Jarl Waggoner's Articles

Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons

Fall 2006

by Jarl K. Waggoner

Lesson 1 - Genesis 9:1-15

9:1 - “replenish the earth” - Following the flood, God repeated his command to the first couple (cf. 1:28) to be fruitful and multiply. God’s purpose had not changed.

9:3 - “every moving thing . . . shall be meat for you” - Man was no longer restricted to a vegetarian diet. Perhaps the deteriorating effects of sin made the inclusion of meat in his diet necessary. A distinction was made between clean and unclean animals in Genesis 7:2, however. This assumes some prior revelation from God concerning this. This distinction was codified in the law of Moses.

9:4 - “but the flesh with the life thereof , which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” - NIV translates, “You must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.” In other words, the blood must be drained from the meat before it is eaten. The blood represents the life, and all life must be treated with respect. This is especially true in light of the blood sacrifices under the law and of the sacrifice of Christ. See Leupold (Exposition of Genesis, 1:330-32).

9:6 - “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed” - The Flood and the killing of animals for meat would not be allowed to create indifference to the shedding of human blood. Those who murder a human being–whether animal or human–are to be put to death. The institution of this penalty is based on the fact that man is made in God’s image. The only way to uphold the dignity of man made in God’s image is to require such a penalty for a murderer. Most interpreters see this as the establishment of human government, since authority is conferred upon people to protect life and carry out punishment (Davis, Paradise to Prison, 127-28).

9:9-10 - “I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed . . . and with every living creature” - God’s covenant with Noah extended to all living creatures, or “all flesh” (v. 11). A covenant is a solemn agreement between two parties that spells out the obligations of each. This covenant is one-sided, spelling out only God’s obligations. Thus it is equivalent to a divine promise.

9:12 - "token" - This is the same word that is translated "mark" in Genesis 4:15. It simply means a sign (TWOT, 1:18-19). “The ratification of a covenant typically included signs and oaths” (Wright, Genesis, Shepherd’s Notes, 33).

9:12 - "perpetual generations" - Literally, this reads, "to generations of eternity"; thus Leupold (1:339) suggests "to all future generations." Cf. NASB; NIV.

9:13 - "bow" - This word also refers to a battle bow (TWOT, 2:819). Some commentators see

some significance to this (cf. BKC, 40; KJV Par., 36-37). As to whether this marks the fist occurrence of a rainbow or whether it was already in existence but just now given covenantal significance, see Leupold (1:339) and BKC (40), which take the former view; and WBC (14) and NIV Study Bible (18), which take the latter.

9:15 - "I will remember" - This does not suggest He could ever forget. The idea here is probably

"pay attention to" (TWOT, 1:241). That God will “remember” his covenant upon seeing the rainbow is simply a way of emphasizing God’s faithfulness to his covenant. The sign that God was remembering his promise would be the rainbow .

Lesson 2 - Genesis 17:1-8, 15-22

17:1 - “When Abram was ninety years old and nine” - This is 13 years after the incident in Genesis 16, when Abram had demonstrated a lack of faith in God’s promise by fathering Ishmael by Sarai’s handmaid. The long period of silence perhaps allowed Abram to consider his actions.

17:1 - “Almighty God” - This title (El Shaddai) was both a rebuke to Abram’s weak faith he had demonstrated in chapter 16 and an act of reassurance that the almighty God could still fulfill his covenant promise first given in 12:1-3 and reaffirmed in chapter 15.

17:1 - “be thou perfect” - “Perfect” means “upright, blameless, or mature” (Davis, Paradise to Prison, 190). This was not a requirement for fulfillment of the covenant, for the covenant was unconditional. Rather, it was a call to holiness in light of Abraham’s actions in chapter 16, as well as a rebuke.

17:2 - “I will make my covenant” - The covenant had already been established. God was assuring Abram that it was still in effect, since it was unconditional.

17:4 - “Thou shalt be a father of many nations” - While Abram had been promised many descendants, now, for the first time, he is told that he will be a father of many nations and that “kings” (v. 6) will come from him.

17:5 - “Thy name shall be Abraham” - “Abram” meant “exalted father.” Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude,” would be his new name. The giving of a new name marked an important event and in this case was a sign that God’s covenant promise would be fulfilled.

17:7 - “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee . . . for an everlasting covenant” - The covenant would extend to all Abraham’s descendants and thus is everlasting. It becomes clear, however, that the covenant would pass to Abraham’s descendants only through his yet-to-be-born son Isaac, not Ishmael (vv. 15-21).

17:8 - “I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, . . . all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession” - The perimeters of the land of Canaan are spelled out in Genesis 15:18-21.

17:15 - “Sarai . . . Sarah” - “Sarai” probably meant “my princess,” while “Sarah” meant “a princess” (Davis, 192). The reason for the name change is not stated, but even though this involved “only a slight change . . . [it] was fitting for one whose seed would produce kings” (BKC, 58).

17:17 - "laughed" - This was either laughter from doubt or laughter of joy. See Davis (192) for

the various perspectives. The former seems more likely.

17:18 - “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” - This is either Abraham’s suggestion that Ishmael be the son of promise–the assumption being that Abraham was too old to have a son or his remaining life too short to raise another son (Davis, 192)–or a plea that Ishmael be blessed when Abraham saw “that God’s new promise passes by Ishmael completely” (Leupold, 1:528). The former is probably the favored view of most commentators.

17:19 - "Isaac" means laughter (UBD, 533) or he laughs (BKC, 58; Leupold, 1:528). See Genesis 21:6.

