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1984

Bible book by book : -

G. Cocoris

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Recommended Citation Cocoris, G. Michael (1984). book by book : Job-Daniel. Los Angeles: of the Open Door. https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/437

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THE BIBLE Book by Book

Job - Daniel

G. Michael Cocoris INTRODUCTION

In the Sunday evening services at the Church \ of the Open Door, I preached through one book per evening. In each message I covered the same 5 points: Author, Recipients, Subject, Structure and Purpose. These messages were later edited for release on our daily broadcast called THE OPEN DOOR. This booklet was prepared to help radio listeners study with us on that program.

Volume 3 contains the notes covering the books of Job through Daniel. The other books of the Bible are in six other volumes.

The messages, as originally preached at the Church of the Open Door, are available on cassette tapes in convenient albums. Or, you may order individual tapes if you desire. There is an Order Form at the back of this booklet for your convenience which will give you complete informa­ tion on how to order.

It is my desire that these messages will give you an introduction to the basics of each book of the Bible, and you will then be able to read, 11THE BIBLE: BOOK BY BOOK study and apply your Bible more intelligently. JOB - DANIEL"

G. Michael Cocoris -- Dr. G. Michael Cocoris

Cover Design: Larry McMillion Copyright (c) 1984 G. Michale Cocoris Scripture References: New King James Version. Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers I

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

\ Job ...... •....•......

Psalms ••••••••••.••••••••..••.••..•..... 7

Proverbs .•..••.••.•.•.•.•.•.•.•..•.•.••. · 15

Ecclesiastes •..••••••.•.•••.••••••••.•.• 22

Song of So 1 omon. . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 28• • • • •

Isaiah ••.•••••.••...••••••••••••.••.•.•• 34

J erem i a h. • . • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . • • • . • • • . • • . • • 4 1

Lamentations.•••.•.•.••.•••••.••••.•••.• 48

Ezek i e 1• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • •54 • • • • • • • •

Daniel.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 59

l ....

JOB

' Luther regarded Job as "the most magnificent and sublime than any other book of Scripture.'' Tennyson called it, "the greatest poem whether ancient or modern ." Carlyle wrote, 11 1 call that [Job] one of the grandest things ever written with pen. 11

I. Author.

The author of Job is annonymous. That's not unusual. Other books do not identify their author. In most cases, however, Jewish tradition had offered some likely suggestions. But in the case of Job, there is no consistent rabbinic tradition! Job, Elihi, , , , , , and have all been nominated. The four major contenders are Job, , Moses and Solomon.

A. Job.

Job was definitely a real historical person (cf. Ezek. 14:14, 20: :11). He would have been acquainted with all the facts and lived 140 years after the events took place (42:16), so he certainly had ampl·e t i me to w r i t e. B. Elihu.

Some have argued that the use of the word II I , 11 i n ve rs es l i k e Job 3 2 : 1 6, indicates that Elihu authored the book. - 1 - I'

C. Moses. offered sacrifices, which was not allowed 1 after . Also fitting The 1 and of Uz (Job 1 : 1) is s time, the social unit in adjacent to , where Moses lived Job is the patriarchal family-clan.

for forty years. It is conceivable (4) Job uses the characteristic that Moses obtained a record of the patriarchal name for , Shaddai,

dialogue left by Job or Elihu. This the Almighty, thirty-one times. This

would explain how the early term for God is only found

possessed this non-Israelite story and seventeen times in the rest of the gave it canonical status. Old Testament. The rare use of also suggests a pre- I D. Solomon. date. Furthermore, there are no references to , the Exodus, the The book is Mosaic law, or the tabernacle. 1 (5) which arose during the Solomonic era. The Chaldeans, who murdered Job s Part of Job moves in a similar circle servants (1:17), were nomads and had of ideas as parts of Proverbs (cf. not yet become city-dwellers. Job 15:8 and chap. 28 with Prov. 8). Conclusion: The evidence clearly seems Cone 1 us ion: I persona11 y vote for Job to place Job, the man, during the (cf. 19:23-24). patriarchal period. The question is, when was Job, the book, written? If II . Rec ip i en ts. Job wrote it, then it was written shortly after the events occurred, A. Their date. about 2000-1800 B. C. If Moses wrote it while he was in Midian, then the Pinpointing the date of Job is date would be 1485-1445 B.C. Of course, difficult. From the book itself there if Solomon was the author, then the are clues as to the date of Job, the date would be about 950 B.C. 11 man: ( 1) Job 1 ived 140 years after J. Vernon McGee has said, I the events of this book (42:16). His would suggest that Job was written total life span must have been close during the patriarchal period.111 It is to 200 years. This fits the patriarchal possible that Job knew . . period (Abraham lived 175 years, cf. 1 Gen. 25:7). (2) Job s wealth was B. Their description. measured in terms of livestock (1:3, 42:12), rather than silver or gold. The recipients of this book de­ (3) Like Abraham, and Jacob, pends on the date of its composition. Job was the of his family and If it was written by Job, then the - 2 - - 3 - Ir recipients were the people who lived C. Job's adversity (loss of children Ii during the period of the . and wealth). 1:13-22 The content of the book, however, D. 's persistence. 2:1-6 \ addresses a universal problem of all E. Job's affliction (loss of well­ mankind in all ages. being and wife's sympathy). 2:7-10 Ill. Subject. I I • Di al og ue. 2:11-42:6 The subject of the is A. With friends--first cycle. the suffering of the righteous. The 3-14 question of this book, and one of the B. great questions of life, is why do · With friends--second cycle. righteous men suffer? 22-31 C. With friends--third cycle. 22-31 IV. Structure. D. With Elihu. 32-37 E. The book of Job is a story. While With God. 38-42:6 unlike other stories in the Old Testament, this one is not just narrative. Ill. Epilogue. 42:7-17 It is a story with a great deal of dialogue. It is more like a drama than a narrative. V. Purpose. The key to the structure, however, The purpose of Job is to teach the is the type of literature. 1:1-2:10 is righteous to trust a wise sovereign God prose. 2:11-42:6 is poetry, while 42:8-17 in the midst of their suffering. is again prose. There is a prologue which tells of Job's piety and Satan's accusation against Conclusion: God. The prologue is followed by a dialogue between Job and his three An unknown author, who was probably Job, friends (3-31). Then Elihu speaks (32-37) records the story of a righteous man who and God speaks (38:1-42:6). The book suffered, not to be punished for sin or to be I purified, but to be perfected. : closes with a prose epilogue (42:7-17). The question of Job is, why do righteous I. Prologue. 1 : 1 -2: 10 men suffer? 1 1 A. Job s piety and prosperity. The oversimplified answer of Job s three 1: 1- 5 friends was that the righteous do not suffer. B. Satan's proposal. 1 :6-12 The point was punishment. Suffering is related to sin. They were, of course, partly right, - 4 - - 5 - I

J,11 but they were also partly wrong. That solution is simply not a universal rule applicable in all

cases. 11 \ Luther said of the Psalms that it was a Elihu's claim was closer to the mark. little Bible and a summary of the Old Testament." According to him, God does use suffering to instruct, to correct and to purify the righteous. Perowne said, "No single book of Scripture, not even in the , has perhaps ever Yet none of these explanations constitutes taken such a hold on the heart of Christendom." the whole. God appears in the book and lo and 11 behold He does not directly answer the question! Melancthon considered the Psalms the most 1 11 He does, however, seem to be saying, 1 I 'm eloquent work extant in the world. sovereign and worthy of worship in whatever I choose to do." J. Author. Suffering is sometimes a mystery. There is While it may be true that the super- no rhyme or reason in life for why the innocent . scriptions are not inspired, they are suffer. God is omniscient, omnipotent and good. very old (the had inscriptions), As such, His ways are sometimes incomprehensible and are probably very accurate. Many con­ to men, but He can al ways be trusted. Job had servative scholars argue that there is much to learn to trust in the goodness of God in to support the opinion that the inscriptions spite of outward circumstances. are trustworthy. For example, in most

