Josiah Blake Tidwell - The Bible Book by Book

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The General View or Key-phrase is "under the sun," with the sad
refrain, "vanity of vanities, all is vanity", and shows how a man
under the best possible conditions sought for joy and peace, trying at
its best every human resource. He had the best that could be gotten,
from human wisdom, from wealth, from worldly pleasure, from worldly
honor, only to find that all was "vanity and vexation of spirit." It
is what a man, with the knowledge of a holy God, and that He will
bring all into judgment, has learned of the emptiness of things "under
the sun" and of the whole duty of man to "fear God and keep his
commandments."

Purpose of the Book. The purpose, then, is not to express the doubts
or skepticism of the writer, not to record the complaining of a bitter
spirit. It is not the story of a pessimist or of an evil man turned
moralist. But it is intended to show that, if one should realize all
the aims, hopes and aspirations of life, they would not bring
satisfaction to the heart. His experience is used to show the result
of successful worldliness and self-gratification in contrast with the
outcome of the higher wisdom of the Godly life. We are shown that man
was not made for this world alone and not for selfish achievement or
gratification, but to fulfill some great plan of God for him which he
will accomplish through obedience and Divine service.

The Date and Authorship. The opening verse and certain other passages
such as some of the conditions as well as the characters of the
persons represented in the book give the impression that Solomon wrote
it, but there are other evidences that point to some other author.
Neither the author nor the date of writing has been definitely
determined.

Analysis.

I. The Vanities of Life. Chs. 1-4. seen in both experience and
observation.

1. The Vanity of what he has experienced, 1-2.

2. The Vanity of what he has observed, 3-4.

II. Practical Wisdom, Chs. 5-7.

1. Some prudential maxims, Chs. 5.

2. Some Vanities, Ch. 6.

3. The best way to get along in life, Ch. 7.

III. Rules for a Happy Life, Chs. 8-11.

IV. Conclusion of the Whole Matter, Ch. 13.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of all the different things
enumerated as a failure or vanity. (2) Make a list of the different
things coming to us as God's gift of providence. (3) Make a list of
prudential maxims or rules which teach how to live rightly and to lift
us above the tribulations and defeat of life. (4) Does the author
think seeking pleasure is the real business of life? (5) Does he deny
the value of altruistic service? (6) Does he believe in the future
life and in future rewards?

Song of Solomon.

Name. Song of Songs which is Solomon's. It is also called Canticles,
meaning Song of Songs and is so-called, perhaps, because of its very
great beauty.

The Subject. The subject is faithful love, seen in a woman who though
subjected to the temptations of an oriental court, remains faithful to
her old lover. She, a country girl of the north, attracts the
attention of the king who brings her to Jerusalem and offers her every
inducement to become the wife of the king. But upon final refusal she
is allowed to return home to her lover, a country shepherd lad.

Meaning of the Story. (1) To the Jews of that time it was a call to
purity of life, for a return to those relations which God had ordained
between man and woman. It was a protest against polygamy which had
become almost universal. Indeed, they regarded it as setting forth the
whole history of Israel. (2) To the Christian it sets forth in
allegory, Christ and his church as Bridegroom and Bride and the
fullness of love which unites the believer and his Savior. (3) To all
the world there is shown the purity and constancy of a woman's love
and devotion to her ideals. It furnishes ideal which, if properly held
up, would cast out of human society all those monstrous practices that
come from unworthy ideals.

The Style. It is part dialogue and part monologue. Their love on both
sides is expressed in that sensuous way common among the oriental
peoples. Many of the allusions give rise to the belief that it was
written to celebrate the nuptials of Solomon and the daughter of
Pharaoh.

Analysis.