17:19 - “I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant” - Here and in verse 21 God limits the covenant promises to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac alone.

17:20 - "As for Ishmael, I will make him a great nation" - See 16:10-13; 25:12-16. Ishmael's

descendants historically have been known as the Arabs (Merrill, Historical Survey of the Old Testament, 76; Leupold, 1:504).

Lesson 3 - Exodus 19:1-6; 24:3-8

Note that Exodus 19-20 follows the Suzerainty treaty pattern of the Ancient Near East. See Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt (193ff).

19:1 - “In the third month” - This was exactly three months after the Israelites had left Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

19:2 - “departed from Rephidim, and were come tot he desert of Sinai, and . . . camped before the mount” - The Israelites had stopped at Rephidim in the southern Sinai peninsula and there had defeated the Amalekites (Exod. 17:8-16). From there they traveled southeast to the desert area surrounding Mount Sinai, or Horeb (19:11; cf. 3:1). This is where God had spoken to Moses from the burning bush (3:1) and the place to which God said Moses would bring the people (3:12).

19:3 - "house of Jacob . . . children of Israel" - The first term is "a reminder of their humble

beginnings"; the second "a statement as to what they had become: a nation" (NIVBC, 97).

19:4 - "eagles' wings" - This is a picture of God's loving care. Cf. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 and

comments in NIVBC (97-98).

19:5 - “if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant” - The Mosaic covenant, unlike the Abrahamic and Noahic covenants, was conditional. The blessings God spelled out (vv. 5-6) would be realized by the nation of Israel only as they obeyed the covenant.

19:5 - "peculiar treasure" - The word simply means personal property (TWOT, 2:617; BDB, 688),

and NASB translates "own possession." The idea of something that is precious or highly prized is clear but may come more from the context ("above all people") than from the word itself.

19:6 - “a kingdom of priests” - The nation of Israel was to act as priests, that is, as mediators between God and the nations of the world, bringing the knowledge of God to the world.

19:6 - “an holy nation” - Israel was to be holy, or set apart, to God and separated from sin. As such they would be unique among the peoples of the world.

24:3 - “Moses came and told the people” - Following the giving of the Ten Commandments, the people had asked Moses to intercede for them (20:18-21), so Moses approached God again. Exodus 24:1-2 records the conclusion of God’s words to Moses. He, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders are to come back up the mountain after the covenant ceremony (vv. 3-8) is completed.

24:3 - “All the words which the Lord hath said will we do” - As they had before hearing the details of the covenant (19:8), the people again declared their commitment to obeying the law.

24:4 - “Moses wrote all the words . . . and builded an altar” - Moses recorded the Lord’s words in a book called the “book of the covenant” (v. 7). Then followed the covenant ceremony in which the covenant was officially presented, agreed to, and instituted. The covenant ceremony was something the people would have been familiar with (cf. Gen. 15). The altar memorialized the place where God had met with his people. The twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel spoke of the relationship all the tribes had with God on the basis of the covenant.

24:5 - “burnt offerings . .. peace offerings” - Generally burnt offerings expressed the worshiper’s devotion to God, while peace (fellowship) offerings recognized that a relationship with God is restored through sacrifice.

24:6 - “half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar” - “The blood on the altar symbolizes God’s forgiveness and acceptance of the offering; the blood on the people points to a blood oath that binds them in obedience” (NIVBC, 108).

24:7 - “book of the covenant” - This probably contained the contents of Exodus 19, the Ten Commandments, and the laws of 20:22–23:33, though there is some debate as to the actual contents (cf. NIVBC, 108).

24:8 - “Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people . . . the blood of the covenant” - The blood sprinkled on the people as well as on the altar represented the joining together of the two contracting parties and the execution of the covenant between them. The blood suggests the willingness of the people to suffer the fate of the sacrificial animals if they broke the oath they made. Thus the covenant was sealed with blood (cf. Gen. 15).

Lesson 4 - Joshua 24:1, 14-24

24:1 - "Shechem" - Israel had met here earlier to renew their covenant with the Lord (Josh. 8:30-35). Shechem stood between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, which together formed a great amphitheater. The covenant renewal here follows the suzerainty treaty form. (See BKC, 369; NIVBC, 325).

24:14 - "Put away the gods which your fathers served" - Service to God necessitates separation

from all other gods. Joshua’s call indicates that there was some idolatry present among the Israelites (cf. vs. 23). Specifically, Joshua mentions the gods Abraham's family had served (cf. vs. 2)., among which was the moon god (Unger, Archaeology and the Old Testament, 109).

24:14 - "flood" - “Flood” here means river and refers to the Euphrates (cf. NIV; NASB; WBC, 229 on vs. 2).

24:15 - "evil" - Here the word has the idea of "disagreeable" (NASB) or "undesireable" (NIV).

24:15 - “choose you this day whom ye will serve” - By calling on them to make a choice, Joshua “did not intend to encourage idolatry but was confident that the very thought of making a commitment to an idol would be so abhorrent to them that they would take a stand against all such worship” (NIVBC, 326). Joshua made it clear what choice he and his family had made.

24:15, 18 - "Amorites" - The term is used here as a general term for all the Canaanites (cf. UBD,

45).

24:18 - “we will also serve the Lord” - The people insisted that they too would serve the Lord, for he had brought them out of Egypt and performed great miracles on their behalf ((vv. 16-17). In fact, it was unthinkable that they would “forsake the Lord, to serve other gods” (v. 16).

