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Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

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Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther A Study Workbook for Teachers and Students Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther Revised June 6, 2015 1:43 PM Copyright © 2012 Mikeal R. Hughes, D.Min., Th.D., Ph.D. All Rights Reserved www.mikealrhughes.com Reproductions may be freely made and used, provided proper credit is given to the author and no charge is ever made in association with this material without the express written consent of the author. !48 Mikeal R. Hughes Printing Instructions 1. Download the booklet and open it in Adobe Reader 2. Print only the ODD pages. 3. Now FLIP THE PILE OVER so the blank sides are ready. 4. Print ONLY the EVEN pages. 5. Fold the pages in the middle and staple twice along the spine. Copyright © 2012, Mikeal R. Hughes, All Rights Reserved All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther !47 The Table of Contents: Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther Introduction .............................................................................................................1 Lesson 1 - Ezra 1-2 Edict of Cyrus \ Names of those who returned first with Zerrubbabel .......................................................5 Lesson 2 - Ezra 3-4:5 Altar rebuit \ Help offered and refused. ..................7 Lesson 3 - Ezra 4:6 - 5:17 Letter to Artaxerxes \ work stopped \ Haggai & Zechariah begin rebuilding Temple ..........................9 Lesson 4 - Ezra 6 Darius’ reply \ Temple completed \ Dedication \ Passover feast celebrated ......................................11 Lesson 5 - Ezra 7-8 Ezra’s genealogy \ commission from Artaxerxes \ arrival at Jerusalem ............................................13 Lesson 6 - Ezra 9-10 Ezra’s displeasure over mixed marriages \ Ezra’s prayer \ putting away strange wives .....................17 Lesson 7 - Nehemiah 1-3 Nehemiah’s sorrow \ Request to go to Jerusalem \ Nehemiah at Jerusalem \ Inspecting the walls \ Opposition of Sanballat & Tobiah \ Rebuilding the walls \workers and places they worked. ........21 Lesson 8 - Nehemiah 4-8 Sanaballat & Tobiah try to stop the work \ Appointment of Hanani and Hananiah \ Feast of tabernacles celebrated ..........................25 Lesson 9 - Nehemiah 9-13 Separating from iniquity \ Ezra’s Psalm of repentance \ List of those who signed the covenant \ Repopulating Jerusalem \ Dedication of walls \ Appointment of collectors\ Sabbath reforms .................................29 Lesson 10 - Esther 1-2 The riches and splendor of Ahasuerus \ Search for a new queen \ Esther chosen by Ahasuerus to be queen \ Plot to kill Ahasuerus, its failure. ....39 Lesson 11 - Esther 3-5 Haman elevated \ Mordecai refuses to bow \ Haman’s plot against the Jews \ Haman’s plan against Mordecai ...................................................41 Lesson 12 - Esther 6-10 Haman’s plot and failure \ Haman’s downfall \ Victory of the Jews \ Feast of Purim begun The power and might of Mordecai .......................43 !46 Mikeal R. Hughes The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther !45 7. What did Esther and Mordecai receive from the king? Introduction 8. What was done about the letters written to destroy the Jews? I. Setting of Ezra / Nehemiah The nation of Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:1-18) leaving Judah alone. The nation of Judah did not 9. What were the Jews aloud to do to their enemies? learn their lessons from Israel and fell to the Babylonians (Jer. 52:1-16). Jerusalem was destroyed, including the temple, the wall, and only the poorest of the people were left in the land. It would be seventy years before God would restore the people to their land (Jer. 25:8-11). There were actually three groups that would return - 10. What did many people of the land do because of the fear of 1. Those under Zerubbabel who would rebuild the temple. 2. A the Jews? group returning with Ezra, responsible for restoring the law of Moses. 