132. Completion of the Walls of Jerusalem. Neh. iii-x. & xiii. Malachi. Sanballat, the governor of Samaria,78 and Tobiah, an Ammonite of much wealth and importance, derided the Jews in their labours, yet 'they were angry as the work proceeded. Nehemiah set men to guard those who builded, and some of them worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other; the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, for their enemies practised craft, by rumours and false prophets, to terrify the Jews. When the wall was finished, their enemies were much cast down, it was dedicated with gladness and thanksgiving. About this time the poor Jews cried out against the bondage and oppression of the rich. Nehemiah reproved the rich, and they promised to leave off 'usury, and restore to their brethren their lands, and vineyards, and olive-yards, and houses. Nehemiah was recalled to Persia,125 and he placed his brother Hanani, and Hananiah, the ruler of the palace, in charge over Jerusalem.32 *Ezra instructed the people in the law, and the people rejoiced to hear the words of the law read to them. They also kept the feast of Tabernacles seven days. On the twenty-fourth day of the same month they fasted in sackcloth,84 and separated themselves from strangers, and made confession of their own and their fathers' sins. They then made a solemn covenant3 to observe the commandments22 of the Lord, and not to forsake the house of their God. Nehemiah again came to Jerusalem, and testified98 against those who were unfaithful, particularly against the sabbath-breakers. He saw in those days in Judah73 some treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and he testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. Then he contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, "What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by 'profaning the sabbath." He also testified against those who had married wives of Ashdod,42 of Ammon, 58 and of Moab ;28 and their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. And he contended with them, saying, "Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves." Malachi was the last of the prophets whose writings are in the Old Testament. He testified against many social abuses in the religion and conduct of the Jews, and especially against polygamy and divorces. He foretold the 'conversion of the Gentiles; he spoke of Christ as the 'Sun of righteousness; and of the coming of John the Baptist, in the 'spirit of Elijah, to prepare for the coming of Christ. EXPLANATIONS. they were angry-for the privilege of rebuilding the walls of conquered cities was not generally conceded. The conciliatory measure of the Persian monarch towards the Jews excited the envy and jealousy of the Samaritans. men to guard, &c.-though the Samaritans had received instructions not to oppose Nehemiah, they took advantage of their distance from the seat of government to violate the imperial command. a weapon in the other the attacks were of a desultory nature and required the workmen to be always prepared. cried out against, &c.-this was one of the sins against which Jeremiah denounced God's anger just before the destruction of Jerusalem. Les. 120. Deut. xxiv. 14, 15. usury-interest, or money charged for the loan of money or anything else. The law of Moses forbade the Israelites taking any interest of each other, but they were at liberty to exact it of foreigners. Exod. xxii .25. Deut. xxiii. 20. restore... their lands, &c.-they had been mortgaged or given up to the creditors till the debts should be cleared off. Ezra instructed-he restored the observances of the Jewish law according to ancient usages. He also copied the sacred books of the Old Testament, and hence we have the copies now extant. feast of Tabernacles-this feast was also called the 'feast of ingathering', because it occurred at the conclusion of the vintage. Its original design was to celebrate the dwelling of the Israelites in tents during their journey through the wilderness. not to forsake, &c.-this covenant the Jews literally fulfilled; they never after fell into the sins of gross idolatry committed by their ancestors before the Babylonian captivity. profaning the sabbath-sabbath profanation is severely denounced in the sacred scriptures. See Ezek. xx. 12-26; Deut. v. 12-14. married wives of, &c.-intermarriages with surrounding nations were strictly prohibited by the law of Moses. Such marriages often proved the source of much evil. Les. 71. conversion, &c.-from idolatry and sensuality to the-worship of God and the cultivation of purity of heart and life. Sun, &c.-whose light should illuminate and warm into life everything good in the moral world. spirit of Elijah-that of a reformer; boldly rebuking sin in all classes, and testifying to the value of true religion. gression? Who was the last of the prophets? The malice of persecutors should displease us more because it is offensive to God than because it is injurious to us. The hindrance of good works is what Satan and his servants aim at, but in spite of all their opposition that which has God's favour and blessing shall prosper. We may perceive that reforms and improvements are prevented by selfishness-that instruction in the law is the only safeguard from error-that fasts are scriptural-that repentance necessarily includes the renunciation of bad habits and selfish indulgences, and the performance of God's ordinances,-and that in the Gospel the glory of God is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. PERIOD VII. Year of the World. Year Before Christ. 