I. The King's first attempt to win the Virgin's love. 1:1-2:7.

1. She converses with the ladies of the court, 1:1-8.

2. The King's first attempt fails to win her, 1:9-2:7.

II. The King's second effort to win her love, 2:8-5:8.

1. The virgin recalls her former happiness when with her lover at
home, 2:8-17.

2. In a dream she goes in search of him, 3:1-5.

3. The King shows her his glory and greatness, 3:6-11.

4. She again rejects his love in spite of his praise of her beauty,
4:1-7.

5. She longs for her absent lover, 4:8-5:1.

6. She dreams of seeking in vain for him, 5:2-8.

III. The King's third attempt to win her, 5:9-8:4.

1. The ladies of the court cannot understand her faithfulness to
her old lover. 5:9-6:3.

2. The King's third effort to win her is met with the declaration
of her purpose to remain true to her absent lover, 6:4-8:4.

VI. The Triumph of the Maiden, 8:5-14.
She returns to her home among the hills of the north and is reunited
with her shepherd lover.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of the passages by which the
woman's beauty is described. (2) Passages that suggest the relation of
the saved soul to Christ. (3) Passages that suggest the glory of the
church. (4) Some of the passages by which the love of the woman and of
the king is expressed. (5) The basis of human love. 2:2-3. (6) The
strength of human lover, 8:6-7. (7) The interpretation of human love
in terms of divine love.

* * * * *

Chapter XV.

Isaiah.

Prophet. In the study of the messages of the prophets we should
understand that the meaning of the term prophets may be: (1) A person
employed in the public utterance of religious discourse, very much as
the preacher of today. This was the most common function of the
prophet. Some were reformers while others were evangelists or
revivalists. (2) One who performed the function of the scribes and
wrote the history and biography and annals of their nations. In this
capacity they compiled or wrote large portions of the books of the Old
Testament. (3) One who was able to discern the future and foretell
events which would transpire afterward.

The Prophetical Books. All take their name from the Prophets whose
messages they bear. They are written largely in the poetic style and
are usually divided into two divisions. (1) The major prophets which
include Isaiah. Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel. (2) The
minor prophets, including the other twelve. This division is based on
the bulk of material in the books and is unscientific and misleading,
since it suggests that some are more important than others.
They are more appropriately divided according to their place in the
prophetic order or the period of Israel's history when they
prophesied, somewhat as follows: 1. _The Pre-exilic prophets_, or
those who prophesied before the exile. These are, (1) Jonah, Amos and
Hosea, prophets of Israel. (2) Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah, prophets of Judah. 2. _The exilic
prophets_, Ezekiel and Daniel. 3. _The Post-exilic prophets_, prophets
who prophesied after the captivity. All are of Judah and are Haggai,
Zechariah and Malachi.

Jeremiah's ministry perhaps extended into the period of the captivity.
There is great uncertainty about the chronology of Obadiah, Joel and
Jonah. There is differences of opinion as to whether certain of the
prophets belong to Judah or Israel. Micah is an example. The teacher
will be able to give reasons for this difference.

The Study of the Prophets. The student should hold in mind that the
prophet deals primarily with the moral and religious conditions of his
own people at the time of his ministry. His denunciations, warnings
and exhortations are, therefore, not abstract principles, but are
local and for Israel. The prophet was then first of all a Jewish
patriot and revivalist filled with the Holy Ghost and with zeal for
Israel.

The predictive elements of the prophetic books must be interpreted in
the light, (1) of a nearby or local fulfillment, such as of the
dispersion and restoration, and (2) of a far off and greater
fulfillment of which the first is only a forerunner, such as the
advent of the Messiah and his glorious reign over the whole earth. The
interpretation of prophecy should generally be in the literal, natural
and unforced meaning of the words. The following passages will show
how prophecy, already fulfilled, has been fulfilled literally and not
allegorically. Gen. 15:13-16; 16:11-12; Dt. 28:62-67; Ps. 22:1, 7, 8,
15-18; Is. 7:14; 53:2-9; Hos. 3:4; Joel 2:28-29: Mic. 5:2; Acts 2:16-
18; Matt. 21:4-5; Lu. 1:20, 31; Acts 1:5; Matt. 2:4-6; Lu. 21:16.17,
24; Acts 21:10-11.

