Nehemiah 4:1-23

Hostile Plots

4:1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews. 2 He said in the presence of his associates and of the army of Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish–and burned ones at that?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "That stone wall they are building-any fox going up on it would break it down!" 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from your sight; for they have hurled insults in the face of the builders.

6 So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height; for the people had a mind to work.

7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry, 8 and all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 So we prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

10 But Judah said, "The strength of the burden bearers is failing, and there is too much rubbish so that we are unable to work on the wall." 11 And our enemies said, "They will not know or see anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work." 12 When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, "From all the places where they live they will come up against us." 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 After I looked these things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

Defensive Measures

15 When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us, and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armor; and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building the wall. The burden bearers carried their loads in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and with the other held a weapon. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us."

21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, "Let every man and his servant pass the night inside Jerusalem, so that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day." 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me ever took off our clothes; each kept his weapon in his right hand. (Nehemiah 4:1-23, NRSV = Heb. 3:33-4:17)

The following comments are based on those of November 3, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), comments that were rewritten with some reference to the comments of October 29, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One):

Yesterday we learned that Nehemiah and the leaders of the Jerusalem Jews agreed to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:17-18), a decision that aroused the scorn of neighbors, “Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab” (v. 19), which Nehemiah countered with his confidence in “the God of heaven [who] is the one who will give us success” (v. 20a). As the reading closed, Nehemiah expressed their determination to build, for “we his [i.e., God’s] servants are going to start building; but you” (Mk,lAv4, w ^elākem, plural) he added, “ have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem” (v. 20b).

So Nehemiah gets down to work. In the interval between yesterday’s reading and today’s, Nehemiah and his fellow Jews make a significant beginning in restoring the walls of Jerusalem: as Tamara Cohn Eskenazi summarizes it, “restoring Jerusalem’s northern boundary” (3:1-5), “restoring Jerusalem’s western boundary” (3:6-14), and “restoring Jerusalem’s southern and eastern boundaries” (3:15-32) (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on these sections, respectively). But the completion of the work is not reported until later: “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul [August-September], in fifty-four days” (6:15). According to Eskenazi, this indicates “the zeal and dedication of the volunteers under Nehemiah,” but, she adds, “Excavated remnants of Nehemiah’s wall reflect the haste of the builders” (ibid., on 6:15).

But readings for today and tomorrow report difficulties encountered by the builders. Eskenazi says, the first “obstacle” is “intimidation” (ibid., on 4:1-21). Sanballat’s mockery continues (cf. 2:19). “Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews. He said in the presence of his associates and of the army of Samaria, ‘What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish–and burned ones at that?’ ” (4:1-2 = Heb. 3:33-34). (Note that, as indicated above, the chapter and verse numbering differs in the NRSV from that of the Hebrew, which is followed by the NJPS translation of 1985, 1999.) According to David J. A. Clines, “Sanballat pokes fun at what he supposes to be the incompetence of the Jews; the sentence might mean ‘Will they repair for themselves?’ suggesting they would build a makeshift wall unlike the elegant city wall of Samaria’ ” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Neh. 4:2). “The opposition from Samaria,” says Eskenazi, “reproduces ancient competition between the two preexilic capitals” (op. cit. on v. 2). Tobiah the Ammonite joins Sanballat in mocking the Jews, saying, “That stone wall they are building–any fox going up on it would break it down!” (4:3 NRSV = Heb. 3:35).

Nehemiah reports his response as a prayer. “Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from your sight; for they have hurled insults in the face of the builders” (4:4-5 NRSV = Heb. 3:36-37). According to Hindy Najman, “Nehemiah offers a lament over the destruction” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Neh. 3:36-37 NJPS = Heb. = NRSV 4:4-5). According to Arthur Jeffery and John J. Collins, “Words of ill omen must be countered by words of ill omen” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Neh. 4:4-5). Eskenazi says, “Nehemiah punctuates his report with several invocations of God, often with a formulaic ‘remember me’ (see 5:19)” (op. cit., on vv. 4-5). According to Clines, “Nehemiah’s plea to God, though doubtless part of his written report of past events, is presented as a prayer composed at the time of Sanballat’s mockery. The imprecation on enemies is a feature of several similar psalms of appeal (e.g., Pss. 35; 58:6-9)” (op. cit., on vv. 4-5).

