TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 21, 2018
A TIME TO CONFESS EZRA 10:1; NEHEMIAH 1:6-7 OCTOBER 21, 2018 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying Ezra 10:1 and Nehemiah 1:6-7. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS TAKEAWAY: The story of the exiles return after many years in captivity centers around sin. Israel was not the hapless victim taken advantage of by some overpowering, evil force. Because of Israel s sin, God sent the Babylonians as discipline. God s people were conquered and exiled. Once they began to return to Israel, confession figured into the restoration process. WHY IT S IMPORTANT: Going before the Lord in confession of our sins is vital in our daily faith journey. It is important that we understand the meaning and value of the spiritual discipline of confession. In this study, we ll learn why confession is needed, what biblical confession is, and what the outcomes of confession are. GOSPEL CONNECTION: The life of a believer in Jesus Christ is a confessional life. 2 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. 1 When you were a child, do you remember ever doing something wrong and then trying to hide it? How did concealing your act make you feel? What finally happened? 2 Has anyone ever confessed a sin to you? Without sharing any details, explain what it was like. What impact did that person s confession have on you? 3 Why do you think confession is an important part of the believer s relationship with God? 4 What benefits does confession afford? Confession plays a prominent role in the Scriptures. The Old Testament speaks of confession as an integral part of worship. Particularly, confession plays an important role in the Ezra/Nehemiah narrative. Let s look a bit closer at what happened, and what we can learn for our lives today. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. alternate introduction When you think of the word confession what comes to mind? Does it have a negative or positive connotation for you? Confession as a spiritual discipline is something many evangelicals relate to Catholicism. We my think of a small wooden confessional room with a screened window. In reality, confession is an important spiritual discipline and act of worship rooted in both the Old and New Testaments. We see confession as early as Genesis 3, and the theme continues through the rest of the Scriptures. Confession plays an important role in the Ezra/ Nehemiah narrative. Let s look a bit closer at what happened and what we can learn for our lives today. Despite the tragic downward spiral of the nation of Israel which eventually led to the fall of Jerusalem, their exile was not the end of the story for God s people. Ezra emphasizes God s sovereignty and mercy in moving a pagan ruler to assist His people. God also 3 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
raised up new shepherds to lead His people, such as Ezra (Jer. 23:3-4). In both Ezra and Nehemiah, the people of God had a new opportunity to live as God s special people. The passages that are the focus of this study center on confession. In fact, confession and repentance are key themes in Ezra and Nehemiah. The prayers of Ezra in Ezra 9:8-9 and Nehemiah 9:32-37 give us important insight into the purpose of both books. The second prayer recognizes that the people of Israel are still suffering because of their sins. Both books certainly recognize the hand of God in the favor of the Persian kings, but the books also acknowledge that the situation in Jerusalem was far short of full restoration. The combination of confession and petition found in these prayers is at the center of the message and purpose of these two books. Ezra and Nehemiah intend to both bolster the hope of the community and lead them back into a state of repentance. > Have a volunteer read Nehemiah 1:6-7. 6 Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father s house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. Nehemiah 1:6-7 gives an overview of why Israel needed to confess. These verses say that Israel had acted very corruptly against God. It elaborates by describing the corruption as a failure to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that God had given to Moses. What specific commandments had Israel been prone to break? 4 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
After Solomon s reign ended, the kingdom fell into disarray. Eventually, the nation of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Israel fell in 722 B.C. and the Southern Kingdom fell in 605 B.C. The accounts in 2 Kings make it clear that the primary offense of God s people that led to their captivity was idolatry. In 2 Kings 17:9-12, the sins of the Northern Kingdom are described: They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, You shall not do this. Similarly, in 2 Kings 21:10-12, the reason for the eventual fall of the Southern Kingdom is given: Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. Why is idolatry such a serious sin? The foundation of the Law of God that was delivered to Moses is Exodus 20:3: You shall have no other gods before me. The basic commitment of Israel to love and fear Yahweh alone was the cornerstone of His covenant relationship with Israel. Yahweh demands exclusive covenant loyalty. He is the one true God of heaven and earth and cannot and will not allow the worship of other gods. 5 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
Is idolatry a common problem that Christians in the United States battle against? Explain your thoughts. The application of this divine mandate may be widened for our time and culture. A common definition of a modern-day idol may be anything that occupies a place that is higher than God in our hearts and lives. An idol can be a job, a relationship, money, social status, church, or some form of entertainment. Idols usually take up our time and empty our pockets. They consume our thoughts and steal our affections. What are you valuing as more important than God in your heart and life? > Have a volunteer read Ezra 10:1. 1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites men, women and children gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Initially, who was praying, confessing, and repenting? Ezra was a leader among the people. He had led the second of the three waves of returning exiles and was highly regarded in Israel. It was right and good for Ezra, as a man of influence among Israel, to use his influence to lead the people to obey the Lord. In this particular context, the people of Israel needed to confess and repent. Paul later would put this same principle into practice when he told the Corinthians, Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). What happened when Ezra confessed and repented? What is the lesson for us from Ezra s example? 6 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
