Tabernacle, and training as an army.

Moses is 120 years old at the time of writing Deuteronomy.

I believe it has been about two years from the burning bush to the giving of the Tablets. That is based on the yearly cycle (Nile River) that appears with the plagues and Moses’ personal travel times.

Moses has been leading Israel for forty years. He spent forty years in service to Pharaoh, and forty years hiding from Pharaoh.

Stone Tablets

Please be aware that this section has information, metaphors, and some “what ifs” in it, proceed carefully. This first bit that I am going to throw out is from the Strong’s Concordance and are the major words for rocks and stones. You need to do the research as this is not a heavy rendering of that information.

  • H 6697 – tsur Rock, it is used in Exodus 17 for the one water came out of, Exodus 33 for where God hid Moses, and Deuteronomy 32 for God in Moses’ song.
  • H 5553 – cela Rock, is used in Numbers 20 for the rock that Moses struck twice to get water from.
  • H 68 – eben Stone, is used in Deuteronomy 9:11 and Exodus 17 to 34. It refers to the act of building and the materials used.
  • H 7275 ragam Stone, is in Leviticus many times and is the object men throw while stoning someone.
  • H 5619 caqal Stone, in Deuteronomy is the “weighty” object used to throw at people.
  • H 2022 Har or mountain/mount
  • G 3037 lithos – stone

I have another study of Stone, Rock, and Cornerstone in my Sermons on Two Mounts series.

God used His finger for the stone tablets on top of the mountain, but Moses had to use a hammer and chisel for his tablets in the valley. (A Muse Moment is in order here.) The Jewish legends concerning these tablets are interesting, it would be a good study.

What type of rock was used to make the stone tablets? Since the location of Horeb is still a mystery, I have no idea of the exact type of rock used. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Acaba are very active with fault lines and volcanic regions. That being said, there are numerous rock formations in the Sinai and the “land of Midian”. The major ones are granite, limestone, sandstone, and shale, this is from various websites that did not give great information on the topic; an exact location is needed. I am sure the power in the finger of my Living God was no match for even the hardest of rocks.

Why rock to write His laws on? (From the Chosen Season 1.) Rock would be pure and would not be stained, plus it would last forever and is a natural material. I think He used granite so we would not take His Laws for granted. Clay, wood, or papyrus might have worked but they would have required more than one step to prepare them to be written on.

What If and Metaphors

A metaphor is in 2 Corinthians 3:3 where the Spirit wants to write on the tablets of our hearts instead of stone. Jeremiah 31:33, and Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16 also talk about the Lord writing the law on our hearts. It makes me wonder what those two tablets were actually shaped like. Proverbs 3 and 7 direct us to write His commands and teachings with love and faithfulness on the tablets of our hearts.

What if there were two types of stone for the different sets of tablets? I would expect the first set, from on top of the mountain to be a hard rock. The set Moses made came from the valley and may have been a softer rock. God’s power would allow His finger to write on either. He did rewrite the commands on the set Moses brought up to Him. Your musings from before will come into play for this thought also. God’s work and Laws are eternal, but like Adam and Eve, Moses broke them. What are your thoughts about Moses’ replacement tablets?

Like the First

Deuteronomy 10:1 At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. (KJV)

This is not the set of tablets I started this post with, but it is the set that went into the Ark of the Covenant. Bible Hub is where I found “like the first”, it is H 7223 in the Strong’s Concordance. So, is it the shape, physical dimensions, or type of rock he was to make like the first set? It could be all three, but I still think the rock was different. The reason for my thinking is that this second set represents Jesus, man-made with God’s writing all over Him. Where these tablets were put is also a thing that represents Jesus to me, the Chest of the Ark of the Covenant. The Poles of the Ark are the Holy Spirit, and the Mercy Seat is Father God.

Is the ark in 10:1 the Ark of the Covenant? I mean where is the gold, the cherubim that form the Seat, and the Poles? Something I am learning about Moses, read the whole story and not just a chapter or single verse. Doing several posts on Moses at the same time has shown me that tidbits of information are spread out through several books and many chapters. Yes, that ark is the Ark of the Covenant. Now, the focus is on the wood and not the gold, another Muse Moment is upon us.

