Day 1 (Monday)
3 Kingdoms 14:1-31 (Judgment on Jeroboam’s House, Rehoboam’s Reign and Death)
Last time, we saw Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeed him as king of all Israel, and then immediately alienate ten of the tribes by refusing to lighten the burden of taxation and labor that Solomon had imposed on them, promising rather to be much harsher than his father. They turned to Jeroboam, as God had warned Solomon by His prophet, but then Jeroboam established two golden calves for the people to worship instead of going to the Temple in Jerusalem, by this renewing the great sin of Israel with the golden calf at Mt. Sinai. God sent a prophet to warn Jeroboam that his altars would be destroyed and that God did not accept this worship, but Jeroboam did not repent. This time, we will see what happens to him and his household as a result.
Judgment on the House of Jeroboam
14 At that time Abi′jah the son of Jerobo′am fell sick. 2 And Jerobo′am said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it be not known that you are the wife of Jerobo′am, and go to Shiloh; behold, Ahi′jah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
4 Jerobo′am’s wife did so; she arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahi′jah. Now Ahi′jah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 And the Lord said to Ahi′jah, “Behold, the wife of Jerobo′am is coming to inquire of you concerning her son; for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”
When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when Ahi′jah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jerobo′am; why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with heavy tidings for you. 7 Go, tell Jerobo′am, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you leader over my people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you;”
“And yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments, and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you have done evil above all that were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods, and molten images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back;”
10 “Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jerobo′am, and will cut off from Jerobo′am every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will utterly consume the house of Jerobo′am, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 Any one belonging to Jerobo′am who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat; for the Lord has spoken it.”’
12 Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jerobo′am shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jerobo′am. 14 Moreover the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jerobo′am today.
And henceforth 15 the Lord will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and scatter them beyond the Euphra′tes, because they have made their Ashe′rim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jerobo′am, which he sinned and which he made Israel to sin.”
Death of Jeroboam
17 Then Jerobo′am’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahi′jah the prophet. 19 Now the rest of the acts of Jerobo′am, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the time that Jerobo′am reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
Rehoboam Reigns over Judah
21 Now Rehobo′am the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehobo′am was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Na′amah the Ammonitess.
22 And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Ashe′rim on every high hill and under every green tree; 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
25 In the fifth year of King Rehobo′am, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26 he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made; 27 and King Rehobo′am made in their stead shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard bore them and brought them back to the guardroom.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehobo′am, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehobo′am and Jerobo′am continually. 31 And Rehobo′am slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Na′amah the Ammonitess. And Abi′jam his son reigned in his stead.
Reading 6 – 1016 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 catastrophically badly things have turned in just a few years; from the height of blessings enjoyed just before Solomon built the Temple to now, the kingdom has been divided, ten of the twelve tribes are worshipping golden calves as “the gods that brought them out of Egypt,” using the methods of the pagan nations to worship Yahweh the God of Israel. In Judah, too, heathen worship is normative, to the point that there are male cult prostitutes in the land; these would be used in pagan sexual rituals by which women would give birth to “divine” children, imitating and participating in the rituals of the giant clans expelled from the land by Joshua. In all this, the only person in whom God sees anything good is Abijah, the young son of Jeroboam, and therefore He shows him a hard mercy; he dies of a sickness before judgment comes upon Israel and Judah, and is the only one of Jeroboam’s family to be buried in peace.)
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 – 6
Last time, we saw the angels of the Lord crying out to the enemies of God in Hades as they proclaimed His coming and His glory and His power, as He overthrew the gates of Hades and conquered the very place of darkness and the shadow of death. This time, we will see Him lead them in and liberate the captives there.
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 6
When the Master’s forces had said these things to the hostile forces, they pressed onwards. Some of them dug up the foundations of the prison, others pursued the hostile powers that fled from the outer chambers further in. Others went about and searched through the crevices, cells, and caverns, while still others carried prisoners to the Master from various places. Some shackled the tyrant, while others unshackled the prisoners of the ages. Some gave orders, while others swiftly carried them out. Some ran before the Master as he went further in, while others stood beside him as their God and victorious King.
While these things, and even more besides, were taking place in Hades and being noised abroad, and as everything was in an uproar and great commotion, since the Master’s presence was about to reach the very nethermost of the nether regions; then Adam, the first-created and first-imprisoned of all men, held fast in chains with great security deeper down than all the rest, heard the Master’s footsteps coming toward the prisoners, and recognized their sound as he walked about the prison[79], and turned to all the prisoners with him from former ages, and said:
“I hear the sound of someone’s footsteps coming toward us; and if he has truly deigned to come unto this place, we are free of our chains: if we should truly see him here with us, we are delivered from Hell.”
As Adam spoke these things and others like them to all his fellow-condemned, the Master entered in unto them, wielding the victorious weapon of the Cross. Upon seeing him, Adam the first-formed beat his breast in shock, and cried out to all those sleeping from times past, “My Lord be with you all!” And Christ answering said to Adam, “And with thy spirit.” Then he took him by the hand and stood him up, saying:
“Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.[80] I am thy God, who for thy sake became thy son—for thy sake and thy posterity—who now speak and with authority command the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ and them that are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves,’[81] and them that sleep, ‘Arise.’ Again I bid thee, Awake thou that sleepest: for I did not make thee, that thou shouldest be held captive in Hell. Arise from the dead: for I am the Life of mortals. [82] Arise, my creation; arise, my form, made in mine own image.[83]
“Arise, let us go hence[84]; for we are one single, inseparable person—thou in me, and I in thee.[85] For thy sake, I thy God became thy son; for thy sake, I the Master took upon me thy servile form[86]; for thy sake, I that am far above the heavens came upon earth, and went under the earth[87]; for thy sake, who art a man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead[88]; for thy sake, who wast exiled from a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden[89], and in a garden was crucified.[90]
“Behold my face which received spittings, that I might restore to thee thy primal in-breathing.[91] Behold my cheeks which received blows, that I might set right thy marred form according the original image. Behold my back which received scourging, that I might loose the burden of thy sins laid upon thy back.[92] Behold my hands which were nailed to the Tree for good, on behalf of thee who didst stretch forth thy hand to the Tree for evil. Behold my feet which were pierced[93] and nailed to the Tree, on behalf of thee who didst wickedly run to the Tree.
