Bible In One Year Day 234 (Jeremiah 12-13, Ezekiel 41-42, Proverbs 15:9-12)

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Day 234: Jeremiah Complains 

Agape Bible Study 
Jeremiah 12-13 

Chapter 12: The Prosperity of the Wicked and Yahweh's Ravaged Covenant Inheritance

Chapter 12 divides into three parts. The first part is the conclusion of Jeremiah's first confession where he asks Yahweh why it appears that the wicked prosper (verses 1-3), followed by a response from God (verse 5). Jeremiah's confession and Yahweh's answer are in poetry, and the additional reflective comments in verse 4 (concerning human evil and the ruined land) and 6 (Jeremiah's betrayal by his kinsmen) are in prose. Then, in verses 7-17, there are two oracles that refer to Israel as the "heritage of Yahweh":

• Oracle #1: Yahweh Laments His Ravaged Inheritance, verses 7-13 (poetic oracle)
• Oracle #2: The Judgment of Israel's Neighbors, verses 14-17 (prose oracle)

Jeremiah 12:1-4 ~ Jeremiah Asks: Why do the Wicked Prosper?

In this passage, Jeremiah asks the question on the lips of the righteous in every generation. He begins by acknowledging Yahweh's righteousness as the Divine Judge, and he then asks, "Why do the wicked appear to prosper?"

for me to dispute with you is also translated "I made accusation to you," using the Hebrew words ariv eleyka. Jeremiah's case is not made against Yahweh but to Him. The verb riv/rib has legal connotations, meaning to issue a complaint or accuse as in a court trial. Yahweh issued a grievance using the same verb against the nation for their breach of covenant in 2:9, and again, using the same verb in 2:29, God objected to an accusation from the people who themselves persist in rebellion.

But I should like to discuss some points of justice with you ...
Jeremiah challenges Yahweh on this issue not as a criticism of Yahweh but because he wants to know the answer. Isn't it justice that the righteous should prosper and the wicked should perish?

He acknowledges that Yahweh created the wicked in the same way He created all human beings, and therefore He has authority over their lives. Since He has authority over them, why does He allow the wicked to take root... flourish ... and bear fruit when You are on their lips, yet far from their heart, Jeremiah asks in verse 2.
Jeremiah longs for the day when the will wicked experience their just punishment, and he asks "how long" will the just, who feel that "God does not see our fate" have to suffer because of the wicked? Then in verses 3-4, Jeremiah asks for their destruction.

Jeremiah 12:5-6 ~ Yahweh's Answer

Jeremiah's burden from the beginning of his ministry was the "way of the wicked" among his people. However, with the opposition now coming in his hometown and among his kinsmen, the problem is disturbingly personal for Jeremiah. God has already stated in 11:22-23 that the wicked of Jeremiah's generation will receive the justice they deserve. As to the prospering of the wicked down through history, God answers Jeremiah in verses 5-6, but the answer is more of a non-answer. Yahweh asks Jeremiah, if he feels exhausted from this small contest, what how will he fare in the greater contest that is coming when Jeremiah will face more hardships and dangers. It is God the Son who promised a final justice for the wicked that only seem to prosper throughout history in Luke 6:24-25 when they face their eternal judgment.

Jeremiah 12:7-13 ~ Yahweh Laments His Ravaged Inheritance

This first poetic oracle describes Israel as Yahweh's heritage. He created the nation of Israel from an enslaved, disenfranchised people, making them His "personal possession" (Ex 19:3-6). In verse 1 there are three verbs of rejection and three metaphors for Israel as Yahweh's possession. The verbs are: "have abandoned/forsaken," "have left/abandoned," and "have delivered." The metaphors are "my house," "my heritage," and "[my] dearly loved."

Chapter 13: The Waistcloth and the Wine Jugs

Jeremiah 13:1-11 ~ The Object Lesson of the Useless Linen Waistcloth

This passage is the third of Jeremiah's object lessons . Jeremiah is told to purchase an item of clothing, a strip of cloth that is wrapped around the waist, to carry out a symbolic act as part of his preaching.

The Hebrew word translated "Euphrates" does not refer to the river in Mesopotamia but to the Wadi Parah and the town of Parah, about four miles (six km) north of Jeremiah's hometown of Anathoth. The place-name Parah is similar to that of the River Euphrates (the Hebrew word for the river is perat). See Joshua 18:23 where Parah is one of the towns in the tribal lands of Benjamin north of Jerusalem.

As a chief priest, Jeremiah wore a special linen tunic and a waistband that was probably embroidered (Ex 28:40), but he only wore his priestly vestments when in priestly service within the Temple (Ez 44:17-19). Since he is to take the waistband outside of the Temple, it is probably an ordinary waistband that a man wore tied around the midsection of his tunic. When the people saw the worn and soiled waistband so uncharacteristic of Jeremiah's normal attire, it became an opportunity for Jeremiah to use it as an object lesson in his preaching.