Forty

For Moses to get to Deuteronomy 9:11 he had to go through 9:9 and then 9:18 to be given the second set of tablets. I have been told that forty ALWAYS represents trials and tests. Why would being in the presence of our Living God and surrounded by His glory be a test or trial? I thought that is how we defined Heaven. I am sure that Moses was humbled, but was he even conscious of time or physical needs? (Remember, he was glowing when he came down.) I would bet he found out it was forty days after he came down.

I view things from a human perspective first, unfortunately. Forty days without food would be very hard and taxing. Moses did not do that; he did not drink water either. Please refer to the survival rule of three. Not only did he live without bread and water, but he climbed off of that mountain by himself carrying stone tablets. Jesus had angels minister to Him after His forty-day fast to begin His time of ministry.

In Deuteronomy 8: 2 and 16 Moses talks about the forty years as a time to humble and test the Children. To continue the thought, He did that to show us what was in our hearts and that it would go well for us. There is more to the number forty if we can look at it through the eyes of God. The idea of a test in our culture usually has a negative context because of failing them. God wants us to pass all of them and we have His grace to help us do that even if it takes more than once.

Rule of threes (survival) – Wikipedia

If you want an independent study, look into all of the forties in the Bible, and give the phrase “bread/food and water” a look in your favorite Bible study tool.

Extra Thoughts

As the case has been lately, this Bible study focusing on Deuteronomy 9:11 has produced a lot of extra thoughts.

  • Moses as a “new believer” went from shepherding a flock of sheep to a whole nation in under two years.
  • Both sides of the Tablets were written on – Exodus 32:15.
  • Tablets of the Covenant Law vs. Book of the Covenant Law.
  • 10 Commandments vs. 613 Laws.
  • Metaphorical Bible stories of God’s A plan vs. the B Plan. Start in the Garden and go from there.
  • Ignoring Hollywood, just how big were those tablets? I am leaning more toward the size of a human heart.
  • Remember Jesus’ trip to hell. He preached to the people who came before the Law was given to Moses.

Bible 911 Esther

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Esther 9:11 On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king. (KJV)

In studying and pondering this Bible 911, I see this verse as “an end” and “a start”. An internet search will reveal movies, controversies, agendas, and extra verses for Esther, not bad for only ten chapters. I choose to leave those alone.

A Start

No matter what anyone says, the celebration that started in the ninth chapter, Purim, is still observed. That speaks volumes if you will let it. A pur is like some dice. It is the same idea as the Disciples “casting a lot” to pick the replacement for Judas. It is possible that is also the idea behind the Urim and Thummim.

An End

Mordecai and Esther ended the family line of Agag the Amalekite, which is something their ancestors King Saul and his son Jonathan did not do. Agag is the king of the Amalekites whom Saul was to kill in 1 Samuel 15. Please read Amalek Part 1 and Part 2.

The great victory in Esther 9:11 did not end the family of Esau/Edom and it probably did not end the Amalekites (I think). They are descendants of Abraham with a lot of history. God was not pleased with them, as shown in Exodus 17:16 and Hebrews 12:16. Even Malachi 1 has much to say about them, if Ezra did write Malachi that would fit in with the ideas in Esther 9. Most of the prophets were given words that were against Esau, Edom, and Mount Seir.

Samples of Amalekites being around after 1 Samuel 15:

  • They raided Ziklag and David fought against them in 1 Samuel 29.
  • One killed King Saul-2 Samuel 1.
  • 1 Chronicles 4:43 has a story from the time of Hezekiah about them.

