OCT 17

1 Peter 1:1
Memorise 1 John 1:9
“…repent, and do the first works or else I will come… and remove they candlestick.”

Peter in his first epistle was mostly addressing the Jews. He referred to them as “strangers” or foreigners, who were “scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia”. At the time of writing, the Jews were not located in their original homes. This scattering of the Jews throughout the world is known as the “Diaspora”. The Diaspora started when the Assyrians invaded Samaria in 722 BC followed by the Babylonians who destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. Although some of the Jews returned to Jerusalem during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, they were never in control of the land, but were only a vassal state of the Persian Empire. With the writing of Malachi, OT ended, followed by a period of about 400 years before the NT period began. The inter-testament period was marked by the lack of prophetic activity. There were no Biblical books written during this time. It was known as the “silent years”. During this period, Israel had different masters as one empire conquered another. The Persian Empire which succeeded the Babylonians were followed by the Greeks, the Syrians and finally the Romans. Under these foreign rulers, several religious institutions were created to keep the Jewish heritage alive. Many of these are mentioned in several NT books. Synagogues were created that allowed for the Jews to gather and be instructed. The Sanhedrin was formed which consisted of a group of people who ruled within the Jewish community. Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes were offices created and assumed by Jews to rule over the community in different ways. As we know from the Gospels, many of these individuals became corrupt and were responsible for the plotting and the eventual crucifixion of Christ. The Jews remain scattered until 1948 when the nation of Israel was reestablished and the return of the Jews began.

The inter-testament period can be characterized by the scattering of the Jews. This was a period of chastisement. From the time of the death of Solomon, Israel plunged into deep sin and rebellion against God. Instead of being a light to the world, they ended up exceeding even the Canaanites in their sin and debauchery. God punished them for their unfaithfulness against a loving and merciful God. We should ourselves not forget that our God is also a God of judgment. While we love God, we should also fear Him. Just as He judged the people of Israel, so can he chastise us if we remain unrepentant and fail to be a good testimony for Him.

Thought: Our purpose as Christians is to testify to the world of God’s goodness and glory.
Prayer: Help me to be a faithful witness.