The ancients asked, How can this man be of the Psalms ascribed1 to ,. events godly if he suffers? ask, How can in the life of Israel s poet-king are this man be god-like if he knows nothing of clearly reflected. Psalm 23 reflects the suffering. experience of a youthful shepherd. Psalm 51 records the heartcry of the poet Yet even this blameless man (1 :1) needed for cleansing after his sin with . to repent when he became proud and self­ There is no compelling reason not to accept righteous. He had to come to the end of him­ the inscriptions as accurate. self and hfs own resources, humbling himself and acknowledging the greatness and majesty of Based on the information in the super­ the Lord. Likewise, we must repent of our pride scriptions, the following can be said and trust God regardless of the circumstances about the authorship of the Psalms. of life. lf we do we will be blessed--if not A. David has seventy-three psalms assigned in this life, in the next. We will definitely be more godly. to him. These are 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 1J_ Vernon McGee, Job [LaVerne, CA: Camino 124, 131, 133, 138-145. Furthermore, Press, 1977]p.,.-:-

- 6 - - 7 - 91-100, 102, 104-107, 111-121, 123, 125, the New Testament (Acts 4:25, Heb. 4:7) indicates that two other psalms (2, 126, 128-130, 132, 135-137, 146-150). But, 95) were written by David. as we have seen, the New Testament identi­ fies David as the author of two of these ' B. Asaph wrote twelve psalms. (2, 95). So forty-eight psalms are annonymous.

These are 50, 73-83. Asaph was The call those without inscrip­ a Levite, i.e., a priest who headed tions, "orphan psalms." The Septuagint has the service of music (cf. Ez. 2:41). an inscription for all of the psalms except I Chronicles 16:4,5 says David two (1, 2), and attributes more psalms to appointed him chief over the men David than does the Masoretic text. Some assigned to minister before the ark feel David was the author of at least some of the Lord (cf. esp. 16:7,37). of the orphan psalms.

C. The sons of composed ten psalms. II. Recipients.

These are 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87. A. Their date. These were Levites who served in the temple during David's reign (I Chron. Technically, the Psalms were written 9:19). over an extended time-span. Moses prob­ ably wrote Psalm 90 around 1400 B.C. D. Solomon contributed two psalms (72, Psalm 137 was written during the Babylo­ 127) nian captivity about 580 B.C. · As we have seen, about half of the psalms were E. Herman constructed one psalm (88). written by David around 1000 B.C.

Herman was also a Levite who B. Their description. served as a musician during David's reign (I Chron. 25:1, 5-6). The Psalms were written to different . audiences under different conditions. F. Ethan penned one psalm (89). From the Psalms themselves, we can say they were written to: He was probably another musician 1. The Lord; e.g., Ps. 4:1 , 5:1 .. under David (I Kings 4:31). 2. Israel; e.g., Ps. 78:1.

G. Moses authored one psalm (90). 3. The righteous; e.g., Ps. 33:1. The inscriptions leave fifty psalms annonymous (1-2, 10, 33, 43, 66-67, 71, - 8 - - 9 -

4. All mankind; e.g., Ps. 150:6. five parts and compares it to the five­ fold division of the . Boa says that David was the originator of the temple liturgy of These divisions are marked by \ which his psalms were a part. He goes doxo 1 og i es: 41: 13; 72:18-19; 89: 52; on to say, 11As individual psalms were 106:48. The fifth book is concluded written, some were used in Israel' s with a series of doxologies, namely worship. A number of small Psalms 146-150. (To the concluding collections were independently made doxologies, the second book adds, like the pilgrimage psalms and groups ''The prayers of David, son of Jesse, of Davidic psalms (1-41, 51-70, 138-145). are ended" (72:20). These smaller anthologies were gradually collected into the five The reason for the separate books. The last stage was the uniting collections are unknown, though many and editing of the five books them­ have offered suggestions. Perhaps it selves..•. David (1 Chron. 15:16), is best to conclude, as Boa has done, Hezekiah (1 I Chron. 29:30, Prov. 25:1), ''the reason for the separate and Ezra (Neh. 8) were involved in collections are lost in antiquity." various stages of collecting the There are, however, distinctives in 1 Psalms. 11 each book. Book One uses the name "Yahweh" 272 times, and "Elohim" I I I • Subject. only 15 times. Book Two uses "Elohim" 164 times, and "Yahweh" only 30 times. The subject of the Psalms is praise. 1-41 The appropriately entitles I. Book One. Psalms the book, "Praises." (Our title, "Psalms," I I . Book Two. Psalms 42-72 comes from the Septuagint. It is a Greek word which means ''songs sung to the 73-89 accompaniment of a stringed instrument.") I I I . Book Three. Psalms IV. Structure. IV. Book Four. Pslams 90-106

If by "structure" is meant the V. Book Five. Pslams 107-150 development of a subject, or even the divisions of that subject, then there is Groups within the book. no structure to the Psalter. Perhaps a better word would be "arrangement." The There are groups of psalms within midrash of the Psalms codified in the the Psalter. For the most part, Book 10th century divides the Psalter into One consists of Psalms of David (except 1, 2, 10, 22). Whereas, Bouks - 10 - - 11 - Two and Three contain the collections Herman N. Gunkle pioneered this of the Sons of Korah (42-49), and of method and insisted that the Asaph (73-83),' and Books Four and Five, important question was not the \ again have Psalms of David (138-145), historical background, but the function the Songs of Ascent (120-134), the of the psalm in the life of Israel. "Hodu" psalms (a11 beginning with a For example, according to these form Hebrew imperative for "give thanks" critics, Psalm 24 was chanted at the (105-107), and two groups of the gate of the temple as the ark was Hallelujah psalms (all beqinning returning after a battle. Monwinckel, and/or ending with the Hebrew Gunkle's prodige, set out to find the imperative, "Praise the Lord," or specific celebration or feast when "Hallelujah" (111-118; 146-150). each psalm was sung. There are several groups of psalms Many scholars have come to connected by obscure titles. For recognize that not al1 of the psalms example, there are two groups of have a 1 iturgical origin, and that Maschil psalms (42-45; 52-55), and many were probably never used at all one Michtam grouping (56-60). How in the liturgy of the temple. Psalm these collections came into being is 23 is an example. not known, but perhaps the temple Both the historical and form musicians compiled them. critical methods have made their contributions, but neither that system Classifications. which classifies by content alone, nor There have been two major methods one that classifies by function alone of classification of psalms. The is satisfactory. traditional method is to classify the V. Purpose. psalms based on content, for example, national psalms, historical psalms, A. Worship. Messianic psalms. The second class­ ification has been produced, not by Psalms is the inspired song/ investigating the historical back­ worship book of prayer and praise. ground, but by investigating the The child of God, in the midst 9f his ''type" (or genre) of the psalm, and doubts and fears, longings and hopes, tracing that back to its origin in joys and sorrows, praises God. He the 1 ife of Israel. The object is trusts God to bless the righteous to determine its "setting in life" and punish the wicked. (Sitzenleben). This is classification by function. ("Just As I Am" has a These psalms were used in the sitzenleben of an invitation.) two temples and some were a part of - 12 - .,. 13 - the liturgical service. They also PROVERBS serve as an individual and communal devotional guide. Proverbs is one of the most ancient forms ' B. Prophecy. of teaching. From earliest times, every nation has had its proverbs. The method was particularly At least thirteen psalms are valuable when books were few and costly. A clear proven to be Messianic by New Testa­ crisp sentence was easy to memorize. ment quotations (2, 8, 16, 22, 31,

40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 102, 110, 118). I. Author. Most would agree that other psalms undoubtedly refer to Christ as well. Solomon.