Agag’s Family Connections

  • Genesis 36: 12 and 16
  • 1 Samuel 15 – Agag and the homeland of Havilah to Shur (verse 7). Ishmael and the Philistines also have connections to this area.
  • Esther 3:1
  • Exodus 17 and Deuteronomy 25 tell the story of the Amalek attack on Israel as it left Egypt.
  • Ephraim and Manasseh, while in Egypt, had raiding bands that may have terrorized the area from Shur and Havilah – 1 Chronicles 7:21 – 22. 
  • Ezekiel 35:5-6 speaks of an “ancient hostility” that bloomed as Jerusalem fell to Babylon. The hostility may have been Saul’s attack, or the raid in Exodus 17 that could have come from those raids in 1 Chronicles 7:21 – 22, but I have a feeling it was Esau selling and being tricked out of the right of the firstborn – Genesis 27. Amalek may have caught the offense of his grandfather and never let it alone.

If you want a study, the story and history of Esau would keep you busy for a while. Esau’s family line is recorded in Genesis 36. Reseach the Prophets also.

Esther’s Family

Esther is a Benjamite. Her uncle Mordecai’s genealogy is in Esther 2:6 and it is indicated that he was carried off with Jehoiachin. They are related to Jonathan and Saul. The Benjamite genealogy is found in 1 Chronicles 8; the very next section is the captives who returned from Babylon (that is probably from Ezra). Saul and Jonathan’s family tree is 1 Chronicles 9: 35-44. Between these passages and tradition, we believe that Esther was a granddaughter of Jonathan through Mephibosheth and his son Micah. (Please view Why Hide a Grandson There and Lo Debar a Second Look. Lo Debar was not a dump and I believe Mephibosheth was with family that was protecting him and providing for him. The last story in the Book of Judges changed a lot for the tribe of Benjamin.)

Some about Benjamin:

  1. He is the only progenitor of the Tribes that was born in the Promised Land. The rest were born in Paddan Aram/Haran or Egypt.
  2. Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives are in the territory allotted to Benjamin.
  3. He was the thirteenth child of Jacob. (12 sons, 1 daughter)

127 Providences

The Persian kingdom was huge. It wrapped the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and went to India. Jerusalem and Shushan were just two of the 127 providences, so how many actually had Jews in them? The couriers and the horses had a serious trip to take.

Times

The years in Esther are referenced by Xerxes’ rule of Persia. I wonder if the “months” are from the Jewish calendar. Movies crunch the years to fit it into a two-hour time slot.

  • 1:3 is the third year of his rule, so he throws a party.
  • 2:12 has twelve months of beauty treatments for the maidens.
  • 2:16 is the seventh year of his reign. There was no big rush to pick a new queen.
  • 3:7 is the twelfth year of Xerxes’ reign.
  • 3:12 and 13 are the days of the months for the writing of the letters and the day picked to kill the Jews.

The first celebration would have been in the thirteenth year. The day of writing the letters in 3:12 would have been just before Passover.

Hebrew Jewish Months in the Old Testament – Bible History (bible-history.com)

Things that caught my attention

  1. Where the action and setting of the Books took place. (This is not a complete list.) No part of Esther takes place in the Promised Land. For the most part, Exodus through Deuteronomy is not in Israel. Daniel and Ezekiel are set outside of Israel with references to the Land. Jonah starts in the Land and goes to Nineveh.
  2. Acrostics found in Esther. The name of God is not found in Esther, but there are acrostics for it in the text. This site actually listed them, if you go searching the internet, please know there are many agendas out there.  Q&A: Is God in Esther? (thirdmill.org)  
  3. Haman, Agag, and Amalek are people who did not do right by Israel. We need to remember the real enemy from Isaiah 14:12, it is Lucifer who stirs people to attack the Jews because they are God’s chosen people through Abraham.

What is your Amalek?

This is a metaphorical question. Amalek was the first thing to attack Israel after they passed through the Red Sea leaving Egypt. They plagued Israel and the Father promised them He would fight against them. I believe they are one thing that will be put under the feet of Jesus. So, what attacked you after you repented and were baptized and is still warring against you?

Finger of God

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What is the most powerful part of God? His fingers do miracles and cast out demons, His breath gave us life, His right hand and extended arm do battle for us, and His face will kill you. Okay, I am not going there just because. So, back to the title of this post – The Finger of God. (Yes, I left out a few like His heart and voice.)

