Background: I Kings chapters 12 & 13 – Around 930 B.C., Israel divided into two kingdoms: Northern Kingdom (Israel/Samaria) ruled by Jereboam and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) ruled by Reheboam. Jereboam established a new place of worship for the people of the Northern Kingdom. They were to worship two golden calves that represented their new gods. God sent a prophet to speak against this abomination performed by Jereboam. Read I Kings 13:1-2.
Flash forward nearly 300 years later …
II Kings 22:1-7: Josiah becomes king at age 8. At age 26, the Temple in Jerusalem was being repaired. During the repair someone made a discovery.
Read II Kings 22:8-13
1) What was discovered and who discovered it? The Book of Law … specifically the Book of Deuteronomy. Found by Hilkiah the high priest.
2) Who did he give the book to? Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, secretary to the king and he read it.
3) vs. 10. What did the secretary tell the king? “The high priest gave me a book.” He did not call it the Book of the Law. Why?
Read Deuteronomy chapters 4-6
4) What was the king’s response after hearing the words of the book? Tore his clothes in a symbol of repentance.
Read II Kings 23:1-3
5) Who did the king send for? The elders of Jerusalem and Judah. Who were they? Leaders of the people - Men of standing, men of respect.
6) vs. 2. Where did the king go and who went with him? The Temple. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem from every section of society; priests and prophets.
7) Who read from the Book of the Covenant? King Josiah. Point out the book is referred to as the Book of Covenant. Covenant defined – a solemn agreement that is binding on all parties. God and His people. God agrees to bless His people in return His people agree to submit to God’s authority – embodied in the Book of the Law. Josiah reads to the people the Book of Deuteronomy.
8) What is significant about who it is that is reading the Book? Josiah is the people’s leader. The fact that he is king gives greater weight to what he is doing. If Hilkiah the high priest or a prophet been the one to read from the Book would the people have responded the way they did?
9) vs. 3 What did Josiah and the people do? Made a covenant to walk after God. To learn and keep God’s Word. More importantly, act out God’s word in their lives. “Faith without works is dead.”
Read II Kings 23:4-20, 24
10) What did Josiah do? Eradicate idolatry and pagan religions in Judah.
Read II Kings 23:21-23, 25
11) What did Josiah restore? The celebration of the Passover.
12) How did the spiritual transformation of Judah happen? People hearing and applying the Word of God.
13) Did the people continue to walk after God after Josiah’s death (II Kings 23:31-36). If no, why? Both of Josiah’s sons did what was evil. Perhaps speaks to Josiah’s failure as a father. Josiah and the people of Judah did not fulfill God’s commandment found in Deuteronomy chapter 6.
13) Could such a spiritual transformation happen in the U.S. today?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Transforming Power of the Bible Pt. 1
Read II Kings 21:1-9, 16
1) Describe the spiritual environment in Judah during the reign of King Manasseh –
a) Rebuilt high places – places of worship set apart for a pagan god(s) (Baal, Asherah, etc.) Located on hills. These gods were usually fertility gods; therefore, worship rituals included immoral activity.
b) Built altars to Baal and Asherah – fertility gods worshipped by many people groups in the Middle East. Asherah was the wife of Baal. Many Jews worshipped Asherah as the wife of Yahweh. Asherah poles – cult symbol connected with the worship of Asherah. Wooden artifact or tree dedicated to Asherah. Asherah poles could be seen throughout Judah.
c) Worshipped the stars and planets; built altars to them in the Temple (the house of the Lord) in Jerusalem.
d) Human sacrifice – Manasseh offered his son to the god Molech. Literal translation of verse 6 – “made his son pass through the fire.” Manasseh’s son was burned alive as part of a ritual purification practice to the god Molech. His infant son was passed through fire to receive the blessings of Molech. The child died and therefore was not deemed worthy of Molech’s blessings.
e) Astrology and spiritism (communication with the dead) was practiced – fortune telling, mediums (psychics), necromancer (someone who could speak to the dead)
f) Placed an idol of Asherah in the Temple (House of the Lord) – Typically images of female fertility gods were extremely sexual. Accentuated her sexual appearance. Jews continued to worship God in the Temple. However, they brought him down to the same level with other gods (Stars, planets, Baal, Asherah). The Lord (Yahweh) was just one of many gods.