As his report continues, though he has further opposition to report, Nehemiah anticipates the completion of the wall. “So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half it’s height; for the people had a mind to work” (4:6 NRSV = Heb. 3:38; cf. 6:15, as cited above). But reports of progress in the work by the Jews, angered their opponents, for “when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry” (4:7 = Heb. 4:1). The opponents mentioned here are those of 2:10 and 19, who appeared in yesterday’s reading and comments. As Nehemiah tells us, they “all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it” (v. 8 NRSV = Heb. v. 2). “Plotted . . . to come. But did they come?” asks Clines. And he adds, “There is no evidence that they did” (ibid., on v. 8). However, Nehemiah treats the threat as genuine. “So we prayed to our God,” he says, “and set a guard against them (Mh,ylef3, ‘ ^alêhem) day and night” (v. 9 NRSV = Heb. v. 3). The Hebrew text adds Mh,%yn2P4m9 (mipp ^enêhem), literally, “from their face.” Jacob M. Myers says his translation omits “from before them” (for Mh,%yn2P4m9, mipp ^enêhem), and explains, “Perhaps ‘lyhm [Mhylf] ‘against them’ was originally another word, though LXX supports MT [i.e., the Massoretic, Heb. Text]. It could be a case of conflation or it may indicate how the guard was placed, i.e., facing them” (Ezra, Nehemiah, Anchor Bible, v. 14, 1965, p. 124 [cf. p. 122] on Neh. 4:3 Heb. = NRSV 4:9). Several modern translations apparently concur with Myers in omitting the phrase (cf. NRSV, above, NJPS, NEB, TNIV, NKJV, ESV), but compare “because of them” (AV/KJV).

Another difficulty is the complaint of the workers themselves. Nehemiah reports that “Judah said, ‘The strength of the burden bearers is failing, and there is too much rubbish so that we are unable to work on the wall’ ” (v. 10 NRSV = Heb. v. 4). Eskenazi says, by “Judah” is meant “the Jewish community” (op. cit., on v. 10). According to Clines, “Their speech seems to have poetic form and may be a work song” (op. cit., on v. 10). The Jewish Publication Society presents it’s translation in poetic form:

Judah was saying,

‘The strength of the basket-carrier has failed,

And there is so much rubble;

We are not able ourselves

To rebuild the wall.’ (Neh. 4:4 NJPS = Heb. = NRSV 4:10)

Najman, commenting on this translation, says, “The people appear very disheartened in their lament” (op. cit., on v. 4 NJPS = Heb. = NRSV v. 10). Even if the opponents did not come against them (cf. the citation from Clines on v. 8, above), their confidence proved to be another difficulty for Nehemiah and his followers. He says, “And our enemies said, ‘They will not know or see anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work’ ” (v. 11 NRSV = Heb. v. 5). The intimidation of the Jews is reflected in a repeated complaint. “When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, ‘From all the places where they live they will come up against us’ ” (v. 12 NRSV = Heb. v. 6, my emphasis). According to Eskenazi, “The builders temporarily succumb to the difficulties of the work and their opponents’ intimidation” (op. cit., on vv. 10-12). Then Nehemiah makes plans to protect his workers. “So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows” (v. 13 NRSV = Heb. v. 7). Clines says, “Nehemiah’s tactic seems to have been to mass armed citizens in those places where the wall could be overlooked from outside the city, so as to give to enemy spies the impression of massive defense forces” (op. cit., on v. 13). After surveying the situation, Nehemiah challenges the people to be courageous in defending their families and homes: “I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes’ ” (v. 14 NRSV = Heb. v. 8). Najman points out, “Just a little over a century prior to Nehemiah, Jeremiah was exhorting the people to build homes in Babylonia and plant gardens there (Jer. 29:5, 28). Now, Nehemiah tells the people to fight for their recovered land and for their right to live in their land” (op. cit., on v. 8 NJPS = Heb. = NRSV v. 14). “Nehemiah demonstrates readiness for physical combat,” says Eskenazi, “confident in God’s help” (op. cit., on vv. 13-14 NRSV = Heb. vv. 7-8).