The future glory of Israel and 11 of the world are also subjects of Proverbs 1: 1 says, The proverbs of prophecy in the Psalms. Solomon, the son of David, the king of lsrael.11 Solomon was certainly qualified Over one-fourth of the Old Testa­ to pen Proverbs. He asked for wisdom ment quotations in the New Testament (I Kings 3:5-9), and God granted it to are from the Psalms. him (I Kings 4:29-31). According to However uncertain the times, the 12:9, he pondered, searched Lord will establish His kingdom out and arranged many proverbs. I Kings through the future . That 4:32 says he spoke 3,000 Proverbs. reassurance might not stabilize the time, but it will certainly stabilize Wisemen. the heart. Proverbs 22:17 and 24:23 tell us that

there11 are 11 sections of Proverbs from Conclusion: wisemen. In 1888, Wallis Budge discovered an At least seven different authors over a Egyptian work, The Wisdom of Amenemope. period of 1000 years (but primarily David) The simi l iarities between The Wisdom of composed songs 1 of praise to worship God and Amenemope and Proverbs 22:17-24:37 are express Israel s future hope. "too many and too close to be a matt.er of Godly men lament as well as praise. coincidence" (Kidner). Did Amenemope copy Solomon, or did Solomon copy Amenemope? Or, did they copy someone else? 1Kenneth Boa, Talk Thru the Old Testament Many have dated Amenemope prior to [Wheaton: Tyndale, 1980], p.121. Solomon and conclude that Solomon copi0,d

- 14 - - 15 - r

11 The language of and the spelling hlm. In the first place, the dating 11 30:411 of the word for God in 30:5 are of Amenemope is difficult. Some date 112 him before Solomon, and others date him remin i seent of the book of Job • ' after. But more important, even if Solomon copied him, that would in no way undermine faith in the divine I I. Recipients. inspiration of the passage. Adaptation of pagan sources is not unknown, even A. Their date. in the New Testament. Paul did it several times (cf. Act 17:28 and Most books in the Bible were Titus 1:12). If Solomon borrowed the written by one author at one time ' material, he adapted it. For one but at least Psalms and Proverbs thing, he eliminated the of have multiple authors. On top of Amenemope. that, both were compiled after composition. Thus, pinpointing the But some have forcefully argued date gets complicated. Several thinqs that Amenemope copied Solomon. But as 11 can be determined about the Archer says, The important thing is recipient(s) of Proverbs. to observe that while satisfactory reconstructions of the Egyptian can be I. At least part of the 1 book was made on the basis of the Hebrew addressed to Solomon s son, pre­ original, it is never possible to sumably Rehoboam (1 :8, 2:1, etc.). reconstruct the Hebrew text on the 1 1 1 basis of the Egyptian original. This applies to 1:1-9:18 for sure, and probably 10:1-22:16. It more than likely does not apply

Agur and Lemuel. to 25: lff. 2. The book as we now have it was not Proverbs 30 was written by , 11 11 and Proverbs 31 was written by Lemuel compiled until the time of Hezekiah. (at least 31:1-9 11 was written by him, but Boa says, The twenty-two verse acrostic on the virtuous woman may Solomon lived and wrote about or may not have been composed by him). 950 B.C. But Proverbs 25:1 says that a larger portion of the book We know nothing about these two was compiled by the men of Hezekiah authors except that they wrote proverbs. That was not until 725 B.C. So Some have speculated that they are clearly, the book, as we have it, names for Solomon, which is not likely. was not received by anyone until Others surmise that both were non­ 725 B.C. Israelites, perhaps Arabians from Massa. - 16 - - 17 - Yet while God's law is everywhere IsaiahI and ministered during Hezekiah s ti me. It has been suggested assumed, Israel is never mentioned. that they also were involved in the There is a universality about this collection of the Proverbs. book. It is not a national Jewish \ book. These proverbs apply to all B. Their description. men in all times in all places.

As we have seen, Solomon's son, IV. Structure. presumably Rehoboam, received some of the Proverbs (1 :8, 2:1, etc.). Yet The literary structure of Proverbs at the same time, the same teaching is clearly discernable. There are titles was intended for others as we11. In heading up each section. These are some­ 4:1, Solomon addresses "children." times obscured in the English translation, 8:1-5 indicating it was for all mankind but they are obvious in the Hebrew text. in general. Three 11 times the title "The Proverbs of So1 omon appear. The fi rs t ti me (1 : 1), Ill. Subject. it applies to the whole book, and the other two occurrences (10:1, 25:1) apply The subject of Proverbs is wisdom. to the sections within the book. The The Hebrew word for "wisdom" 1 iterally first nine chapters contain the discourses means 11skill. 11 These short, pithy on the value of wisdom. Then follows two statements are wisdom for 1 iving. Under­ collections of the proverbs of Solomon. standing the laws behind things gives one Each collection is supplemented by two wisdom, e.g., the tai16r understands the appendices. laws of fabric. These proverbs are not so much popular Introduction. 1: 1-7 sayings as they are distillations of I. A father's praise of wisdom. wisdom from those who knew the law of God. 1 :8-9:8 The wisdom in the is not the wisdom of men, but the wisdom of God. I I. The proverbs of Solomon. Man's proverbs are often in opposition to 10:1-22:16 each other. For example, "Look before I I I. The words of wise men. 11 you leap" vs. "He who hesitates is lost. 22:17-24:34 11 A man gets no more than he pays for" vs. "The best things in 1ife are free. 11 A. The words of wise men. 1 11 24:23-34 '' Leave we11 enough a1 one' vs. Prog ress never stands sti11.11 11A rol1 ing stone B. The further words of wise men. gathers no moss" vs. "A setting hen does 24:23-34 not get fat.11 - 18 - - 19 - Conclusion: IV. Hezekiah's collection of the Proverbs of Solomon. Solomon, et al, wrote short pithy statements 25:1-29:27 in order to assist the wise and unwise to ' V. The words of wise men. develop mental acumen and wisdom for living.

30:1- 31 : 31 A.T. Pierson says, "What the Psalms are to A. The words of Agur. the devotional 1 ife, the Proverbs are to the 30:1-33 practical life.11 B. The words of King Lemuel's mother. 31 :1-31 1 V. Purpose. Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction [Chicago: Moody, 1964]p.458 Proverbs is one of the few biblical 2 books that clearly spells out its purpose oevek Kidner, Proverbs, An Introduction and (1:2-6). Commentary [ Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 19641 p.25. A. The moral purpose.

The first and foremost purpose the book of Proverbs is to impart moral discernment (1 :2a, 3-5). Verse 2... to know wisdom... to perceive. From the student's viewpoint-- to receive (vs. 3). From the teacher's viewpoint-­ to give (vs. 4). The wise will continue to develop-- (vs. 5). B. The mental purpose.

The second purpose is to develop mental clarity and perception (1 :2b, 6). The philosophy of this book is not "live and learn, 11 11but learn and live.11 - 20 - - 21 - ECCLESIASTES man" mentioned in 11 :9, and Solomon's reference to "my son" in 12:2.

If you feel 1 ife is empty and futile, then Ill. Subject. \ the book of Ecclesiastes is for you. There is no doubt that the subject I. Author. of the book of Ecclesiastes is: "vanity of vanity, a11 is vanity, sayeth the The author identifies himself as the preacher." The book begins and ends with

son of David,11 king11 in . Although that (1:2, 12:13-14).11 Vanity does not mean the name Solomon does not appear anywhere "foolish pride. The Hebrew word means in the book, he is the only son of David "breath, vapor, emptiness" (transitory, who was also king in Jerusalem. Thus, it frail, unsatisfying is the idea). After is fair to assume that Solomon was the seeing the transitoriness of life, the author of Ecclesiastes. Is has been the author concludes that what man must do is traditional view, accepted by Jewish and fear God and keep His commandments. Christian scholars alike, that Solomon wrote this book. The question is, from what point of view is the author saying this? While I I • Recipients. there have been many approaches to this book, there have been basically three A. Their date. theories on the viewpoint of the author.