g) Manasseh committed great bloodshed - specifically innocent blood. Why? Who were the innocents? The innocents were probably Jews who refused to follow Manasseh’s example. Rejected the worship of other gods. Unhappy/angry with Manasseh … his desecration of the Temple, his promotion of the worship of false gods, etc. Voiced their anger. Manasseh’s response – had them killed. From the description in verse 16, sounds like it was a high number who were killed. According to Jewish tradition, one of them was the prophet Isaiah. Manasseh had him sawed in half (Hebrews 11: 37)
Let me add that it is probable that there were priests in the Temple who supported/tolerated Manasseh’s actions. A lot of authority/influence came with the position of priest. If you want to keep that social position, you went along with whatever the king wanted. There were probably men who claimed to be prophets of God who supported/tolerated Manasseh’s actions. They gave God’s seal of approval to Manasseh’s actions. False prophets – “God spoke to me and said ‘I have a brother named Baal and a wife named Asherah. Worship them also or else!’
2) Do you see any parallels between the spiritual environment of Judah during the reign of Manasseh and the spiritual environment of the United States today? List examples –
a) High places and altars to false gods – Celebrity worship such as the Kardashians – the high place/altar is the TV set; sports – the high place/altar is the football stadium/arena.
b) Sexual immorality practiced publicly
c) Astrology, mediums, psychics all over the place.
d) human sacrifice = abortion; the infant is not worthy of life
e) Disgrace the House of the Lord – Churches/denominations that tolerate/condone sinful practices. Pastors speaking from the pulpit who condone sexual immorality (homosexuality, sex outside of marriage) and/or who condone other religions (there are many roads to God, Jesus was a great religious figure like Mohammed and Buddha)
f) Persecution of true followers of God – Christians who speak against sexual immorality, abortion, and sinful activities; who disagree with the teachings of other religions; who condemn idolatry (celebrity worship), astrology, psychic hotlines ... how are they perceived in the world? Intolerant, backwards thinking, religious nut jobs, insensitive to the religious rights of others. Form of persecution? Ridicule
Next Sunday – Read II Kings chapters 22 and 23. What happened that transformed the spiritual environment of Judah? Also read Deuteronomy chapter 4.
1) Describe the spiritual environment in Judah during the reign of King Manasseh –
a) Rebuilt high places – places of worship set apart for a pagan god(s) (Baal, Asherah, etc.) Located on hills. These gods were usually fertility gods; therefore, worship rituals included immoral activity.
b) Built altars to Baal and Asherah – fertility gods worshipped by many people groups in the Middle East. Asherah was the wife of Baal. Many Jews worshipped Asherah as the wife of Yahweh. Asherah poles – cult symbol connected with the worship of Asherah. Wooden artifact or tree dedicated to Asherah. Asherah poles could be seen throughout Judah.
c) Worshipped the stars and planets; built altars to them in the Temple (the house of the Lord) in Jerusalem.
d) Human sacrifice – Manasseh offered his son to the god Molech. Literal translation of verse 6 – “made his son pass through the fire.” Manasseh’s son was burned alive as part of a ritual purification practice to the god Molech. His infant son was passed through fire to receive the blessings of Molech. The child died and therefore was not deemed worthy of Molech’s blessings.
e) Astrology and spiritism (communication with the dead) was practiced – fortune telling, mediums (psychics), necromancer (someone who could speak to the dead)
f) Placed an idol of Asherah in the Temple (House of the Lord) – Typically images of female fertility gods were extremely sexual. Accentuated her sexual appearance. Jews continued to worship God in the Temple. However, they brought him down to the same level with other gods (Stars, planets, Baal, Asherah). The Lord (Yahweh) was just one of many gods.
g) Manasseh committed great bloodshed - specifically innocent blood. Why? Who were the innocents? The innocents were probably Jews who refused to follow Manasseh’s example. Rejected the worship of other gods. Unhappy/angry with Manasseh … his desecration of the Temple, his promotion of the worship of false gods, etc. Voiced their anger. Manasseh’s response – had them killed. From the description in verse 16, sounds like it was a high number who were killed. According to Jewish tradition, one of them was the prophet Isaiah. Manasseh had him sawed in half (Hebrews 11: 37)
Let me add that it is probable that there were priests in the Temple who supported/tolerated Manasseh’s actions. A lot of authority/influence came with the position of priest. If you want to keep that social position, you went along with whatever the king wanted. There were probably men who claimed to be prophets of God who supported/tolerated Manasseh’s actions. They gave God’s seal of approval to Manasseh’s actions. False prophets – “God spoke to me and said ‘I have a brother named Baal and a wife named Asherah. Worship them also or else!’