The people of Israel followed Ezra s lead. The verse says, A very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. The people saw the deep emotion and genuineness with which their leader was confessing sin. They were moved to follow his example. Other leaders had led the way for sin (9:2). Ezra determined to lead the way for confession and repentance. He didn t do this by demanding that they grieve, but by being overcome by grief himself for the sin of the people. The response of the people shows that they felt the seriousness of the situation and experienced true brokenness for sin. > Have a volunteer re-read Ezra 10:1. 1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites men, women and children gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Ezra provides for us an example of what confession and repentance look like. Though the episode is descriptive and not prescriptive, it does offer some insight that can inform how we put this spiritual discipline into practice. What did Ezra s confession involve? The text says that Ezra s confession involved praying, weeping, and casting himself down. The description that we have vividly portrays a dramatic scene of emotion. It must have been unsettling to those who were watching to see a man of Ezra s stature behaving this way. 7 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
Ezra s confession involved two visible elements and one invisible. Visibly, Ezra prayed and lamented. The prayer consisted of confession of sin. His lament consisted of weeping and casting himself down. The invisible element is that of a contrite heart, which was evidenced by his outward state. Why should confession remain an important activity, a spiritual discipline, for those who are in Christ? Confession is a critical part of the sanctifying process for followers of Christ. Although followers of Jesus have been cleansed of sin, they still battle against the flesh. 1 John 1:8 says, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. However, we are not left to ourselves in dealing with sin. John goes on to write, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). What are the benefits of confessing sin? First of all, confession of sin is a reminder of the gospel and our need for Christ s work on the cross. Confession keeps Christians cognizant of the fact that they are a rescued people and that they must keep their hearts turned toward the Rescuer. Second, when Christians make a habit of confessing sin to other trusted Christians, the devil s schemes to make a Christian ineffective are short-circuited. Regular confession creates accountability and affords opportunities to help lift one another s burdens through prayer and other means. 8 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 From the examples of Ezra and Nehemiah, what have you learned about the discipline of confession? 2 Is there something in your life that needs to be confessed? Is there something that you have refused to acknowledge before the Lord or others that you know is sin? Make it a point to confess that sin today. If possible, find another person from your group with whom you can confess that sin and seek accountability for moving forward. 3 How can you be an example to those under your influence of a lifestyle of confession and repentance? What effect do you think it will have on those around you? P R A Y Spend time in prayer, thanking God for the gift of confession and the opportunity He gives us to receive forgiveness for our sins. Acknowledge that our sin debt has been paid by Christ and that we should not carry the guilt of our transgression around. Set aside a few minutes for a time of silent confession. 9 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: How grieved are you about the physical and spiritual state of God s people? Are you grieved enough to follow Nehemiah s example of prayer? How, specifically, will you pray this week? The same question posed in our class time to ponder on this week: Is there something in your life that needs to be confessed? Is there something that you have refused to acknowledge before the Lord or others that you know is sin? Make it a point to confess that sin to the Lord today. If possible, find another person from your group with whom you can confess that sin and seek accountability moving forward. > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize Neh. 1:6-7. > The text for next week s study, so group members can read it in anticipation of next weekend: Ezra 7:10. 10 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa
COMMENTARY OCTOBER 21, 2018 EZRA 10:1 10:1 The term confessed is from a Hebrew verb (yadah) that usually means to praise, to give thanks. But in this verbal root (Hb hithpael), it has the connotation of confessing (Lv 5:5), as God is praised when His people acknowledge their sin and guilt before Him. NEHEMIAH 1:6-7 1:6. Nehemiah knew that God would hear; he was asking God to take action. One of the utterly astounding characteristics of biblical psalms is that the psalmist never doubted that God heard his prayer. 1:7. In Job 34:31 the word translated acted wickedly means to offend. Nehemiah was speaking to God here as to a master he has offended by disregarding His commands. The concept of disobedience goes right to the heart of the matter. God s commands are not capricious; He knows what is best for His people and for all society. Nehemiah recognized the seriousness of disobeying God s ethical demands. Many ethical dilemmas of our day are not easily solved; however, we often make them more difficult by not accepting as relevant ethical commands that are clear in Scripture. In this case the commands, decrees and laws refer to the Pentateuch. 11 Challenge to Rebuild Calvary Tuscaloosa