The11 philpsophical 11approach 11 says the There is an ancient Jewish phrase, 1unde 1 r the sun, means apa rt tradition which says that Solomon from God, and that the author, through wrote the Song of Solomon in his youth, reason, refutes all other views of life Proverbs when he was middle-aged, and and eventually comes to faith in God. In Ecclesiastes in the evening of his short, a wise man comes to faith by reason. days.1 If that is the case, he wrote 11 The11 experiential approach is that under on love as a young man, wisdom as he the sun means life apart from God, and that grew old, and vanity as an old man. Solomon at some point in his life drifted Several authors suggest Solomon wrote away from the Lord. He discovered from Ecclesiastes in 935 B.C. his experience that life apart from God B. Their description. was empty and so writes to tell us that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. In this approach, the The book is not specifically content of the book is not , but addressed to anyone, except a "young the reasonings or experiences of a man apart from God.

- 22 - - 23 - The spiritual approach contends that

the author is not a philosopher, or a There are sections within these divisions 1 repentant bqckslider, but a deeply which themselves have conclusions, but spiritual man. He is not expressing his there seems to be four major divisions of philosophical opinion, or his personal the book (cf. 3:12,22; 9:7-9; and 11:7-10). experience as much as he is simply saying that life with or without God is a mystery. I. Prologue. 1:1-11 As an old and wise godly man he is saying, 11. The first discourse. 1:12-2:26 "When I see 1 if e, it seems to me it is empty and aimless." There are aimless 111. The second discourse. 3:1-5:20 cycles (1: 4ff) and inexplicible para- IV. The third doxes (4:1, 7:15, 8:8). One might conclude discourse. 6:1-8:18 that a 1 1 is futi le s in ce i t is i mposs i ble v. The fouth discourse. 9:1-12:8 to discern any purpose in the ordering of VI. Epi l ague. events. Yet, life is a gift of God and 12:9-14 is to be enjoyed. The wise man will live his life in obedience to God, recognizing that God will eventually judge all men V. Purpose. (3:16-17, 1z:14). A. To demonstrate that life is futile. In , God remained so much in the background that there is no mention of One of the major things the His name anywhere in the book. But in author is trying to do is convince Ecclesiastes, the name of God occurs no the reader that everything is vain (1:3, fewer than thirty-seven times. 12:8). As has been indicated, some have interpreted the phrase, "under N.B.: "Under the sun" does not mean 11 the sun" to mean "apart from God. "without or apart from God" (cf. Eccl. 8:15). In their view, the author is saying that everything is empty when a man is IV. The book begins with a prologue apart from God. This, then, is a book (1:2-11), and ends with an epilogue by a carnal man and is filled with (12:8-12). It starts and stops with the human wisdom. same statement (1:2, 12:8). Beyond that,

there seems to be four broad discourses, But the phrase, "under the1 sun'' each ending with a conclusion. does not mean ''apart from God' (cf. 18:15). It simply refers to all ( 1 ) 1:·12-2:26 cf. 2:24-26 of life. Solomon is not saying that apart from God life is futile; he is 2 3:1 ...5: 2 cf. ( ) 5:18-20 saying that life is futile with or (3) 6:1-8:17 cf. 8:15-17 without God. Life is filled with iniquities, uncertainties, changes in (4) 9:1-12:7 cf. 12:1-7 - 24 - - 25 - fortune, and violations of justice. Conclusion: He is writing to demonstrate that 1ife is futi1e. \ When an old man, Solomon wrote to young men in genera], and his son in particular. to B. To teach the reader to trust God in say that godly wisdom teaches us that even the face of the futility of life. though life is futile, we are to fear God and enjoy life. The author is doing more than demonstrating the futility of life. He is declaring that even though life is futile, we are to trust God. He 1 says that throughout the book, as Cf. The Midrash in Delitzsch, Commentaries on we11 as at the end of it (cf. 3:14, the Old Testament, The , 12:13-14). As a matter of fact, the Ecclesiastes [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968] book is really not pessimistic at al1. p.203. It teaches that we are to enjoy life and trust God. 2 C. Hassel Bul1ock, An Introduction To The 01d Let me put it 1ike this. Testament Poetic Books [Chicago: Moody, 1979] Solomon is saying that God has not p. 203. revealed everything. There is a mystery to 1i fe. I really only know what God has chosen to tel1 me, yet life is not basically a puzz1e which wisdom unlocks. It is a gift given to us by God to enjoy and use in a responsible fashion. One author put it like this: "When the wor1d cou1d not be conquered, Qohe1eth [i.e. the preacher, the author of the book] would recognize the fact and surrender to the pleasures that

could11 be derived from the status quo. 2

- 26 - - 27 -

SONG OF SOLOMON (2) I Kings 4:33 says he had an encyclopedic knowledge of trees and animals. Song of Solomon

, A great German Old Testament scholar. contains twenty-one varieties of plant life and fifteen species of Dr. Delitzsch, who spent years studying the Old Testament in general, and the Song of animals; Solomon in particular, once said of this book: (3) The book shows many evidences of 1 1 royal luxury and the abundance of The Song is the most obs cu re book in the Old Testament. Whatever principle costly imported products such as spikenard (1:12), myrrh (1:13), of interpretation one may adopt, there always remains a number of inexplicable frankincense (3:6), palanquins passages, and just such as, if we under­ (3:9), cosmic powders, silver, gold, purple, ivory and beryl; stood them,1 would help to solve the mystery. iT (4) Cities from both the northern and southern kingdoms are mentioned, Robert Lee called the Song of Solomon the most misunderstood book in the Bible. as if belonging to the same political realm, suggesting a date

I. Author. before the division of the kingdom. The question of authorship should be simple since Song of Solomon 1 :1 says, I I. Recipients. "The Song of songs which is Solomon's." Solomon's name appears seven times in the A. Their date. book ( 1 : 15, , 3 :7, 9 ,11 , 8: 11, 12) . Five of these are connected with actual appearances If Solomon wrote this book late of Solomon in action ( 3: 7,9, 11 , 8:11 ,12) , in his life, then there is a problem. 11 How can a man with a harem of 140 whereas11 1 :5 mentions the curtains of Solomon as a simile. women (6:8) extol the love of a Shulamite as though she were the only Many facts fit the view that Solomon bride? The answer to that problem may wrote the book: be that his relationship with her was the only pure ,romance he ever (l) I Kings 4:32 says he wrote 1,005 experienced. After all, the bulk of songs. 11This was the chief1 ("song his marriages were political arrange­ of songs means "the best, 1 e.g., ments. On the whole, however, it is 11holy of holies" means 11holiest probably best to conclude that Solomon of all"); wrote the song early in his reign