In a given book of prophecy, the book should be read carefully and all
the different subjects treated, noted. This should be followed by a
careful study to find what is said about the several topics already
found. To illustrate, the prophet may mention himself, Jerusalem,
Israel, Judah, Babylon or Egypt, etc. One should learn what is said of
each. This will make necessary the student's learning all he can of
the history of the different subjects mentioned that he may understand
the prophecy about it.

The Prophet Isaiah. Several things are known of him. (1) He was called
to his work the last year of the reign of Uzziah. (2) He lived at
Jerusalem during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, and
most of his life seems to have been spent as a sort of court preacher
or chaplain to the king. (3) He is the most renowned of all the Old
Testament prophets, his visions not being restricted to his own
country and times. He spoke for all nations and for all times, being
restricted to his own country and times. "He was a man of powerful
intellect, great integrity and remarkable force of character." (4) He
is quoted more in the New Testament than any of the other prophets
and, because of the relation of his teaching to New Testament times
and teachings, his prophesies have been called the "Bridge between the
old and new covenants." (5) He married and had two sons.

The Nature of His Teachings. In his inaugural vision recorded in the
sixth chapter Isaiah has impressed upon him some truths that shaped
his whole career. He saw: (1) The holiness and majesty of God; (2) The
corruption of those about him; (3) The certainty of awful judgment
upon the wicked; (4) The blessing of those whose lives are approved of
God; and (5) The salvation of a remnant that was to be the seed of a
new Israel. With these truths burning in his soul he pressed the
battle of righteousness into every sphere of life. He strove to
regenerate the entire national life. He tried to make not only
religious worship, but commerce and politics so pure that it could all
become a service acceptable to God. He, therefore, became a religious
teacher, preacher, social reformer, statesman and seer.

Conditions of Israel (The Northern Kingdom). Isaiah began to prophecy
when it was outwardly rich and prosperous under the rule of Jereboam
IL Inwardly it was very corrupt. It soon went to pieces, however (621
B. C.), being conquered and carried into captivity by the Assyrians.

Conditions of Judah (The Southern Kingdom). During the reigns of Ahaz,
Jotham and Uzziah, oppression, wickedness and idolatry existed
everywhere. Ahaz made an alliance with Assyria, which finally brought
destruction to Israel, but Hezekiah listened to Isaiah and made
reforms, and God destroyed the Assyrian army before Jerusalem was
destroyed.

Nature of the Contents of the Book. The contents of the Book have been
said to include: (1) Warnings and threats against his own people
because of their sins. (2) Sketches of the history of his times. (3)
Prophesies of the return of Israel from captivity. (4) Prophesies
concerning the coming of the Messiah. (S) Predictions of the judgment
of God on other nations. (6) Discourses that urge upon Israel moral
and religious reformation. (7) Visions of the future glory and
prosperity of the church. (8) Expressions of thanksgiving and praise.

The Center of Interest. The prophet deals primarily with the nation
and not with the individual. He speaks primarily of the present and
not of the future. These two facts must be kept constantly in mind as
we read and interpret the book.

Analysis.

I. Discourses Concerning Judah and Israel, Chs. 1-12.

1. Some promises and rebukes, Chs. 1-6.

2. The book of Immanuel, Chs. 7-12.

II. Prophesies against Foreign Nations, Chs. 13-23.
III. The Judgment of the World and the Triumph of God's People, Chs.
24-27.

