Ezra & Nehemiah. Rebuilding the Walls. and God s People

Transcription

1 Ezra & Nehemiah Rebuilding the Walls and God s People

2 Persian Rulers B.C. Cyrus the Great ( B.C.) Daniel Cambyses ( B.C.) Darius I ( B.C.) Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6) *Xerxes I ( B.C.) Esther *Artaxerxes I ( B.C.) Ezra & Nehemiah Darius II ( B.C.) Artaxerxes II ( B.C.) Artaxerxes III ( B.C.) Darius III ( B.C.) > Alexander the Great

3 The Babylonian Empire Riblah

4 The Book of Esther Falls between Ch. 6 & 7 of Ezra (58 year period) During reign of King Xerxes/Ahaseurus ( B.C.) Providential hand of God Welfare of remaining exiles in Persia Feast of Purim commemorates

5 Ezra, Spiritual Leader Ch. 6 begins with reign of Artaxerxes, 7 th year A Levite son of Aaron the chief priest Teacher, well-versed in the Law of Moses (Ez. 7:6) Gracious hand of his God was on him because he was devoted to study, observance and teaching of the Law of the Lord (Ez. 7:10)

6 Ezra s Return to Jerusalem Letter from Artaxerxes (Ez. 7:13-26) Provides all that is needed Shows Artaxerxes had knowledge of requirements of worship Recruited Levites from town of Casiphia Fasted, prayed for safety (Ez. 8:21-23) 1500 men, plus women & children Journey took 4 months (Ez. 7:9)

7 Jewish Reforms Solemnity to worship practices Promise not to intermarry (Ez. 9-10, Neh. 10:30) God s command Joshua 23:12, Ex. 34:15-16 Still God s teaching today 2 Cor. 6:14-18 Problem was NOT exclusion of foreigners from faith of God (see Rahab, Ruth, Is. 56:4), but interfaith marriage/polytheistic faith that leads to apostasy (see King Solomon) Difficult situation, handled carefully, case-by-case basis Promise to honor the Sabbath (Neh. 10:31) Promise not to neglect the house of God (Neh. 10:32-39) Removal of foreigners from worship (Neh. 13:1-3)

8 Sketch of Chronology 7 th yr: Ezra returns with 2 nd group of Jewish exiles Ezra addresses intermarriages 20 th yr: Nehemiah returns with 3 rd group Jerusalem s walls are rebuilt In 7 th month, Feast of tabernacles is celebrated People agree to reforms By lot, people move to Jerusalem Walls are dedicated 32 nd yr: Nehemiah returns and reinstates reforms, replaces untrustworthy leaders

9 Nehemiah, Governor Cupbearer to King Artaxerxes 20 th year of reign of Artaxerxes News leads to mourning, fasting and bold prayer Gracious hand of God upon him, the king granted his request (Neh. 2:8) Intent to rebuild, secret inspection of walls

10 Rebuilding the Walls Organization Each assigned to area near home (Neh. 3) Opposition & Barriers External (Neh. 4) Internal (Neh. 5) Joint external/internal (Neh. 6)

11 Table Discussion External Opposition (Nehemiah 4) What 3 forms did external opposition take? How did Nehemiah combine faith with practical action? What was the people s attitude at various points? What was the heart of Nehemiah s 2 messages? (vs. 14, 19-20) How did he handle few resources and significant vulnerabilities? Internal Barriers (Nehemiah 5) What were conditions of the work? (see Neh. 4:22, 5:3) What sacrifices were people making to do God s work? How were fellow Jews responsible for making it more burdensome? Why was this a sin? (see also Deut. 23:19, Pr. 28:8) How did Nehemiah combine faith with action? What example did Nehemiah set and what enabled him to do that? BOTH: What hard things did this require of Nehemiah as a leader?

12 Rebuilding the Walls Organization Each assigned to area near home (Neh. 3) Opposition & Barriers External (Neh. 4) Internal (Neh. 5) Joint external/ internal (Neh. 6)

13 Completing the Walls Walls built in 52 days Stopped for worship (Neh. 8-9) Celebration of Feast of Tabernacles Celebration of Day of Atonement, Confession of Sin People agree to reforms in writing Chosen by lot, 10% of Jews resettle in Jerusalem Dedication ceremony for Walls Nehemiah returns: removes Tobiah, reinstates

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15 Nehemiah s Leadership Pray and Act (4:6, 4:9) Sacrificial (5:14-19) Seek recompense/reward from God (5:19, 13:14, 13:22) Practical action combined with faith for dealing with the ungodly Removing evildoers & committing them to the Lord (5:13, 6:14) Prioritize worship over work (Ch. 8-9) Value and Support other leaders (Ch. 10) Do the hard thing (Neh. 13:8, 11, 13, 15-22, 28) Follow-up replace untrustworthy men (Ch. 13)

16 Apply It Personally: From Ezra 7-10 & Nehemiah: What needs rebuilding in your life? How will you handle opposition? How can you help not hinder others work for God? What hard things are being required in your leadership?

17 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Col. 3:23-24

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