- 28 - - 29 - 1 about 970 B.C. marriage to Pharoah s daughter, or some other princess, and that the marriage B. Their description. typically represents the union of Christ and (the ) the church. There is no indication within the book as to who the readers were By the way, a dispensationalist intended to be. The recipients, then, would automatically have a difficulty were obviously the who lived with this in that the church did not during the lifetime of Solomon. exist until New Testament times. The literal method interprets the Ill. Subject. song literally, as depicting the love of a man for a woman and stops short The subject of the Song of Solomon is of seeing a deeper meaning. clearly love. The problem is, the love of whom for whom? The answer depends on the When the plain sense of Scripture view you take of how the book is to be makes common sense, seek no further interpreted. sense. 1 In an allegory, the people and events Bullock states it this way: 1 lf are fictional. They are used as symbols we can agree that a book that celebrates to suggest the deeper or hidden meaning. virtous love between a man and a Pilgrim's Progress is a modern illustration. woman deserves a place in the canon One allegorical treatment sees the Song of Holy Scripture, then we will have of Solomon as an allegory on the history no difficulity with interpreting1 the of Israel from the time of the Exodus to Song in its literal sense. 1 2 the coming1 of the 11Messiah. In this Jewish view, the 1beloved is the Lord and the IV. Structure. 1 1 11 maiden is Israel. Christians who adopt 1 1 11 this approach interpret11 11 the beloved as The form of the song is somewhere Christ and the maiden as the church. between a"7oose connection of songs and a The typological method differs from drama. Unger says it is a lyrical poem the allegorical method in that it main­ with a dramatic form of dialogue. Boa tains the historicity of the story. In calls it a dramatic poem built on a an allegory, the events may or may not be dialogue. Bullock says it is a lyrical historical. In a type, the events are ballad, the point being that it is a· unified lyrical song with a dramatic form. always real historical events. Many who have followed this method for the Song of What, then, is its structure? Solomon have insisted that the historical Del itzsch divides the book into six acts foundation of the book was Solomon's with two scenes in each act (Ginsburg saw only five parts). This much is clear: - 30 - - 31 - emotional beauty. three times the maid adjures the daughters of Jerusalem (2:7, 3:5, 8:4), B. An application: an illustration of and 5:1 may also be a concluding \ God's love for His people. formula. I. First stanza (courtship). The 1 iteral interpretation does 1:2-2:7 not mean that the book has no spiritual illustrations and applications. It II. Second stanza (courtship certainly illustrates God's love for continued). 2:8-3:5 His covenant people Israel, and anticipates Christ's love for His bride, I II. Third stanza (marriage and the church (cf. Eph. 5:31,32). But honeymoon). this is application, not primary 3:6-5:1 interpretation. IV. Fourth stanza (the honeymoon is

over). Conclusion: 5:2-6:9 V. Fifth stanza (the marriage Solomon wrote a song about his love, deepens). courtship and marriage to a Shulamite woman 6:10-8:4 to exalt the joys of human love and illustrate divine love. VI. Sixth stanza (the maturity of 1 ove). 8:5-14 1 i V. Purpose. De1 tzsch, p.1 . 2 A. The primary purpose: to exalt the Bullock, p.231. joys of love in courtship and marriage.

The primary purpose of the Song of Solomon is to exalt the joys of love in courtship and marriage. It offers a proper perspective of human love and avoids the extreme of lust and asceticism. It is a bold and positive endorsement by God of the marital 1 ove in a11 its physi ca 1 and - 33 - - 32 - ISAIAH been fashionable in liberal quarters to speak of a 11 Deutero-lsaiah.11 ' Isaiah has been called the prince of the These critics use many arguments to and the most renown of all the Old support their theory, but it all boils Testament (Tidwell). His book has been called down to two major issues. If Isaiah wrote the bridge between the old and the new covenants. all of Isaiah, then he predicted the and the return under Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament far I ' a Persian king 150 years in advance. more than any other . He is mentioned The liberals assume such supernatural twenty-one times by name, and chapter 53 alone is predictions are impossible. I f one be- quoted or alluded to at least eighty-five times 1 ieves in prophecy (yea, inspiration!), he in the New Testament. should have no difficulty accepting the Baxter has said, 11What Beethoven is in the unity of Isaiah. realm of music, what Shakespeare is in the realm A second argument against the unity of literature, what Spurgeon is among the of Isaiah is style and language. The Victorian preachers, that is Isaiah among the first section is said to be more rational, 11 prophets. while the second is more emotional. Critics forget, however, that content affects I. Author. style. A speaker or author may deliver one message that is rational, and another Isaiah 1:1 claims that Isaiah was the that is emotional. He may even get rational author of this book. The New Testament in one part of his message, and emotional supports that contention. John 12:37-41 in another. quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 and 53:1, attributing i t a l 1 to Is a iah . I n Romans 9: 27 and II. The recipients. 10:16-21, Paul quotes Isaiah 10:53,65 and gives the credit to Isaiah. The same is A. Their date. true of Matthew 3:3, 12:17, Luke 3:4-6, and Acts 8:28. Furthermore, Jewish Four kings are mentioned in tradition (including the Septuagint and Isaiah 1:1. Isaiah began his ministry the ), and Christian tradition has at the end of Uzziah's reign universally attributed the book to Isaiah (790-739 B.C.), and continued through until modern times. the reigns of Jotham (739-731 B.C.), No one questioned the authorship of Ahaz (731-715 B.C.). and Hezekiah Isaiah until 1775. In that year, (715-686 B.C.). He evidently out­ J.C. Doederlein published a commentary in lived Hezekiah by a few years because which he denied the lsaiahic authorship of chapters 37 and 38 record the death chapters 40-66. Since that time, it has of Sennacherib in 681 B.C.

- 34 - - 35 - The generation who lived in the judgment by , even though Southern Kingdom, about 680 B.C., Babylon had not yet risen to power. were the recipients of this book. To be more specific, Isaiah \ and Micah were his contemporaries. ministered to the Southern Kingdom B. Their description. (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, etc.). He delivered at least one warning to the Northern When Isaiah was a young man, Assyria Kingdom (28:1). He pronounced was a menacing power. Other nations judgment on many nations wanted to form a coalition and fight (Babylon, Moab, Demascus, , etc.). her off. King Ahaz would not join the He spoke to all nations and the people league of nations, so and the of the earth (1:2, 34:1). Northern Kingdom attacked the Southern 111. Subject. Kingdom trying to force her to cooperate with them against Assyria. The overall subject of Isaiah is Instead of trusting the Lord for salvation. The word appears twenty-six help, Ahaz turned to Assyria for times. That doesn't appear to be much assistance! Assyria was only too glad in a book that has sixty-six chapters, to get involved. She defeated the but consider that the word is only used Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. and the seven times in all the other prophets Southern Kingdom became a vassal state combined. The very word "Isaiah" to her. That was the price Ahaz had to means "salvation is of the Lord.11 pay. Isaiah has been called the prophet Then Assyria attacked Judah. of redemption, the Messianic prophet, Isaiah told the people to trust the the fifth evangelist. The book has been Lord, but others told the king to turn called the " according to lsaiah. 11 to Egypt for help. God did give Hezekiah victory over AssyrJa right at IV. Structure. the very walls of Jerusalem. The miraculous defeat of Sennacherib is Most of the book of Isaiah is poetry. recorded in Isaiah 37 and 38. Chapters 1-35 are in the form of poems, Isaiah lived during these turbulent followed by four chapters of history. times. He ministered in Jerusalem Then, chapters 40-66 are again poetry. primarily to the Southern Kingdom. He The nature of the literature, then, warned her kings against trusting in determines the literary structure. Many alliances with other countries. He divide the book into two parts, but the pronounced judgment on Judah and the nature of the literature calls for three. Gentile nations. He warned Judah of - 36 - - 37 - I. The prophecies of judgment and mora 1 depravity. Isaiah exposed and restoration. denounced these evils, but he did 1-35 more than that. He struck at the very ' root of the trouble and exposed the A. Judgment on Judah. nation's basic sin: its wrong attitude 1-12 B. in relationship to God revealed in its Judgment on the nations. idolatry. Isaiah clearly perceived that 13-23 a nation's social life is the direct C. The future tribulation and product of its religious life which he kingdom. sought to purify and turn back to God. 24-27 D. Six woes. B. To pronounce judgment on the sinner. 28-33 E. The future tribulation and Isaiah was warned in his commission kingdom. that the nation would not heed his plea 34 ,-35 (6:9-12), so he boldly announced the 11. History under Hezekiah. 36-39 inevitable collapse of Judah (and the preservation of a godly remnant) (6:13). and A. Hezekiah's distress He pronounced judgment on the Gentile deliverance. nations, Babylon, Egypt, Moab and 36, 7 3 Tyre, as well as Jerusalem. He and sin. B. Hezekiah's sickness prophesied that Babylon, not Assyria, 38,39 would defeat the Southern Kingdom. I I I . Prophecies of restoration. 40-66 C. To predict the salvation of God. of God. A. The comfort Isaiah not only preached against 40-48 sin and to pronounce judgment, he God. B. The servant of predicted deliverance and salvation. 4 - C. 9 57 He predicted that Assyria would not The kingdom of God. take the Southern Kingdom (cf. chs. 58-66 36-39). He also predicted the Kingdom of God and the Messiah. V. Purpose.

