Before plunging into Ezra and Nehemiah, I thought it might be helpful to review some of the major world empires.
1. Assyrian - 900 to 612 BC
Shalmaneser III - takes Israel into exile (2Kng.17:6)
Sennacherib - fails to take Jerusalem (2Chr.32:2)
2. Babylonian - 612 to 539 BC
Nebuchadnezzar - 3 sieges on Jersualem
Servitude of Nations - Exile in Babylon (2Kng.24:14)
Desolation of Jerusalem - Burned (2Kng.25:8)
Belshazzar
3. Persian - 539 to 331 BC
Cyrus - merciful conqueror, gave considerable freedom
Darius I, II, III
Artaxerxes I, II, III
4. Greek - 331 to 62 BC
Alexander the Great
Septugint (270BC) - entire Old Testament translated
Abomination of Desolation - Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) slaughters a sow on the altar in Jerusalem.
5. Roman - 63 BC to 476 AD
Julius Caesar
Herod the Great
And then a few facts about the Temple:
957 BC - Dedicated by Solomon
538 BC - Dedicated by Zerubbabel
20 BC - Rennovated by Herod the Great
70 AD - Destroyed by Titus of Rome
Rev.21 9-21 The New Jerusalem has no temple
Post-captivity:
Historical books: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther
Prophets during this time - Haggai, Zechariah
Ezra - scribe
Author? of 1,2 Chron., Ezra, Nehemiah (once one book?)
Led the group that established the Old Testament “Canon”
Nehemiah - cupbearer to the king
Had a heart for God’s people
Found in all 3 trips to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah
Stirring, Sacrifice, Foundations, Resistance, Setbacks, Faithfulness
Ezra 1
1:1,2 “...Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah...”
Cyrus took Babylon in an unusual way. Euphrates was diverted to destroy the natural water barrier, allowing them to march into the city uncontested at night. [British museum has the history - google it].
Imagine, if you will, that Daniel hands him a scroll by Isaiah (who’s been dead for more than 100yrs) - Isaiah 44:24-28 “...Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness, Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again. "It is I who says to the depth of the sea, 'Be dried up!' And I will make your rivers dry. "It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.' "
Would that get your attention?
Who initiated the rebuilding of Jerusalem? Does God rule in the affairs of men?
1:5 “...Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem...”
1:6 “... All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering...”
1:8 “... Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;...”
Ezra 2
Count of how made the journey.
42,360 (2:64) plus 7,337 servants and 200 singers (2:65).
~50,000
How many came out of Egypt?
Leaving Egypt (Ex.12:37) ~600,000 men
How many went into the promised land?
1st Census (Num.1:46) 603,550 men: all but 2 didn’t make it.
2nd Census (Num.26:51) 601,730 (only Caleb/Joshua in both)
Ezra 3
What was the first thing reestablished?
3:3 “... So they set up the altar on its foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening...”
The poor had been left. Foreigners had been sent to run things (remember the lion incident, which prompted priests to be sent to teach them how to worship God).
What was reestablished in the second year?
3:8 “... Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord...”
3:10-12 The foundation is laid and some give a shout, while others shed tears.
Relocated people offer to help, are rejected, then set out to discourage and frighten.
Was this a bad move by Judah? [4:1 identify them as enemies]
Ezra 4
4:5 they “...hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia...”
Nothing like getting the lawyers involved to frustrate and discourage.
4:8-16 Letter sent to King Artaxerxes claiming that rebellion is in the works. Was it?
4:17-24 The king issues a cease and desist order, which remained in effect until the 2nd year of king Darius of Persia.
Ezra 5
Prophets Haggai and Zechariah get the work going again.
5:6-17 letter to Darius from the governor Tattenai to see if okay to build.
Ezra 6
Darius says let them build. In fact:
6:8 Paid for with tax dollars.
6:9 They’re to get daily assistance ‘without fail’.
6:13-18 The temple is completed.
6:19-22 Passover is observed by
6:21 “...The sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover...”
Ezra 7
The good sized time gap between chapters 6 and 7 is the time of Esther.
Ezra will now come with a second group of exiles, during the reign of another Artaxerxes
Here we get some more insight into Ezra:
7:6 “... This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him...”
7:10 “... For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel...”
50,000 had spent 20 years struggling to reestablish Jerusalem.
Now, 60 yrs later, Ezra is commisioned by the king to do:
7:23 “...Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons...”
NOTE. NOTE. NOTE. The powers that exist in a land WILL be stirred by God to assist in what He wants accomplished.
Ezra 8
The numbers for this excursion were more in the neighborhood of 2000.
8:21 The started their journey by bowing down, fasting, and praying.
This resulted in:
8:31 “... Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way...”