This study is from my Deuteronomy 911 background research. With His finger, God wrote the commands, laws, and instructions on a pair of stone tablets for His people to live in a community as free people. There are two references to this story: Deuteronomy 9:10 and Exodus 31:18. The phrase “finger of God” is used in two other places; this is consistent through all of the translations I looked at. Altogether, I think, they tell an interesting story.

Exodus 8:19 – Pharaoh’s magicians told him that the plague of gnats was from the finger of God. I looked at several commentaries and stopped! The main thought was that the magicians of Egypt would not have said that or believed in Moses’ God. Why not? They had to go get new walking sticks because the rod of God had swallowed theirs. They maybe did turn water to blood, but a bowl full is not the Nile and they could not undo Moses’ act. (Personally, I am thinking red coloring, but we will stay with blood.) The Egyptians had a frog goddess, so, who knows what experiments they had done to get frogs out of the water? Once again, they could offer no relief to the people. As one commentary noted, the gnats required them to create life. Jannes and Jambes (2 Timothy 3:8) were not up to that task and they knew they had been beaten. (See Frogs, Yeast, Plagues, The Wonders that Plagued Egypt, and Reflections)

A very common thought about fingers in our reference materials and commentaries is they point or scratch, and they do. Another use for the finger, in ancient times, was a unit of measurement or etsba. This is the width of the finger and not the length. Etsba or Strong’s H676 is the Hebrew for finger, you will have to look to find the measurement part. My Strong’s reference table lists a finger as a unit of length but gives no Hebrew name, and the given length has to be a finger width.

So, what if they were acknowledging the power of God and also saying this may just be a small measurement of that power? I doubt they converted, but other Egyptians did believe and got their people and animals out of the fields before the hailstorm (9:20). The magicians lasted until Exodus 9:11 and are not heard from again.

After they made that statement, God started treating Israel and Egypt differently. This leads to my BIG TAKEAWAY from this post. The three times the finger of God is used He is working to start His kingdom of priests and the holy nation. This one is measuring the Egyptians as guilty of enslaving His people and He will free them.                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Exodus 31:18 and Deuteronomy 9:10

God used His extended finger to write on two stone tablets the rules His holy nation needed to live as free men and women. STOP! Think about that for a minute or two. The Father wrote for His people (twice) the commandments He had spoken to them. How do we know that God is everything He said He was in Exodus 34: 6+7? Moses broke all of the commandments at the same and God still loved and used him. If you want a good study, find the traditions and legends that surround those tablets.

Moses wrote a book; God wrote stone tablets. Why stone and not rock? Rock is unaltered and in its natural state. Stone has been shaped for man to use.

Luke 11:20

This verse says it all, the extended finger of God casting out demons by the power of God measures the Kingdom is nearby. Daktylos is the word for finger, Strong’s G1147, and it has Hebrew roots. Luke does not name the crowd in the passage, but they sound like the Pharisees. Because of that, I am sure that this is one of Jesus’ multilevel revelations for them. “Frogs” getting pushed out by the finger of God. The same powerful finger that wrote the Law is bringing in the kingdom of God. He is also claiming to have the power of the finger of God, even as He ignores their demand for a sign from Heaven. Yes, the Pharisees were not happy with that righteous reminder of the finger of God.

Bible 911 – Ezra

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This Bible 911 is from a man I would add to the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews, Ezra’s 911 is in a prayer that is coming from a distressed heart. The personal story of Ezra, son of Seraiah, (the High Priest family) starts in Ezra 7 with his family tree and a letter from Artaxerxes. His return to Jerusalem (8:15) is the story of faith that earns him a place in the Hall of Faith.

He bragged (spoke out in faith) to the king that the Lord would look with favor towards them and protect the people on the journey. The king was ready to send soldiers to guard them and the fortune they were carrying, but Ezra did not take them. Instead, he called for a fast and sought God (8:21). The magnitude of this must be viewed in light of 8:31 and remembering Haman, from Esther, the Samaritans, and the opposition to the builds in Ezra and Nehemiah. Satan did not want Israel worshipping or walking with the Lord again.

