Others read the biblical texts looking for a moral sense or meaning. What am I to do? What is God calling me to do? The answer can be found in reading the Bible. By reading the Bible, I may find out how I should act. The Bible is an aid in helping me to make decisions. The Bible is my guide book in life, as it tells me what to do in difficult situations. It has the moral standards by which I want to lead my life.
aid
The restoration of a smaller Egypt (Ezek 29:13-29:16)
“Thus says Yahweh God!
‘At the end of forty years,
I will gather
The Egyptians
From the people
Among whom
They were scattered.
I will restore
The fortunes of Egypt.
I will bring them back
To the land of Pathros,
The land of their origin.
There they shall be
A lowly kingdom.
It shall be the lowliest
Of the kingdoms.
It shall never again
Exalt itself
Above the nations.
I will make them
So small
That they will never again
Rule over the nations.
The Egyptians shall never again
Be the reliance
Of the house of Israel.
They will recall
Their iniquity,
When they turned
To them
For aid.
Then they will know
That I am Yahweh God!’”
Yahweh told Ezekiel that at end of forty years, he would gather the Egyptians from wherever they were scattered. He was going to restore the fortunes of Egypt. He was going to bring them back to Pathros, the southern part of Egypt near Thebes, where they originally came from. However, this would be a low kingdom that would not exalt itself among the various nations. They would be so small that they would never again rule over other countries. Israel would not rely on Egypt again. They would recall their iniquity when they turned to them for aid. They would all know that Yahweh was God.
Your sister Sodom (Ezek 16:48-16:50)
“As I live,
Says Yahweh God.
‘Your sister Sodom,
With her daughters,
Has not done
As you
With your daughters
Have done.
This was the guilt
Of your sister Sodom.
She,
With her daughters,
Had pride,
Excess of food,
A prosperous ease.
But they did not
Aid the poor.
They did not
Aid the needy.
They were haughty.
They did abominable things
Before me.
Therefore I removed them,
When I saw it.”
The story of Sodom was based on Genesis, chapter 19. Sodom was a city in the plains, south of Jerusalem, near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem was like the city of Sodom because Jerusalem had done the same things as they had done. Sodom with her daughters was guilty of pride, too much food, and too easy of a life style. Sodom did not aid the poor and the needy. There was no explanation here of all the abominable things mentioned in Genesis. However, Yahweh had removed them. He had destroyed them, when he found out about their behavior.
The Egyptian retreat (Jer 37:6-37:7)
“Then the word of Yahweh
Came to the prophet Jeremiah.
‘Thus says Yahweh!
God of Israel!
This is what
The two of you
Shall say
To the king of Judah,
Who sent you to me,
To inquire of me.
‘Pharaoh’s army,
That set out
To help you,
Is going to return
To its own land,
Egypt.’”
Now Yahweh has Jeremiah speak to Jehucal and Zephaniah directly. Jeremiah reminded them that this was an oracle from the God of Israel. They were to tell the king who had sent them that Pharaoh’s army was not going to help them, since the Egyptians were returning to their own land. The Egyptian aid was not going to materialize.
The siege of Jerusalem (Jer 32:2-32:2)
“At that time,
The army of
The king of Babylon
Was besieging Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah
Was confined
In the court of the guard
That was in the palace
Of the king of Judah.
King Zedekiah of Judah
Had confined him.”
The time frame is clearly the time of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army. However, Jeremiah was imprisoned in the palace jail by King Zedekiah of Judah. King Zedekiah had been installed as king by King Nebuchadnezzar in 598 BCE. However, he revolted against him and sought the aid of King Hophra or Pharaoh Apries (589-570 BCE) of Egypt. This led to the siege that lasted almost 2 years as the Egyptians tried to help King Zedekiah. Eventually, the Babylonians were successful. Meanwhile, King Zedekiah had Jeremiah confined to prison because, as always, Jeremiah was pro-Babylonian.
Travel to Egypt (Sir 0:27-0:36)
“When I came to Egypt
In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes,
I stayed for some time.
I found an opportunity for no little instruction.
It seemed highly necessary
That I should myself
Devote some diligence,
Devote some labor to the translation of this book.
During that time,
I applied my skill
Day and night.
Thus I was able to complete this translation.
I was able to publish the book
For those living abroad
Who wished to gain learning.
That is those
Disposed to live according to the Law.”
