 |
|
     |
|
|
|
The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
Nehemiah ends the first chapter of his memoir with the statement “Now I was cupbearer to the king” (Nehemiah 1:11). What position is this?
The next verses indicate that he actually served wine to the king (2:1). As that scene progresses, Nehemiah acts with a boldness that suggests his position is something more than this. Would even a highly favored butler be bold enough to ask for letters of passage, permission to use wood from the king’s forest, and permission to put the king’s laborers to work for the temple (Nehemiah 2:7-8)? Would even a highly favored wine taster be sent out with army officers and horsemen (2:9)? Maybe he is just an extraordinarily bold butler who doesn’t feel a need to show deference to an emperor.
Perhaps, though, we are to recognize some symbolic overtones in the term “cupbearer.” It is a participial noun of the verb shaqah, to drink. ”The one who causes the king to drink” captures the sense of the word. Being a cupbearer to the king means causing the king to have his fill of wine. Since wine is often a symbol of judgment and wrath in Scripture, the cupbearer is the one who serves the king his “wine” of judgment. Being a cupbearer thus means being a judicial advisor to the king.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, October 14, 2011 at 9:51 am
A couple of thoughts inspired by grading a student paper on Nehemiah.
First, the student, Courtney Wright, suggested that 2:9-20 form a chiasm, and that within this chiasm 2:11 and 2:17-18 match. The first tells us that Nehemiah was in the city for three days, and verses 17-18 records Nehemiah’s exhortation to “rise up and build.” The connection seems to be the third-day theme. Symbolically if not literally on the third day Nehemiah initiates a “rising” and begins building. Just like Jesus.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 6:25 am
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