A. To preach against (expose) sin.

During Isaiah's life and ministry, sin began to run rampant in Israel.· There was political corruption and - 38 - - 39 - Conclusion: JEREMIAH

Isaiah denounced the sins of Judah, \ pronounced judgment on Judah and surrounding Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet, nations, and predicted the ultimate salvation the prophet of doom, and the prophet with a of God in the Messiah and the Kingdom. broken heart. J. Vernon McGee says, ''God chose this man, who had a mother's heart, a trembling voice, and tear-filled eyes, to deliver a harsh message of

judgment. 11The message that he gave broke his own heart . 1

I. Author.

The book clearly states that Jeremiah was the author (1:1). According to the internal testimony in the book, Jeremiah dictated all of his prophecies to his secretary, Baruch, from the beginning of his ministry until the fourth year of Jehoiachim (Jer. 36:1-4), which was over one-half of his ministry. But Jeremiah 36:23 tells us that this scroll was destroyed by the King. Jeremiah then rlictated another edition which included even more material (36:32). That edition is not the present book since many sections of Jeremiah bear a later date in his career (e.g., 21:1, 24:1, etc.), and others show evidence of being composed in the latter part of his ministry. Boa adds, "Only chapter 52 was evidently not written by Jeremiah. This supplement is almost identical to I I Kings 24:18-25:30, and may have been added by - Baruch. There was more than one edition because the Hebrew text is somewhat longer and arranged differently than the Septuagint

- 40 - - 41 - text. Perhaps Baruch made a more Judah enjoyed peace. But spiritually, comprehensive collection of his they were slipping further and further away from the Lord. Wicked kings had master's 11sermons and rearranged the ' 2 even introduced idolatry into Israel. material. Unger suggests 1that chapter 52 was added from I I Kings 1 at his own 113 Jeremiah was ca11 ed to be a suggestion. prophet in the thirteenth year in the Daniel refers to Jeremiah's reign of Josiah (1:1), which was in prophecy of the seventy-year captivity 627 B.C. (He began about sixty years (Dan. 9:2, cf. Jere. 25:11-14, 29:10). after the death of Isaiah.) In 622 B.C., I I Chronicles 36:21 and 1 :1 do the law of Moses was discovered and the same. Even extra canonical books Josiah, Israel's last good king, mention Jeremiah's prophecy. instituted spiritual reforms. Un­ Ecclesiasticus attributes the fortunately, his efforts were not destruction 1 of Jerusalem to the rejection enough to stem the tide. After his of Jeremiah s warning and prophecies. death, the wickedness grew worse and and the Talmud confirm these worse. As the apostasy worstened, same facts. opposition to Jeremiah mounted. One of the kings, Jehoiachim, destroyed The New Testament makes his writings. explicit references to Jeremiah. Matthew 2:17 quotes Jeremiah 31 :15. In 606 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took Matthew 21 :13, Mark 11:17 and Luke and deported key people like 19:46 quote Jeremiah 7:11. Romans Daniel to Babylon. Jehoiachim was not 11:27 amplifies Jeremiah 31:33ff. a Babylonian vassal, but he rejected Hebrews 8:8-13 quotes Jeremiah 31 :31-34. Jeremiah's warnings in 601 B.C. and rebelled against Babylon. There was Christian tradition attributes the another invasion in 598, and finally, book to Jeremiah. when Zedekiah, Judah's last king, attempted an alliance with Egypt, I I. Recipients. Nebuchadnezzar overthrew Jerusalem (586). Jeremiah ended up in Egypt A. Their date. (ch. 52), and maybe Babylon (tradition). 11 In 714 B.C., Sannacherib attacked Boa says, Thus, there were three Jerusalem and was miraculously destroyed. stages i n J erem i ah' s m i n i sry t : ( 1 ) That event is recorded in Isaiah 36 and from 627-605 B.C. he prophesied while 37. After that, the Southern Kingdom Judah was threatened by Assyria and did not have much to fear from the Egypt. (2) From 605-586 B.C. he pro­ imperial power of Assyria. Basically, claimed God's judgment while Judar was threatened and beseiged by Babylonia. - 42 - - 43 - (3) From 586 to about 580 B.C. he structure is the fact that the book ministered in Jerusalem and Egypt after is a series of messages. In chapters 2-20, I 11 each message begins with the words 11the Judah s downfa 11. 4 11 word of the Lord came... . In chapters

\ Jeremiah's ministry, then, stretched 21-39, the same phrase is used and a from 627 to about 580 B.C. He was a historical reference (i.e., a date) is contemporary of , , added. In almost every chapter from Daniel and Ezekiel. 29-31, the coming of Nebuchadnezzar is

mentioned (i.e., except those dealing with B. Their description. the restoration of Israel, namely 30,31, 33 and three others, 23, 26 and 36). The The main body of the book of one coming to judge is intimated earlier. Jeremiah is addressed to Judah and He is not distinctly mentioned by name

Jer us a 1 em ( 2: 2 , 4: 2 , 6: 1, 7: 1, etc . ). until 21:2 (e.g., cf. 2:37, 4:6,7,12,13, In chapters 46-51, he prophesies against 5:6, 6:1-7,22, 8:16, 13:30,21, 20:4. ten nations. As a matter of fact, in 1 :5 he is called the prophet to the So the structure of Jeremiah is nations. topical, not chronological (not even nesessarily logical). Keil & Delitzsch Ill. Subject. contend that the prophecies divide themselves according to their subject in The subject of Jeremiah is judgment. those concerning Judah and the Kingdom of He warns of judgment so they will repent God, and those regarding foreign ·nations. and avoid it. When they rejected his message and him, he warned of coming Introduction: The call and commission of defeat at the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah. 1 He then recorded that judgment. It is true I. Prophecies against Judah and that through the darkness the light of Jerusalem. 2-45 God's future blessings breaks through several times, but clearly the subject is A. Messages indicting the people. the darkness of judgment. 2-20 B. Messages announcing the captivity. 21-39 IV. Structure. C. Messages to the remnant after A literary analysis of Jeremiah indicates the captivity. 40-45 that the book is a combination of history, biography and prophecy. It is not in I I. Prophecies against the nations. chronological order. 46-51 The closest thing to a literary Appendix.

- 44 - - 45 - V. Purpose. Conclusion:

A. To remind us that God judges His \ Jeremiah predicted judgment on Judah people and the world. and the world, and yet he saw hope in the near and distant future. When these messages were orally preached (and written piecemeal), the purpose was to get individuals to repent. The nation 1 rejected that message and the J. Vernon McGee, Briefing the Bible [Laverne, messenger, and judgment fell. Ca: El Camino, 1978] p. 82. After the judgment fell, 2 Jeremiah wrote this book as we have Boa, p. 159. it to remind future generations that God judges His people as well 3 as the world. There will be trouble Merrill F. Unger, Introductory Guide to the for Jacob and unparalleled Old Testament [Grand Rapids: Zodervan, 1951] p.326. tribulation for the world. 4 B. To remind us that even though we fail Boa, p.160. and God has to judge, He will still bring His program to pass. This book is dark and bleak, but it is not all dark. Hope flashes through its prophecies. It is Jeremiah who revealed befdre­ hand that the captivity would only last seventy years (25:1-14). Even beyond that, there are better days ahead (23:5ff, 30:4-11, 31:31-34, 33:15-18). The Messiah is coming and so is the Kingdom. These themes are not as prominent as in Isaiah, but they are unminstakably there.

- 46 - - 47 - .-.------.. ,i;r.11

LAMENTATIONS Jer, 6:25.; and Lam. 4:2111 with 11 · Je r. 49: 12). The word daughte r occurs about twenty times in each Lamentations has been called the wailing \ book. The same compassion, wall of the Bible. sympathy and grief over Judah's downfall are evident in both I. Author. books.

Nowhere in this brief book does the A strong and persistent tradition author give his name. Yet there is little (4) from the 3rd century B.C. main­ doubt that the author was Jeremiah. Con­ tains that Jeremiah wrote the sider the following: book. The book is a lament. (1) The superscription to Jeremiah wrote a lament for Lamentations in the Septuagint Josiah (I I Chron. 35:25). That was says, "And it came to pass after an earlier occasion, but it demonstrates Israel had been carried away that he was familiar with the lament captive and Jerusalem had become form. desolate, that Jeremiah sat weep­ ing and lamented with his lamen­ 1 1 tation over Jerusalem saying... . (2) The book was written by an eye-witness of Jerusalem's seige and fall soon This is also the position of the after the destruction took place Talmud, the Aramaic targums of (1:13-15, 2:6,9, 4:1-12). Jonathon, and the early Christian writers like Origin and . Jeremiah not only witnessed the Reformers, such as Calvin, and fall of Jerusalem, but also remained numerous commentators like Keil, behind after the captives were de­ support this view. ported (cf. Jer. 39). 11. Recipients. (3) Elements of style are similar to Jeremiah. A. Their date.

1 The similarities are striking Boa says, 'Nebuchadnezzar 1 aid • and numerous, especially in the seige on Jerusalem from January, _ poetic sections of Jeremiah (e.g., 588 B.C. to July, 586 B.C. It fell on cf. Lam. 1 :2 with Jer. 40:13; Lam. July 19 and the city and the temple 1:15 with Jer. 8:21; Lam. 1:16, 2:11 were burned on August 15. Jeremiah with Jer. 9:1 ,18; Lam. 2:22 with probably wrote these five elegies before he was taken by his disobedient - 48 - - 49 - countrymen into Egypt not long after IV. Structure. the destruction (Jer. 43:1-7).111 So the date is late 586 B.C. The literary structure of the book ' of Lamentations is simple and obvious-­ B. Their description. in the Hebrew test. The book consists of five poems, one for each chapter. I. All who observed the destruction of e r a The first five poems are acrostics. J us 1 em ( 1 : 1 2 ) • Each verse begins with a word whose first letter is successively one of the twenty­ 2. The Lord (1:20, 2:20, etc.). two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, i.e., 3. Judah and Jerusalem (2:13, 3:40,41, except in chapter three where three verses etc.). are alotted to each letter. Four chapters were also written in what is called "limping meter." A cadence used 4. Edom (4:21-22). in funeral dirges, and thus most appropriate for this lament over the I I I. Subject. destruction of Jerusalem. The subject of Lamentations is a lament Isn't it strange that Jeremiah is over the destruction of Jerusalem. The overcome with emotion and yet he writes a term "lamentations" comes from a Greek lament in the form of an acrostic? It word which means "to cry aloud.11 The book seems to give the book a touch of. consists of poems of mourning over the unreality. Baxter concludes that the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the acrostic format "indicates self-possession temple by the Babylonians. amid deep emotion on the part of the writer: what he writes is the product of reflec- J. Vernon McGee puts it like this:· tion·and deliberation. Moreover, such is "The book is filled with tears and sorrow. It is a paean of pain, a poem of pity, a the genius of these 'Lamentations' that. proverb of pathos, a of heartbreak, although they are within their acrostic' a psalm of sadness, a symphony of sorrow, framework, the underlying thought remains a story of sifting, a tale of tears, a uncramped, unforced and spontaneous. Pain, pathos, genius, inspiration and beauty, dirge of desolation, a tragedy of travail,1 1 an account of agony, and a book of boo-hoo • are all here, in these 'Lamentations' of It is the wailing wall of the Bible... No Jeremiah." 3

blues singer11 ever sang a sadder song than Jeremiah. 2 I. The first lament (desolation of Je rus a lem) . 1 11. The second lament (destruction of Je rusa 1 em). 2 - 50 - - 51 - I I I. The third lament (distress of Jeremiah). and God is holy. He is righteous to 3 judge." IV. The fourth lament (defeat of \ Jerusalem). 4 C. To express hope in God's future

restoration of His people. . : V. The fifth lament (desire of J erem iah ) . 5 God has judged, but He will be faithful to His covenant promise V. Purpose. (cf. Lam. 3:22-23).

A. To express mourning over Jerusalem's holocaust. Conclusion: For better than fifty years, Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jeremiah warned of coming judgment. Jerusalem, but recognizes that God is righteous Now the holy city has been laid waste in judging and will be faithful to His people. and desolate. God's promised judg­ ment for sin has come. But instead of exhalation over 1 the fulfillment of his prophecy, Boa, p. 166. Jeremiah mourns and weeps. Part of the purpose is to express that sorrow in 2J. Vernon McGee, p.86. the heart of Jeremiah over the destruc­ tion of Jerusalem. But something 3 greater than Jeremiah is here, as J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book, Vol. 3 Scofield points out, "The touching LGrandr Rapids: Zodervan, 1960] , p.285. significance of this book lies in the fact that it is the disclosure of the love and sorrow of Jehovah for the people whom He is chastening--a sorrow wrought by the Spirit in the heart of Jeremiah."

B. To confess sins and acknowledge God's righteous judgment. There is not just mourning and misery, there is confession. The attitude of the book is "We have sinned - 5 2 - - 53 - 1 EZEKIEL his final seige of Jerusalem. Ezekiel s wife (they were still in Babylon) died as a sign to Judah when Nebuchadnezzar \ Ezekiel has been called the prophet of glory. began his final seige (24:16-24). Ezekiel continued his ministry I. Author. until at least 570 B.C., and probably died about 560. He, no doubt wrote The author of Ezekiel was Ezekiel the book shortly after the incidences (1:3, 24:24). This autobiographical book recorded in it. His ministry lasted uses the first person singular throughout. for at least twenty-two years (1:2, The internal evidence supports the unity 29:17), so his book was probably 'tl and integrity of the book. The style, completed by 565 B.C. language and thematic development are also consistent throughout. B. Their description.

II. Recipients. The recipients of the were the Jews in captivity in A. Their date. Babylon about 565 B.C. He addresses the book to the children of Israel Because of the data in the book of (2:3, 3:1), especially those in Ezekiel itself, the date for its captivity (3:11, 11 :25). There are composition can be pin-pointed farely also messages for the Gentiles· (25:3, accurately. Ezekiel 1:1 mentions the 27:3, etc.). thirieth year. That is probably a reference to Ezekiel himself. If so, The Jews living in Babylon were he was born about 622 B.C. captives, but they were treated more as colonists rather than slaves. They In 606 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar con­ increased in numbers and accumulated quered Jerusalem and carried off great wealth. Some of them even rose hostages, including Daniel and his to high office. They also had friends. Ezekiel was sixteen years religious freedom. During this period old at the time. Nebuchadnezzar they gave up idolatry. As a matter of returned in 597 and carried off 10,000 fact, they gave it up forever.. They captives, including Ezekiel. In other sought out the books of the Law and words, when Ezekiel was about twenty­ inaugerated the worship five years old he was deported to system which became so powerful in the Babylon. When he was approximately years that followed. thirty, he received his prophetic commission (1 :2-3), that is, about The complaint of the discour,ged 592 B. C. In 586, Nebuchadnezzar made exiles, however, was "the way of the - 54 - - 55 - Lord is not equal" (right or just; cf. 18:25,29 33:17,20). Evidently, address,11 all used11 to give his message. false prophets in Babylon led some of Any structure is a topical arrange­ ment of that material. \ the first captives to believe that Jerusalem would not be destroyed, that 1 their beloved city would be destroyed Introduction: Ezekiel s call and and they would soon return. Jeremiah commission (glory revealed). 1-3 heard that and wrote them a letter (cf. ch. 29). Ezekiel began his I. Prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem (glory removed). ministry the following year, endorsing all that Jeremiah said. He had to 4-24 convince them that they had to return I I. Prophecies against the to the Lord before they could return surrounding nations. 25-32 to the land. I I I. Prophecies of Israel's restoration (glory restored). 111. Subject. 33-48 The subject of the book of Ezekiel is the glory of God. Ezekiel sees the glory V. Purpose. of God when he is called and commissioned A. To show that God was justified in (cf. 1:28, 3:12,23). He records the departure of God's glory (9:3, 10:4,18-19, withdrawing His glory. 11:22-23), and the restoration of God's glory during the millennium (43:1-5, The children of Israel were in 44:4) captivity. Their complaint was that the Lord was not fair. Ezekiel writes It has been suggested that Ezekiel is to show that God was justified in the most spiritual of the prophets, as he withdrawing His glory and sending deals more with the person 11of God than the His people into the captivity. others. Someone has said, Ezeki el is the prophet of the Spirit as Isaiah is the Proof is presented that instead prophet of the Son and Jeremiah the of blotting them out, as He had done prophet of the Father.11 to other nations who had committed similar abominations, he rather IV. Structure. chastened them to correct them and to prevent them from doing this again. Ezekiel is obviously a series of messages (cf. 6:1, 7:1, 12:1, 13:1, 15:1, It worked. The Babylonian etc.). There are within the book visions, captivity cured the Jews of idolatry. parables, an allegory and a direct Until the time of the captivity they continually fell into idolatry. From - 56 - - 57 - that time until this, whatever else DANIEL they have been guilty of, they have not been idolatrous. Daniel is the most important prophetic

\ Furthermore, the surrounding book in the Old Testament. nations who were jubilant over their ,11 II fall would be judged (25:32). I. Author. B. To assure them that God's glory would Daniel claims to have written this return. book (12:4) and uses the first person singular from 7:2 on. The Jewish Talmud Though they were discouraged now, agrees with his testimony, and Christ they could be encouraged, for God's attributes a quote from Daniel 9:27 to glory would return in the millennium. Daniel (Matt. 24:15). The modern critical view rejects the traditional Danielic authorship and attempts Conclusion: to establish a Maccabbeean date (i.e., Ezekiel informed the captives in Babylon about 167 B.C.). They use several arguments that God was just in withdrawing His glory from to support their view. Israel, but He would also judge the Gentiles and restore His glory to Israel. I. There are historical mistakes in Daniel.

For example, :1 says Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in the third year of Jehoiachim. Jeremiah 25:1 states that the fourth year of Jehoiachim was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar. So how could Nebuchadnezzar make an expedition in the third year of Jehoiachim if he-didn't come to power until the fourth year? Unger explains that Jeremiah, livtng in Palestine, evidently 8sed the Palestinian system of dating the first year of a king's reign as the ascension year, whereas Daniel, living in Babylon, used the system there of dating the first year as the year after - 58 - - 59 -

the ascension.1 prophet. That's why his book was placed among "the writings" and not the There are literary features which prove prophets in the Hebrew canon. \ 2. it was written long after the 6th The real problem is that Daniel century B.C. predicts the future. The critics don't accept the supernatural, so they invent One critic named Driver says the a late date to explain away the super­ presence of three Greek words (the natural prophetic element in Daniel. names of musical instrumen ts) "demand" a date after the captivity of Palestine 11. Recipients. by Alexander the Great, i.e., about 332 B.C. But we know these Jewish A. Their date. captives were required to furnish music (Psalms 137:3) for their captors. Daniel was among the captives Surely Greeks from Cypress, Ionia, Lydia taken to Babylon in 606 B.C. Daniel and Cilicai were required to do the same. 1:1-2 says it was the third year of Thus Daniel could have learned these king Jehoiachim. Daniel was a teen­ Greek terms from them. Besides, Daniel ager at the time. was probably modernized by Ezra. He ministered for the full duration 3. There is an indication from its place of the Babylonian captivity as a prophet in the canon that it was a much later and government official, and continued work. on after Babylon was overcome by the and the in 539 B.C. It is assumed that because the In other words, he was in the court book is placed among the writings, it of Babylon (cf. Nebuchadnezzar and was not in existence when the canon of Belteshazzar), and Persia (cf. Darius the prophets was closed between 300 and Cyrus). and 200 B.C. According to Daniel 10:1, he lived In the first place, how does one and ministered at least until the third know the canon of the prophets was year of Cyrus (536 B.C.). Boa suggests closed between 300 and 200 B.C.? But Daniel's final edition was written by the real answer to this problem is that the books of the prophets were all from his ninetieth year, i.e., about ·530 B.C. men who held the office of prophet. B. Their description. Although Daniel had the prophetic gift (Matt. 24:15), he was a statesman and The was received an administrator in a foreign court, by the Jews in captivity in Babylon. not a preacher, social reformer or a A Gentile nation had conquered

- 60 - - 61 - Jerusalem. Those Jews in captivity Introduction. ch. 1 :1-2:3 wanted to know what would happen to Israel next, and for that matter, I. The sovereign God will ultimately what would happen to the Gentile judge Gentile nations. ch. 2:4-7 nations. A. The great image. 2 ch. Ill. Subject. B. The gold statue. ch. 3

C. The gigantic tree. ch. 4 The subject of Daniel is the D. The gala feast. ch. 5 sovereignty of God. More specifically, it E. The ghastly plot. ch. 6 is the sovereignty of God over al 1 nations F. The grotesque beast. ch. 7 of the world throughout history (cf. 2:21, 4: 17). 11 Conclusion: God will judge the ln Daniel, we have the revelation nations and establish of the power and wisdom of the Lord God His kingdom. in the government11 of the world to the end of the days (G. Campbell Morgan). I I. The sovereign God will ultimately resurrect and reward Israel. IV. Structure. ch. 8-12

A. The vision of the ram and goat. There are two structural clues to ch. 8 the book of Daniel which should be taken B. The vision of seventy weeks. into account: (1) the book is not in ch. 9 chronological order. :1 is the 1 The vision of Israel s future. first year of Belteshazzar, whereas 5:1 c. records his death; (2) the book is written ch. 10-12 1 in two languages. 1:1-2:3 and 8:1-12:13 Conclusion: are in Hebrew, while 2:4-7:18 is in Israel s future will be Aramaic. be full of trouble until they have trouble That means the traditional approach like they've never had of dividing the book into historical before, but ultimately, (ch. 1-6) and prophetical (7-12) is not God will rescue, accurate. It doesn't take a genius to resurrect and reward. figure out that chapter 2 is prophecy. In V. Purpose. the traditional outline, it occurs in the historical section. A. To establish that a sovereign God will judge the Gentile nations. Israel, God's chosen nation, had - 62 - - 6 3 - been conquered by Babylon, but Babylon Conclusion: was pagan! What would happen? Would Babylon last forever? Would Israel Dan!el assures the Jews in captivity that \ always be subject to Babylonian rule? a sovereign God will ultimately judge the What happened to the promises of God? Gentile nations, restore and reward Israel ' and establish His kingdom. Daniel's answer is that Babylon will be conquered, and so will the one who conquers her, and so will the one who conquers her, and so forth, until 1 ultimately God will judge all Gentile Unger, p.397. nations. That message establishes the sovereignty of God and the surity of His promises in the minds of the exile Jews.

B. To establish that a sovereign God will restore and reward Israel.

Israel is being1 punished. Is there no end? Daniel s message is here dis­ couraging and encouraging. He predicts trouble ahead. Israel wi11 suffer under Gentile powers for many years. But the encouraging news is that this period is not permanent. The time will come when God will restore and reward Israel. He will establish His Messianic kingdom which will last forever. The God who directs the forces of history has not deserted His people. They must continue to trust Him. His promises of preservation and ultimate restoration are sure.

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