24:19 - "ye cannot serve the Lord" - Jensen (Joshua: Rest-Land Won, 123) summarizes the

common understanding of this expression: "There was no flaw in the words of [Israel's] commitment. But Joshua sensed that the words probably were spoken too quickly, without due deliberation, and the words 'far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah' had the sound of dangerous self-confidence. . . . The sole purpose of [Joshua's] strong statement was to disarm Israel's self-righteousness."

24:19 - "He will not forgive" - BKC (370) explains, "To forsake Him deliberately to serve idols

would be a presumptuous, willful, high-handed sin for which there was no forgiveness under the Law (Num. 15:30).

24:21 - “Nay; but we will serve the Lord” - Joshua’s warning had the desired effect. When their commitment was challenged (v. 19), they responded again that they would serve the Lord.

24:22 - “Ye are witnesses against yourselves” - “The people’s own words would condemn them if at any time in the future they turned from the commitment they had made that day” (NIVBC, 326).

Lesson 5 - Judges 2:16-23

Background and Summary - After Joshua’s death (Judg. 2:8), a generation arose that “knew not the Lord” (10). They turned to idolatry (11-13), and as a result, the Lord allowed enemies to defeat them (14-15). When the people cried out to God (cf. 3:9, 15), he raised up a deliverer, or judge (2:16-18) to free them. The people followed the Lord until the judge’s death, and then they turned to idolatry again, bringing upon themselves the Lord’s wrath again and thus beginning the cycle again (19-23).

2:17 - “they would not hearken unto their judges” - This may be a general description of the entire period of the judges and thus be referring to the disobedience that followed the death of each judge, or it may indicate “continued idolatry even during the period of rest in each judge’s lifetime” (BKC, 383).

2:17 - “whoring after other gods” - Forsaking God to follow idols is often described as spiritual adultery or prostitution. Following the fertility gods of the Canaanites, however, also involved literal prostitution since this was part of their religious practice.

2:18 - “it repented the Lord because of their groanings” - The reason the Lord sent judges to deliver his people was that it “repented” him. The common meaning of repent makes the translation misleading. NASB has “the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning,” and NIV has, “the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned.” Both convey the meaning accurately.

2:19 - “when the judge was dead, . . . they returned” - “The Lord spared the people throughout the lifetime of a given judge, even though they deserved to be resubjugated. . . . Then after the death of a judge, the corruption of the people increased” (NIVBC, 333).

2:21 - “I . . . will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left” - Because Israel broke God’s covenant (20), the Lord would no longer drive out the pagan enemies that had remained after the conquest (cf. Exod. 23:27-30; Josh. 23:12-13; Judg. 2:1-3). These nations would remain there to test Israel (Judg. 2:22; 3:1, 4), and the Israelites would learn of war because of them (3:2) (Davis, Conquest and Crisis, 103).

2:22 - “that through them I may prove Israel” - The pagan nations that remained in the land were left there by the Lord to “prove Israel.” They would test Israel’s faithfulness with their alluring religious practices. “The constant pressure from a pagan culture would prove who the genuine believers really were” (NIVBC, 333).

Lesson 6 - Judges 4:4-10, 12-16

Background - A coalition of Canaanites in northern Canaan oppressed the Israelites–specifically the tribes in the north–for twenty years. This coalition was under the leadership of Jabin, king of Hazor, north of the Sea of Galilee. Jabin probably was a dynastic name, for another Jabin had been defeated by Joshua, who burned Haxor in his time (Josh. 11:1-11). The leader of the army was Sisera, who was from Harosheth, about ten miles northwest of Megiddo. This formidable army included 900 iron chariots.

4:4 - Deborah, a prophetess, . . . judged Israel” - Verse 5 indicates that as a judge, she passed judgment on various matters. That a woman served in such a capacity may indicate that there was “a lack of qualified men” (NIVBC, 336).

4:6 - “Barak . . . of Kedesh-naphtali” - “Kedesh in Naphtali” (NIV) was north of the Sea of Galilee and not far from Hazor.

4:6 - “Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men” - Deborah delivered the Lord’s message to Barak–that he was to go to Mount Tabor with 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zeubulun and from other tribes (5:14-15).

4:7 - “I will draw unto thee . . . Sisera . . . .and I will deliver him into thine hand” - God had said he would bring Sisera and his army to the Kishon River and there deliver them to Barak and his army. The Kishon forms in the mountains of Tabor and Gilboa and flows through the Plain of Esdraelon to the Mediterranean.

4:8 - “If thou wilt go with me, then I will go” - It is probable that Barak “merely wanted the one who could give divine guidance and help for such an important occasion” going with him (Davis, Conquest and Crisis, 110). While he was a man of faith (cf. Heb. 11:32), this was “an unfitting response to a command from God” (BKC, 388), which is why the honor for the victory would not be his (v. 9).

4:9 - “I will surely go with thee . . . the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman” - Deborah agreed to go with Barak and went with him to Kedesh to begin “the search for troops” (NIVBC, 336). However, Barak would not receive the honor for the victory that would ensue. Rather, a woman ultimately would bring about the end of Sisera (cf. vv. 17-23).

4:14 - “is not the Lord gone out before thee?” - These words of encouragement from the prophetess Deborah actually incorporate “a technical term used of a king marching at the head of his army (1Sa 8:20). The Lord would take the lead in striking down the enemy (2Sa 5:24)” (NIVBC, 336).

4:15 - “the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host” - NASB has “the Lord routed Sisera.” According to the victory song in Judges 5, “the river of Kishon swept them away” (21). “We might suppose from this that the Lord brought rains, thereby flooding parts of the valley floor and causing the chariots to be immobilized. . . . Torrents of water contributed to the defeat of the Turks in this very area in April of 1799 when numbers of their fleeing troops were swept away and drowned” (Davis, 111).