So the work on the wall, which had been temporarily halted due to these difficulties, resumes. Nehemiah reports, “When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us, and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work” (v. 15 NRSV = Heb. v. 9). But the workers’ attention and efforts were divided between work on the wall and defense against the enemies. “From that day on,” says Nehemiah, “half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armor; and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah, who were building the wall” (v. 16, 17a NRSV = Heb. vv. 10, 11a). In some cases, a worker would build with one hand and defend with the other. “The burden bearers carried their loads in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and with the other held a weapon” (v. 17b NRSV = Heb. v. 11b). “And each of the builders,” says Nehemiah, “had his sword strapped at his side while he built” (v. 18a NRSV = Heb. v. 12a). Beside Nehemiah is a trumpeter who is ready to warn the workers of an enemy approach (v. 18b NRSV = Heb. v. 12b). Nehemiah says “to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us’ ” (vv. 19-20 NRSV = Heb. vv. 13-14).

According to Eskenazi, the work thus continues “due to improved security measures” (op. cit., on vv. 15-23). Nehemiah reports, “we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from break of dawn until the stars came out” (v. 21 NRSV = Heb. v. 15). According to Najman, “this v[erse] offers one definition of daytime; the Rabbis use it to argue that one can fulfill the commandment of reciting the evening Shema (Deut. 6:4) only once the stars appear (b. Ber. 2b). In addition, this v. is used to define the beginning of night for purposes of purification (b. Meg. 20b)” (op. cit., on v. 15 NJPS = Heb. = NRSV v. 21). Nehemiah also gives orders to the people “Let every man and his servant pass the night inside Jerusalem, so that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day” (v. 22 NRSV = Heb. v. 16). And Nehemiah and his helpers remained clothed and on guard for the duration of the work: “So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me ever took off our clothes; each kept his weapon in his right hand” (v. 23 NRSV = Heb. v. 17). Eskenazi sees here “successful rallying of the Judean builders due to improved security measures” (op. cit., on vv. 15-23). Clines calls attention to “various public relations and morale-boosting activities here: forming an armed guard for the builders, arming the workers themselves, appointing a trumpeter to sound an alarm in case of attack, and keeping the workers overnight in the city for security and to prevent their intimidation by the enemy” (op. cit., on vv. 16-23).

or Lamentations 5:1-22 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

On November 3, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 29, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One); they are repeated again here:

Although the alphabetic acrostic pattern is discontinued in the last chapter of Lamentations, it has twenty-two lines (verses), which would be one for each letter of the alphabet. Chapters 1 and 2 have three lines for each alphabetic stanza; chapter 3 has three alphabetic lines in each stanza, with each line of a stanza beginning with the same letter. Chapter four follows the pattern of chapters 1 and 2, but has two lines per stanza. One might call this a poetic crescendo to chapter three, with a gradual decrescendo to the end. This pattern would call special attention to the words of assurance found in chapter three (compare the Christian hymn, Great is thy Faithfulness, words by Thomas O. Chisholm; cf. the Internet web site http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=6296, accessed Oct. 30, 2009; from this web site one can select and play one of three different renditions of this hymn):

The steadfast love of the LORD (HV!HY4 YDeS4h1, chasdê YHWH) never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new (MYwD!h39, ch^adāšîm) every morning;

Great is your faithfulness.

