Nehemiah II: Internal Threats in the Quest for a Jewish Identity

The Israelites are back in Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. Reconstruction of the wall around the city has been completed, and for a time the Israelites do not have to worry about external threats from governors in the area such as Sanballat and Tobiah. With God and a physical wall for protection, the Jews no longer have to expend energy worrying about attacks. This energy is instead expended on reforming life within the city walls. The Israelites have forgotten some of the practices and laws of their ancestors, and now must return to God.

[To read more about the external threats to Israel during the period of Nehemiah's leadership leading to the completion of the wall, see Tuesday's post: Nehemiah I: External Threats in the Quest for a Jewish Identity.]

Inside
I am not trying to impose this idea of external to internal on the text; the biblical author, in fact, is the one that cleverly keeps the externally-focused and internally-focused sections of Nehemiah separated by the completion of the wall. Starting with Nehemiah 7, we are held within the wall, as the Israelites rediscover the proper worship of God from within.

Nehemiah 7 is comprised mainly of a genealogy of the people living in Jerusalem. Note that once the narrative shifts its focus to the people of Israel, the major characters are now listed.

In Nehemiah 8, Ezra reestablishes regular worship of the Lord through his reading of the book of the law of Moses. [Read more about outside sources and sources of shame that inform the book that bears Ezra's name] Interestingly, Levites move among the people while the book is being read, in order that the people may better understand the text. Whether this is translation or interpretation, the author does not specify. However, it is clear that correct understanding of and therefore adherence to the Law of Moses is of the utmost importance, even for the laity. The Jewish faith is to be one based on the rules God establishes: an orthopraxic faith instead of an orthodox one (i.e. a faith based on proper practice, as Islam is, rather than proper belief, as Christianity is). The detail also helps to establish the active role of the Levites as intermediaries between the divine and mundane realms.

The return to old sources continues the next day, as the heads of the ancestral households join the priests, Levites, and Ezra to study the law. In this way, the festival of booths is rediscovered and reestablished.

Nehemiah 9 features the national confession of the Israelite religion, and emphasizes the holiness (meaning "separateness") of Israelite religion. This separation of Israel from the rest of the world is clear in certain practices in Judaism, such as kosher laws. Actions of separation serve to emphasize that the Jews are "a people apart."

This is further emphasized in Nehemiah 13, when it is found in the book of Moses that "no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God" (Nehemiah 13.1), based on Balaam's historic curse against the Israelites. In fact, the people interpret this prohibition to include all foreigners, further removing Israel from the other people of the land.

Nehemiah 9 also contains the history of the Israelites, as read by Ezra. Throughout, the dialectical tensions are apparent: this is the cyclical framework on which the Bible is written. The oration ends with a clear statement of the present situation:

Now therefore, our God—the great and mighty and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love—do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until today. You have been just in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly; our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law or heeded the commandments and the warnings that you gave them. Even in their own kingdom, and in the great goodness you bestowed on them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their wicked works. Here we are, slaves to this day—slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts. Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
Nehemiah 9.32-37

Even in their present condition, the Israelites are still in debt to God for the actions of their ancestors. God's steadfast love has always been accessible, but it has been rejected time and time again. This is the beauty of the bible, and comprises the biblical narrative itself. The constant back-and-forth between God and his people is based on humankind's disposition to disobey God, and God's promise of steadfast love. It is a story we can even read into today, if we wish. [Well, maybe not today. It's getting late.]

A new covenant is signed in Nehemiah 10, reaffirming the law of Moses, as well as putting a contemporary spin on some of the laws in order to suit the time period. The law evidently must change over time as society and the Israelites' situation evolves.

Even by the end of the chapter, the dialectical tensions express themselves in full force as the people of Jerusalem revert to abhorrent practices. The once-reviled governor Tobiah has been given a room in the house of God, and the Levites have not received their just portions.

As a final measure of reform and expression of separateness, Nehemiah reemphasizes the Sabbath and forbids mixed marriage. The Israelites have been separated from outsiders, and must remain separate.

The chapter ends with a fitting request from Nehemiah, who has done so much as governor to reestablish a just Israelite society:

Remember me, O my God, for good.
(Nehemiah 13.31)

Nehemiah I: External Threats in the Quest for a Jewish Identity

This post is part of a two-post series. The second portion will be posted Thursday, March 24 under the title, "Nehemiah II: Internal Threats in the Quest for a Jewish Identity."