2) Do you see any parallels between the spiritual environment of Judah during the reign of Manasseh and the spiritual environment of the United States today? List examples –
a) High places and altars to false gods – Celebrity worship such as the Kardashians – the high place/altar is the TV set; sports – the high place/altar is the football stadium/arena.
b) Sexual immorality practiced publicly
c) Astrology, mediums, psychics all over the place.
d) human sacrifice = abortion; the infant is not worthy of life
e) Disgrace the House of the Lord – Churches/denominations that tolerate/condone sinful practices. Pastors speaking from the pulpit who condone sexual immorality (homosexuality, sex outside of marriage) and/or who condone other religions (there are many roads to God, Jesus was a great religious figure like Mohammed and Buddha)
f) Persecution of true followers of God – Christians who speak against sexual immorality, abortion, and sinful activities; who disagree with the teachings of other religions; who condemn idolatry (celebrity worship), astrology, psychic hotlines ... how are they perceived in the world? Intolerant, backwards thinking, religious nut jobs, insensitive to the religious rights of others. Form of persecution? Ridicule
Next Sunday – Read II Kings chapters 22 and 23. What happened that transformed the spiritual environment of Judah? Also read Deuteronomy chapter 4.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Story of the Bible - pt. 4: How the OT came together
Septuagint
Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated LXX) is the name given to the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. The Septuagint has its origin in Alexandria, Egypt and was translated between 300-100 BC. The term “Septuagint” means seventy in Latin, and the text is so named to the credit of these 70 scholars. According to an ancient document called the Letter of Aristeas, it is believed that 70 to 72 Jewish scholars were commissioned during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus to carry out the task of translation. Most scholars consider the Letter of Aristeas steeped in legend rather than historical truth. The motivation behind the Septuagint lays more in the fact that there was a large Jewish population living outside Palestine. The Septuagint was aimed at Hellenistic Jews (Jews who spoke Greek and adopted Greek culture and learning) who were beginning to lose their Hebrew language and heritage. The process of translating the Hebrew to Greek also gave many non-Jews (Gentiles) a glimpse into Judaism. For the first time Gentiles (Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Syrians, etc.) could read God’s Word. Emphasize – Primary goal of the Jewish scholars involved in translating the Septuagint was not establish a definitive Hebrew canon of Scriptures but to preserve Jewish heritage and culture in a non-Jewish world.
Not all Jews accepted the Septuagint. One religious group in particular that was active during Jesus’ life: the Sadducees. They rejected the Prophets and Writings as authoritative Scripture. They regarded the Pentateuch as the only authoritative Scripture.
The Septuagint contains the standard 39 books of the Old Testament canon, as well as certain apocryphal books. The term "Apocrypha" was coined by the fifth-century biblical scholar, Jerome, and generally refers to the set of ancient Jewish writings written during the period between the last book in the Jewish scriptures, Malachi, and the arrival of Jesus Christ. Word “apocrypha” means “hidden away”. Biblical scholars, both Jewish and Christian, questioned their legitimacy as authoritative Scripture. Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin around 410 A.D. (Bible called the Latin Vulgate which became the official version of Bible used by Catholic Church) included a disclaimer before each Apocryphal book that it was not found in the Hebrew Bible and therefore should not be regarded as canonical. In fact, Jerome was reluctant to even do a Latin translation of the Apocrypha because they were not found in the Tanakh. Overtime Jerome’s disclaimers disappeared from future translations of the Latin Vulgate. As a consequence, the Apocrypha began to be accepted as canonical.