“On the sixth day, thine expulsion took place; so on the sixth day, I worked thy restoration and the opening of Paradise.[94] I tasted gall for thee, that I might heal thee from the bitter pleasure of that sweet fruit. I tasted vinegar, that I might neutralise the acrid and unnatural cup of death. I accepted the sponge, that I might blot out the handwriting of thy sins.[95] I accepted the reed[96], that I might sign the release of the human race. I slept on the Cross and was pierced in the side by a spear, on behalf of thee who didst sleep in Paradise and bring forth Eve from thy side. My side healed the pain of thy side, my sleep shall draw thee out of sleep in the grave, my spear has stopped the sword which turned every way against thee.[97]
“Arise then, let us go hence. I drove thee from the land of Paradise, yet I shall return thee no more to Paradise, but to a celestial throne. I barred thee from the archetypal Tree of Life, but lo, I myself, the Life, am now wholly united to thee. I placed Cherubim to keep thee out of Eden as a slave[98], but now I make Cherubim to bow down before thee as a god.[99] Thou didst hide from God as one naked, but lo, now thou hast hidden within thyself the denuded God. Thou wast clothed in a shameful coat of skins[100], but I, being God, am clothed in the sanguine coat of thy flesh.
“Wherefore arise, all of you, let us go hence, from decay to incorruption, from death unto life. Arise, let us go hence, from darkness to everlasting light. Arise, let us go hence, from grief to joy. Arise, let us go hence, from bondage to liberty, from prison to the Jerusalem above[101], from bonds to God, from straitness to the bliss of Paradise, from earth to heaven. For to this end, I both died and rose again, that I might be Lord both of the dead and the living.[102]
“Wherefore arise, let us go hence; for my heavenly Father awaits the lost sheep; the ninety and nine sheep[103], the angels, are waiting for the time when Adam their fellow-servant should arise, when he should ascend and return to God. A cherubic throne is set, and those who bear it aloft are ready and waiting, the bridechamber is furnished, the choice foods are made, the everlasting tabernacles and mansions are built, the treasuries of blessings are open, the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages.[104] The good things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man[105], are laid up in store for mankind.”
When the Master had finished these sayings and others like them, Adam, who was united to him, arose with him; and Eve also arose together with them; and many bodies of the saints which slept from ages past arose[106], and preached the Master’s Resurrection on the third day; the which, let us who believe cheerfully greet, behold, and embrace; dancing with the angels, celebrating with the archangels, and glorifying Christ who raised us up from corruption: to whom be glory and dominion, together with his beginningless Father, and the all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Reading 6
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 Lord speaks to Adam, proclaiming the truth and glory and profound good news of His Incarnation even to the father of the human race. In so many ways, St. Epiphanios highlights how the Lord’s wounds and sufferings are the specific and particular remedies of the age-old wounds of human nature in general, and of Adam in particular. And strikingly, he has the Lord raising Adam and the other righteous of the Old Testament, not simply to Paradise, but even to the heights of heaven, together with and even above the ranks of the bodiless hosts. It is at this point, on the very brink of the Lord’s Resurrection from the Dead, having raised our nature and our forefathers from corruption, that he brings the sermon to its end.)
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 21:27-40, 22:1-5 (Paul Arrested in the Temple, Defends Himself before the Crowd)
Last time we saw St. Paul arrive in Jerusalem and confer with James and the other leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. They were concerned about his reputation among the very many Jewish Christians, who had heard about him that he neglected or despised the Law and taught others to do so. They themselves knew and acknowledged clearly that these things were untrue, but their concern for the peace of the Church and the correction of those slanders led them to suggest to Paul that he join some others of the Christian community who were under a vow, and were purifying themselves in preparation for entering the Temple, providing public support for and participation in the rites of the Temple and the Torah. He agrees, and does so…this time, we will see what the result is.
Paul Arrested in the Temple
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the tribune came, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 When Paul came to the steps, the violence of the mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Away with him!”
Paul Defends Himself
37 Just as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” The tribune replied, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the people.”
40 When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying: 22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.” 2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment."
Reading 40 – 521 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, despite the careful plan of the leaders of the Church, the power of rumor and fear becomes unstoppable, and the truth ceases to matter for the mob that has gathered. In the midst of all of this, Paul himself was in great danger of being stoned to death as Stephen had been long before. This is, perhaps, part of the point: having overseen and approved the stoning of Stephen, Paul now submits himself to the same danger, and to the will of God. The arrival of the Roman tribune, then, is God’s deliverance of him, and also enables the next stage in Paul’s journey, because this turn of events is the inflection point after which Paul will not be a free man again until the end of the book of Acts…but his captivity will bring him even to Rome, where he will preach the Gospel as he has been wishing to do.)
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?