Day 1 (Monday)
3 Kingdoms 4:20-21, 24-25; 6:1, 11-13, 37-38; 7:1; 8:1-21 (Peace in Israel; Solomon Builds the Lord's House)
Last time, we saw Solomon enter upon his kingship and ask the Lord for wisdom, rather than riches or victories against his enemies; the Lord was pleased with his request, and granted him not just wisdom, but also riches and victories and peace, and then, in the latter half of our reading, we saw an example of Solomon's wisdom at work. This time, we will read bits of the following chapters, and see how Solomon actually builds the Lord's House in Jerusalem (along with summaries of what we are NOT reading). The first 20 verses of chapter 4 list Solomon's officials, and then we begin with a beautiful statement of peace.
Chapter 4:20-21
Peace in Israel
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy. 21 Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life… … 24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and fig trees. …
From 4:26-34, we have more description of Solomon’s wealth and wisdom, and the Queen of Sheba visits
Chapter 5 – King Hiram of Tyre sends workers and materials to help Solomon build the Temple – Solomon conscripts forced labor out of all Israel.
Chapter 6 – Solomon Builds the Temple
6 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.
And then a detailed description of the Temple follows in 3 Kingdoms 6:2-10. Then…
11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my ordinances and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”
Then, in 3 Kingdoms 6:14-36 (Solomon furnishes the Temple.
Chapter 6:37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.
Solomon’s Palace and Other Buildings
7 Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.
And the rest of chapter 7 describes his houses and the house he built for Pharaoh’s daughter, and the things made by Hiram the Bronzeworker
Dedication of the Temple
8 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Eth′anim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. 8 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside; and they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
12 Then Solomon said,
“The Lord has set the sun in the heavens,
but has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
13 I have built thee an exalted house,
a place for thee to dwell in for ever.”
Solomon’s Speech
14 Then the king faced about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. 15 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 16 ‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city in all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.’ 17 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart; 19 nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ 20 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise which he made; for I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
Reading 2 – 1074 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that at this point in Solomon's reign, God has fulfilled every promise that he made to His people, and indeed, the Covenant seems to be renewed at this point. They are ruling over the entirety of the Land that God promised to them, from the Euphrates River to the River of Egypt, and Damascus, the kingdom of Edom, and the kingdom of Ammon are all in subjection to them. The peoples who had not been expelled when Joshua and the children of Israel came in are doing forced labor for Solomon, and now, after several decades of the Ark of the Covenant being in transit following the death of Eli and the end of the Tabernacle functioning in Shiloh, there is once again a place for all the people to gather to make the offerings that the Lord had commanded to them. At this time, they are at peace, and everyone is sitting under their vines and fig trees. And as Solomon assembles Israel to dedicate the Temple, the Cloud of the Lord's glory enters into the Temple, showing that He is blessing the people and restoring the Covenant with them. We also see, however, that Solomon has a program in mind that goes beyond what God intends; he wants his Temple to make Israel permanently special, regardless of whether they hold to the Lord's commandments or not. This will become more evident in next week's reading, but we see it already here, when he says that he has built a house for the Lord to dwell in, even though God dwells in thick darkness.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
St. Epiphanios on Holy Saturday – 2
Last time, we began to read a Sermon by St. Epiphanios of Salamis, which was delivered on Great and Holy Saturday, reflecting on the wonder of God lying in the tomb; this connects, of course, with the themes that we observe the evening of Holy Friday and the morning of Holy Saturday. In the first portion, we saw him reflect deeply on how the Lord stands "between two living creatures," and list a great many points where the Lord, united with us in death, is the still point around which all the Creation turns. This time, we will see him continue to reflect on the Lord's life and death, and on how Joseph of Arimathea went to ask for the Lord's Body to give Him burial.
Sermon of our Father among the Saints, Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus on the Burial of the divine Body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, on Joseph of Arimathæa and Nicodemus, and on the Lord’s Descent into Hell, which occurred in wondrous manner after his saving Passion.