“The LORD is my portion (yq9l4H@, chelqî),” says my soul,

“Therefore I will hope in him.” (Lam. 3:22-24, NRSV)

The interruption of the desolate lamenting tone through what F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp calls sapiential consolation continues for a while (3:25-39), reflecting on “reasons for hope in the face of adversity and suffering, drawing on wisdom traditions (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 3:25-290. “For (yK9, kî) the Lord / will not reject forever” (v. 31). “Although (-Mx9 yK9, kî ’im-) he causes grief, he will have compassion / according to the abundance of his steadfast love” (v. 32); “for (yK9, kî) he does not willingly afflict or grief anyone” (v. 33). When prisoners are “crushed under foot,” asks the poet,” and human rights are perverted, “does the Lord not see it?” (vv. 34-36). It is the Lord who “can command and have it done” (v. 37), for “good and bad” come “from the mouth of the Most High” (v. 38). “Why (hm!, māh) should any who draw breath complain / about the punishment of their sins?” (v. 39).

But the desolate and lamenting tone returns and chapter 5 (today’s reading) concludes the book with a graphic description of Jerusalem’s distress, and a final prayer for the LORD’s mercy. “Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us,” says the people’s prayer; “look, and see our disgrace!” (5:1). “Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, / our homes to aliens,” they pray (v. 2). According to Werner E. Lemke, revised by Kathleen O’Connor, “Our inheritance [is] the land God gave Israel (see Deut. 4:38; 25:19; 26:1. Israel in turn was called God’s inheritance (see Deut. 4:20; 9:26, 29; 32:1)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lam. 5:2). The people protest that they have become “orphans, fatherless; / and their “mothers are like widows” (v. 3). They say, “We must pay for the water we drink; / the wood we get must be bought (Lam. 5:4). More than that, “With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; / we are weary, we are given no rest” (v. 5). They must deal with Egypt and Assyria simply “to get enough bread” (v. 6). They “bear [the] iniquities” of their “ancestors” (v. 7). According to Lemke and O’Connor, “this verse could be read as a complaint about unmerited suffering caused by the ancestors, i.e., as a denial of present responsibility–but see v. 16 (see also 1:14, 18; 3:42)” (ibid., on v. 7). Daniel Grossberg, commenting on the translation, “Our fathers sinned and are no more; / And we must bear their guilt” (Lam. 5:7 NJPS 1985, 1999), says, “better, ‘bear their punishment’ (see Exod. 20:5; 34:7). With v. 16 [we see] the recognition that rebelliousness against God is the cause for catastrophe and that Israel has a long history of rebelling against God” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 1601, on Lam. 5:7).

The people’s lament complains that they are ruled by slaves (v. 8), they struggle at peril of sword to get bread (v. 9), and they are blackened by the sun (v. 10). Their “women are raped in Zion, / virgins in the towns of Judah” (v. 11). “Princes,” they say, are humiliated, that is, “hung up by their hands,” and elders are shown no respect (v. 12). Forced child labor has boys staggering “under loads of wood” (v. 13). There is no music or dancing (vv. 14-15). “The crown has fallen from our head,” say the people; “woe to us, for we have sinned!” (v. 16). According to Lemke and O’Connor, “The crown . . . from our head figuratively refers to Israel’s humiliation (cf. Job 19:9; Isa. 62:3)” (op. cit., on v. 16). “Because of this,” say the people, “our hearts are sick, / because of these things our eyes have grown dim” (v. 17). “Because of this . . . these things looks back to vv. 2-16,” say Lemke and O’Connor, “as well as forward to v. 18” (ibid., on v. 17). This sorrow, say the people is “because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate; / jackals prowl over it” (v. 18). “An alternate translation of this verse is possible,” say Lemke and O’Connor: “ ‘On Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals roam about.’ The roaming of jackals (or ‘foxes’) over ruins is a traditional picture of desolation found in treaty or covenant curses (see Isa. 13:22; 34:13; Jer. 9:11; 10:22; 49:33; 51:37)” (ibid., on v. 18).