Bible Map: Ahava (bibleatlas.org)      

A little history –

  • Ezra is in two parts. Chapters 1-6 are about rebuilding the Temple. 7-10 focuses on Ezra and the mixed marriage problem.
  • Haggai and Zechariah are associated with Chapters 1-6.
  • Esther’s story is mixed in the time period from Ezra to Nehemiah.
  • There are about 100 years from Ezra 1 to the end of Nehemiah. That really depends on which expert you look at.
  • There are about thirty-four years between Ezra and Nehemiah. (Expert dependent)
  • There were three groups that returned, two in Ezra and one in Nehemiah.
  • Many of the Persian officials have non-Biblical confirmation that they existed. (BAR)
  • Malachi may have been written by Ezra. 1:8 talks about animal sacrifice and a “Persian” word for governor. Malachi at that time may have been a title and not a name (it means messenger).
  • The prophet Zechariah was killed after the altar and temple were finished – Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51. These are the only mention of that event.  

Ezra 9:11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. (KJV)

Ezra and the returning exiles had barely unpacked when he was told that the priest, Levities, Jewish officials, and other men were repeating the sin that led to the fall of Jerusalem and Judah. They are intermarrying with the people around them and bringing in the abominations of their enemies, not walking righteously with God. Ezra is gut-punched and mourning for several hours before he starts praying in verses 6 to 15. He thanks the Lord for His mercy and kindness towards them and builds his case as to why it must stop. The prayer was to the Father, but the people were instructed as well.

A little leaven – The issue is not how many men and families are involved; it is the fact that it has happened. The second chance that Ezra was thankful for had already been ignored. Yes, I counted. A total of 111 men were at fault, which is a small percent of the population that was the first wave of returnees. The Enemy started small but it included eighteen priests and nine Levities, the spiritual examples of the community. The Father wanted and still loves righteousness. He wants a people who will choose Him and willingly walk with Him. Ezra was there to raise that standard again.

Ruth – Ruth is a granddaughter of Lot; she is a Moabite. They did not do right by Israel in the years of the Exodus. Her marriage to Boaz should have been a mixed marriage and forbidden under the Law (Deuteronomy 23). With questions about the Law, I will offer IDK. How is this marriage different from most of the ones Solomon had? There is one thing that Ruth did that Solomon’s wives did not do, she chose Jehovah and left the gods of Moab on the east side of the Dead Sea. That walk to Bethlehem was literally a righteous faith walk into a new life. Solomon made temples so his wives could continue worshipping their demons (1 Kings 11:2, 7-8).  

A Nehemiah Note – Just because the Temple was in service again and the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, the attacks on righteousness did not stop. The meeting in Ezra is not the meeting in Nehemiah. Ezra did read at Nehemiah’s meeting. Nehemiah had priests who had intermarried and provided space in the Temple complex for a local heathen official. He ended that problem and drove them away from Jerusalem. His problem was the attack on the Sabbath, with the buying and selling of goods. Resting with God and staying pure extend from the commandments of “Love God and your neighbor”.

These attacks on the Family of God have not stopped. The enemy still wants to pollute the Family and pull us away from walking and resting with Jesus and the Father. Righteousness and godly offspring are the desire of the Father for His Children. Remember Ruth before you judge a new Family member.

Bible 911 – Nehemiah

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Nehemiah 9:11 is part of a prayer/song of repentance and a history lesson that led to Jerusalem’s destruction in the time of Jeremiah. Its timestamp is the seventh month after the Feast of Tabernacles. This occurred after the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt but not dedicated.

As I have done the Bible 911 series it is apparent how the Lord provided “two or three witnesses” to confirm His Word. Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and others spoke against the Assyrians and the need for Judah to repent. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were in the middle of the judgment on Judah and Jerusalem falling. Nehemiah, Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah are after the seventy years of exile that Jeremiah prophesied. These three groups were also under three different oppressors – the first group dealt with the Assyrians, the second group suffered under the Babylonians, and the third were slaves to the Persians. Egypt and the delusion that it was a help to Israel are mentioned in all three time periods. Now that can make a great sermon. Samaritans, Philistines, and the “family enemies” of Moab, Ammon, and Edom have not gone away.