3. A final group that would return with Nehemiah who would rebuild the walls of the city. The story of Ezra and 11. How many enemies of the Jews from the palace were slain? Nehemiah take place over a hundred years - from when Cyrus gives the Jews permission to go home and rebuild their temple 12. How many from all the provinces were slain? until Nehemiah is in his second term as governor of Judah. Ezra starts with the city of Jerusalem in ruins, being largely unpopulated, but by the end of Nehemiah the temple and the wall had been built, the worship of Jehovah was reestablished, and the 13. What was done with Haman’s sons? Jews had separated themselves from the evil nations around them. II. Things to look for as you study these two books A. Three major events of the books (in order) 1. Rebuild the temple 14. What feast day of the Jews was established at this time? a. The people set up an altar soon after they arrived (Ezra 3:2-3) b. Temple was ignored until it was a disgrace (Hag. 1:4; Zech. 4:9) 2. Restore the law a. Ezra’s purpose (Ezra 7:10) b. Law - something to be respected (“tremble at the command. .”) (Ezra 10:3) c. Law was something that the people needed to !44 Mikeal R. Hughes The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther !1 understand. Teachers were provided (Neh. 8:7-8) 3.Rebuild the wall - a study in leadership a. Overcoming difficulties from your supervisor, your God cha!enges Job \ Job’s penitent submission own people and powerful external enemies. Regarding the external enemies Nehemiah faced - historical Lesson 12 - Esther 6-10 documents tell us that Sanballat was at some point the governor of Samaria, Gesham was a leader of a Esther powerful group of Arab communities, and Tobiah was 6:1-14 Haman’s plot and its failure probably the governor of Ammon and a member of an 7:1-10 Haman’s downfall 8:1-14 Mordecai promoted \ Esther’s request \ Ahazuerus’ Decree influential Jewish family. 8:15-9:10 Victory of the Jews b. The wall was more than protection from enemies - it 9:11-19 Haman’s sons hanged \ Feast of Purim begun represented the separation of the Jews from the rest 9:20-28 Permanent establishment of Purim 9:29-32 Approval of Esther of the world. Nehemiah uses the wall to defend the 10:1-3 The power and might of Mordecai Sabbath from violation (Neh. 13:15-22) % B. God’s people 1. Why did the king want to honor Mordecai? 1. Only a remnant is saved - (Ezra 9:15) 50,000 return (Ezra 2:64-65) 2. God’s love for His people 2. Who advised the king on how to honor one that pleased the a. God saved His people (Ezra 9:8) king? b. God’s providence in working out the events of the book 1.) “Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus” - (Ezra 1:1) 3. Who did the king choose to honor Mordecai? 2.) “Jehovah...has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart. .” (Ezra 7:27) 3.) God stirred up the spirit of those who volunteered 4. What did Haman do after honoring Mordecai? to go (Ezra 1:5) 4.) God put into Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the wall (Neh. 2:12) C. Prayer - 5. How did Esther reveal Haman’s plot against the Jews? 1. Content of - (Ezra 9, Neh. 9) 2. Frequency of 3. Length of - Compare (Neh. 9 with Neh. 2:4-5) 4. Occasion of 6. How was Haman punished? !2 Mikeal R. Hughes The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther !43 9. How did Mordecai persuade Esther to go to the king? 10. What did Esther request of Mordecai? An Outline of Ezra 1. 1:1-2:70 - Return from Exile 11. How did Esther get Haman to come to a banquet? 2. 3:1-4:5 - The work of restoration begins 3. 4:6-23 - List of opposition to Jewish building programs 4. 4:24-6:22 - The temple is completed - Approximately a 60 12. What made Haman happy? year gap. 5. 7:1-8:36 - Ezra’s return to Jerusalem 6. 9:1-10:44 - The problem of mixed marriages 13. What ruined all of Haman’s happiness? III. Significant dates to remember 721 BC Israel goes into Assyrian captivity and loses its 14. What did he have built to satisfy his anger? identity as a nation. 605 BC First group of captives taken from Judah to Babylon 597 BC Capture of the city of Jerusalem by Babylon - Second group of captives taken 586 BC Destruction of Jerusalem - 3rd group of captives taken 539 BC Babylon falls to the Medes and Persians 536 BC First group of captives return under Zerubbabel 520-516BC The temple is rebuilt 458 BC A second group of captives return under Ezra 444 BC The wall around Jerusalem is rebuilt by Nehemiah !42 Mikeal R. Hughes The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther !3 Elihu’s anger at Job’s justification of himself Lesson 11 - Esther 3-5 Esther 3:1-6 Haman elevated \ Mordecai refuses to bow 3:7-15 Haman’s plot against the Jews 4:1-17 Mordecai appeals to Esther for help 5:1-8 Esther appeals to Ahasuerus 5:9-14 Haman’s plot against Mordecai % 1. Who was Haman? 2. Why did he become Mordecai’s enemy and want to kill all Jews? 3. How did Haman persuade Ahasuerus to destroy all Jews? 4. How did Mordecai react to this news? How did all the Jews react? 5. Why couldn’t Mordecai enter the king’s gate? 6. How did Esther find out what was happening? 7. What did Mordecai want Esther to do? 8. Why was Esther reluctant to go before the king? !4 Mikeal R.
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