Why were the Apocryphal books not found in the Hebrew Bible? They did not meet O.T. benchmarks we talked about previously. The Apocrypha had 1) Historic and geographic inaccuracies – Book of Judith starts by saying it was written while Nebuchadnezzar was king of Assyria. Actually he was a Babylonian king. 2) Lacked commonality with accepted O.T. books. Doctrinal inconsistencies; Apocrypha books read more like morality tales, myths, and legends. Read examples found in NIV Archeological Bible. II Esdras – apocalyptic/end times book consisting of seven visions. Attributed to Ezra the scribe. Actually written as a reaction to destruction of temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. hundreds of years after Ezra’s death. Martin Luther was so confused by the visions in the book that it said he threw it into the Elbe River. Point out similarities between American Apocrypha (George Washington chopping down cherry tree, Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett) and Jewish Apocrypha. However, scholars refused to declare them worthless. The Apocryphal books were included in the Septuagint for historical and religious purposes, but are not recognized by Protestant Christians or Orthodox Jews as canonical (inspired by God). Emphasize again purpose of Septuagint translators was to preserve Jewish heritage and culture not to establish a Hebrew canon. Martin Luther wrote that the Apocrypha are books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read" … in other words he regarded the Apocrypha to be morality tales or useful for learning Jewish culture. I Maccabbees – Tells the story of Jewish revolt against foreign rule. The Church of England told its members to read the Apocrypha for example of life and instruction of manners.” Example – the Apocrypha book titled Ecclesiasticus – it reads like a book of etiquette sort of like Emily Post or Roberts Rules of Order. “Speak concisely. Say much in a few words.” “Act like a man who knows more than he says.” “Prepare what you have to say and then you will be listened to.” Therefore, they were “hidden away” in a separate section of the Bible often at the end of the OT. It’s important to point out that the New Testament writers never quoted from the Apocryphal books, and that the Apocrypha was never considered part of the canonical Jewish scripture (the Tanakh). However, the Roman Catholic Church (in 1546 at the Council of Trent and perhaps in reaction to Protestant Bible) and the Orthodox churches include the Apocrypha in their Bible. Most Protestant Bibles (KJV, NASB, NIV) do not include the Apocrypha. Separatist Groups within the Church of England (Puritans, Presbyterians, Baptists, etc., did not consider the Apocrypha to be authoritative. Excluded them from their Bibles.)
The Septuagint was also a source of the Old Testament for early Christians during the first few centuries AD. Many early Christians spoke and read Greek, thus they relied on the Septuagint translation for most of their understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament writers also relied heavily on the Septuagint, as a majority of Old Testament quotes cited in the New Testament are quoted directly from the Septuagint (others are quoted from the Hebrew texts). Some modern Bible translations also use the Septuagint along side Hebrew manuscripts as their source text. (ex. The New American Standard Bible) – Point out that the NASB, KJV, NIV do not rely solely on one translation of OT – use multiple sources (Tanakh, Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, etc. – show example in Bible - more recently the Dead Sea Scrolls) in order to be as accurate as possible to original language. Unfortunately, we do not have the original Books of Genesis, Joshua, Isaiah.
Starting approximately in the 2nd century (100-200 A.D.), several factors led most Jews to abandon the Septuagint. The Jews began to perceive the Septuagint as Christian Bible. Christians naturally used the Septuagint since it was the only Greek version available to the earliest Christians; and since Christians, as a group, had rapidly become overwhelmingly Gentile and, therefore, unfamiliar with Hebrew. The association of the Septuagint with a rival religion may have rendered it suspect in the eyes of the newer generation of Jews and Jewish scholars. Perhaps more importantly, the Greek language — and therefore the Greek Bible — declined among Jews after most of them fled from the Greek-speaking eastern Roman Empire into non-Greek speaking countries when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Instead, Jews adopted the Hebrew based Tanakh as their Bible.
Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated LXX) is the name given to the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. The Septuagint has its origin in Alexandria, Egypt and was translated between 300-100 BC. The term “Septuagint” means seventy in Latin, and the text is so named to the credit of these 70 scholars. According to an ancient document called the Letter of Aristeas, it is believed that 70 to 72 Jewish scholars were commissioned during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus to carry out the task of translation. Most scholars consider the Letter of Aristeas steeped in legend rather than historical truth. The motivation behind the Septuagint lays more in the fact that there was a large Jewish population living outside Palestine. The Septuagint was aimed at Hellenistic Jews (Jews who spoke Greek and adopted Greek culture and learning) who were beginning to lose their Hebrew language and heritage. The process of translating the Hebrew to Greek also gave many non-Jews (Gentiles) a glimpse into Judaism. For the first time Gentiles (Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Syrians, etc.) could read God’s Word. Emphasize – Primary goal of the Jewish scholars involved in translating the Septuagint was not establish a definitive Hebrew canon of Scriptures but to preserve Jewish heritage and culture in a non-Jewish world.
Not all Jews accepted the Septuagint. One religious group in particular that was active during Jesus’ life: the Sadducees. They rejected the Prophets and Writings as authoritative Scripture. They regarded the Pentateuch as the only authoritative Scripture.