This complaining prayer concludes with questions and a final appeal in which doubt seems to overcome faith. “But you, O LORD, reign forever; / your throne endures to all generations” (v. 19). Lemke and O’Connor say, “The hymnic declaration of faith in God’s sovereign rule (cf. Pss. 93:1-2; 102:12) provides the context for the petition that follows” (ibid., on v. 19). “Why,” ask the people, “have you forgotten us completely? /Why have you forsaken us these many days?” (v. 20). Referring to “Why?” Grossberg says, “Questioning of God is a frequent element of prayer (Pss. 22:1; 44:24-25; 89:47)” (op. cit., on v. 20). “Restore us to yourself, O LORD,” the people pray, “that we may be restored; / renew our days as of old–unless you have utterly rejected us, / and are angry with us beyond measure” (vv. 21-22).

F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp compares the concluding prayer to some of the Psalms, but with a difference; it is “not a straightforward hymn of praise as in other communal laments (e.g., Ps. 44:1-8; 74:12-17; 89:1-18)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lam. 5:19-22). The word “unless,” says Dobbs-Allsopp, “is difficult”:

Perhaps “but instead” (as in Vg [the Vulgate]; cf. Num. 24:22; 1 Sam 21:6; 2 Sam. 13:33), underscoring the LORD’s rejection and anger; or even more literally, “for if,” in which case the conditional clause’s apodosis [the “then” clause, expressing the result if the condition is met] has been intentionally withheld. Either sentiment runs contrary to the traditional concluding lines in communal laments and, when combined with the brevity of the prayer in v. 21, undoes whatever hopefulness inheres in the prayer. Therefore the poem, and the book, ends pessimistically, even tragically. (op. cit., on v. 22)

Have mercy on us, O Lord!

Revelation 7:(4-8) 9-17

4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel:

                   5.   From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

                  6.    from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

                  7.    from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

                  8.    from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed. (Revelation 7:4-8, NRSV)

A Multitude from Every Nation

9. After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing,

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and might

be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and worship him day and night within his temple,

and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

the sun will not strike them,

nor any scorching heat;

17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:9-17, NRSV)

On October 20 and 21, 2008 (Monday and Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), comments were based with some revision and supplement on comments from November 2 and 3, 2007 (Friday and Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), comments from October 23, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), and on earlier comments as noted there. The following comments are based on those earlier comments:

In an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals, Revelation 7:1-17, John tells us about people who have been sealed. “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel” (Rev. 7:4). This follows reference to protection, “four angels” who are “holding back the four winds of the earth” (v. 1) and an angel with “the seal of the living God” (v. 2) used to protect people from the coming judgments. This angel says, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads” (v. 3).

In the references for today’s reading from the three traditions (listed above) Revelation 7:4-8 is given in parentheses. Verses 5 through 8 simply list “twelve thousand,” from each of the Israelite tribes: Judah, Reuben and Gad (v. 5), Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh (v. 6), Simeon, Levi and Issachar (v. 7) and Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (v. 8). According to Bruce M. Metzger, “the explicit number (144,000) symbolizes completeness; not one of the redeemed is missing” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 7:4). The number, of course, and the reference to “every tribe of the people of Israel,” is taken as a reference to people redeemed through Christ, based on understanding them as the people of God, symbolized by the twelve Israelite tribes. According to Jean-Pierre Ruiz, “The symbolic number 144,000, which is the square of 12 multiplied by 1000, has been interpreted variously as a reference to: the faithful remnant of Israel; the church; the martyrs; the remnant of Christians who survive the eschatological turmoil; all the redeemed (14:1, 3)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on v. 4). Although the description refers to “every tribe” (v. 4), Ruiz points out that “the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not mentioned” (ibid.). Remembering that in his final blessing, Jacob blessed both Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph (Gen. 48:1-22), we may suppose that the list here includes Manasseh (Rev. 7:6), but represents Ephraim with Joseph (v. 8).

