a collection

March 4, 2017

Money for temple worship offerings (Bar 1:10-1:10)

“They said.

‘Here we send you

Money.

So buy

With this money

Burnt offerings,

Sin offerings,

With incense.

Prepare

A grain offering.

Offer them

On the altar

Of the Lord

Our God!’”

The people with Baruch wanted to take up a collection and send money to the people in Jerusalem. With this money, the Jerusalem Judeans were to buy burnt offerings, sin offerings, incense, and grain offerings. All these were to be presented at the altar of the Lord God. However, there are some problems since the Temple and its altars were all destroyed. Was there a temporary temple in Jerusalem during the exile? How many people were left in Jerusalem?

March 4, 2017

The collection for Jerusalem (Bar 1:5-1:7)

“Then they wept.

They fasted.

They prayed

Before the Lord.

They collected

As much money

As each could give.

They sent it

To Jerusalem

To the high priest

Jehoiakim,

The son of Hilkiah,

The son of Shallum,

To the priests,

To all the people

Who were present

With him

In Jerusalem.”

Apparently, this gathering was with all the Judean exiles, and not any Babylonians. There, after the reading, they wept, fasted, and prayed to the Lord. After that, they took up a collection for the people who were left behind in Jerusalem. They were going to send it to the now high priest and the priests left in Jerusalem, Jehoiakim, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum. There was no indication of how this money would get there. It was a free will offering, with each one giving what they could.