Question: What is the meaning of the object lesson?
Answer: Yahweh gave Israel His covenant, which bound the people to God by His Law, tying Israel/Judah as close to Himself as a waistcloth is close to a man's body. However, the people have not listened to Yahweh. They broke His covenant, abused His Law, and corrupted by idolatry they became as useless as a rotten waistcloth that was good for nothing but to be cast off.

Jeremiah 13:12-17 ~ The Smashed Wine Jugs and the Vision of the Exile

Jeremiah's announcement in verse 12 is followed by two oracles in verses 13 and 14. The first oracle begins with the familiar "Look." He is to stand before a row of jars filled with wine, probably at a festival, and to say to the crowd "Every jar is filled with wine," to which the crowd will respond that of course, they see that this is the case. The teaching is that just as the jars are filled up with wine, Yahweh intends to fill all the people of Jerusalem with wine until they are drunk to the point of senseless behavior that is destructive, even to the point of violent behavior in their families.

Agape Bible Study 
Ezekiel 41-42 

Chapter 41-42: The Description of the Sanctuary

Ezekiel 41:1-4 ~ The Hekal (Holy Place) and the Debir (Holy of Holies)

The Debir, like the Holy of Holies in the desert Sanctuary and Solomon's Temple, is a cube. The angelic guide breaks the silence that has prevailed throughout Ezekiel's tour when he announces: "This is the Holy of Holies" in verse 4. The inner sanctuary was accessed by passing through three openings of increasing degrees of narrowness which probably indicates increasing degrees of sacredness (40:48-41:3).

Ezekiel 41:5-11 ~ The Side Cells

Three stories of thirty rooms (for a total of 90 rooms) each abutted the exterior walls (see 1 Kng 6:5-10) and could represent storerooms for priests or for tithes (Mal 3:10). Verse 8 mentions a raised platform that is probably the final elevation upon which the Temple stood.

Ezekiel 41:6-15 ~ The Building on the West Side

Verses 12-15 give the concluding exterior measurements.

Ezekiel 41:16-21 ~ Particulars of the Temple Itself

Verses 16-26 describe the interior decoration. The passage only explicitly mentions the vestibule and Hekal (Holy Place). They are wood paneled (cf. 1 Kng 6:9; 7:3, 7). The patterns of cherubim and palm trees appear on one register of the walls like the same motifs in Solomon's Temple (cf. 1 Kng 6:29) and are probably reliefs carved in wood.

Ezekiel 41:21-26 ~ The Wooden Altar and Doors of the Holy Place

In the desert Sanctuary and Jerusalem Temple, the courtyard in front of the main Temple Sanctuary held the great Bronze Altar of Sacrifice (Ex 27:1-8; 1 Kng 8:6). The Temple's main function was sacrifice. The people needed regular atonement for their sins to enable them to stand in God's presence. It was at the sacrificial altar where the twice daily liturgical sacrifice of the whole burnt offering of the Tamid lambs took place for the atonement and sanctification of the covenant people as a whole, where the festival offerings were presented, and where the people brought their whole burnt offerings, sin and communion sacrifices (Ex 29:38-43; Num 28-29; Lev Chapters 1-7). Ezekiel has not seen an altar to receive the sacrifices in the courtyard in front of the Sanctuary, but now as he enters the Hekal/Holy Place, he sees an object he identifies as an altar.

The wooden altar described in verse 22 is extremely unusual. It is c. 3 feet 5 inches/106 m. square by c. 5 feet/1.52 m. high. Its corners, base, and sides are made of wood. The desert Sanctuary and Jerusalem Temple's altars of sacrifice had a frame made of wood, but it was completely covered in bronze. Both altars had "horns" on all four corners, and neither was shaped like a table (Ex 27:1-8; 38:1-7; 1 Kng 8:64; 2 Chr 4:1). We are not told what it was about this object that reminded Ezekiel of an altar. It cannot have been its wooden construction, since altars of wood would themselves be consumed with the offerings burnt upon them. Sensing Ezekiel's confusion, the guide identifies the object, saying, "This is the table in the presence of Yahweh."

Inside the Holy Place of the desert Sanctuary and the Jerusalem Temple there was a golden table, not a plain wooden table, that held the "Bread of the Presence" of God (Ex 25:23-30; Lev 24:7-9; 1 Kng 6:20-22). It was never described as having the function of an "altar."

Question: What is the function of an altar
Answer: An altar has a very specific function as a place for offering sacrifice and making atonement to receive God's forgiveness and restoring fellowship.

There is another description of an altar is in Ezekiel 43:13-17 that is c. 20 feet tall and made up of three slabs of decreasing size with steps leading up to the top. It is much larger than the altar in the desert Sanctuary (c. 7.5 feet long and wide by 4.5 feet high; Ex 27:1) and Solomon's Temple (c. 30 feet long and wide and 15 feet tall; 2 Chr 4:1). The function of the altar "table in the presence of Yahweh" may be the key to solving the meaning of the fourth vision since the final and most holy of sacrifices will be offered for the first time at a wooden table.

Verses 23-26 describe two swinging doors covering the entrance to each room, carved with cherubim and palm trees and also window jams carved with palm trees. The roof of the Ulam was also made of wood.