“The enumeration in terms of the twelve tribes of Israel,” says William Barclay, “does not mean that this is to be read in purely Jewish terms” (The Revelation of John, vol. 2, rev. ed., The Daily Study Bible Series, 1976, p. 24, on Rev. 7:4-8). Barclay refers to ways in which the Christian Church has, in some sense, inherited the privileged position of Israel within God’s economy and the plan of salvation. “Paul writes,” says Barclay, “ ‘He is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God’ (Romans 2:28, 29)” (ibid.). As for the omission of the tribe of Dan, Barclay says, “In the Old Testament Dan does not hold a high place and is often connected with idolatry” (ibid., p. 25). Among other negative references to Dan, Barclay says:

There is a curious saying in Jeremiah 8:16: ‘The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; at the sound of the neighing of their stallions the whole land quakes. They come and devour the land and all that fills it.’ That saying came to be taken as referring to the Antichrist, the coming incarnation of evil; and it came to be believed among the Jewish Rabbis that Antichrist was to spring from Dan. Hippolytus (Concerning Antichrist 14) says: ‘As the Christ was born from the tribe of Judah, so will the Antichrist be born from the tribe of Dan. (ibid.)

The fact that Jeremiah predicts the assault on Judah from a cruel people “from the land of the north” (Jer. 6:22; cf. 2:13-15; 3:18; 6:1; 10:22), and Dan was merely first in their path, is probably irrelevant to the later view reported by Barclay that the Antichrist would come from Dan. The main point remains that of Metzger (cited above), that “the explicit number . . . symbolizes completeness; not one of the redeemed is missing.”

Even though the number 144,000 should be considered symbolic, and not an exact count of the “redeemed,” it is comforting to know that John’s visions move on to see “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). According to Metzger, this refers to “a great multitude of the redeemed, so many they cannot be counted.” “White robes and palm branches,” he adds, “symbolize righteousness and victory” (op. cit., on v. 9). David E. Aune agrees, in essence, but elaborates: “A great multitude [is] a heavenly assembly that may include but is not identical to the 144,000 Israelites mentioned in vv. 4-8; it represents the spiritualized fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (Gen. 22:17; 32:12; cf. Rom. 9:27. Its members are identified in v. 14 as the martyrs who have gone through the great tribulation” (op. cit., on v. 9). According to John, this multitude “cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ ” (v. 10). The cry of praise to God and the Lamb by these martyrs is joined by what Metzger calls “a sevenfold ascription of praise to God” (op. cit., on v. 12).

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,

‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and might

be to our God forever and ever!

Amen.’ (Rev. 11-12, NRSV)

“The picture,” says Barclay, “is of a series of great concentric circles of the inhabitants of heaven. On the outer ring stand all the angels. Nearer the throne are the twenty-four elders; still nearer are the four living creatures; and before the throne are the white-robed martyrs. The martyrs have just sung their shout of praise to God and the angels take that son of praise and make it their own” (op. cit., p. 27, on vv. 11, 12).

“Then,” says John, “one of the elders addressed me, saying ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ ” (v. 13). According to Ruiz, “One of the elders,” says Aune, “functioning in place of the more typical figure of the interpreting angel (1:1; 17:1-18; 21:9-22:5 . . .), provides an explanation of the vision in vv. 14-17” (op. cit., on v. 13). “I [John] said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’ ” (v. 14). “The blood of the Lamb,” says Metzger, “cleanses from sin (Jn. 1:29; 1 Jn. 1:7). For “the great ordeal” (v. 14), Aune refers to his earlier comment. “Hour of trial [is] the period of distress and suffering, often called ‘the great tribulation,’ prior to God’s eschatological triumph (7:14; 13:5-10; Dan. 12:1; Mt. 24:21; Mk. 13:7-20; 1 Cor. 7:26; Hermas Visions 2.2.7), probably referred to in the Lord’s Prayer (Mt. 6:13; Didache 8:2)” (op. cit., on 3:10).