Ezra 9
When it’s brought to Ezra’s attention that God’s people have married foreigners he:
9:5 “... But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God;..”
9:6 “... and I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens...”
He recognized that:
9:8 “...But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage...”
9:15 “... O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this..."
Was Ezra overreacting?
He was a scribe who knew the Word
Deut.7:3 “... Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons...”
Ezra 10
The people follow his example:
10:1 “...wept bitterly...”
10:19 they pledged to put away their wives.
Is this severe? [they actually fell short of the letter of the law]
Deut. 13:6-9 “...If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods' (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. "But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people...”
Will God’s call to holiness ask us to go further than we want to go?
Matt.10:37-39 “...He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it...”
Mark 9:42-48 “...Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where Their worm does not die , and the fire is not quenched .] "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where Their worm does not die , and the fire is not quenched .] "If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where Their worm does not die , and the fire is not quenched ...”
Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah is still in the land of captivity.
He asks about those who had returned to Jerusalem.
He responds to what he hears with:
1:4 weeping, mourning, fasting, and prayer.
1:6 repentance for all.
1:11 He asks God for success to approach the King
Nehemiah 2
Artaxerxes asks him - ‘whas up’ when he sees his distress.
Agrees to send him, with letters and timber.
2:11 Nehemiah gets to Jerusalem.
2:13 Inspects the wall by night.
2:17 Recruits some help to rebuild the walls
2:19 Gathers some opposition as well.
Nehemiah 3
What started as one man’s concern, becomes a huge team effort.
Nehemiah 4
Sanballat and Tobiah are angry and start a more significant campaign against the work.
4:6 “...So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work...”
4:8 The opposition increases, now falling into conspiracy status.
What’s it like to build a godly existence in the face of unified resistance?
Is it still important is it to have a wall of protection in place to protect that which is sacred?
Nehemiah encouraged the workers. 4:14 “... When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses..."
4:16 Half worked, half stood guard.
Rebuilding what has been damaged by the world takes both courage and dedication.
Nehemiah 5
Nehemiah becomes aware of the financial stress of the people.
5:7 Oddly, he “...consulted with myself...” (ESV,NASB,KJV) NIV translated as pondered. Hebrew word is malak which is “to counsel”. He was evaluating the facts against the truth that was in him.
He addressed the problem of people striving for wealth at other’s expense (usury). [focus on financial prosperity]
He successfully changes the dynamics of the situation.
Nehemiah 6
6:2 Five times the enemies try to get Nehemiah out to the plain of Ono.
Nehemiah recognizes this as a NoNo.
6:9 He refuses to submit to fear, and asks God to “...strengthen my hands...”
6:15 the wall is completed in 52 days.
6:16 “...When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God...”
Obedience leads to the world seeing God.
Nehemiah 7
The genealogies are reworked - number is now 49,942
Nehemiah 8
Everyone gathers at the square in front of the Water Gate and they ask Ezra to bring out the book of the law of Moses.
Do we need to ask our leaders to be reading the Word to us?
8:3 He reads from early moring to midday and “...all the people were attentive...”
8:5 He opened it and “...all the people stood up...” Tradition has people standing for the reading of the word.
8:6 “... Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground...”
Praise - up. Worship - down.
Nehemiah 9
9:2 “... The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers...”
¼ of the day reading, ¼ of the day confessing.
9:4,5 Platform for leading the people in worship
History is retold
God’s goodness 9:19 “You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness...” 9:20 “...You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them...manna ...water for their thirst...” 9:22 “...You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, And allotted them to them as a boundary. They took possession of the land...”
Man’s rebellion 9:26 “...But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies...”
Summation 9:33 “...You are just in all that has come upon us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly...”
Nehemiah 10
A document is written and signed by 10:28 “...all those who had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the law of God...”
10:30 Won’t intermarry.
10:31 Won’t do business on the Sabbath.
10:31 Will honor the every seventh year land Sabbath.
10:32-39 Will tithe and support the firstborn, firstfruits laws.
Nehemiah 11
One in ten to live in Jerusalem, repopulating the city.
11:23 “...a firm regulation for the song leaders day by day...”
Nehemiah 12
Levitical priesthood reestablished and registered.
12:31 “...two great choirs...” were appointed to perform on the wall.
12:43 “...on that day they ...rejoiced because God had given them great joy ...the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar...”
Nehemiah 13
13:1-3 Foreigners were excluded.
13:4-9 Tobiah is thrown out of his illegal room in the House of God.
13:10-14 Support for the Levites is restored.
13:15-22 Work and trade were removed from the Sabbath.
13:23-31 Mixed marriages strongly discouraged.
13:25 “... So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves...”