1. The judgments. Ch. 24.

2. The triumph. Chs. 25-27.

IV. Judah's Relation to Egypt and Assyria, Chs. 38-32.

V. The Great Deliverance of Jerusalem, Chs. 33-39.

VI. The Book of Consolation, Chs. 40-66.

1. God's preparation for certain deliverance, Chs. 40-48.

2. Jehovah's servant, the Messiah, will bring this deliverance.
Chs. 49-57.

3. The restoration of Zion and the Messianic Kingdom, with promises
and warnings for the future. Chs. 58-66.

For Study and Discussion. (1) The sins of Israel and Judah that he
rebukes. (2) Other nations against which he makes predictions and what
he said of each. (3) Isaiah's call. Ch. 6. (4) Isaiah's errand to
Ahaz, Ch. 7. (5) The way in which Isaiah rests the sole deity of
Jehovah upon his ability to predict a future, Ch. 41. Give other
illustrations. (6) The express predictions of the Messiah as we find
them fulfilled in Jesus. (7) Point out the passages portraying the
future glory of the church and the spiritual prosperity of the race.
(8) Passages predicting the restoration of the Jews from captivity.
(9) Some predictions already fulfilled: (a) God's judgments on the
kings of Israel and the nation of Israel, Ch. 7. (b) The overthrow of
Sennacherib, Chs. 13 and 37. (c) Disasters which should overtake
Babylon, Damascus, Egypt, Moab and Idumea, Chs. 13, 15, 18, 19 and 34.
(d) Vivid and marvelous descriptions of the final fate of Babylon and
Idumea, 13:19-22; 34:10-17. (10) The theology of Isaiah or his views
on such subjects as the moral condition of man, the need of a
redeemer, the consequences of redemption, Divine Providence, the
majesty and holiness of God, the future life, etc.

* * * * *

Chapter XVI.

Jeremiah and Lamentations.

The Author. (1) His name means "Exalted of Jehovah," and he is ranked
second among the great Old Testament writers. (2) He lived the last of
the sixth and the first of the fifth centuries before Christ. His
ministry began in 626 B. C., the thirteenth year of Josiah (1:2), and
lasted about forty years. He probably died in Babylon during the early
years of the captivity. (3) He was of a sensitive nature, mild, timid,
and inclined to melancholy. He was devoutly religious and naturally
shrank from giving pain to others. (4) He was uncommonly bold and
courageous in declaring the message of God, it was unpopular and
subjected him to hatred and even to suffering wrong. He was unsparing
in the denunciations and rebukes administered to his nation, not even
sparing the prince. (5) He is called the weeping prophet. He was
distressed both by the disobedience and apostasy of Israel and by the
evil which he foresaw. Being very devoutly religious, he was pained by
the impiety of his time.

Condition of the Nations. (1) Israel, the northern kingdom, had been
carried into captivity and Judah stood alone against her enemies. (2)
Judah had fallen into a bad state, but Josiah, who reigned when
Jeremiah began his ministry, attempted to bring about reforms and
restore the old order. After his death, however, wickedness grew more
and more until, in the later part of the life of Jeremiah, Jerusalem
and the temple were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and Judah was led away
in captivity. (3) The world powers of the time of Jeremiah's birth
were Assyria and Egypt. They were contending for supremacy. But
Jeremiah lived to see both of them subdued and Babylon mistress of the
world. He foresaw also how Babylon would fall and how a kingdom
greater than all would rise wherein there would be righteousness and
peace.

Jeremiah.

The book of Jeremiah is composed principally of sketches of biography,
history and prophecy, but the events and chapters are not in
chronological order. It closes the period of the monarchy and marks
the destruction of the holy city and of the sanctuary and tells of the
death agony of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. But he saw
far beyond the judgments of the near future to a brighter day when the
eternal purpose of divine grace would be realized. The book,
therefore, emphasizes the future glory of the kingdom of God which
must endure though Israel does perish. He made two special
contributions to the truth as understood in his time. (1) The
spirituality of religion. He saw the coming overthrow of their
national and formal religion and realized that, to survive that
crisis, religion must not be national, but individual and spiritual.
(2) Personal responsibility (31:29-30). If religion was to be a
spiritual condition of the individual, the doctrine of personal
responsibility was a logical necessity. These two teachings constitute
a great step forward.

