--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: It is day 276. We're reading from Nehemiah chapter 8, Esther chapter 3, and chapter 13. Remember Esther's kind of wonky with the translations of Hebrew and Greek and the Septuagint. And so it'll be fun for us.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And as well as Proverbs chapter 21, verses 5 through 8. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast, Little Known Fact. If you click on subscribe, you receive daily episodes and daily updates. Don't have to hunt and peck and search for the episodes. They find you wherever you are, wherever you are on day 276.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: We're reading Nehemiah chapter 8, Esther chapter 3 and chapter 13, Proverbs chapter 21 verses 5 through 8. The book of Nehemiah chapter 8.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And when the seventh month had come, the children of Israel were in their towns. And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the water gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And he read from it, facing the square before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for the purpose, and beside him stood Mattathiah, Shemah, Aniah, Uriah, Hilkiah, Maasaiah on his right hand, and Padaiah, Mishael, Melchijah, Hashum, Hashbadanah, Zechariah, and Meshulam on his left hand.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Also, Jeshua, Bani, Sherabiah, Jamin, Akub, Shabbatai, Hodiah, Maasaiah, Kelita, Azariah, Josabad, Hanan, Peliah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law while the people remained in their places.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And they read from the book, from the law of God clearly, and they gave the sense so that the people understood the reading.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: For this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The Feast of Booths celebrated. On the second day, the heads of the fathers' houses of all the people with the priests and the Levites came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the law.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And they found it written in the law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths during the feasts of the seventh month, and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem, go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths as it is written.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves each on his roof and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the water gate, and in the square at the gate of Ephraim.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: For from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun, to that day the sons of Israel had not done so.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And there was very great rejoicing. And day by day from the first day to the last day he read from the book of the law of God They kept the feast seven days and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The Book of Esther, Chapter 3. Haman Seeks to Destroy the Jews
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: After these things, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hamadatha, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and did obeisance to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: But Mordecai did not bow down or do obeisance. Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, Why do you transgress the king's command?
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman in order to see whether Mordecai's words would avail, for he had told them that he was a Jew.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or do obeisance to him, Haman was filled with fury.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, so, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman day after day. And they cast it month after month till the 12th month, which is the month of Adar.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not for the king's profit to tolerate them.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business. That they may put it into the king's treasuries.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hamadatha, the enemy of the Jews.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And the king said to Haman, The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Then the king's secretaries were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king's satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the princes of all the peoples.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: To every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's ring.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces to destroy, to slay and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Chapter 13 The King's Letter
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: This is a copy of the letter. And desire. When I asked my counselors how this might be accomplished, Haman, who excels among us in sound judgment and is distinguished for his unchanging goodwill and steadfast fidelity, and has attained the second place in the kingdom, pointed out to us that among all the nations in the world there is scattered a certain hostile people who have laws contrary to those of every nation and continually disregard the ordinances of the kings.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So that the unifying of the kingdom which we honorably intend cannot be brought about. We understand that this people and it alone stands constantly in opposition to all men, perversely following a strange manner of life and laws and is ill disposed to our government, doing all the harm they can so that our kingdom may not attain stability.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Therefore, we have decreed that those indicated to you in the letters of Haman, who is in charge of affairs and is our second father, shall all with wives and children be utterly destroyed by the sword of their enemies, without pity or mercy on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, of this present year.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So that those who have long been and are now hostile may in one day go down in violence to Hades and leave our government completely secure and untroubled hereafter A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The couriers went in haste by order of the king and the decree was issued in Susa the capital And the king and Haman sat down to drink.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: But the city of Susa was perplexed.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The book of Proverbs chapter 21 verses 5 through 8
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance. But everyone who is hasty comes only to want.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The violence of the wicked will sweep them away because they refuse to do what is just.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is right.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. Thank you so much. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the word that Ezra proclaimed.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Ezra the scribe declaring and proclaiming your word over the people of Israel who had returned from exile and recognized that in this city, the city with the temple of your presence of worship, the city with a wall around it, this city that is your holy city, that your holy words were able to convict and pierce their hearts.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: We ask you, let your holy word do what it does. Let it convict and pierce our hearts. Let it give us encouragement. Let us give us fear of the Lord in the best possible way.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Let your word, Lord God, guide our steps and be a light unto our path. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So we got to see Ezra again, which is awesome. A little team up between Nehemiah and Ezra. And in this scene, what do we have? We have Ezra the scribe who does what? He reintroduces the law of God to the people of Israel.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Now it seems to be that the people who were in exile had forgotten the law. I mean, they knew that they were Jewish, but they didn't know the depth of the law, the depth of the covenant.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Now it's, why would people weep? And this is, this is just so beautiful. And chapter eight, verse nine, where it says, and Nehemiah, who was the governor and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and all the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, this day is holy to the Lord, your God, do not mourn or weep for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And this is so, so powerful. Why would they weep? My guess is that they would weep not because like, oh gosh, it's not as if Ezra got up and he started reading laws out of your local jurisdiction of speeding traffic laws or the local laws regarding, I don't know, housing or regarding any other thing.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Ezra was reading the law of God, which was what? Well, A, it was wise. So it had reflected a depth of justice to it. It not only was committed to justice, and also had it reflected a degree of mercy to it.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: For example, what are the people commanded to do? It says, go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine, which is great. Yeah, go celebrate. This day is holy to the Lord.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And it says, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. Basically, not only, yeah, celebrate today, but also as you celebrate, send portions to those who don't have anything.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And this is the justice, the law of God, but also the mercy of God. And so there's this, it could be that they're weeping because they've never heard such powerful and wise and good commands.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: But it also could be what the law reflects. What does the law reflect? It reflects the fact that they have a relationship. They have a relationship with God.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: They're reminded of the covenant of the Lord God with them. And that changes everything, doesn't it? My gosh, I mean, to think, yes, we can say, oh, we have rules here. And those rules are really smart. That's one thing.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: But the laws come out of a relationship. The rules come out of the relationship. And the relationship is the covenant that God established with his people.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So here as Ezra is up and he's standing on that wood platform and the men and the women and all the people able to understand can hear. And then people are interpreting this to them as they're listening.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: They realize, wait, there is a God who knows me. There is a God who loves me. There is a God who entered into a covenant with me and with us.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And yes, they knew that they were Jewish, but maybe it's possible that they didn't know what that really meant. And that's true for us too sometimes, isn't it?
