Rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem

It is good to be back online after a few days away. Since my last blog entry on Wednesday, much has happened in the corporate life of God's people. After the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. After the division of the kingdom, the northern kingdom (Israel) lasted about 200 years before it was overtaken by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. The southern kingdom of Judah lasted almost 350 years before it was ultimately taken captive by the Babylonians in 586 BC (see map of divided kingdom below).

~

As the kingdoms of Israel and Judah declined, the various prophets of the Old Testament attempted to bring restoration to the covenant relationship between God and his people. The prophet Elijah was a significant prophetic voice during the time preceeding the Babylonian exile. However, the people of God repeatedly rejected the appeal of the prophets to repent and return to the Lord, which ultimately led to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord. The people were led away into captivity in the land of Babylon (see map of Babylonian Exile below). Second Kings, chapter 25 (yesterday's reading) describes the final years of the kingdom of Judah. The last King of Judah was Zedekiah, who was taken away into captivity by the Babylonians (Note: Here the terms Chaldeans and Babylonians are essentially interchangable).

~

Today's reading from the book of Ezra describes the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Israelites were allowed to return to their homeland (the captivity in Babylon lasted approximately 50 years). This return to Jerusalem was made possible by King Cyrus of Persia, who had recently conquered the Babylonian Empire. The Edic of Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland in order to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. The reconstruction of the Temple was a significant outward and visible sign of the reconstituted relationship between God and his people. However, the book of Ezra emphasizes the need not only for outward piety, but inward conversion. The covenant relationship between God and the Israelites would need to be reestablished on the foundation of faithfulness, both in worship and in keeping the law of God.

The Babylonian Exile

Divided Kingdom of Israel & Judah

A Few Days of Silence

IMPORTANT: I will be leaving later today for a camping trip with my family. Consequently, I will not be able to update the blog for the next two days (Thursday and Friday). I will resume my blogging adventures on Saturday. PLEASE KEEP READING! God bless you all!

Please read today's blog entry below.

Solomon's Wisdom and the Temple

Today we read about Solomon, David's son and successor to the throne. Solomon is remembered for his request for divine wisdom and as the one who oversaw the construction of the first Temple in Jerusalem. The Lord offered Solomon anything he wanted, such as long life or great wealth, but his request was for an "understanding mind to govern God's people." The Lord was pleased with this request and granted Solomon not only wisdom, but riches and honor as well. Solomon's reputation spread throughout the land and soon "the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind" (1 Kings 10:24).

~

However, most significantly, Solomon is remembered as the one built the great Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. During the journey through the wilderness and throughout the initial period in the land of Canaan, the worship of the Lord took place in a Tabernacle, a temporary structure that could be moved from place to place. However, under Solomon's leadership, the first permanent Temple was constructed. The Temple was the place of prayer and worship as well as the location where sacrifices were offered to the Lord. The inner sanctuary of the Temple was known as the Holy of Holies, which housed the Ark of Covenant (essentially a gold vessel that contained the ten commandments). The presence and glory of the Lord dwelled permenantly in the Holy of Holies. It is difficult to understimate the importance of the Temple in the corporate life of the people of Israel.

~

In the year 597 BC, the city of Jerusalem was seiged by the Babylonians. The Temple was destroyed and God's people were led into exile. As will see later this week, after the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon, their first priority was the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the Lord's Temple.

~

After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam assumed the throne. However, conflict arose among the people of Israel and soon the kingdom became divided. Solomon was the last king to rule over a united Kingdom of Israel. During the reign of Rehoboam, the ten tribes in the northern part of the kingdom rebelled and enthroned their own king, Jeroboam, while the tribes in the south were ruled by Rehoboam. Thus, God's people were divided: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south.

Illustration of Solomon's Temple

David and Goliath

Once the people of Israel settled in the land of Canaan, their focus began to shift toward the need for internal order and governance. For the first 150 years, their was no centralized government, but rather the various tribes of Israel were ruled by judges. The book of Judges chronicles the history of this period, which includes some of the more well known judges such as Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. Although the period of judges provided relative stability for the people, they soon longed for a more centralized form of government. Therefore, in the book of First Samuel, we find the Israelites demanding a king "like all the other nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). The Lord reluctantly grants this request and appoints Saul as the first King of Israel. Ultimately, due to Saul's disobedience, his kingship was rejected by the Lord.