Analysis.

I. The Prophet's Call and Assurance, Ch. 1.

II. Judah Called to Repentance, Chs. 2-22.

1. Her sins set forth, Chs. 2-6

2. The call to repentance, Chs. 7-10.

3. The appeal to the covenant, Chs. 11-13.

4. Rejection and captivity foretold, Chs. 14-22.

III. The Book of Consolation, Chs. 23-33.

1. The restoration of the remnant, Chs. 22-29.

2. The complete restoration, Chs. 30-33.

IV. The Doom of Jerusalem Due to the People's Wickedness, Chs. 34-36.

V. The History of Jeremiah and His Times, Chs. 37-45.

VI. Prophecies Against Foreign Nations, Chs, 46-51.

VII. Historical Appendix, Ch. 52.

Lamentations.

The name means elegies or mournful or plaintive poems. It was formerly
a part of Jeremiah and represents the sorrows of Jeremiah when the
calamities which he had predicted befell his people, who had often
despised and rejected him for his messages. He chose to live with them
in their suffering and out of his weeping pointed them to a star of
hope. There are five independent poems in as many chapters. Chapters
1, 2, 4 and 5 have each 22 verses or just the number of the Hebrew
alphabet. Chapter 3 has 66 verses or just three times the number of
the alphabet. The first four chapters are acrostic, that is each verse
begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In chapter three, each
letter is used in order and is three times repeated as the initial
letter of three successive lines.

Analysis.

I. The Misery of Jerusalem, Ch. 1.

II. The Cause of the People's Suffering, Ch. 2.

III. The Basis of Hope, Ch. 3.

IV. The Past and Present of Israel, Ch. 4.

V. The Final Appeal for Restoration, Ch. 5.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of the evils predicted
against the people because of their sins. (Example 19:7-9). (2) Make a
list of the different sins and vices of which Jeremiah accuses Israel.
(Example 2:12; 3:20, etc.) (3) Point out all the prophesies of Divine
judgment against other nations and analyze the punishment foretold.
(Example 5:18-25). (4) Study the case of fidelity to parents given in
Ch. 35. (5) Collect all passages in both books which tell of the
Messiah and of Messianic times and make a study of each (as 23:5-6).
(6) Select a few of the striking passages of Lamentations and show how
they apply to the facts of history. (6) The sign and type of the
destruction of the land. Chs. 13-14. (8) The potter an illustration of
God's power over nations, Chs. 18-19. (9) The illustration of the
return, seen in the figs, Ch. 24. (10) Jeremiah's letter to the
captive, Ch. 29. (11) Jeremiah's love for Judah-it saw their faults,
rebuked them for their sins, but did not desert them when they were in
suffering, because they despised his advice.

* * * * *

Chapter XVII.

Ezekiel and Daniel.

Ezekiel.

The Prophet. His name means "God will strengthen". He was a priest and
was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. B. C. 597. He had a home
on the river Chebar where the Elders of Judah were accustomed to meet.
His wife died in the ninth year of his captivity. He was a man of very
powerful intellect and apparently from the better classes of those
carried into captivity. He is less attractive than Isaiah and less
constant in the flow of his thought than Jeremiah. He is not so timid
or sensitive as Jeremiah but has all his horror for sin and all of his
grief, occasioned by the wickedness of his people and the suffering
which they endured. In his boldness of utterance he was not surpassed
by his predecessors.

Nature of the Prophecy. The nature of the prophecy or the methods by
which he exercised or manifests his prophetic gift differs from that
of the other prophets. He does not so much predict as see visions of
them. Allegories, parables, similitudes and visions abound, some of
them symbolic of the future and others of existing facts and
conditions. The prophet remains on the banks of Chebar and in spirit
is transported to Jerusalem and the temple. Much of the book is in
character similar to Revelation and while the general subjects are
very plain, much of the meaning of the symbols is obscure. There are,
however, powerful addresses and eloquent predictions of Divine
judgments on the nations. It was probably due to the services of
Ezekiel that Israel's religion was preserved during the exile.