Part 2
Forty days after his first birth, Christ went up to the earthly Jerusalem, to the temple, and as firstborn, brought a pair of turtledoves to God; and forty days after his rebirth from the dead, Christ ascended to the Jerusalem which is above, whence he had never been parted, into the true Holy of holies, as the incorrupt firstborn from the dead[17], and brought to God his Father, like two unblemished turtledoves, our soul and our body; and God, the Ancient of days[18], took him up in his arms[19], like another aged Simeon, into his uncircumscribed bosom.
Now, if thou hearest these things as fables, and not with faith, the unbroken seals of the tomb of Christ’s lordly rebirth are thine accusers. For just as Christ was born of a Virgin while keeping sealed the bolts that open the womb, Christ’s rebirth took place without breaking open the seals of the tomb. Let us then listen to the sacred oracles concerning how Christ the Life was laid in a tomb, when and by whom.
When the even was come, it says, there came a rich man, named Joseph;[20] the same went in boldly unto Pilate, and asked of him the body of Jesus.[21] Mortal went in unto mortal and asked to receive the God of mortals. Clay asks clay to receive the Fashioner of all, straw from straw seeks to carry off the heavenly Fire, a tiny drop from a drop receives the whole Ocean. Who has ever seen or heard the like? Man grants man the Creator of men. A lawbreaker ventures to hand over the lawful Legislator of laws. An unjust judge sends to burial the Judge of judges as one judged.
When the even was come there came a rich man, named Joseph. Rich indeed, for he carried away the whole compound Person of the Lord. Truly rich, for he received the dual essence of Christ from Pilate. Yea verily rich, for he was vouchsafed to carry off the priceless Pearl. Rich indeed, for he bore off a sack full of the treasure of divinity. How could he not be rich, who acquired the Life and Salvation of the world? How could Joseph not be rich, who received as a gift the Nourisher and Master of all?
When the even was come, for the Sun of righteousness had now set in the grave; wherefore, there came a rich man named Joseph, of Arimathea[22], which was a disciple secretly for fear of the Jews[23]; and there came also Nicodemus, who once came to Jesus by night.[24] O hidden mystery of mysteries! Two secret disciples come to hide away Jesus in a tomb, teaching by their hiding the hidden mystery of God hid bodily in the grave, each one outdoing the other in their zeal for God—Nicodemus, magnanimous in providing the myrrh and aloes, and Joseph, meritorious for his boldness and daring before Pilate.
You see, this latter, casting off all fear, went in boldly unto Pilate, and asked the body of Jesus.[25] Now when he went in, he dealt very shrewdly, so as to achieve his desired aim. Hence he used not pompous and high-sounding words with Pilate, lest he provoke him to anger and be denied his request; neither did he say, “Give me the body of Jesus, who just a short while ago darkened the sun, rent the rocks, made the earth to quake, opened the graves, and rent in twain the veil of the temple.”[26] Nothing of this sort said he to Pilate. What then? A small request:
“O judge, I am come to ask a small favour of thee: Give me to bury the dead body of the one condemned by thee, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the pauper, Jesus the wanderer, Jesus hanging naked, Jesus the commoner, son of a carpenter, Jesus the prisoner, Jesus bereft of shelter, the stranger, unknown among strangers, who lies hanging, scorned by all and hated. Give me this stranger: for what use to thee is the corpse of this stranger?
Give me this stranger: for he is come here from a far country to save strangers.[27] Give me this stranger: for he is come down into darkness to draw up strangers. Give me this stranger: for he alone is truly a stranger. Give me this stranger, whose country is unknown to us strangers. Give me this stranger, whose father is unknown to us strangers. Give me this stranger, whose place and manners are unknown to us strangers. Give me this stranger, who lived a strange life amidst strangers.