In the Book of Revelation, a group of poetic lines often represents a song of praise, for example, 4:11; 5:9-10, 12, 13b; 7:12. But chapter 7 ends with nine poetic lines (vv. 15-17 that complete the elder’s explanation. “For this reason,” he says, “they [i.e. those who “have come out of the great ordeal,’ v. 14] are before the throne of God, / and worship him day and night within his temple, / and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter (skhnwvsei, skēnōsei) them” (v. 15). According to Metzger, they are “before the throne of God, in a favored position because of their faithfulness. To worship God implies activity in heaven” (op. cit., on v. 15). “Shelter them,” he adds, is “literally ‘spread his tabernacle over them’ ” (op. cit., on v. 15). “They will hunger no more,” says the elder, “and thirst no more; / the sun will not strike them, / nor any scorching heat; / for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, / and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, / and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (vv. 16-17). “A paradox,” says Metzger, “the Lamb is a shepherd Ps. 23:1-2; Ezek 34:23-24; Jn. 10:11)” (ibid., on v. 17). “Shepherd,” says Aune, is “a stock metaphor for a king (see 2 Sam. 7:7; Isa. 44:28; Jer. 3:15) in the ancient world generally and a favorite metaphor for Jesus (Mt. 15:24; 25:32; Jn. 10:2; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25)” (op. cit., on v. 17). On “springs of the water of life,” adds Aune, “lit. [it means] ‘springs of living water’ can mean either flowing water (as opposed to the still water stored in cisterns) or water imbued with (eternal) life, a metaphor for salvation (21:6; 22:1, 17; see also Jn. 4:14; 6:35; 7:37-38)” (op. cit., on v. 17).

Metzger’s reference to paradox in verse 17, where “the Lamb is their Shepherd,” which reminds me of the Commencement Address given when I graduated from George Fox College by T. Canby Jones. He refers to that occasion in an address given to the Friends United Meeting Triennial of 2005, which is available online:

I've been struggling to remember when I first became enamored with this Quaker way of describing the eternal struggle against evil into which Christians are called. Since I gave the commencement address at George Fox College, Newberg, Oregon, in June 1960 on “The Lamb's War” it must have been before that. Hugh Barbour and Arthur Roberts must have introduced me to the idea in their volume, Early Quaker Writings, which contains James Nayler's 1657 essay, “The Lamb's War and the Man of Sin.” Without their efforts and my concern, I wonder if we would be reviving the concept of enlisting in and fighting a nonviolent Lamb's War today? (http://www.fum.org/about/triennial%202005/canby.htm, accessed again Nov.2, 2007).

John depicts a life and death struggle between the powers of darkness, led by Satan, and the powers of light, led by the Lamb. The enemy was at least personified by Lord Caesar and his Empire, but that was the side ultimately to be defeated. Are we fighting the Lamb’s war with the weapons of peace? T. Canby Jones has more to say about the Lamb’s war:

If we are committed to the Lamb's War and engaged in nonviolent force, Jesus’ command to love enemies is an inescapable demand on us. However difficult, this command is a must! If we cannot practice reconciling love toward enemies, we not only are not fit to engage in the Lamb's War, but we are also not worthy of experiencing his transforming presence and power in our lives.

I must bear personal witness to the fact that just as the act of forgiveness is a gift of sheer grace so is the act of loving our enemies. I find it extremely hard to practice such love. I am tender toward those who try but fail at it. By the same token, I am jubilant and my faith in the Lamb's War is confirmed when I observe someone actually loving an enemy or an oppressor.

It is well to remember in such difficult circumstances that Jesus has promised he will not lay on us such heavy burdens or tasks without giving us the grace and strength to carry them out. (from the online address cited above)

The book ends with Jesus’ invitation: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come,’ / And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come,’ / And let everyone who is thirsty come. / Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (Rev. 22:17). God is in the business of including all who do not resist him, not arbitrarily excluding people. As C. S. Lewis once said (in The Great Divorce), “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way’” (cf. The Freeman Institute, Quotable Quotes, an Internet web site: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/quotes.htm, accessed again Oct.30, 2009; search for the quote on the site).

