Nehemiah 6:1-19

Intrigues of Enemies Foiled

6:1 Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?" 4 They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, "It is reported among the nations--and Geshem also says it--that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king. 7 You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, 'There is a king in Judah!' And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together." 8 Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind" 9 --for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

10 One day when I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you." 11 But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" 12 Then I perceived and saw that God had not sent him at all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

The Wall Completed

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. (Nehemiah 6:1-19, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from October 31, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One):

Finishing the work on the wall (Neh. 6:15) was anticipated in the comments for last Saturday (Nov. 3, 2007), where it is reported that the work began (4:7-10). It was also noted there that the work was only completed after Nehemiah and his people endured a series of troubles. Yesterday’s reading from chapter 5 focused on difficulties within the Jewish community itself. Troubles from outside began in chapter 4, where it is reported that Sanballat, Tobiah and associates are angered by news of Nehemiah's beginning the work (4:7-10) and plotted against him to prevent his success (4:8). Their opposition continues in today’s reading.

Nehemiah tells us that “when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono’ ” (6:1, 2a). But Nehemiah senses that they intend to trap him, and adds, “But they intended to do me harm” (v. 2b). So his reply by messengers declines the “invitation”: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” (v. 3). But Sanballat persists in his efforts to “meet” with Nehemiah. “They sent to me four times in this way,” says Nehemiah, “and I answered them in the same manner” (v. 4).

At this point, Sanballat changes his tactics, and raises a serious charge against Nehemiah. “Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me,” says Nehemiah, “with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, ‘It is reported among the nations–and Geshem also says it–that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king” (vv. 5-6). David J. A. Clines calls this “a charge of treason” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Neh. 6:5). Sanballat’s letter alleges specific plots. “You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together” (v. 7). But Nehemiah sees through this ruse and denies the charge. “Then I sent to him, says Nehemiah, saying, ‘No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind’ ” (v. 8). He attributes the charges to Sanballat’s attempt to frighten the Jews and stop the work on the wall (v. 9). According to Hindy Najman, “The accusation is that Judah wants to become independent of Persia, with its own king, anointed by a prophet, as was the case before 586 BCE. There is no indication that this ever was the intention of the returnees” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 1696, on Neh. 6:6-7).

Sanballat and Tobiah try another ploy, hoping to discredit Nehemiah. “One day,” says Nehemiah, “when I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, he said, ‘Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you’ ” (v. 10). Nehemiah scorns the apparent threat to his life, saying “Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” (v. 11). According to Clines, “Shemaiah seems to have been inveigling Nehemiah to enter the temple, which was forbidden to him as a layman, in order to destroy his reputation” (on vv. 10-11). But Clines raises a question. “How this is connected to what Nehemiah perceived as a threat to his life is hard to tell” (Ibid.). Nehemiah sees through this maneuver as s well. “Then I perceived,” he says, “and saw that God had not sent him at all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me” (vv. 12-13). Nehemiah, it sees, prays “on the run,” so to speak. “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess (hann^evî’āh) Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid” (v. 14). Tamara Cohn Eskenazi notes “Nehemiah’s repeated plea for divine remembrance (cf. 5:19),” but also points out that “The prophetess Noadiah is one of four named prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible (the others are Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Neh. 6:14). Unfortunately, she appears to be on the wrong side in this instance, but as Clines says, Nehemiah alludes here “to otherwise unknown events” (op. cit., on 6:14).

So Nehemiah is not intimidated, but sees through all these plans of his opponents. And he tells us of the completion of the wall. “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days” (v. 15). He gives credit to God for this accomplishment as he reports the fear of the surrounding nations. “And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God” (v. 16). But Nehemiah implies that the threat of opposition continues. He tells of connections with Tobiah within the Jewish community. “Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah” (vv. 17-18). These friends of Tobiah “spoke of his good deeds in my [i.e., Nehemiah’s] presence, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me” (v. 19). At this point, Clines observes that “Instead of an account of the dedication of the wall, which will come in 12:27-43, we have a further note of hostility toward Nehemiah. It is hard to see what Tobiah hoped to achieve by both threatening Nehemiah and having his friends praise him to Nehemiah” (on vv. 17-19). Later, we learn that while Nehemiah is absent from Jerusalem, but has gone to King Artaxerxes in his thirty-second year (432 B.C., Clines, on Neh. 13:6; but 433 B.C. according to Eskenazi, on Neh. 13:6), the priest Eliashib allows Tobiah to move into the temple, but that upon his return, Nehemiah evicts Tobiah (Neh. 13:4-9).

or Ezra 3:1-13 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

For texts and comments on this alternative reading, see the text and comments of Friday, October 26, 2007.