Give me this Nazarene stranger, whose birth is unknown to us strangers. Give me this voluntary stranger, who hath not where to lay his head.[28] Give me this stranger, who as a stranger in a strange land was born homeless in a manger. Give me this stranger, who from this same manger fled Herod as a stranger. Give me this stranger, who from infancy lived in Egypt a stranger, having neither city, nor village, nor house, nor lodging, nor kinsfolk, dwelling in foreign parts with his mother, while yet possessing all things.[29]
“Give me, O governor, this man crucified and naked, that I may cover him who covered my nature’s nakedness. Give me this man, at once dead and God, that I may cover him who covered my sins.[30] Give me to bury this dead man who buried my sin in Jordan. I beseech thee for a dead man, wronged by all, betrayed by a friend, sold by his disciple, persecuted by his brethren, buffeted by his own servants.
I entreat thee for a dead man, condemned by those he freed from bondage, given vinegar to drink by those he nursed like babes, wounded by those he healed, abandoned by his disciples, deprived of his own mother. I implore thee, O Pilate, for a dead man hanging on a tree, seeing he has on earth no father at his side, neither any friend, nor disciple, nor kinsman, nor any to bury him, but is all alone in the world—the only-begotten of the only Father—himself God, and no other.”
Reading 2 – 1039 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how the homilist here continues with his theme of the Lord’s death and burial standing in the midst of all things, by referencing the two turtledoves, and our twofold nature, soul and body, and even the two followers of the Lord who buried Him, Joseph and Nicodemus. From there, he reflects on how Joseph asked for the Lord’s body, emphasizing His lowliness, and meditating on the mystery of the divinity and glory veiled in His humility. The hymn that is based on this part of the sermon is the traditional material that is sung during the Procession during the Holy Friday Lamentations Service, as we carry the body of the Lord around the Church (but traditionally around the neighborhood, and even through the cemeteries, encompassing all our lowliness in the marvelous condescension of the Master Who makes Himself a servant for our sake, in order to save our lowliness and raise us up to His glory.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
Acts 19:28-41; 20:1-12 (Riot in Ephesus continued, Paul Goes to Greece)
Last time we saw St. Paul begin his plans to leave Ephesus, to visit Greece once more, and then to travel to Jerusalem, and from there to Rome. He sent some of his disciples ahead of him to prepare the way and (as we learn from his epistles) to begin to take a collection to support the Church in Jerusalem. Before he left, however, some of the idolators in Ephesus, and specifically the silversmiths, who made their living by making and selling silver shrines of the goddess Artemis, were stirred up against St. Paul and the Christians, because they were preaching against idolatry. This time, we will see the riot continue, and Paul leave Ephesus and make his planned journey to Greece.
Riot in Ephesus (continued)
28 When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travel companions. 30 Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; 31 even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater.
32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.
38 If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. 39 If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece
20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples; and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given the believers much encouragement, he came to Greece, 3 where he stayed for three months. He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and so he decided to return through Macedonia.
4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia. 5 They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas; 6 but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
Paul’s Farewell Visit to Troas
7 On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. 9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer.
Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. 12 Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.
Reading 36 – 641 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how disruptive this riot in Ephesus is, and the extent to which the mob is possessed by the spirit of anger, jealousy, and rejection. It is striking that the town clerk’s argument against their fear is effectively an assertion that they are worried about nothing, that the cult of Artemis is unassailable, and by this he comforts them and sends them home. And yet their fears were justified; the cult of Artemis is no more, and even in this secular age, there are Churches in every place where human beings live. So perhaps the evil spirit who was worshipped under the name of Artemis was behind the mob’s anxiety, whipping them up to destroy Paul and the Christians, and thus themselves as well. Regardless, from this point, our narrator, Luke, enters upon what will basically continue as a travelogue style of narration through to the end of the book of Acts, as Paul begins his journey toward Jerusalem, and eventually toward Rome.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?