Matthew 13:31-35

The Mustard Seed (Mk 4.30-32; Lk 13.18-19)

31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

Yeast (Lk 13.20-21)

33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

Use of Parables

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

"I will open my mouth to speak in parables;

I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 13:31-35, NRSV)

On May 30, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from November 3, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), when comments were based on earlier comments (as noted there). The revised comments are repeated here:

The brief parable of the Mustard Seed occurs in the three Synoptic Gospels, and also in the Gospel of Thomas, as in the following table:

In the four versions of the Parable of the Mustard Seed, there are few significant differences. In each the seed represents the kingdom of heaven (Mt., GT) or of God (Mk., Lk.). In three versions attention is called to the mustard seeds very small size, something perhaps taken for granted by Luke. In Mark it becomes “the greatest of all shrubs,” in Matthew “the greatest of shrubs,” in Luke, “a tree.” The Gospel of Thomas says “ it puts forth a great branch (and) becomes a shelter (skevph, skepē) for the birds of heaven.” It also says that the seed “falls on the earth which has been cultivated.” According to Dennis C. Duling, “the point of the parable is the contrast between small beginnings and great endings” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 13:31-32), a statement that could well apply to the versions of Mark and Luke.(cf. Christopher R. Matthews, HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 3:18-21). The Gospel of Thomas reference to cultivated earth shifts the emphasis somewhat from the end result to the process.

The Parable of the Leaven appears in Matthew, Luke and the Gospel of Thomas, as in this table:

In this parable, in which Matthew and Luke say the kingdom “is like yeast,” the Gospel of Thomas says the kingdom “is like [a] woman” who used the leaven (yeast), which she made “into large loaves.” One presumes that, as Matthew and Luke say, if “all of it was leavened,” it would have the desired effect, which the Gospel of Thomas spells out, “large loaves.” In this parable, only the Gospel of Thomas refers to “ears” : “He who has ears, let him hear,” but the Canonical Gospels have a similar saying in this context: “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (Mk. 4:9; cf. Mt 13:9; Lk. 8:8b; and Mk. 4;23; Mt. 13:43). The saying was apparently in the tradition used by the Gospel of Thomas, as well as in Mark as used by Matthew.

So, in the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast or Leaven, the point is the amazing results–good results! The “smallest of all seeds” becomes “the greatest of shrubs . . . a tree” which becomes a home for the birds (Mt. 13:32). The kingdom of heaven will grow and prosper–amazing growth! According to J. Andrew Overman (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 13:31-32) “the reference to ‘the birds of the air . . . branches’ alludes to the image of God’s rule over the kingdoms of the earth (Ezek. 17:23-24).” The parallel in Luke 13:18-19 omits the emphasis on “smallest and “greatest” found in Matthew and Mark, but still reports the transformation of “a grain of mustard seed” into “a tree.” Marion Lloyd Soards compares it to different Old Testament images of God’s kingdom. “The last phrase of this verse [i.e. ‘the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches’] reflects the wording of Ps. 104:12; Dan. 4:12, 21” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 13:19). Psalm 104 is about God’s creation and what it provides for creatures such as the birds. Daniel 4 is Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Before his fall, he had “grown great and strong” (Dan. 4:22) to provide branches for the birds’ nests (v. 21). The point is the image of the greatness of his kingdom at its high point, not after his fall.

As noted yesterday, in Matthew, this is one of four explanatory paragraphs (Purpose of Parables, Mt. 10-17; the Sower explained, vv. 18-23; the Use of Parables, vv. 34-35; and an explanation of the parable of the weeds, vv. 36-43). Matthew’s version of the initial statement abbreviates Mark 4:33-34 somewhat, omitting the statement that Jesus “explained everything in private to his disciples” (Mk. 4:34b). Krister Stendahl puts it this way: “Mt. renders Mk’s concluding remark about Jesus’ use of parables by a chiastic parallelism with biblical ring and adds to it one of his formula quotations” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 685 h, p. 786 on Mt. 13:34-35). “Ps. 78:2,” he adds,

is here used as prophecy (some MSS refer it even to Isaiah), as is Ps. 11o in 20:43f. the quotation is reinterpreted on the basis of the Heb. text so that it now refers to the revelation of that which was hidden up to this time. This, again, strengthens the view that, to Mt., the use of parables was a way to reveal and yet to do so in a veiled manner according to the rules of Jewish apocalypticism. But to the disciples the inside story can and should be given; cf. the similar role of the Teacher of Righteousness, 1QpHab. 7:1-5. (ibid.)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net