Now we learn about this translator. He states that he came to Egypt in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes. This must mean the Egyptian King Ptolemy VIII, Euergetes. He ascended the throne in the year 170 BCE, together with his brother Philometor, but he soon became sole ruler from 146 to 117 BCE. Thus this translator must have gone to Egypt in 132 BCE, 38 years after 170 BCE. So now we have an exact date. He stayed there for some time. There he labored to translate this book, day and night. He finally completed his translations and published this book as an aid for anyone seeking to live according to the Law.
The praying to false idols (Wis 13:17-13:19)
“When he prays
About possessions,
His marriage,
His children,
He is not ashamed
To address a lifeless thing.
For health,
He appeals to a thing that is weak.
For life
He prays to a thing that is dead.
For aid
He entreats a thing that is utterly inexperienced.
For a prosperous journey,
He asks a thing that cannot take a step.
For money-making,
For work,
For success with his hands,
He asks strength of a thing
Whose hands have no strength.”
Now what seems ridiculous happens. This carpenter now turns to worship the image that he just created. In fact, he prays (προσευχόμενος) to this image for protection of his possessions, his marriage, and his children. He is not ashamed to speak to this lifeless image that he himself created. The author then points out the incredulity of this picture. The woodcutter prays for health to a weak piece of wood. He prays for life and asks for aid from a dead (νεκρὸν) piece of wood. He asks for help on his journey from something that cannot even walk. He asks for money and success in his work from a weak piece of wood with no strength. The irony is evident.
Prayer for deliverance (Ps 80:1-80:2)
To the choirmaster, according to Lilies, a testimony of Asaph, a psalm
“Give ear!
O shepherd of Israel!
You lead Joseph like a flock!
You are enthroned upon the cherubim!
Shine forth
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh!
Stir up your might!
Come to save us!”
Psalm 80 is another choral psalm of Asaph, a transcriber or author of psalms at the time of David and Solomon, a Temple singer at the time of Solomon during the transport of the Ark of the Covenant. This psalm is set to the tune of the lilies, much like Psalm 45 and Psalm 69. This is an attempt of the northern tribes of Israel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh to have God come to their aid. Notice the importance of Joseph here. Remember that those northern Israel tribes were sent to captivity before the people in Jerusalem and Judah. This psalmist wanted the shepherd of Israel to listen and shine before the northern tribes. The God of Israel sat on the cherubim in the holy of holies. He wanted God to stir up his might and thus save them from their captivity.
The prayer to Yahweh (Ps 22:19-22:21)
“But You!
Yahweh!
Do not be far away!
O my help!
Come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword!
Deliver my life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!”
David or the psalmist did not want Yahweh to be far away. He wanted him to help him by coming quickly to his aid. He wanted his soul and his life saved from the power of the sword and the dog. He wanted to be saved from the lion’s mouth.
The divine intervention at Beth-zur (2 Macc 11:5-11:12)
“Invading Judea, Lysias approached Beth-zur, which was a fortified place about five stadia from Jerusalem. He pressed it hard. When Judas Maccabeus and his men got word that Lysias was besieging the strongholds, they and all the people, with lamentations and tears, prayed the Lord to send a good angel to save Israel. Judas Maccabeus himself was the first to take up arms. He urged the others to risk their lives with him to aid their kindred. Then they eagerly rushed off together. There, while they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman appeared at their head, clothed in white and brandishing weapons of gold. Together they all praised the merciful God. They were strengthened in heart, ready to assail not only humans, but the wildest animals or walls of iron. They advanced in battle order, having their heavenly ally, for the Lord had mercy on them. They hurled themselves like lions against the enemy. They laid low eleven thousand of them and sixteen hundred cavalry. They forced all the rest to flee. Most of them got away stripped and wounded. Lysias himself escaped by disgraceful flight.”
Beth-zur was about 20 miles south of Jerusalem, on the way to Hebron. Here, like 1 Maccabees, chapter 4, Judas Maccabeus prayed for a heavenly angel to help him. Although he had prayed in 1 Maccabees, there was no divine intervention. Here a heavenly horseman with a gold weapon led them to victory as they were lions in battle. Here they killed 11,000 infantry instead of 5,000 as in 1 Maccabees. In both versions of the story, Lysias escaped, either as here in “disgraceful flight” or simply withdrawing to Antioch as in 1 Maccabees.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 