[reaction to OYB’s Aug. 13-15 readings]
Nehemiah, who is a governor, has overseen the completion of the wall around Jerusalem. Ezra, the preist and scribe, deserves some credit, too. We celebrate with a recitation of the history of the chosen people that does not name a single king of Israel or Judah. Neh. 9:4-38.
Paul writes about food again. The letters to Corinth pre-date his letter to Romans. The major theme is there: “who really cares if you eat food dedicated to idols, just don’t make a show of it.” Nonetheless, I believe you can see the evolution of his thoughts. Cf. 1 Corin. 10:23-33, Rom. 14
The Book of Nehemiah closes with some chilling racial purity material. Neh. 13:1-3, 23-31. I feel compelled to point out that this rule would have excluded David’s great-grandma Ruth, who I suspect he called GG. See e.g., Matt. 1:5, Ruth 1:4.