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: I mean, gosh, we grow up thinking, well, yeah, everyone's a child of God. If you're raised in a place where most people around you are Christians, like, yeah, of course everyone is a child of God.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And you realize, actually, that's not true. And not only that, but we can sometimes not really know what that means.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Again of course I know I Jewish I just didn't know what that meant. And we could say yeah I a Christian I just didn't even stop to think what that meant.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: I'm a son of God or daughter of God. And I just didn't even stop to think what that meant. And all of a sudden here comes Ezra, the scribe, and he's reading the books of the words of the law.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And you're pierced to the heart with this sense of, this is who I've been made to be my entire life. And that is not who I've been living as.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: This weeping would happen. This is who I was created to be. Here, this is who I've been redeemed to be. And I haven't been living like that.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And that's why Ezra and Nehemiah, the priests have to be saying, listen, this day is holy to the Lord your God. This is a celebration day. Do not mourn or weep.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: So go your way, celebrate, eat the fat, drink sweet wine, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared for this day is holy to the Lord and do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The joy of the Lord is your strength. Those are words to be tattooed on your pillow or to be stitched into our minds, into our hearts.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And in fact, I've heard translations, the joy of the Lord must be your strength. That is not an option. It's necessary.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: The joy of the Lord must be your strength. Well, speaking of joy and speaking of pillows, I guess in stitched, tattooed words, We have the book of Esther.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And in the book of Esther, we have the beginning of the crisis. And the beginning of the crisis is, here's Haman. Haman's promoted to being second in command of all of King Ahasuerus' land, kingdom.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And people bow down to him, except for this man, Mordecai. And Mordecai, the foster father, essentially, of Esther, he refuses to bow down.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And so Haman, in his pettiness, in his littleness, he makes up this argument to King Ahasuerus that says that, you know, you've got these Jews living among you and they have their own laws.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: They have their own rules and they've been hostile ever since the, you know, get go. And so why don't we just completely eliminate them?
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And King Ahasuerus, as I've mentioned before, he's not a good guy. This is not someone you're looking to to be like the hero of the story.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: He says, sure, go ahead. And basically, yeah, if they're causing trouble, kill everyone. And so that's what we get.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And then we even have his letter in chapter 13, which is just, yeah, you know, here, I'm trying to keep my kingdom peaceable. I'm trying to establish lasting tranquility.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And therefore, I'm going to establish lasting tranquility by eliminating anyone who stands in my way. Basically, I'm going to bring peace by destroying anyone who might not, or I'm going to make sure everyone is five foot two by cutting off the feet of anyone who's taller than that.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: I mean, basically, it's almost like you think about this when I think it was the country of Sweden, when they said that they eliminated Down syndrome in the country of Sweden.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And you're like, wow, that's incredible. How did they do that? Well, they killed every baby who had Down syndrome. It's just like one of those like, oh, so yeah, you've established, you've eradicated this issue from your lives, but you did that by killing every human being who had Down syndrome.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: In this case, you have King Ahasuerus in his letter in chapter 13 saying, I'm going to establish this peace and keep lasting tranquility by doing what? By killing anyone who disturbs the peace.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And we recognize that that is, again, King Ahasuerus is evil. So now here's what happens. When Esther is going to come before King Ahasuerus, we not only have the story of what he did with Queen Vashti, we also have this story about how volatile he can be, how volatile violent he can be, how unreasonable he can be, and how quick to kill an entire people he could possibly be.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And so if Esther has to intercede on behalf of her people, which, spoiler alert, she is invited to do this, hopefully she does it, she'll be taking her life into her hands.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: Now, for all of us, we are called to do what? We're called to witness to the Lord God. We're called to witness to our Lord Jesus Christ.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And doing so, we also are taking our lives into our hands. And because of that, we need prayers. We need God's grace.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: You have been brought into the covenant, and it is a covenant of love, covenant of mercy, covenant of justice, covenant of truth.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: And so in order to live this covenant and proclaim this covenant, we need grace. And so I'm praying for you. Please be praying for me.
--:-- Father Mike Schmitz: My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