The Main Aspects of his Teaching. (1) Denunciation of Judah's sins and
the downfall of Jerusalem, Chs. 1-24. (2) Judgments upon foreign
nations, Chs. 25-32. (3) Repentance as a condition of salvation,
18:30-32. (4) The glorious restoration of Israel, li:16ff; 16:60ff;
27:22-24; 20:40ff; Chs. 33-48. (5) The freedom and responsibility of
the individual soul before God. 18:20-32. (6) The necessity of a new
heart and a new spirit, 11:19: 18:31; 36:26.

Condition of the Jews. (1) _Political and social condition_. They are
captives living in Babylon but are treated as colonists and not as
slaves. They increased in numbers and accumulated great wealth and
some of them rose to the highest offices. (2) _The religious condition
or outlook_. They had religious freedom and in this period they
forever gave up their idolatry. They sought out the books of the law,
revised the cannon, wrote some new books and perhaps inaugurated the
synagogue worship which became so powerful afterward.

Analysis.

I. Ezekiel's Call, Chs. 1-3.

1. Preliminary vision, Ch. 1.

2. The call, Chs. 2-3.

II. The Destruction of Jerusalem, Chs. 4-24.

1. The siege and certain judgment of the city, Chs. 4-7,

2. The condition of the city and the sins of the people, Chs. 8-19.

3. Renewed proofs and predictions of the doom of Judah and
Jerusalem, Chs. 20-24.

III. Predictions against Foreign Nations and Cities. Chs. 25-32.

IV. Prophecies concerning the Restoration, Chs. 33-48.

1. The restoration of Judah to the promised land, Chs. 33-39.

2. The Messianic times, Chs. 40-48.

For Study and Discussion. (1) The condition, the particular sin and
the judgment promised upon each of the nations mentioned-has the
prediction been fulfilled? (2) The duties and responsibilities of a
preacher as illustrated by Ezekiel's watchman, Ch. 33. (3) The vision
of dry bones. Ch 37. (4) Judah and Israel under the figure of an evil
woman, Ch. 23. (5) The healing river, 47:1-12. (6) The teachings about
the Restoration, in the following passages: 36:8, 9, 29, 30, 34, 35,
25-27; 37:1-14; 24:11-24; 37:22; 26,27; 43:11-12. (7) The symbols and
types of the book.

Daniel.

Name. The name is taken from its leading character, Daniel, which
means "God is my Judge."

Author. It was very probably Daniel, though some think it may have
been one of his companions, and still others think the history may
have been gotten together and written about 166 B. C.

The Date. The date then would have been between the captivity, 605 B.
C., and the death of Daniel, 533 B. C., perhaps late in his life, or
if by some other (which I do not think likely) about 166 B. C.

The Prophet. He was probably born in Jerusalem and was one of the
noble young captives first carried into captivity by King
Nebuchadnezzar. He was educated by order of the king and soon rose to
great favor and was chosen to stand before the king in one of the
highest government positions under the Chaldean, Median and Persian
dynasties. He lived through the whole period of the captivity and
probably died in Babylon. It is said that not one imperfection of his
life is recorded. The angel repeatedly calls him "greatly beloved."

World Empires of the Book. (1) _The Babylonian Empire_ (625-536 B. C.)
with Nebuchadnezzar as the leading king and the one who carried Israel
captive. (2) _The Persian Empire_ (536-330 B. C.) which became a world
power through Cyrus, under whom the Jews returned to Jerusalem. (3)
_The Grecian Empire_, which, under the leadership of Alexander the
Great, subdued the entire Persian world. (4) _The Roman Empire_, which
was anticipated by and grew out of the Syrian Empire.

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