The Seventh Month

Chapters 8 and 9 of Nehemiah are set in the seventh month of the Hebrew religious calendar; there was a civil calendar that shared names but was in a different order. The importance of this month is found in Leviticus 23:23-44. It is the last set of feasts in the year and they come after the crops are gathered.

With that command in place, it is very curious to read 8:17. Why was the Feast of Tabernacles ignored? There are many references to the Exodus and the forty years of wandering (See Stories 1 and Stories 2), so it was not a forgotten event.

As I read it, the seventh-month gathering in Ezra 3 was not the one in Nehemiah.  It was the Feast of Trumpets, but the timeframe is different. When you follow the parade of kings, several have come and gone between the seventh-month meetings. Ezra’s meeting in chapter 10 is in the 9th month and it was raining. Rain in the “seventh month” in Israel is rare.

Hebrew Jewish Months in the Old Testament – Bible History (bible-history.com)

rainy season in israel – Search (bing.com)       

Chapter 9

The assembly that is chronicled in this chapter may be the final gathering for the Feast of Tabernacles, but it seems like it is an additional event because it began on the 24th. The details that are given signal the preparations and thoughts that have gone into this meeting. The list of Levities may well have been the choir and musicians for the Temple as well as its guards and officials.

This public confession or teaching or prayer or song is beautiful. It extols the Father’s goodness, provisions, and mercy for the Family as He brought them to the inheritance of Abraham. The good works of God are shown in contrast to the sins and unfaithfulness of His people. Abram leaving his home to follow the Lord is a powerful statement as they lead the people through Egypt and the wilderness to the Promise. The final stanzas pull the people back to their current plight and the distress they are enduring. 

9:5b+6 is a perfect joining of Genesis 1 and the foundation for the Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus. It clearly announces that Jehovah has always been worthy of praise, even before we showed up.

After Genesis 17:5 the name Abram is used only twice in the Scriptures. 1 Chronicles has it in a family list and identifies him as Abraham. Here I feel it is used to connect the listener to the pilgrim who leaves the Ur of the Chaldeans to follow God’s leading to settle in a land they do not know, but it belongs to them. By this time most of these people have never been out of Babylon and only know stories of this land.

Nehemiah 9:11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. (KJV)

O the teaching and sermons that have come from this event. Faith and fear, deliverance, provisions, light and dark, and obedience are just a few that come to my mind. It is a main lesson for baptism. These skilled Levities echo Moses and Miriam in their sermon songs found in Exodus 15: 1 – 21.    

Verse 11 is the miraculous scene change from the bondage of the Egyptians and their gods, whom Jehovah wrecked, to God who has covered them with His banner. I know the name Jehovah-Nissi is introduced in Exodus 17, but the Father proved Himself as their warring protector long before that.

A Little History and Background

  • This time of confession and repentance was predicted in Ezekiel 23 and Jeremiah 50.
  • Ezra, the priest and learned man leads the reading/meeting in Chapter 8. It is possible that not all of the returning Israelites may have been fluent in Hebrew. 9:2 sounds like a “family” only meeting.
  • Jeremiah 50:17 “Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. The first to devour them was the king of Assyria; the last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” (NIV) They are now slaves of Persia.
  • The potentates in this period are confusing, this is not the entire list, just the ones from the Bible. I will give credit to BAR for this list. Darius the Mede (Daniel), Cyrus, Darius the Great (Ezra 4), Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Esther), Artaxerxes I (Ezra), and Darius II(Nehemiah). Yes, there are three different rulers with the name Darius.
  • The important Jews in order (of appearance) is also a hard list to find, this is my attempt. Sheshbazzar prince of Judah, Zerubbabel (also a prince of Judah) and Jeshua (a priest), Haggai and Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
  • Zechariah in Context and Zechariah 911 may be helpful. 

Going Further – Place Ezekiel 23 and Jeremiah 50 in chronological order as to when Jerusalem fell, so you can get an appreciation of the mercy of God and His knowledge.