~

First Samuel, chapter 16, describes the selection of David as the next King of Israel. Like his ancestor Moses, David was called by God while he was tending sheep. The fact that David was a shepherd also foreshadows the Messiah, who will be called the Good Shepherd, the one who will lay down his life for his sheep. It is also significant that God did not choose the oldest and most qualified son, but God chose David, who was the youngest and smallest of Jesse's sons. As the Lord says to Samuel, "man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). The youth and inexperience of David were immediately tested when he volunteered to confront Goliath, the Philistine who threatened to destroy the armies of Israel. As David prepared to fight and ultimately defeat Goliath, Saul attempted to place his own armor on David (17:38), but David could not fight with Saul's armor. This symbolized that David's kingship would be very different than that of Saul; David could not walk in Saul's anointing.

~

Although David was anointed by Samuel in First Samuel 16, he was not formally enthroned as king until after the death of Saul. Once enthroned as king, David became yet another example of imperfect leadership. David commited adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and then murdered Uriah in an attempt to conceal his sin. A child was conceived by that adulterous act, but that child ultimately died. Yet in spite of his flaws, David reigned over the glory days of the kingdom of Israel, a kingdom united under one Lord and King. David was the one given the plans for the building of the great Temple of the Lord, which would ultimately be built by Solomon, David's son and eventual successor to the throne.

Conquering the Promised Land

Now that we have reviewed the events preceding the conquest of the promised land (see earlier post below), it is time to examine the central themes and events found in the book of Joshua. Under the leadership of Moses, the Lord redeemed his people from their bondage in Egypt and established his everlasting covenant with them at Sinai. However, Moses and the vast majority of those who left Egypt never saw the promised land. It was only after the death of Moses, under the leadership of Joshua, that the people of God entered into the land of promise, the land sworn to their ancestor Abraham (see map on sidebar).

~

The book of Joshua is the first in a series of books referred to either as the "former prophets" or the "historical books." The purpose of the book of Joshua is to recount the events surrounding the conquest and settlement of the land of Canaan ("the promised land"). In chapter 1, which is the reading for today, Joshua is commissioned by God and given the promise that the Lord will be with him wherever he goes. Joshua then begins to prepare the leaders of the tribe of Israel for the crossing of the Jordan River into the land of Canaan.

~

The book of Joshua powerfully describes the victory of the people of Israel as they boldly possess the land the Lord their God has given them. However, there also are significant moral and theological questions that arise from a careful reading of this book. The most important question centers around the annihilation of the Canannite inhabitants of the land. Those who are antagonistic toward the bible see in the book of Joshua an example of "ethnic cleansing" and a barbaric god who tolerates genicide. How do we handle these challenges?

~

First, it is important that we acknowledge that these questions are important and legitimate. Next, it is imperative that we understand the book of Joshua both within its literary and historical context. Within the literary context, we find that although the command to utterly destroy the Canaanites appears implacable, there are exceptions and examples where the Canaanites were allowed to remain. It is also important that we understand the theological point that is being made. God is not being depicted as a barbarian who ruthlessly destroys nations, but rather God is the one who has chosen the Israelites as his covenant people, through whom he will bless all nations. The conquest of the promised land is part of this much larger plan of salvation and blessing. Within its historical context, we find that the rules and regulations of warfare that are outlined in the book of Joshua are in accordance with widely accepted customs within the ancient Near Eastern world. There is much more that could be said in response to these issues, but it must be emphatically stated that the bible does not condone practices of ethnic cleansing or genocide and the conquest account found in the book of Joshua must not be used to defend these injustices.

Preparing for the Promised Land

Before we examine the conquest of the promised land as it is described in the book of Joshua, let me offer a few brief words about the 3 biblical books between Exodus and Joshua, namely Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The book of Leviticus is very difficult for the modern reader to understand, because it describes specific rituals concerning purity and personal holiness, which are foreign to the modern reader. The primary aim of the book of Leviticus is to describe what it means to be the holy people of a holy God. Moving along to the book of Numbers, we return to the narrative structure that we found in the book of Exodus. In fact, the narrative of Numbers parallels, in many ways, that of Exodus and continues the story of the people of Israel as they travel through the wilderness of Sinai. In chapter 27 of the book of Numbers, Joshua is commissioned as the successor to Moses. Finally, a word about the book of Deuteronomy. In some ways, the book of Deuteronomy functions as the sequel to the book of Numbers. Moses offers words of instruction and exhortation to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. The book of Deuteronomy is a "bridge" book; it summarizes many of the themes and promises found in Genesis - Numbers and sets the stage for the next phase in the history of God's people. In fact, the theology of the book of Deuteronomy undergirds the narrative structure found in the historical books of Joshua -Second Kings; therefore, this series of books is often referred to by scholars as the deuteronomistic history. The book of Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses, thus setting the stage for the rise of Joshua, who will lead the people into the promised land.

Are We There Yet?