The Septuagint contains the standard 39 books of the Old Testament canon, as well as certain apocryphal books. The term "Apocrypha" was coined by the fifth-century biblical scholar, Jerome, and generally refers to the set of ancient Jewish writings written during the period between the last book in the Jewish scriptures, Malachi, and the arrival of Jesus Christ. Word “apocrypha” means “hidden away”. Biblical scholars, both Jewish and Christian, questioned their legitimacy as authoritative Scripture. Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin around 410 A.D. (Bible called the Latin Vulgate which became the official version of Bible used by Catholic Church) included a disclaimer before each Apocryphal book that it was not found in the Hebrew Bible and therefore should not be regarded as canonical. In fact, Jerome was reluctant to even do a Latin translation of the Apocrypha because they were not found in the Tanakh. Overtime Jerome’s disclaimers disappeared from future translations of the Latin Vulgate. As a consequence, the Apocrypha began to be accepted as canonical.
Why were the Apocryphal books not found in the Hebrew Bible? They did not meet O.T. benchmarks we talked about previously. The Apocrypha had 1) Historic and geographic inaccuracies – Book of Judith starts by saying it was written while Nebuchadnezzar was king of Assyria. Actually he was a Babylonian king. 2) Lacked commonality with accepted O.T. books. Doctrinal inconsistencies; Apocrypha books read more like morality tales, myths, and legends. Read examples found in NIV Archeological Bible. II Esdras – apocalyptic/end times book consisting of seven visions. Attributed to Ezra the scribe. Actually written as a reaction to destruction of temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. hundreds of years after Ezra’s death. Martin Luther was so confused by the visions in the book that it said he threw it into the Elbe River. Point out similarities between American Apocrypha (George Washington chopping down cherry tree, Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett) and Jewish Apocrypha. However, scholars refused to declare them worthless. The Apocryphal books were included in the Septuagint for historical and religious purposes, but are not recognized by Protestant Christians or Orthodox Jews as canonical (inspired by God). Emphasize again purpose of Septuagint translators was to preserve Jewish heritage and culture not to establish a Hebrew canon. Martin Luther wrote that the Apocrypha are books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read" … in other words he regarded the Apocrypha to be morality tales or useful for learning Jewish culture. I Maccabbees – Tells the story of Jewish revolt against foreign rule. The Church of England told its members to read the Apocrypha for example of life and instruction of manners.” Example – the Apocrypha book titled Ecclesiasticus – it reads like a book of etiquette sort of like Emily Post or Roberts Rules of Order. “Speak concisely. Say much in a few words.” “Act like a man who knows more than he says.” “Prepare what you have to say and then you will be listened to.” Therefore, they were “hidden away” in a separate section of the Bible often at the end of the OT. It’s important to point out that the New Testament writers never quoted from the Apocryphal books, and that the Apocrypha was never considered part of the canonical Jewish scripture (the Tanakh). However, the Roman Catholic Church (in 1546 at the Council of Trent and perhaps in reaction to Protestant Bible) and the Orthodox churches include the Apocrypha in their Bible. Most Protestant Bibles (KJV, NASB, NIV) do not include the Apocrypha. Separatist Groups within the Church of England (Puritans, Presbyterians, Baptists, etc., did not consider the Apocrypha to be authoritative. Excluded them from their Bibles.)
The Septuagint was also a source of the Old Testament for early Christians during the first few centuries AD. Many early Christians spoke and read Greek, thus they relied on the Septuagint translation for most of their understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament writers also relied heavily on the Septuagint, as a majority of Old Testament quotes cited in the New Testament are quoted directly from the Septuagint (others are quoted from the Hebrew texts). Some modern Bible translations also use the Septuagint along side Hebrew manuscripts as their source text. (ex. The New American Standard Bible) – Point out that the NASB, KJV, NIV do not rely solely on one translation of OT – use multiple sources (Tanakh, Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, etc. – show example in Bible - more recently the Dead Sea Scrolls) in order to be as accurate as possible to original language. Unfortunately, we do not have the original Books of Genesis, Joshua, Isaiah.
Starting approximately in the 2nd century (100-200 A.D.), several factors led most Jews to abandon the Septuagint. The Jews began to perceive the Septuagint as Christian Bible. Christians naturally used the Septuagint since it was the only Greek version available to the earliest Christians; and since Christians, as a group, had rapidly become overwhelmingly Gentile and, therefore, unfamiliar with Hebrew. The association of the Septuagint with a rival religion may have rendered it suspect in the eyes of the newer generation of Jews and Jewish scholars. Perhaps more importantly, the Greek language — and therefore the Greek Bible — declined among Jews after most of them fled from the Greek-speaking eastern Roman Empire into non-Greek speaking countries when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Instead, Jews adopted the Hebrew based Tanakh as their Bible.
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