4:15 - “Sisera . . . fled away on his feet” - Probably seeing that his chariot was bogged down, Sisera abandoned it and fled on foot. Eventually he took refuge in the tent of Jael, who offered to hide him but then killed him while he slept (vv. 17-22).

Lesson 7 - 1 Samuel 7:3-13

Background - During the days of Samuel, the Philistines, having recovered from their defeats at the hands of Samson, pushed into Israelite territory. At Aphek the Philistines won a significant victory. The Israelites superstitiously attributed their defeat to the absence of the ark of the covenant. They brought the ark into the next battle only to be defeated again and to lose the ark to the Philistines. When the Philistines were afflicted with a plague, they returned the ark to Israel, which eventually was moved to Keriath-jearim, where it remained for twenty years (1 Sam. 4:1–7:2). After this time, Samuel gathered the nation together and called for repentance.

7:3 - “If ye do return unto the Lord . . . put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth . . . he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” - It is not clear how Samuel delivered this message to all Israel, but he “recognized this as the moment when he could call for repentance and recommitment” (Baldwin, 1 & 2 Samuel, 78). Deliverance from the oppression of the Philistines would come not through military means but through repentance. They had to put away the idols from among them, including the “Ashtaroth.” “Ashtaroth” is the plural form of “Ashtareth,” the goddess of love, feritility, and war. The worship of this goddess involved Israel in “breaking the first and second commandments, and [resulted] in loathsome sexual indulgence” (Baldwin, 78).

7:4 - “the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only” - “Baalim” is the plural of “Baal,” the Canaanite fertility god. As with Ashtareth, there were many local manifestations of Baal (cf. NBD, 115). The people abandoned these false gods and followed the Lord only. This was a genuine, though perhaps temporary, repentance.

7:5 - “Gather all Israel” - It is likely that this means representatives of all Israel.

7:5 - “Mizpeh” - Mizpeh was located about seven miles north of Jerusalem (Davis, The Birth of a Kingdom, 41). It had been used before as a gathering place (Judg. 20:1). Mizpeh, which means “watchtower” (NBD, 832) was in the territory of Benjamin and gave a commanding view of the surrounding area (Baldwin, 78-79).

7:6 - “drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted” - The pouring out of water probably was a symbol of contrition (NIVBC, 390) or of the “washing away of communal guilt, for which Samuel prayed” (Baldwin, 79). Fasting often accompanied prayer and expressed grief or penitence.

7:6 - “Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh” - This may refer to Samuel’s acting as a judge, i.e. a deliverer from the Philistines (KJV Par., 545; NIVBC, 390); or it may refer to judging personal matters brought to him (WBC, 280; Baldwin, 79).

7:9 - “offered it for a burnt offering” - The burnt offering signified the offerer’s consecration to God (UBD, 947). In this case, it reflected the nation’s repentance (vv. 4-6) and was accompanied prayer for the nation as it entered battle.

7:10 - “the Lord thundered a great thunder . . . upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten” - In some way the thunder–and probably thunderstorm–that accompanied the Israelites’ advance down the hill and upon the Philistines caused the Philistines to be confused (“discomfited”) and panicked. As a result, they were “routed” (NIV). Interestingly, both the chief Philistine deity Dagon and the Canaanite god Baal were associated with agriculture and storms.

7:12 - “Samuel took a stone . . . and called the name of it Ebenezer” - “Ebenezer” means “stone of help.” Samuel set the stone up as a memorial to the victory over the Philistines. Thus, it was a stone that would remind the Israelites that the Lord had helped them. Earlier, the Israelites had suffered two defeats at the hands of the Philistines at another place called “Ebenezer.” There the Philistines had taken the ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 4:1–5:1). By setting up the stone near Beth-car and calling it Ebenezer, Samuel was reminding the people that God had reversed their past failures (Baldwin, 80-81).

7:13 - “the Philistines were subdued” - After forty years of dominance (Judg. 13:1), the Philistines were subdued. This was not the end of Philistine opposition, however, as the second half of the verse indicates. Indeed, they returned during Saul’s reign to cause Israel considerable trouble.

Lesson 8 - 2 Samuel 7:8-17

Background - David’s kingship finally was established in Jerusalem and a house was built for him (2 Sam. 5:1-12). He then brought the ark to Jerusalem and housed it in the tabernacle (6:1-19). Some time passed, and “the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies” (7:1). David decided that the ark needed a house, just as he himself had one (2). Nathan the prophet told him to proceed with plans to build such a structure (3); however, that night the Lord spoke to Nathan, giving him a message for David–namely, that he was not the one to build the house of the Lord (4-16)–and Nathan spoke all the Lord’s words to David (17).

7:8 - “I took thee from the sheepcote” - The sheepcote was a sheepfold, or enclosure where sheep were kept at night. Often they consisted of stonewalls with no roof (UBD, 1009). God was simply reminding David that the Lord had sovereignly led him from the work of a shepherd to make him king of Israel.

7:9 - “I . . . have made thee a great name” - David’s military and political success was the result of God’s work. “David had been ‘the brilliant general’ in the eyes of his contemporaries, but he owed his success to the one who had accompanied him unseen through all his life” (Baldwin, 1 & 2 Samuel, 215).

7:10 - “I will . . . plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own . . . neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them” - While Israel was then in the land, they would eventually be exiled from it. This promise looks to the future when they will be in the land permanently, dwelling in peace and security. This may look forward to the end times and particularly the messianic kingdom, when converted Israel will dwell in such peace. Some, however, limit this promise to David’s lifetime (cf. NIVBC, 448). It is possible, of course, that there is both a near and a distant fulfillment envisioned.

7:11 - “he will make thee an house” - While David would not be permitted to build a house for the Lord, the Lord promised to make David a “house.” This “house” is David’s physical descendants–a dynasty of kings (cf. v. 16).

7:12 - “I will set up thy seed . . . and I will establish his kingdom” - The immediate fulfillment of this promise is in David’s “seed,” or offspring, Solomon. He would succeed David and king. Verses 12-16 comprise what is known as the Davidic covenant.

7:13 - “He shall build an house for my name” - Here God stated that Solomon, not David, would build a house (temple) for the Lord.

7:13 - “I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” - This promise is repeated in verse 16. See below for explanation.

7:15 - “my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul” - Though Solomon would be chastised for his sin, God would not take the throne away from him or his posterity as he did Saul because of God’s promise to David of a “kingdom for ever” (13).

7:16 - “thine house and thy kingdom . . . thy throne shall be established for ever” - The “house” refers to David’s descendants. The line of David thus would always exist and would always be the royal line. “Kingdom” refers to a realm of rule–a political kingdom. “Throne” speaks of the authority to rule. Even though the succession of Davidic rulers would be interrupted, his house, kingdom, and throne were established forever. Ultimately, this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Gabriel told Mary that her son, Jesus, will be given “the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). “According to the established principles of interpretation the Davidic covenant demands a literal fulfillment. This means that Christ must reign on David’s throne on the earth over David’s people forever” (Pentecost, Things to Come, 112). This kingdom will literally be established on earth at Christ’s second coming (cf. Rev. 11:15; 19:11-16).

Lesson 9 - 1 Kings 3:3-14

Background - This event is also described in 2 Chronicles 1.

3:3 - “Solomon loved the Lord, . . . only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places” - Solomon had just succeeded his father David as Israel’s king (1 Kings 2:10-12). Initially, he loved and followed the Lord as his father had done (3:3). However, the king did deviate from the law in one way–he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. The high places were elevated areas that had long been used by the Canaanites for sacrifice to their gods. “Offering sacrifices at places other than the tabernacle was prohibited in the Law (Lev. 17:3-4). Nevertheless this practice was commonly observed in Israel at this time, even by Solomon” (BKC, 494; cf. Wiseman, 1 & 2 Kings, 82-83; 1 Kings 3:2).

3:4 - “went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place” - At that time, Gibeon was “the most important high place” (NIV). Gibeon was about five miles northwest of Jerusalem. For a time the ark of the covenant had been at Gibeon, and a tent and the bronze altar made for the tabernacle in the wilderness was still there (1 Chron. 21:29; 2 Chron. 1:2-6). While he was doing it in the wrong place, Solomon was offering his sacrifices to the Lord.

3:5 - “the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream” - The parallel in 2 Chronicles 1:7 says, “God appear[ed] unto Solomon:” at night. “Hebrew does not differentiate between dream, vision or epiphany” (Wiseman, 84). Solomon was “awake and conscious to the extent of being able to formulate a rational response to the question posed” (Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History, 289).

3:5 - “Ask what I shall give thee” - “There seems to be a cause-and-effect relationship between Solomon’s loving generosity in making his offering to the Lord and God’s loving generosity in making him this offer” (BKC, 494).

3:6 - “great mercy . . . great kindness, that thou has given him a son to sit on his throne” - “Mercy” and “kindness” translate the same Hebrew word, hesed. The word also is translated “lovingkindness” and “steadfast love.” Often it implies God’s loyalty to his covenant promises, as it does here (TWOT, 1:305-7). God had been faithful to his promise to David to give him a son to reign after him (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12).

3:7 - “I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in” - While Solomon was a young man, perhaps in his early twenties, he was not literally “a little child.” This expression “is merely an assertion of humility and a recognition that from the standpoint of experience, he was like a child” (Davis, The Birth of a Kingdom, 176). Knowing how to “go our or come in” “means to possess leadership qualities or to manage business (Nu. 27:17; Dt. 31:2; Ps. 121:8)” (Wiseman, 85).

3:8 - “a great people, that cannot be numbered” - “Great” is literally “heavy.” It was a heavy responsibility for Solomon to lead this great number of people God had chosen.

3:9 - “an understanding heart to judge thy people” - The meaning is more clearly conveyed by the NRSV’s “an understanding mind to govern your people.” Such understanding will include the ability to “discern between good and bad.”

3:12 - “I have done according to thy words” - The verb tense in Hebrew indicates completed action. It was already done.

3:12 - “I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee” - The wisdom given to Solomon is a very practical ability that covers “the whole gamut of human experience” (TWOT, 1:283) and includes the ideas of cleverness, prudence, and the practical application of divine truth. It leads one to fear of the Lord. “In granting Solomon ‘a wise and discerning heart,’ God gave him the ability to judge and rule well. But God here also went beyond Solomon’s request and opened up his understanding in areas beyond those having to do with rulership (see 1Ki 4:29-34; 10:1-25)” (NIVBC, 497).

3:13 - “I have given thee . . . riches, and honour” - God granted Solomon riches and honor because he had not sought these things but the wisdom that was far more valuable. These gifts were unconditional and were realized in Solomon’s life (cf. 1 Kings 10:1-23).

3:14 - “if thou wilt walk in my ways, . . . I will lengthen thy days” - Solomon failed to fulfill the condition God set forth here (cf. 1 Kings 11:1-10) and thus he did not enjoy a long life, dying around the age of sixty (11:42).

Lesson 10 - 1 Kings 18:20-24, 30-35, 38-39

Background - The Lord told Elijah to return to Israel and confront Ahab (vs. 1). As he approached Samaria, he was met by Obadiah, whom he told to inform Ahab of his presence (vss. 3-15). When Ahab met him, he accused Elijah of troubling Israel (vs. 17). Elijah told Ahab he was the cause of the trouble and called on him to gather Israel and the prophets of Baal and the prophets of the grove (Asherim) to Mt. Carmel (vss. 18-19).

18:20 - "Carmel" - Carmel is actually a mountain range extending about 13 miles southeast from

the Mediterranean (Old ISBE, 579). It was believed by the Phoenicians that Carmel was the dwelling place of Baal. It was a prominent place and the dividing line between Phoenicia and Israel (BKC, 526; WBC, 332).

18:21 - "How long halt ye between two opinions?" - NASB translates, "How long will you

hesitate between two opinions." "Halt" is literally "limp" or "hobble" (BDB, 820; cf. Wiseman, 169).

18:21 - "Baal" - Baal was the fertility god of the Canaanites. There were many local

manifestations of Baal; thus there were various Baals, or Baalim. The particular Baal favored by Ahab was Baal-Melqart, "the seat of whose worship was at Tyre, Jezebel's home" (NBD, 115). Baal worship involved various immoral practices. He is often associated with the goddess Asherah (cf. vs. 19; cf. NIV).

18:22 - “I only, remain a prophet of the Lord” - Elijah was simply pointing out that he was the only follower of the Lord who was publicly standing for the truth that day in contrast to Baal’s 450 prophets. In fact, the Lord had other followers in Israel (1 Kings 19:18).

18:24 - “The God that answereth by fire, let him be God” - Elijah proposed a contest that would

involve preparing a sacrifice and placing it on an altar. The prophets of Baal would call on their god to consume their sacrifice with fire, and Elijah would call on the Lord to consume his sacrifice. The God that responded would prove himself the only true God. The prophets of Baal went first. They prayed to Baal from morning till about 3 p.m., even mutilating their bodies in a vain attempt to get Baal to respond (vv. 25-29).

18:30 - "repaired the altar of the Lord" - This was an altar that had been used for worship of the

Lord, probably in pre-Solomonic times. It had fallen into disrepair.

18:31 - "twelve stones" - These represented the twelve tribes of Israel and thus was a testimony

to them that "though politically and socially divided, in the mind of God they were still one people, with one Lord and one Messianic expectation" (WBC, 333).

18:32 - "two measures" - "Measure" is seah. The exact amount is unknown. Old ISBE (931) says

two measures was about ½ bushel; BKC (527) says 1/3 bushel. The size of the trench is hard to determine. The indication may be that it was not just large enough to contain this amount of seed but also a large enough area for planting this much seed (cf. Dilday, 1, 2 Kings, 214; Wiseman, 170).

18:33 - "four barrels with water" - The size of the "barrels," or jars (BDB, 461; UBD, 126) is

unknown, but a total of twelve jars of water were poured on the altar (v. 34). The water probably came from a spring on the mountain (JFB, 2:355). The purpose of this act was to remove any thought that what was about to happen was the result of trickery or some natural phenomenon (BKC, 527; WBC, 333).

18:35 - "he filled the trench" - Lumby (First Kings, 194) says, "The twelve barrels had not filled

the trench, and so more water was added to make it quite full." Others seem to think the trench was filled by the water from the twelve barrels that was poured over the sacrifice (WBC, 333).

18:38 - "fire of the Lord" - "The manner in which the whole altar was consumed prohibits any

notion that this fire was merely lightning that preceded an ensuing rainstorm" (KJV Par., 686). In fact, it came from a cloudless sky (cf. vss. 43-44). See also Leviticus 9:24; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:2; and Job 1:16.

18:39 - "The Lord, he is the God" - The words in Hebrew were actually Elijah's name (Dilday,

214). "The people responded in true belief and worship. . . . But Elijah wanted total commitment from those who were gathered there. He commanded that these prophets of Baal be seized and executed" (NIVBC, 530). The execution of the prophets (v. 40) was in accordance with the law, which required that false prophets die without mercy (Deut. 13:5; 18:20). WBC (333) suggests that their execution was also in reprisal for the murder of the Lord's prophets by Jezebel (v. 4).

Lesson 11 - 2 Kings 22:8-10; 23:1-3, 21-23

Background - Josiah became king at age eight, following the assassination of his father, Amon, who had succeeded his wicked father Manasseh (2 Kings 21:17–22:1). Unlike his father and grandfather, Josiah “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (22:2). He began to seek the Lord when he was sixteen (2 Chron. 34:3), and at age twenty-six he began the repair and cleansing of the temple (2 Kings 22:3), which had been neglected and abused by the previous kings (cf. 21:4-5, 7, 21).

22:8 - “Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord” - In the process of cleaning the temple, the high priest found the book of the law. He gave the scroll to Shaphan the scribe, who was essentially the “state secretary . . . to Josiah” (NBD, 1170). There is no consensus on exactly what the “book of the law” was. In light of the way it is described in verses 11-17, it probably was either the entire Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), the book of Deuteronomy, or “just certain sections like Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 which enumerate the judgments God would bring upon His people if they continued to defy His Word” (Whitcomb, Solomon to the Exile, 136).

22:9 - “Thy servants have gathered the money” - Before reporting on the discovery of the scroll, Shaphan reported on the progress in the repair of the temple, as he had been assigned (vv. 4-7).

22:11-20 - Josiah was visibly shaken when he heard God’s law read. It declared that the violation of God’s covenant would bring divine judgment, and clearly the nation had been guilty of such violation. He then sent a delegation to Huldah the prophetess to inquire of the Lord concerning this. No doubt he wondered whether judgment could yet be averted. The prophetess declared that the nation would be judged for its sins, but because Josiah had humbled himself before the Lord, he would not see this judgment come to pass. He would complete his reign and die in peace. Although Josiah died in battle in 609 B.C., he died in peace, knowing he had followed the Lord and had sought to lead his people to do the same.

23:2 - “he read . . . the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord’ - After receiving Huldah’s message, Josiah convened a meeting of “all levels of Judean society” (NIVBC, 573). He stood before them and read from the scroll that had been discovered in the temple. Here it is called the “bok of the covenant.” If this was the entire book of Deuteronomy or the entire Pentateuch, he probably read only those portions relating to keeping the covenant and the blessings or curses promised for obedience and disobedience.

23:3 - “made a covenant . . . to keep his commandments . . . testimonies and . . . statutes” - Literally, this is “cut a covenant,”an expression that derived from the cutting of animals into pieces “and separating the parts so the contracting parties could seal their agreement by waling between them” (Dilday, 1, 2 Kings, 482). To make a covenant was to make a solemn pledge. Josiah pledged to follow the Lord and keep his commands. The terms “commandments,” “testimonies,” and “statutes” speak of the entirety of God’s law. The first two terms are general. “Statutes” are laws “immediately enacted by a lawgiver” (Old ISBE, 1852).

23:3 - “all their heart and all their soul” - “Their” is supplied by the translators. Other versions are undoubtedly more accurate in supplying “his” in place of “their” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, etc.)

23:3 - “all the people stood to the covenant” - NIV has “pledged themselves to the covenant.” NASB translates, “the people entered into the covenant.” Literally, it is “stood in the covenant.” Wiseman says they stood literally to give their assent to the covenant (300).

23:4-20 - These verses describe the reforms Josiah instituted in Judah. He attempted to rid the nation of the idolatry and paganism that had assured God’s judgment.

23:22 - “not . . . such a passover from the days of the judges” - Greater detail is given in 2 Chronicles 35, which says there was not a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel some five hundred years earlier (v. 18). This was true because of the “obstacles that had to be overcome and because it was done with such great zeal and according to the Law” (Whitcomb, 140). People from both Judah and “the old kingdom of Israel participated together (2 Chron. 35:18)” (BKC, 583). Verses 26-27 remind us that Josiah’s reforms were temporary and apparently most of the changes in Judah were superficial. Immediately after Josiah’s death, Judah turned back to its wicked ways.

Lesson 12 - 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Psalm 137:1-6

2 Chron. 36 - Background - After Josiah's death, his son Jehoahaz was made king. He reigned only three months before being deposed by the Egyptians and replaced by Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim reigned eleven years. Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians in 605 and moved on Jerusalem, carrying away some captives (including Daniel) and claiming Judah. Jehoiakim gave allegiance to the Babylonian king but rebelled against him in 598. Nebuchadnezzar again marched on Jerusalem, though Jehoiakim died prior to his arrival. Jehoiachin, who replaced Jehoiakim, was captured and taken to Babylon in 597, along with other captives (including Ezekiel), after reigning only three months. The Babylonians replaced him with Zedekiah (2 Chron. 36:1-10; cf. Wood, 370-74).

Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah were all sons of Josiah, but all were wicked.

36:16 - "mocked the messengers . . . despised his words, . . . misused his prophets" - "Messengers" and "prophets" are synonymous here. God's prophets were "mocked," or derided (BDB, 541); their words were "despised," or regarded with contempt (BDB, 102); and they were "misused," or "scoffed at" (NIV; NASB). This last word is a synonym of the word for "mocked" (BDB, 1074). Selman (2 Chronicles, 550) notes that "the exile came about not because Israel sinned, but because they spurned God's offers of reconciliation."

36:16 - "till there was no remedy" - "Remedy" is literally "healing" (TWOT, 2:857). Judah had

gone beyond the point of being "healed" as a nation.

36:17 - "he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees" - Chaldea is used as another name for

Babylonia. This king was Nebuchadnezzar. The fact that "he" (the Lord) brought the Babylonians upon Jerusalem emphasizes that this was a divine judgment. The siege of Jerusalem lasted at least 18 months (2 Kings 25:1-3). Whitcomb, (Solomon to the Exile, 150-51) argues on the basis of Ezekiel 24:1 and 33:21 that the author of Kings was using a Tishri dating system and the siege actually lasted 30 months.

36:17 - "no compassion" - "Because Israel wanted none of God's compassion, 'no compassion'

was received from their conquerors" (Selman, 550). Zedekiah and some of his leaders fled from the city but were captured. The king was forced to witness the execution of his sons before he himself was blinded and taken in chains to Babylon (2 Kings 25:4-7).

36:19 - "burnt the house of God" - After the temple was looted (v. 18), it was completely

destroyed (v. 19). The burning of the temple actually took place "about a month after the city was taken and the captives deported" (Whitcomb, 157; cf. 2 Kings 25:8-10).

36:20 - "until . . . the kingdom of Persia" - The fall of Jerusalem took place in 586 B.C. The

people who were deported to Babylonia remained there until the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539.

