THE L.I.F.E. PLAN EZRA - ESTHER BLOCK 3 THEME 2 - THE HISTORY LESSON 4 (80 of 216)
BLOCK 3 THEME 2: THE HISTORY LESSON 4 (80 OF 216): EZRA - ESTHER LESSON AIM: Briefly describe the books which cover the return of the remnant. God had delivered Israel from captivity in the land of Egypt. He took them to the promised land where they could live in fellowship with him and from which they could have a base for their mission in the world. However, when Israel got to the land of promise, instead of walking with God, they forsook him for other gods. Eventually, God delivered them into the hands of their enemies who took them into exile from their new land. After a specified period of time, God brought back a remnant, a small number of his people to the promised land. Six books of the Old Testament tell us about the return: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. This lesson will briefly look at the first three books. The short period of time during which the remnant returned is called the postexilic period. It was a span of about 140 years sandwiched between a starting point and an ending point. This period began in 536 B.C. when Cyrus, the king of Persia, allowed the people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of the Lord. It ended when the last prophetic voice from God had spoken through Malachi around 400 B.C. After this came a 400 year period of silence from God when there was no vision from the Lord to his people. This is the period of time that lies between the Old and New Testaments which shaped the land of Palestine for the coming of the Messiah. As we think of the return of the remnant, we can arrange our information into two categories. The first category has to do with the things which happened among the people who returned to Jerusalem. These events are told in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In survey of these events, we note that the return took place in three stages. The first group to return to Jerusalem was a group which returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel in 586 B.C. Zerubbabel was apparently born in the land of exile and had never seen Jerusalem before he brought back the remnant. He was a descendant of King David, the great-grandson of King Jeconiah. Zerubbabel led the people to lay the foundation of the temple and eventually complete its construction many years later. He emphasized the importance of the Word of God in the lives of the people and the part it would play in keeping their hearts in pursuit of God. Although the temple was rebuilt, it largely lacked the presence of God; not because it was not as grand as the temple King Solomon had built, but because the heart of the people was still not wholly after God. Some eighty years later, a second group of exiles returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra. Ezra was a descendant of Aaron, Israel s very first high priest. He himself was also a priest and a scribe. He was a master teacher of the Scriptures. The work Ezra did when he came to Jerusalem still impacts the world today. He was instrumental in arranging the Scriptures, that is the Old Testament, into the groups of
the law, the prophets, and the other writings. This was the arrangement of the Scriptures in Christ s day, and to some degree is still how we view the Old Testament today. Ezra also instituted the local synagogues. The synagogue was a place in the Jewish communities where the Scriptures were taught. What we do in Christian worship centers today is modeled after the synagogue. So, the impact of Ezra s work is still felt around the world today. Move forward another dozen years and a third group returned to Jerusalem under Nehemiah. Nehemiah served as a governor in Jerusalem and led the people to rebuild the walls around the city in the short span of 52 days. The book of Nehemiah is a great book to study to extract information about leadership. These three returns are marked out clearly in our Bible in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The first six chapters of Ezra cover the return under Zerubbabel. Chapters seven through ten tell us of Ezra s return. And, the book of Nehemiah tells us of his going to Jerusalem and of the rebuilding of the walls of the city. These books tell us of those things which happened among those who returned to Jerusalem. The second category of information has to do with the things which happened among those Jews who did not choose to return to Jerusalem from exile. Some of these events are recorded for us in the book of Esther. Between the last verse of chapter six and the first verse of chapter seven in the book of Ezra, some sixty years go by. This is the slot where the events of the book of Esther took place. Esther is a fascinating book to read. It gives us a feel for the beauty and extravagance of the palace of the king under the Persian rule. It takes us into the realm of world empires and their wars to rule the world. It gets into the details of family life, and we see that we all deal with the same kinds of issues, from the most common people of life to royalty. It touches on the beauty of a young girl and how she won the heart of a king. We also see a glimpse of the age-long struggle of Satan to attempt to keep the Messiah from coming into the world to do what God said he would do. We see here one of history s attempts to exterminate the Jews from the planet. And, although the name of God is never mentioned in the book of Esther, we see his sovereign hand at work, preserving his people and bringing about his purpose. These three books in conjunction with the three post-exilic prophets tell the story of the return of the remnant. They also lay the foundation for the developments of religion and politics which took place in the four hundred years just prior to the coming of the Christ into the world. The post-exilic prophets will be considered in a later study. There is a wealth of information available for study on the inter-testament period. You can read about the change of hand of world rulers and of great kingdoms like the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. You can read of their accomplishments in mathematics, philosophy, literature, and warfare which still impact the world today. You are encouraged to look into this information and learn as much as you can. This will help you to better understand the environment into which Jesus came and some of the reasons why he was so hated by the religious leaders of the Jews.
LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 3 THEME 2: THE HISTORY LESSON 4 (80 OF 216): EZRA - ESTHER LESSON AIM: Briefly describe the books which cover the return of the remnant. I HAPPENINGS AMONG THE RETURNING REMNANT A. Returning with Zerubbabel B. Returning with Ezra C. Returning with Nehemiah II HAPPENINGS AMONG THOSE WHO CHOSE NOT TO RETURN TO JERUSALEM A. Extermination attempt of the Jews (Esther) B. The foundation is laid for the inter-testament period SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING Read the short books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. DOCTRINE OF GOD Sovereignty Providence God s work to fulfill his promise (Gen 3:15) God rules in the kingdoms of men 2. BIBLIOLOGY Arrangement of the Old Testament Scriptures 3. ECCLESIOLOGY Synagogues and their influence upon Christian worship LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Post-exilic After the exile or captivity
QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What is the time period called which refers to the return of the remnant to Jerusalem? The post-exilic period 2. In how many stages did the return of the remnant take place? 3 3. Who led the returns of the remnant and what were their contributions? Zerubbabel - rebuilt the temple; Ezra - arranged the Scriptures and instituted the synagogues; Nehemiah - repaired the city walls of Jerusalem and governed the city 4. What is Christian worship today modeled after? The activities in the synagogues 5. What important topic is on display in the book and life of Nehemiah? Leadership 6. Where do the events of the book of Esther take place in relation to the book of Ezra? Between chapters 6 and 7
BLOCK 3 THEME 2: THE HISTORY LESSON 4 (80 OF 216): EZRA - ESTHER QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What is the time period called which refers to the return of the remnant to Jerusalem? 2. In how many stages did the return of the remnant take place? 3. Who led the returns of the remnant and what were their contributions? 4. What is Christian worship today modeled after? 5. What important topic is on display in the book and life of Nehemiah? 6. Where do the events of the book of Esther take place in relation to the book of Ezra?