Revelation 10:1-11

The Angel with the Little Scroll

10:1 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land

raised his right hand to heaven

6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever,

who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will be no more delay, 7 but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets."

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." 10 So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

11 Then they said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings." (Revelation 10:1-11, NRSV)

On October 28, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), comments were combined with revision and supplement here from October 23, 2004, two years earlier (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), from May 29, 2005 (the Sunday closest to June 1, Year One), and from October 31, 2005 (Monday of the week of the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year One). The combined comments are repeated again here:

Saturday’s reading, (Rev. 7:4-17, Nov. 3, 2007) was from an interlude between the sixth (Rev. 6:12-17) and seventh(8:1-5) seals; today’s is part of the interlude between the sixth (9:13-21) and seventh (11:14-19) trumpets. All of these, the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath to come (chap. 15-16), portend destruction, judgment and woes. There are interludes with hopeful symbols, for example, the “two witnesses” (11:3), “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah” (11:15), “God’s temple in heaven” with “the ark of the covenant” (11:19, the woman (12:1) and the child (12:2, 4-5), the Lamb on Mount Zion with the 144,000 redeemed (14:1), and the angel with “the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth” (14:6). And so the series of seven trumpets is interrupted by visions which offer encouragement, but also announce judgment. The “mighty angel” (Rev. 10:1) “held a little scroll in his right hand” (v. 2) which, when given to John, “will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth” (v. 9). The scroll is “Sweet, because it contains God’s words; bitter, because it involves his terrible judgments” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed. on v. 10). “Eating the scroll, a symbolic action based on Ezek. 2:8-3:3, signifies accepting a prophetic commission” (David E. Aune, HarperCollins Study Bible on Rev. 10:9-10; cf. Jean-Pierre Luiz, NOAB, 3^rd ed. on Rev. 10:8-10). Ezekiel found that when he ate the scroll, “in my mouth it was as sweet as honey” (Ezek. 3:3). It is not said in so many words that the scroll would “be bitter to your stomach” (cf. Rev. 10:9), but on the back of the scroll “were words of lamentation and mourning and woe” (Ezek. 2:10). And we remember, of course, that, for the most part, Ezekiel’s message for Israel was rebuke for sin and announcement of disastrous judgment.

John is told “There will be no more delay, but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets” (Rev. 10:6b-7). With the scroll came another commission for John. “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings” (v. 11). “You must, in accord with the divine will, prophecy again; the second part of the book (chs. 12-22) contains these prophecies” (Metzger on Rev. 10:11). He will need encouragement and commitment as he moves on to visions of martyrs (witnesses) killed by “the beast” (11:7), war between the woman, Michael and his angels against the dragon (chap. 12), and the beasts from the sea (13:1) and the earth (13:11).

Matthew 13:36-43

The Parable of the Weeds Interpreted

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:36-43, NRSV)

There is no parallel in the Canonical Gospels to Matthew’s Parable of the Weeds (Mt. 13:24-30), but, as noted last Friday (November 2, 2007), there is a close parallel in the Gospel of Thomas. Matthew’s version seems longer because he includes details that are assumed in the Gospel of Thomas version. Matthew’s version says, “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well” (Mt 13:26), which Thomas’ version assumes. Where Thomas has “The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds” followed by his instruction, Matthew has a dialogue initiated by “the slaves of the householder” (Mt. 13:27). There is little significant difference in substance between the two versions of the parable. It seems apparent to me that Thomas has abbreviated Matthew’s version, or the version in the source which Matthew used. But Thomas has nothing comparable to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ interpretation of the parable.

In the interpretation (today’s reading), the Son of Man “sows the good seed” (Mt. 13:37) in the “field” which “is the world.” “The good seed are the children of the kingdom” but “the weeds are the children of the world” (v. 38). The “enemy” is “the devil,” and the “harvest” is reaped by “angels” at “the end of the age” (v. 39). At that time the “evildoers” (v. 41) will be thrown “into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 42), but “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (v. 43). The Gospel of Thomas version does mention the harvest, “ For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned.,” which indicates separating out the weeds for burning, but this one sentence is about as close as the Gospel of Thomas comes to using any of the eschatological themes and motifs that are prominent in Matthew and the other Canonical Gospels. Many regard the Gospel of Thomas as a later work with Gnostic tendencies characteristic of second century Gnosticism. The point of Jesus’ interpretation as presented by Matthew is to answer the call to be a part of God’s kingdom as “good seed,” not “evildoers.”

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net