The tales of Ezra and Nehemiah mark the beginning of the postexilic period, in which the Israelites attempt to reestablish themselves in Judah under the auspices of King Cyrus of Persia. After dispersal, the Israelites (or Jews, as they are referred to by outsiders) rally around two major building projects: the temple and the wall. The story of the rebuilding of the Temple is told in Ezra. The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem is told in Nehemiah.

The Jews were again dispersed in 70 C.E., this time by the Romans. Had it not been for events well over half-a-century ago, this story of redemption in Ezra and Nehemiah could have been timeless, without parallel in the modern world. But it's a story that played itself out again not so long ago, with the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. That nation likewise faced and faces the hostility of its neighbors.

One of the formulas of biblical literature is the repetition of events as a way of showing that the undercurrents of our lives are timeless. Apostasy and repentance, destruction and renewal are constant cycles. Even after the codification of the bible, the themes within the tale continue to repeat themselves. This will be partially apparent in today's post, but really come to light Thursday. Today we will focus on the struggles of reestablishing the center of Israelite worship: the house of God or temple.

The story up to this point:
Israel and Jerusalem were ruled for years by kings, some wicked and some good. The wicked ones would destroy the work of the good ones through their apostasy, and the good ones would reconstruct the great society that was destroyed by the wicked kings. First the northern kingdom of Israel is taken, then the southern kingdom of Judah. The residents of Judah are overtaken by the Chaldeans and taken to Babylon. They are granted liberty by King Cyrus of Persia some 50 years later (historically; the bible indicates 70 as a more perfect symbolic number). And so the difficult task of rebuilding society may begin.

This is not to say that previous books do not point toward a Jewish/Israelite identity. They do. I chose the book of Nehemiah to feature this point because there is so much condensed evidence to support the idea, coming at a time when Jewish community was of supreme importance as it re-forms itself in the postexilic period.

Setting the Stage

The book of Nehemiah opens with news of the destruction and shame of Jerusalem:

The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.
(Nehemiah 1.3)

This is followed by the first of many prayers to appear in the book of Nehemiah. Appearing in Nehemiah 1.5-11, the prayer first invokes the covenant and God's steadfast love that accompanies it. This is followed by an acknowledgement of sin, and a reminder of God's covenant with Moses:

"If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name."
(Nehemiah 1.8-9)

The prayer closes with an entreaty that God hear and act on the prayer.

This prayer effectively explains the back story of this narrative and explicates the themes that will appear throughout: the dialectical tension between God and humankind, God's everlasting love, and pity on marginalized groups.

Politics
Nehemiah is cup bearer to King Artaxerxes - which is actually an important office with a degree of political clout in the Persian court. He therefore stands to actually have some impact in his words to the king. In fact, Artaxerxes gives Nehemiah permission to rebuild the city of his ancestors, and provides the him with letters granting safe passage and access to timber for the rebuilding of the city. Nehemiah and the other exiles are accompanied to Jerusalem by officers from the army and cavalry.

Nehemiah 5.14-19 marks a peculiar section in which Nehemiah records the food and drink served at his table, with a strong emphasis that this is all provided without taking advantage of the king's assistance - an allowance of food that Artaxerxes provides to governors. Nehemiah remains as independent from the king as possible while still maintaining good political ties that will benefit Israel. In any case, Nehemiah rejects the allowance in favor of food produced by his own people. This section ends in one of his many prayers, this one a bit self-serving, as though the man is trying to memorialize himself for humans as well as God:

Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
(Nehemiah 5.19)

Threats
Local governors voice their opposition to the rebuilding from the very beginning. Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite threaten great grief for the Israelites. These characters will show up to threaten the well-being of the Israelites, after which Nehemiah consistently petitions God for justice or protection. Examples:

Nehemiah 4.4-5
A prayer to God asking for retribution for the insults the Israelites suffer.

Nehemiah 4.9
Mention of a prayer for protection. This is supplemented by a guard protecting Jerusalem. Nehemiah places troops around the wall to defend against impending attack, and construction continues with an air of readiness for battle. The people are told:

“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.”
(Nehemiah 4.19-20)

This statement of faith in God confirms the historic precedent that God will indeed fight on behalf of Israel.

Nehemiah 6.9
A short prayer, asking God to "strengthen my hands" as Nehemiah continues construction of the wall in the face of threats from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshom the Arab.

Nehemiah 6.14
A petition to God for retribution on Tobiah, Sanballat, and the conspiring false prophets, for their roles in an assassination plot against Nehemiah.

The Wall
Nehemiah guides the people in the construction of the wall around Jerusalem, which serves to protect Israel from external threats. The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem is a collaborative effort between the Israelites. Nehemiah 3 is comprised of a survey of all those who participated, and how and where they helped out.

When the wall is completed, it is said that,

 All the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
(Nehemiah 6.16)

After the completion of the wall, Jerusalem no longer needs to fear the external threat so greatly. It now has God and a physical barrier for protection. However, interior life must be reformed as well if the Jews are to maintain their protected status under God...

Ezra: Shame and a Remote God

Today's post takes another look at the book of Ezra, focusing on the shame that Ezra feels for the Israelites as they try to shed the past in order to establish a new future.

Read last week's post on Ezra: Looking in: Outside Sources in Ezra.

Ezra's Shame
Ezra is a particularly devout priest and scribe who is charged by King Artaxerxes with reestablishing the Israelites in Jerusalem. As a devout man, he is very conscious of the sins of Israel. He lives in a time when Israel stands able to reestablish itself as a legitimate nation as well as the legitimate people of God. However, there is a lot of work to do in order to reestablish both temple worship and a proper two-way dialog with God.

Ezra leaves Babylonia with a group of Israelites and plenty of provisions to reestablish the temple, and stops along the river Ahava, sending back for Levites to accompany the party to Jerusalem. There Ezra commands a fast in order to ask for God's protection:

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might deny ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and cavalry to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king  that the hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him. So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
(Ezra 8.21-23)

The relationship between God and humanity has been put under immense strain, and Ezra's wording makes apparent and incomplete faith in the Lord on the part of the Israelites. Generally, God offers protection in matters without people having to ask for it. Instances of theophany (i.e. divine revelation) have God grant protection to a character. In the days after the exile, however, God's relationship with his people is strained. Ezra must actively ask for protection.

Ezra also reveals the historical mindset, which seems to be emerging from less-than-complete devotion to the Lord. Before the Babylonian exile, a leader would not be "ashamed" of asking a band of foreign soldiers for protection because such soldiers would be considered superfluous, even insulting to God. Before the Babylonian exile, this group would be rejected outright in favor of God's protection. Ezra, however, at least considers the two options, indicating an incomplete trust in God. His decision is a matter of pride, as though Ezra has to prove that his God is capable of destroying the enemy. For someone who has lived in captivity without centralized worship, this view is not surprising. The community and leadership that instilled faith in God has disappeared. Now faith must be found again.

There is a bit of housekeeping to do in order to resubmit to God. During their time in Babylon, and probably even before this, a number of men took foreign wives. This is a forbidden practice known as exogamy (meaning marriage outside of a clan or group). The bible maintains that exogamy is proven path to the greatest sin: apostasy (meaning the abandonment of God). Maintaining strict worship of God only is the first commandment listed in the Decalogue (Ten Commandments; see Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). The texbook case of exogamy leading to apostasy occurs in the story of Solomon's apostasy, in which Solomon's lust for foreign women leads to the worship of foreign gods, which breaks the covenant between God and David and leads to the divided monarchy, which eventually devolves into the whole mess the descendants of Israel find themselves in from the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar until Ezra's time.

Shame is the acutest emotion Ezra feels in the book that bears his name, with two explicit descriptions of the emotion and events that lead to it. The first is described above. The second comes upon learning of the people of Israel's exogamy. Ezra reacts to the information with traditional displays of mourning: tearing his garment and pulling out his hair. Then he prays to the Lord with words that convey his deep sense of shame:

"Oh my God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens."
(Ezra 9.6)

Ezra continues to express his shame on behalf of the people, recounting their iniquities. At least some of this shame is a result of God's kindness. Ezra notes that Israel could be worse off, were God less devoted to his people. Perhaps he is fearful that further sin will push God "over the edge" as it were:

"After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you destroy us without remnant or survivor? O Lord, God of Israel, you are just, but we have escaped as a remnant, as is now the case. Here we are before you in our guilt, though no one can face you because of this."
(Ezra 9.13-15)

The group takes action. The men who return to Jerusalem with foreign wives are ultimately swayed to send them away (and with them, possibly, the children). But it is important to note that the author of Ezra does not have God act directly. Throughout all of the shame and alienation, Ezra is not a man who receives the word of God. His conversation seems to be one-way.

A Remote God
The author of Ezra's tone fits in perfectly with the historical reality of the time. Ezra is always supplicating God, never knowing if God appreciates the actions. Ezra does credit God with causing king Artaxerxes to let God's people return to Jerusalem. However, in the rest of the book action towards God is never reciprocated. God is praised but does not take direct action. God is remote. There is a wall between God and Israel - of Israel's own construction - that must be breached. Israel must work hard in order to reestablish a relationship with God, so that God will once again be an active player in Israelite life.