Ezekiel 42:1-14 ~ Subsidiary Buildings of the Temple

The angelic guide leads Ezekiel to a building west of and behind the main Sanctuary. Verse 13 mentions the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering that are reserved for priestly consumption (see Lev Chapters 2-7). Verse 14 mentions the requirements and prohibitions for wearing liturgical garments. Priestly vestments worn in Temple service are not to be worn in the Temple's outer courtyard or in public places but must be left behind in a special room in the inner court. This regulation is especially significant when you consider that Jesus wore a priestly garment woven from of one piece of cloth to the Last Supper, identifying the Last Supper as a liturgical service conducted by the Supreme High Priest, Jesus Christ (Jn 19:23-24).

Ezekiel 42:15-20 ~Measurements of the Court

The dimensions of the Temple complex form a square with each side 500 cubits long. The process of measuring parallels the description in 40:6-37. The movement is from east to north, to south, and then west.

The furnishings in the desert Sanctuary:

1. The gold-covered Ark of the Covenant and its solid gold Mercy Seat that resided in the Debir/Holy of Holies (Ex 25:10-22; 26:33-34; 37:1-9).
2. The golden table for the permanent offering of the Bread of the Presence in the Hekal/Holy Place (Ex 25:23-30; 26:35; 37:10-16).
3. The solid gold lampstand in the Hekal/Holy Place (Ex 25:31-40; 26:35; 37:17-24).
4. The bronze Altar of Burnt Offerings in the courtyard in from of the Sanctuary entrance (Ex 27:1-8; 38:1-7).
5. The golden Altar of Incense in the Hekal/Holy Place in front of the curtain that covered the entrance to the Debir/Holy of Holies (Ex 30:1-10; 37:25-28).
6. The Bronze Basin for the priests to ritually wash their hands and feet before entering the Hekal/Holy Place (Ex 30:17-21; 38:8).

The furnishings in Solomon's Jerusalem Temple:

1. The Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat in the Debir/Holy of Holies (1 Kng 8:1-7).
2. The two golden statues of cherubim that stood above the Ark in the Debir/Holy of Holies (1 Kng 6:23-28a; 8:6-7).
3. The golden table(s) for the permanent offering of the Bread of the Presence in the Hekal/Holy Place (1 Kng 7:48; 2 Chr Chapters 4-5; 28:14-17).
4. The solid gold seven-branched lampstands (menorahs) in the Hekal/Holy Place (1 Kng 7:49; 2 Chr 4:7).
5. The Bronze Altar of Burnt Offerings in the courtyard in front of the Sanctuary entrance (1 Kng 8:22; 2 Chr 4:1).
6. The Golden Altar of Incense in the Hekal/Holy Place in front of the curtain that covered the entrance to the Debir/Holy of Holies (1 Kng 6:20-21).
7. The Bronze Basin/Sea in the courtyard of the Altar of Sacrifice for the priests to ritually wash their hands and feet before entering the Hekal/Holy Place (1 Kng 7:23-26; 2 Chr 4:2-5, 10).
8. Ten bronze wheeled water stands (2 Kng 7:27-39; 2 Chr 4:6).

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A Daily Defense

DAY 234 Entering or Leaving Jericho?

CHALLENGE: “The Gospels contradict each other about whether Jesus healed the blind beggar Bartimaeus when he was entering or leaving Jericho.”

DEFENSE: There are several responses to this challenge.

To begin, let’s look at the texts describing where Jesus was when the event took place:

• “As they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him” (Matt. 20:29).

• “And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside” (Mark 10:46).

• “As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging” (Luke 18:35) Matthew and Mark have Jesus leaving Jericho, whereas Luke has him approaching it.

It would be possible to explain this in an excessively artificial manner, either by saying Jesus was leaving Jericho but turned around and started to go back, or by saying he was heading toward Jericho but turned around and started to leave. These explanations are logically possible but not plausible. Fortunately, there are better explanations.

One involves the fact that there were two sites for Jericho: an ancient and a recent one. Thus, Jesus could have passed through the older site (mentioned by Matthew and Mark) and been approaching the newer settlement (mentioned by Luke), which had been built by the Hasmoneans and recently renovated and expanded by Herod the Great. The newer settlement is sometimes called “Herodian” or “New Testament” Jericho (Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Jericho [Place]”).

This is possible, but given the freedom the evangelists had in presenting events in a non-chronological order (see Day 89), it’s possible Luke set the encounter with Bartimaeus before Jesus arrives in Jericho because he wants next to relate an event that occurred in Jericho (the dinner with Zacchaeus; Luke 19:1–10).

Tradition preserved the fact that the encounter with Bartimaeus occurred just outside Jericho and that the encounter with Zacchaeus occurred in it. But it is an open question whether Luke grouped these two together because of their chronological order or because of their association with Jericho. Either way, the Gospels agree the healing occurred just outside Jericho. Jesus’ direction of travel falls below the level of precision that the Gospel authors were expected to track.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist