Neh1

Nehemiah gets news from Judah.

Neh1:3 “.. The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”.

Neh1:4 “... I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven...”

Neh1:6,7 “...hear the prayer of Your servant ...confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You ...We have acted very corruptly against You ...”

Reflects on the way forward.

Neh1:8,9 “..the word which You commanded ...If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them ...I will gather them ...”

Neh1:11 He asks God for success when he approached the King

Neh2

King Artaxerxes notices Nehemiah’s sadness.

Neh2:2 “...So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad ...This is nothing but sadness of heart...”

Neh2:3 “... I said to the king, ...Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?...”

The King responds favorably.

Neh2:4,5 “...Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it..."

Neh2:7,8 “...If it please the king, let letters be given me ...that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber ...”

Nehemiah gets to Jerusalem.

Neh2:13 Inspects the walls by night.

Neh2:17 Recruits some help to rebuild the walls

Neh2:19 Gathers some opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah.

Neh3

What started as one man’s prayer of confession, becomes a huge team effort.

Neh.4

Sanballat and Tobiah campaign against the work.

Neh4:2-4 “... What are these feeble Jews doing? ...Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble ...Even what they are building - if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!...”

Nehemiah turns to the Lord and continues the work.

Neh4:4 “... Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity...”

Neh4:6 “...So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work...”

Building a godly existence in the face of unified resistance.

Neh4:8 The opposition increases, now falling into conspiracy status.

Neh4:9 “...But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night...”

Neh4:14 “... 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..."

Neh4:16 Half worked, half stood guard.

Rebuilding what has been damaged by the world takes both courage and dedication.

Neh5

There was great financial stress on the people.

Neh5:7 “... I consulted with myself...” (KJV,NASB, ESV)

Hebrew word is malak which is “to counsel”.

NIV translates as pondered.

He was evaluating the facts against the truth that was in him.

Neh5:10,11 “... brothers and ...servants are lending ...money and grain. ...usury. Please, give back ...their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the ...the money ...grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them...”

The problem was a focus on “financial prosperity”, with people striving for wealth at other’s expense.

Nehemiah successfully changed the dynamics of the situation.

Neh6

The enemies continue to plot.

Neh6:2 “... then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me...”

Neh6:4,5 “.... They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way ...a fifth time with an open letter...”

Nehemiah knows that Ono is a NoNo.

Neh6:8,9 “...Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands...”

Neh6:15.16 “... the wall was completed ...in 52 days ..all our enemies heard of it, and ...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.

Neh7

The genealogies are reworked - number is now 49,942

Neh7:5 “...Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first in which I found the following record:..”

Neh7:66,67 “... The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and their female servants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers...”

Neh8

Expecting leaders to read the Word?

Neh8:1 “... And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel....”

Neh8:3,5 “... He read from it ...from early morning until midday, in the presence of ...those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law ...when he opened it all the people stood up...”

Posturing as the Word of God is read!

Tradition has people standing for the reading of the word.

Neh8:6 “... 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.

Neh8:8 “... They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading...”

Neh8:10 “...Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength..."

The Feast of Booths is celebrated.

Neh8:17,18 “... The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. He read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance...”

Neh9

Serious time given to reading and confession.

Neh9:3 “... While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God...”

History of God’s goodness.

Neh9:19 “You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness...”

Neh9:20 “...You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them ...manna ...water for their thirst...”

Neh9:22 “...You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, And allotted them to them as a boundary. They took possession of the land...”

Neh9:33 “...You are just in all that has come upon us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly....”

History of Man’s rebellion

Neh9:26 “...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...”

Neh10

A document is written and signed.

10:28,29 “...all those who had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the law of God. ..are joining with their kinsman ...to walk in God’’s law ...to keep and to observe all the commandments...”

Neh10:30 Won’t intermarry.

Neh10:31 Won’t do business on the Sabbath.

Neh10:31 Will honor the every seventh year land Sabbath.

Neh10:32-39 Will tithe and support the firstborn, firstfruits laws.

Neh11

Neh11:1 “... Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities....”

Neh12

Levites join the dedication of the wall.

Neh12:27-30 “... Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres ...The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall...”

Neh12:31 “...two great choirs...” were appointed to perform on the wall.

Neh12:43 “...on that day they ...rejoiced because God had given them great joy ...the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar...”

Neh13

Foreigners were excluded

Neh13:1-3 “...because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing…”

Necessary cleanup and restoration.

Neh13:4-9 Tobiah is thrown out of his illegal room in the House of God.

Neh13:10-14 Support for the Levites is restored.

Neh13:15-22 Work and trade were removed from the Sabbath.

Neh13:23-31 Mixed marriages strongly discouraged.

Neh13:25 “... 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...”

ESTHER:

Placing Esther in the timeline:

BC

605 Prisoners taken captive to Babylon

586 Jerusalem destroyed.

538 1st exiles return to Jerusalem.

515 Temple completed.

486 Ahasuerus becomes king of Persia. (Xerxes 1)

479 Esther becomes queen.

465 Artaxerxes I King of Persia.

458 Ezra comes to Jerusalem.

445 Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem.

EST1

Ahasuerus reigned over 127 provinces.

EST1:3 “... he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers ...nobles and the princes ...And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and ...his great majesty for many days, 180 days...”

EST1:4 Proud of his riches.

EST1:5 Gives a banquet.

EST1:9 Queen Vashti also gives a banquet.

Merry with wine, he wants to parade his queen.

EST1:10,11 “...the king ...commanded ...the seven eunuchs who served ...to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes...”

EST1:12 “... But Queen Vashti refused to come ...the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him...”

EST1:13-22 The all male gathering decides that this will set a bad precedent, leading all women to disrespect their husbands.

EST1:19 “... let it be written ...that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she...”

EST1:22 They make a decree that “...every man should be the master in his own house...” Vashti is OUT.

EST2

They start looking for a replacement for Vashti

EST2:3,4 “... Let the king ...gather every beautiful young virgin to the ...harem ...Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti...”

EST2:5,7 “...a Jew ...Mordecai ... was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther ...the young lady was beautiful of form and face, ...”

EST2:8-16 Esther “...was taken to the king’s palace...” found favor with the keeper of the Harem, and undergoes 12 months of beautification.

EST2:17-20 Esther becomes Queen [no background check had been performed, and per Mordecai’s instructions, she kept her Jewish heritage a secret].

EST2:21-23 Mordecai overhears a plot against the king, essentially saving the king, and the event is recorded [good deed to have in the books].

EST3

Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman.

EST3:2 “... All the king’s servants ...bowed down and paid homage to Haman ...But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage...”

EST3:5 “...When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage...”

Plotting against all Jews. Too common in history.

EST3:6 “... Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom...”

EST3:8-9 “... Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed ...”

EST3:10-15 “...Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month ...”

EST4

Mordecai responds with humility.

EST4:1 “...Mordecai ...tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes...”

EST4:3 “...there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping ...sackcloth and ashes...”

EST4:7,8 Mordecai informs Esther, to bring the matter before the king.

Esther in danger if she approaches the king unsummoned.

EST4:14 Mordecai’s famous words “... who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?..."

EST4:16 Esther asks for everyone to be praying, but resigns herself to “...if I perish, I perish...”

Will we do what needs doing regardless of consequences?

EST5

Esther is safely received by the king.

EST5:1-8 Invites Haman to a banquet, then schedules another.

Haman starts a project he will not finish.

EST5:9-14 Haman gloats, but is furious with Mordecai. Wife and friends talk him into building a gallows on which to hang Mordecai.

EST6

Why was the king restless in the night.

God’s intervention?

EST6:1-3 “... the chronicles ...were read before the king. It was found written what Mordecai ...What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him...”

Self focused Haman is heading for trouble.

EST6:6-9 The king consults with Haman about how to honor someone. Haman is so conceited he recommends what he thinks will be his.

EST6:10 “... Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said...”

EST6:12,13 “... Haman hurried home, mourning, with his head covered. Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him...”

EST6:14 And then it’s off to the bannquet.

EST7

The king will grant Esther her petition.

EST7:3,4 “...Then Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request; for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated...”

EST7:5,6 “... Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther ...who would presume to do thus?” Esther said, “A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!...”

It’s over for Haman, as he reaps what he sowed.

EST7:8 Haman’s begging looks to the king like assault on Esther.

EST7:9,10 “...Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided...”

.

EST8

Finalizing salvation.

EST8:2 “... The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman...”

EST8:3-5 Esther again risks coming into the kings’ presence “... The king extended the golden scepter to Esther ...If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him ...let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman ...which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces...”

EST8:9 “...So the king’s scribes were called ... and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors and the princes ...to every province according to its script, and to every people ...as well as to the Jews ...”

EST8:11 “...the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right to assemble and to defend their lives, ...to destroy ...kill ...annihilate ...any people or province which might attack them ...”

EST8:16 “...For the Jews there was light ...gladness ...joy and honor...”

EST9

Mordecai becomes great in the king’s house.

EST9:1 “... on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them...”

EST9:3,4 “... the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. ...Mordecai was great ...his fame spread ...Mordecai became greater and greater...”

The feast of Purim is instituted

EST9:21,22 “... to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies ...from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday...”

Four main obligations (mitzvot)

k'riat megillah - Listening to the public reading of the Book of Esther in the evening and again in the following morning.

mishloach manot - Sending food gifts to friends.

matanot la'evyonim - Giving charity to the poor.

se`udah - Eating a festive meal.

EST10

EST10:3 “...For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation...”

Haman served self. Mordecai served God and people.

Mordecai embraced being set apart. Esther showed great courage.

 2C28

Ahaz became king of Judah,

2C28:2-4 “...he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel ...made molten images for the Baals ...burned incense in the valley ...burned his sons in fire ...sacrificed and burned incense on the high places ...”

2C28:5 “... the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Aram; and ...he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who inflicted him with heavy casualties...”

2C28:8-15 Israel intends to enslave 200,000 captives. The prophet Oded warns them to “...return the captives whom you captured ...for the burning anger of the Lord is against you...” The captives are released.

Seeking worldly alliances, when serving God would suffice.

2C28:16-18 Attempts to get help from Assyria. He’s attacked by the Edomites and the Philistines.

2C28:19 “...the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord...”

2C28:20,21 The king of Assyria, instead of helping, afflicted him.

2C28:22 “... in the time of his distress ...Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the Lord ...he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus ... I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they became the downfall of him and all Israel...”

Replacing God’s way with the world’s way is never wise.

2C29

Hezekiah’s reforms start with consecration.

2C29:5 “....Then he said to them, "Listen to me, O Levites. Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place...”

Our hearts need a good cleaning.

2C29:10,11 “... it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. ...do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him ...”

2C29:15 The Levites “... assembled their brothers, consecrated themselves, and went in to cleanse the house of the Lord ...”

Anything need cleansing in our lives to serve Him well?

Following consecration, true worship can occur.

2C29:28-30 “...While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped...”

2C30

The invitation is given to all Israel and Judah.

2C30:1 “... to celebrate the Passover ...”

2C30:6 “... return to the Lord God...”

2C30:8 “... Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you...”

The people give a mixed response:

2C30:10 “...So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them...”

2C30:11 “... Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem...”

2C30:12 “...The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord...”

The Passover is celebrated, with joy.

2C30:18-20 “... Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary ...the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people...”

2C30:25,26 “... All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with ...all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah ...there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel...”

2C31

Healthy worship leads to better living.

2C31:1 “...Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession...”

2C31:4,5 Support for the Levites is reestablished, the tithe of all.

2C31:20,21 “... Hezekiah did throughout all Judah ...what was good, right and true before the Lord his God ...seeking his God ...with all his heart..”

2C32

Sennacherib, king of Assyria besieges Judah.

2C32:7,8 Hezekiah speaks to his people “... Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him ...with him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord …”

The taunting starts, suggesting that God won’t save them.

2C32:11 “...Is not Hezekiah misleading you ...”

2C32:15 “... do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand ...”

Hezekiah and Isaiah talk to the Living God.

2C32:21,22 “... the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side...”

Pride complicates a difficult situation.

2C32:24,25 “... Hezekiah became mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

2K20:11 The Lord brought the shadow on the stairway, back 10 steps.

2C32:26 “... However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah...”

Wealth again becomes a stumbling block.

2C32:27-29 “... Hezekiah had immense riches and honor ...for God had given him very great wealth...”

2C32:31 “...Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart...”

2K20:13 Hezekiah showed the envoys from Babylon all the treasures.

2K20:16,17 Isaiah says it will all be carried away to Babylon.

Will God sit silently and let us reveal our hearts?

2C33

Manasseh reverses the good of his father.

2C33:3,6 “... He rebuilt the high places ...erected altars for the Baals ...made Asherim ..He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger...”

2C33:9 “... Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel...”

Do God’s people involve themselves in any of these?

The Lord’s rebuke.

2C33:10 “... The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention....”

2C33:11 “...the Lord brought... Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon....”

Finding God in crisis.

2C33:12 Manasseh humbled himself greatly

2C33:13 God delivered, Manasseh “...knew that the Lord was God...”

2C33:15 “...He ...removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord ...all the altars which he had built on the mountain ...”

Can an evil person end well?

The short reign of Amon.

2C33:21 “...Amon reigned two years...”

2C33:22 “...He did evil in the sight of the Lord...”

2C33:23 “...he did not humble himself before the Lord...”

2C33:24 “... his servants conspired against him and put him to death...”

2C34

Josiah cleaned up the land

2C34:3 “... in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images...”

2C34:8-13 Started repairs on the Temple.

The priest Hilkiah finds the book of the Law.

2C34:15-18 “... Hilkiah ...said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” ...Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan ...Shaphan brought the book to the king ...Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king...”

2C34:19 “... the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes...”

The prophetess Huldah has two messages.

2C34:22-25 Huldah, the prophetess says “...I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants ...because they have forsaken Me ...My wrath will be poured out on this place...”

2C34:26-28 “... But to the king of Judah ...Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before ...Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me ...you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place …”

Josiah responds.

2C34:30 “...The king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord...”

2C34:31-33 ”...the king ...made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul ...he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him ...Throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers...”

2C35

Passover celebrated.

2C35:7 “...Josiah contributed to the lay people...”

2C35:10-15 The offerings and celebration followed God’s specifications.

2C35:18 “... There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel ...and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ...”.

The End.

2C35:20-24 Josiah dies in a battle with Neco, king of Egypt.

2C35:25 “... Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah...”

2C36

A few more evil kings.

2C36:2 “... Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem...” king of Egypt deposed him.

2C36:5 “... Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil...”

2C36:9 “... Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did evil...”

2C36:11 “... Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil...”

God’s love, man’s rebellion, No remedy.

2C36:15,16 “... The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy...”

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon starts taking over.

2C36:17 “... the king of the Chaldeans ...slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand...”

2C36:20,21 “... Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete...”

Leviticus 26:34 ”...Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths...”

Things will be done on God’s terms.

Post-captivity:

Historical books: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther

Prophets during this time - Haggai, Zechariah

Ezra - scribe

Author? of 1,2C, 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

The Way Back

Stirring, Sacrifice, Foundations, Resistance, Setbacks, Faithfulness

EZRA:

Ez1

Fulfilling the Word of the Lord.

Ez1:1,2 “...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...”

Perhaps Daniel had offered Cyrus the scroll of Isaiah, who had been dead for more than 100 years. 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, ...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.' "

Who initiated the rebuilding of Jerusalem?

Ezra1:5 “...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…”

Ez1:6 “... 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...”

Ez1:8 “... 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;...”

Ez2

Count of how made the journey.

Ex2:64 42,360

Ez2:65 7,337 male and female servants., 200 men and women singers.

How many came out of Egypt?

Ex.12:37 ~600,000 men

How many went into the promised land?

Num.1:46 1st Census 603,550 men: all but 2 didn’t make it.

Num.26:51 2nd Census 601,730 (only Caleb/Joshua in both)

Ez3

What was the first thing reestablished?

Ez3:3 “... 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...”

What was reestablished in the second year?

Ez3:8 “... 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...”

Ez3:10-12 The foundation is laid and some give a shout, while others shed tears because this temple would not be like the first.

Ez4

Resistance starts..

Ez4:1-2 “...Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here..."

Ez4:5 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...”

Political maneuvering stops the progress.

Ez4:8-16 Letter sent to King Artaxerxes claiming that rebellion is in the works.

Ez4:17-24 The king issues a cease and desist order, which remained in effect until the 2nd year of king Darius of Persia.

Ez5

Haggai and Zechariah get the work going again.

Ez5:2 “... Zerubbabel ... and Jeshua ...arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them...”

Ez5:5 - so did God “...the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them...”

Again resistance flares up.

Ez5:6-17 letter to Darius from the governor Tattenai to see if okay to build.

Ez6

Darius says let them build.

.Ez6:6 - the governor, colleagues, and officials were ordered to “...keep away from there...”

Ez6:8 Cost was to be paid for from royal revenues.

Ez6:9 They’re to get daily assistance ‘without fail’.

Ez6:11-12 Interference punishable by death with property turned into a garbage dump.

So the temple is completed.

Ez6:15 “...This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius...”

Ez6:19-22 Passover is observed by “...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...”

Ez7

50,000 had spent 20 years struggling to reestablish Jerusalem.

The time gap between chapters 6 and 7 is the time of Esther.

Ezra now brings a 2nd group of exiles, during the reign of a 2nd Artaxerxes.

Here we get some insight into Ezra:

Ez7:6 “... 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...”

Ez7:10 “... 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…”

By Decree of King Artaxerxes.

Ez7:13 “... I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you....”

Ez7:15,16 “... and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered ...with all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests ...for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem...”

Ez7:20 “... The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, provide for it from the royal treasury...”

Ez7:23 “...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...”

NOTICE: The powers that exist in a land WILL be stirred by God to assist in what He wants accomplished.

Ez8

The numbers for this excursion were less than half the first.

They started their journey with:

Ez8:21 “...Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions...”

This resulted in:

Ez8:31 “... 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...”

Ez8:33 “... On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God ...”

Ez8:36 “... Then they delivered the king’s edicts to the king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God...”

Ez9

Appalled by mixed marriages.

Ez9:5 “... 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;..”

Ez9:6 “... 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...”

Ez9:8 “...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...”

Ez9:15 “... 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...”

Ez10

The people follow Ezra’s example:

Ez10:1 “...a very large assembly, men, women and children ...wept bitterly...”

Ex10:11 “... Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Ez10:19 they pledged to put away their wives.

Is this severe?

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 9:43-48 “...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 ...”

What might be a source of sin that you’re unwilling to part with?

NEHEMIAH:

Sheshbazzar led the first return (Ezra 1:11)

Zerubbabel led the temple rebuilding.

Ezra led the spiritual renewal.

Nehemiah rebuilt the wall.