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The Book of Job tells a very un-American story. Our national myths favor rags-to-riches, underdog-to-victor, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps storylines. But Job does not fall into any of these categories. In fact, his is a billionaire-to- beggar, top dog-to-underdog kind of story. What happens to Job is our worst nightmare. He is a good person who does all … Continue reading “Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Commentary by Karla Suomala”

Esther is a strange and difficult book for several reasons, first and foremost because it is apparently non-theological. God never appears in the Hebrew version of the book, which is the form translated in most modern English versions. The Greek version of Esther, familiar from Catholic Bibles or from ecumenical versions which contain the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical … Continue reading “Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 Commentary by Brent A. Strawn”

If you haven’t ever read the book of Esther, read it now. It’s not long, and you will need the whole story to preach this text. You will immediately notice that the book of Esther reads almost as a stand-alone text within the biblical canon. It has no mention of Jerusalem, the law, prophets, the … Continue reading “Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 Commentary by Amy Oden”

Preaching from the book of Esther is not for the faint-hearted. The book offers some challenges to the preacher. In the Hebrew text of the book, God is never mentioned. Neither is prayer or worship. There is a lot of killing at the end of the book.1 And there’s the little matter of the way … Continue reading “Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 Commentary by Kathryn M. Schifferdecker”

I challenge you: If you do not choose to preach on Nehemiah 8, then let this passage inspire you to preach on the Torah. If your congregation asks you to proclaim the word of God (and I presume they have, or you would not be on this site), consider doing it in a public place,1  … Continue reading “Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Commentary by Anathea Portier-Young”

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are as distinct from the earlier books of Samuel and Kings as the times they narrate are different from the ages that preceded them.1 Part annals, part lists, part autobiography, part narration, set partly in the beginning of the return from exile and partly in later generations, the two … Continue reading “Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Commentary by Patricia Tull”

Cyrus’ decree allowing Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple is found not only in Ezra 1 but also in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23. In fact, according to the Jewish canon, the decree of Cyrus is the very last verse in the Bible. And this is in contrast to the Christian canon, which … Continue reading “Ezra 1:1-4; 3:1-4, 10-13 Commentary by Michael J. Chan”

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the LORD. . . (2 Kings 22:3) Some Background As preachers of the narrative lectionary are fully aware, even most active congregational members will not be able to contextualize the story of … Continue reading “2 Kings 22:1–23:1-3 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

The story of King Josiah is a cautionary tale about what happens when a people stray too far from God’s commandments for too long. Josiah is introduced to the reader by way of the stereotypical succession formulae for Judean kings, which announces when Josiah ascended the throne (age eight), the length of his reign (640 … Continue reading “2 Kings 22:1-10, [14-20]; 23:1-3 Commentary by Vanessa Lovelace”

This fascinating story takes place in the midst of a section that showcases Elisha’s amazing prophetic powers (2 Kings 4:1-6:7). Elisha succeeded the great Elijah in 2 Kings 2 and since then has been very busy. Beginning in chapter 4, he provides food for a poor widow (4:1-7), gives life to the deceased son of … Continue reading “2 Kings 5:1-14 Commentary by Brent A. Strawn”