NOTE: Comments today are adapted and supplemented from comments in an email sent October 28, 2003, for readings of October 29, 2003 (Thursday of Proper 25). Comments on the Lamentations passage refer briefly to comments on earlier stanzas earlier this month (Oct. 19, 25).

1:1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital, 2 one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They replied, "The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire." (Nehemiah 1:1-3, NRSV)

Nehemiah, a Jew who is a palace servant of King Artaxerxes I, inquires “about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem” (Neh. 1:2). The answer was:

The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire” (v. 3)

In a year when we have heard of the Tsunami in Asia, twenty-three named tropical storms from the Atlantic side (so far), including devastating hurricanes, and other disasters such as the earthquakes in Pakistan, we might be tempted to ask, Just how bad was their situation, really? But in their circumstances, the wall was protection from various threats to their way of life. We might compare their situation to the damaged levees of New Orleans, which in their own way failed to protect a way of life in the city. The rebuilding will, of course, take very different forms in the two situations, but both situations left people in despair. Mary Joan Winn Leith perhaps explains why Nehemiah was able to use considerable resources provided by the Persian Empire:

From an imperial perspective, Nehemiah’s job was to build a city wall and an imperial fortress (the citadel of the Temple, Neh. 2:8) just outside the city. The fortress and the fortifications of Jerusalem may have been part of the general Persian deployment of garrisons suggested in the archaeological record. The Persians did not encourage the building of walls in Levantine cities, probably considering them symbolic of civil independence; Samaria, for example, never had an urban wall system in the Persian period. The unusual nature of Nehemiah’s wall-building with the blessing of the great king is highlighted in the biblical narrative.

Explanations for the fortification of Jerusalem include the suggestions that the Persians were hoping to foster or to reward Judean loyalty. Alternatively, in a region where Persian control was threatened by international military adventurism, Jerusalem became an inland defensive city and possibly a new center for the collection and storage of imperial revenues (delivered in kind and not in coin before the late fifth century). (Mary Joan Winn Leith, “Israel among the Nations; the Persian Period,” in Michael D. Coogan, ed., The Oxford History of the Biblical World, 1998, pp. 410-411)

But, of course, what Artaxerxes had in mind may have been far different from what God had in mind, and from that for which Nehemiah prayed.

4 When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments; 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned. 7 We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.' 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!"

Nehemiah is in sorrow over the news of distress in Judah, and he prays a prayer of confession for the people there–his own people. "We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments...that you commanded your servant Moses" (Neh. 1:7). After reviewing some of the promises, he adds, "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man! [i.e. Artaxerxes]" (v. 11).

¹⁶All your enemies

open their mouths against you;

they hiss, they gnash their teeth,

they cry: “We have devoured her!

Ah, this is the day we longed for;

at last we have seen it!”

¹⁷The Lord has done what he purposed,

he has carried out his threat;

as he ordained long ago,

he has demolished without pity;

he has made the enemy rejoice over you,

and exalted the might of your foes.

¹⁸Cry aloud to the Lord!

O wall of daughter Zion!

Let tears stream down like a torrent

day and night!

Give yourself no rest,

your eyes no respite!

¹⁹Arise, cry out in the night,

at the beginning of the watches!

Pour out your heart like water

before the presence of the Lord!

Lift your hands to him

for the lives of your children,

who faint for hunger

at the head of every street.

²⁰Look, O Lord, and consider!

To whom have you done this?

Should women eat their offspring,

the children they have borne?

Should priest and prophet be killed

in the sanctuary of the Lord?

²¹The young and the old are lying

on the ground in the streets;

my young women and my young men

have fallen by the sword;

in the day of your anger you have killed them,

slaughtering without mercy.

²²You invited my enemies from all around

as if for a day of festival;

and on the day of the anger of the Lord

no one escaped or survived;

those whom I bore and reared

my enemy has destroyed. (Lamentations 2:16-22, NRSV)

My comments for October 19, 2005 (eight days ago) discuss some aspects of the Book of Lamentations in general as well as earlier stanzas of Lamentations, chapter 2 (2:8-15). Today’s passage begins with Jerusalem’s enemies gloating (Lam 2:16) and a stanza on the LORD’s purpose, who “has done what he purposed” (v. 17a), a purpose which the LORD “ordained long ago,” demolition “without pity,” and has “made the enemy rejoice over you” (v. 17c, d, e). Further stanzas consider the destruction and desolation with amazement. “Let tears stream down like a torrent/day and night!” (v. 18c, d). “Look, O LORD, and consider!/To whom have you done this?/Should women eat their offspring,/the children they have borne?/Should priest and prophet be killed/in the sanctuary of the Lord?” (v. 20).

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice,

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

6:1 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, "Come!" 4 And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, "Come!" I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, 6 and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay, and three quarts of barley for a day's pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!"

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, "Come!" 8 I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; 10 they cried out with a loud voice, "Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?" 11 They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed. (Revelation 5:11-6:11, NRSV)

After those in the heavenly throne room sing songs of praise to the Lamb (Rev. 5:11-14), he begins to open the seals: (1) a white horse and its rider, who conquers (2) a red horse and its rider, who "take[s] peace from the earth," (3) a black horse and its rider, whose scales and words symbolize famine, (4) a pale green horse and its rider, Death, and (5) the fifth seal, which, when opened, reveals "the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given" (6:1-10) .

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. (Matthew 13:18-23, NRSV)

Jesus interprets the Parable of the Sower: Seed "sown on the path" represents someone who "hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it [so] the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in "the heart" (Mt. 13:19; cf. Mk. 4:16; Lk. 8:12). Seed sown on rocky ground represents a believer who "endures only for a while" (Mt. 13:21; cf. Mk. 4:17; Lk. 8:13, “they believe only for a while”), seed sown among thorns represents "the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing" (Mt. 13:22; cf. Mk. 4:18; Lk. 8:14) but "what was sown on good soil" represents "the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed beard fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty" (Mt. 13:23; Mk.4:20)." Luke describes the results for “that in the good soil,” but not in numerical terms here (Lk. 8:15); in the parable itself, he said it “produced a hundredfold” (8:8). Luke’s emphasis is upon their spiritual experience. “But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good hearts, and bear fruit with patient endurance” (Lk. 8:15). Compare his description of the “seed.” “The seed is the word of God” (v. 11; cf. Acts 4:31), with Matthew’s phrase, “the word of the kingdom” (Mt. 13:19) and Mark’s simple reference to “the word” (Mk. 4:14).

Daily Scripture Readings
Thursday (October 27, 2005)
Daily Office Lectionary, The Book of Common Prayer, the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.	Daily Lectionary, The Book of Worship, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.	Daily Lectionary, Book of Worship Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, c. 1978 (2002 printing)
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/index.htm http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi
Unless otherwise indicated, the scripture texts quoted are from The New Revised Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers), 1989.
According to Proper25*	According to Proper 25*	According to Proper 24*
Thursday: AM Psalm 50 PM Psalm [59, 60] or 103 Neh. 1-1:11 Rev. 5:11-6:11 Matt. 13:18-23	Morning: Psalm 116:1-19 Nehemiah 1:1-11 or Lamentations 2:16-22 Revelation 5:11-6:11 Matthew 13:18-23 Evening: Psalm 26:1-12	Morning Pss.: 116, 147:13-21 Ezra 1:1-11 or Jeremiah 42:1-22 1 Corinthians 16:1-9 Matthew 12:15-21 Evening Pss.: 26, 130
*For this week (of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost): the Lutheran tradition remains a week behind the Episcopal and Presbyterian traditions.