606 603 590 588 3398 Daniel and his three friends are blessed in their captivity 3401 Jehoiakim rebels against Nebuchadnezzar 3405 Jehoiakim dies after reigning 11 years; Jehoiachin succeeds him 599 Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem; Zedekiah made king Jeremiah prophesies of the captivity & restoration, of the Jews 3414 Zedekiah rebels; Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem. 3416 Zedekiah escapes-is overtaken-his eyes are put out . Gedaliah is made governor of Jerusalem, Ishmael slays him Ishmael escapes; Johanan and the Jews go into Egypt Ezekiel predicts the total destruction of Tyre and Sidon 3434 Nebuchadnezzar forgets his dream, Daniel declares it Nebuchadnezzar sets up an image of gold, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship it ;--they are cast into a fiery furnace, God delivers them; Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the True God. 570 3435 Nebuchadnezzar is reproved in a dream; his pride is humbled 569 3441 God restores Nebuchadnezzar; he declares God's power 3443 Evil-Merodach releases Jehoiachin from prison 563 561 Daniel has a vision of four great beasts, which are four empires 3449 Belshazzar makes a feast; a hand writes on the wall, Daniel 555 3467 Darius appoints Daniel chief president; his enemies cause him 537 to be cast into a den of lions; God delivers him 536 3468 Cyrus reigns alone, he proclaims liberty to the Jews 3542 Ahasuerus deposes Vashti, and marries Esther, a Jewess Sanballat opposes the building of the walls of Jerusalem 464 462 453 432 . 414 3576 A solemn covenant is made by the people to observe the Sab- 428 bath, to offer up the appointed sacrifices, &c. 3604 Malachi foretels the conversion of the Gentiles-the coming of 400 John Baptist, and of Christ, as the Sun of Righteousness TO THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH. A period of four hundred years elapsed from the time of Malachi's prophecies to the coming of Christ, but the Jews never enjoyed their former independence and prosperity, and they no longer received the direct tokens of God's favour which had distinguished their earlier history. The sacred fire of the altar which had burned from the time of Solomon's dedication of the temple, and had never been allowed to expire, was extinguished at the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. When the second temple was built and the offerings made, no fire descended from heaven, and the sacrifices were kindled with common fire. The Spirit of prophecy existed till the time of Malachi and then wholly ceased; and the history of this favoured people was no longer recorded by the pen of inspiration. After the Jews returned from Babylon they never again sank into idolatry, though their zeal for the honour of God abated after a few years. The Jews were subject to Persia nearly 200 years. Towards the close of the Persian sway the temple of the Samaritans was built on Mount Gerizim, in which the services of the Jewish religion were imitated by Manasseh, a son of the high priest at Jerusalem whom Nehemiah had expelled from the priesthood for having married the daughter of Sanballat, the Horonite, the governor of Samaria. This temple was designed to rival that at Jerusalem, and was one of the causes of that jealousy which ever after existed between the Jews and the Samaritans. The temple of Gerizim was destroyed about 200 years after. The Persian empire fell, and the Grecian rule was established under Alexander the Great. In all these events the prophecies of Daniel were minutely fulfilled. The Jews enjoyed comparative peace for many years under Alexander and his immediate successors, the Ptolemies, but one of them, Antiochus, endeavoured to abolish the worship of God throughout his dominions and to substitute the idolatries of the Grecians. are recorded in the books of Maccabees. Mattathias, a priest, and his five sons, who are known as the Maccabean princes, became successively the leaders of the Jewish nation in their resistance to the oppression and idolatries of Antiochus. Several of the princes of the Maccabees reigned as kings over the Jews till the time of Herod. These princes showed great valour in defence of their religion and laws and their early history shows us the happy effects of family union; but the dissensions which afterwards arose among their descendants prepared the way for the cruel, but successful tyrant Herod, who married Mariamne, a princess of the family of the Maccabees, whom he afterwards put to death in his jealous rage. Pompey, the Roman general, made the Jews tributary to Rome, but he was overthrown by Julius Cæsar at the battle of Pharsalia, about 50 years before Christ was born; and ten years after, Herod was declared king of Judea by the Romans. About 18 years before the birth of the Saviour, Herod pulled down the greater part of the second Temple and built a new one upon its site; it is said that 10,000 artificers were engaged on this great work under the superintendence of 1,000 priests. In less than ten years it was ready for Divine service, but additions continued to be made to it for many years, so that it might truly be said "forty-and-six years was this temple in building." It was demolished by Titus A.D. 70 on the same day of the same month on which Solomon's Temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. But the Temple was not then the sole place of worship of the Jewish nation, for synagogues, in which the Holy Scriptures were publicly read, had been erected in every city throughout Judea, so that the Jews had opportunities of hearing the word of God which had not existed previous to the Babylonish captivity. Herod died about a year after the birth of Christ, having vainly attempted to accomplish his death by the massacre of the infants in and about Bethlehem. After Herod's death his dominions were divided among his sons. THE END. |