Day 73
Nehemiah 9 - 13
Bible Time Period: Return
You brought the exiles back to Canaan; they rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem and were taught once more from your Law: Rebuild my broken heart and life as I return to you.
Reflection
The renewed Jewish community is a chastened one that is struggling to take the spiritual and moral lessons of the Exile to heart. The aim of the reformers like Ezra and Nehemiah is to make the fledgling community aware of the dangers posed to it by a pagan world, and by the risk that intermarriage with Gentile neighbors might result in infidelity to the covenant. Hope is not to be placed in the rebirth of the grand kingdom of David and Solomon Instead, hope is placed in the life of faith centered in the Temple, in the fulfillment of the liturgical demands, and in meditation upon God's law. The ideal of the restored community is expressed in Nehemiah with the description of worship: "And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far off." (Nehemiah 12:43) (Catholic Bible Dictionary, General Editor Scott Hahn, page 547)
Today's Reading
You brought the exiles back to Canaan; they rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem and were taught once more from your Law: Rebuild my broken heart and life as I return to you.
Reflection
The renewed Jewish community is a chastened one that is struggling to take the spiritual and moral lessons of the Exile to heart. The aim of the reformers like Ezra and Nehemiah is to make the fledgling community aware of the dangers posed to it by a pagan world, and by the risk that intermarriage with Gentile neighbors might result in infidelity to the covenant. Hope is not to be placed in the rebirth of the grand kingdom of David and Solomon Instead, hope is placed in the life of faith centered in the Temple, in the fulfillment of the liturgical demands, and in meditation upon God's law. The ideal of the restored community is expressed in Nehemiah with the description of worship: "And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far off." (Nehemiah 12:43) (Catholic Bible Dictionary, General Editor Scott Hahn, page 547)
Today's Reading
Nehemiah 9 - 13
Commentary
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