36:21 -"To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah . . . threescore and ten years" -

Jeremiah had prophesied that Judah would go into exile in Babylon and remain there for seventy years (Jer. 25:9-12; 29:10). Although the number seventy is probably a round number, this seventy-year period could not have been dated from 586. Many date the beginning of the captivity from the time the first captives were taken from Judah in 605 B.C. and the ending as the laying of the foundation for the rebuilding of the temple in 536 B.C. (Whitcomb, 144; and Whitcomb's chart of the "Babylonian Captivity" (BKC, 649). Selman (550) prefers to see the number seventy as "best understood qualitatively rather than quantitatively, as a symbol of a human lifespan (cf. Ps. 90:10)."

36:21 - "until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths" - Every seventh year the land was to lie fallow

according to the law (Lev. 25:1-7; 26:34-35). Apparently the seventy-year length of the captivity would compensate for a half millennium of neglecting the Sabbath-year law (KJV Par., 857; NIVBC, 679).

Ps. 137 - Background - Psalm 137 is a lament by an unknown psalmist mourning the sad plight of his people, who had lost their land. It was probably written late in the Captivity or shortly after its end (BKC, 890; Leupold, Exposition of Psalms, 933).

137:1 - “By the rivers of Babylon . . . we wept, when we remembered Zion” - The “rivers” refers to the Euphrates and the system of canals that crossed the plain (BKC, 890; Kidner, Psalms 73-150, 459). “Zion” originally referred to the ridge that ran south from the temple mount in Jerusalem, but it eventually became a synonym for the city of Jerusalem itself and is undoubtedly used that way here (Old ISBE, 3150).

137:2 - “We hanged our harps upon the willows” - The “harps” (kinnors) probably were actually lyres, stringed instruments with a sounding board (cf. NBD, 852-53; UBD, 767). The fact that they hung their harps in the trees indicates that there was no music and no desire to play music.

137:3 - “required of us a song” - The NRSV may be more accurate in translating “asked us for songs” since the Israelite captives apparently did not respond to the request. It is not clear whether this was a taunt on the part of the Babylonians or a genuine desire to hear their music.

137:4 - “How shall we sing the Lord’s song?” - Kidner sees the stubbornness and apparent refusal to sing on the part of the Israelites as “refusing to expose the songs and high claims of Zion to ridicule” (459).

137:4-5 - “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget . . . let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth” - The psalmist here calls down curses on himself if he should ever “forget Jerusalem and all that God has made it to stand for in the sight of His people” (Leupold, 935). The curses are the loss of use of his right hand and the loss of his ability to speak. It is quite likely these particular curses are given to indicate that no playing of the harp (lyre) or singing would be possible again.

Lesson 13 - Ezra 1:1-7

1:1 - “in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled” - Verses 1-3a are identical to the concluding words of 2 Chronicles (36:22-23), which is quite understandable if Ezra wrote 1 and 2 Chronicles as many believe (cf. WBC, 424). Cyrus, the Persian king, along with the king of the Medes, had conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. In the first year of his reign over the former Babylonian kingdom, he issued the decree recorded in verses 2-4. Ezra notes that this took place in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy, namely, that the captivity would last seventy years (Jer. 25:9-12; 29:10). Counting the beginning of the captivity as 605 B.C., with the first deportment of captives from Judah to Babylon, the captivity officially ended with the laying of the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem in 536 B.C. (Whitcomb, “Chart of Old Testament Kings and Prophets”).

1:2 - “The Lord God . . . hath given me all the kingdoms . . . and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem” - Ultimately, Cyrus’s decree was motivated by the Lord (cf. v. 1). He had been chosen by the Lord some two hundred years earlier to free his captive people (Isa. 44:28–45:7, 13). While Cyrus’s words may suggest that he was a true believer in Yahweh, extrabiblical sources indicate that he was not–his words were merely an accommodation to the Lord, whom he considered one of many gods. In fact, he “probably recognized the God of Israel as one of the most important deities, especially if Daniel showed him the prophecies of Isaiah’ (WBC, 424).

1:3 - “let him go up to Jerusalem . . . and build the house of the Lord” - Cyrus’s policy was to allow captive peoples to return to their homeland. In the case of the Jews, at least, he also urged them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

1:4 - “whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him” - “Whosoever remaineth” (i.e. “survivors”) probably refers to all the Jews who “have escaped the sword of the Babylonians” (Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah, 44), not to those who remained behind. All the Jews living in the Persian empire were to support those who returned (v. 3) to rebuild the temple.

1:5 - “fathers of Judah and Benjamin” - Judah and Benjamin were the two tribes that made up the southern kingdom of Judah (cf. 2 Chron. 10:16–11:12), which had been taken into captivity by the Babylonians.

1:7 - “Cyrus . . . brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem” - Vessels from the Jerusalem temple were “taken to Babylon in 605 B.C. (Dan. 1:2), some in 597 B.C. (II Kgs 24:13), and the rest in 586 B.C. (II Kgs 25:14,15; Jer 27:16-22). Those which Cyrus did not send back at this time were restored to the Temple by Darius I about 518 B.C. (Ezr 6:5)” (WBC, 424). The number of these totaled 5,400 (Ezra 1:11).

ABBREVIATIONS

BDB - Brown, Driver, and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament

BKC - Bible Knowledge Commentary

JFB - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible

KJV Par. - KJV Parallel Bible Commentary

NASB - New American Standard Bible

NBD - New Bible Dictionary

NIV - New International Version

NIVBC - NIV Bible Commentary

NRSV - New Revised Standard Version

Old ISBE - Orr, ed., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

TWOT - Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

UBD - Unger’s Bible Dictionary

WBC - Wycliffe Bible Commentary