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Rebuild Renew Nehemiah RENEW REBUILD TEACHER GUIDE SPRING 2018 | SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER GUIDE Nehemiah RENEW REBUILD SUNDAY SCHOOL 14 WEEKS | SPRING 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS a letter from Dr. Steven W. Smith The End. Nehemiah tells us the end of the Old Testament story. The significance of the events is huge. Think about it. God made a promise to Abraham that his family would have a land and would multiply, and that he would be a blessing to the nation. This was partially fulfilled. The promised was renewed through Moses, and then finally with David. David saw the land, he saw the multiplication, but the eternal blessing to the nations was hard to see. The kingdom was divided, conquered and the people were taken as prisoners…exiles in a foreign land. Just before the curtain closes on the Old Testament, the people return to the land and rebuild. This sets up the events of the New Testament where Jesus comes into a disrupted Jerusalem, and finds a Judaism that has drifted far from God’s original covenant design. The key characters in this story are Nehemiah the great leader, and Ezra the prophet/scribe. The story is filled with great leadership savvy and plot twists. However, mainly it is a story of hope. God keeps His promises. And when He does, how will we respond? That is the end of the story. Looking forward to studying God’s Word together. Blessings, Steven Smith, Senior Pastor TABLE OF CONTENTS SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER GUIDE Teacher Guide: Learn the best way to use this study in a Sunday School 4 How To Use This Tool classroom setting. Historical Context: This one-page guide highlights the historical context for 5 Reference Guide the entire book of Nehemiah. 5 Literary Context Understand the book as a whole. This one-page chart most thoroughly describes Redemptive Context: Nehemiah’s place within salvation history. It is important 6 Reference Guide to remind students throughout the study, of Nehemiah’s connection to the other Old and New Testament books. Understand the geographical sketch of the area during Historical Context: Maps 7 the time of Nehemiah. 8 LESSON 1 Introduction � Ch 1:1-4 16 LESSON 2 Brokenness � Ch 1:4-5 24 LESSON 3 Brokenness in Prayer � Ch 1:4-11 34 LESSON 4 Brokenness in Action � Ch 2:1-8 42 LESSON 5 Responding to Opposition � Ch 2:9-20 52 LESSON 6 Responding to Opposition II � Ch 3-4:14 62 LESSON 7 Responding to Opposition III � Ch 4:15-23 72 LESSON 8 Mercy � Ch 5 82 LESSON 9 Conspiracy � Ch 6:1-14 92 LESSON 10 Completing the Task � Ch 6:1-7:73 102 LESSON 11 Ezra reads the law � Ch 8 112 LESSON 12 Confession and Covenant � Ch 10 124 LESSON 13 Dedication of the Temple � Ch 12 134 LESSON 14 Nehemiah’s Final Reforms � Ch 13 TEACHER GUIDE HOW TO USE THIS TOOL l START HERE (5 Minutes) Choose a story, discussion starter, or media clip in order to spark the interest of students. These are provided in each lesson. w READ THE TEXT (2-5 Minutes) Read the text. Keep students engaged by asking volunteers to read portions or have each student read one verse or paragraph until the entire text is completed. k REVIEW THE TEXT (15-20 Minutes or 25-30 Minutes) Take time to unpack the text. In the case of historical narrative, set the context, retell the story, highlight the major scenes and moments, and explain their significance. CONTEXT - Historical background is provided to help understand the passage. CONTENT - Concise observations and expert commentary are provided in order to help students understand the meaning of the passage. In this Bible Study section, teachers may choose the amount of information they’d like to cover using one of two routes. • OPTION 1 TAKE THE DIRECT ROUTE - Follow the black text on the left side of the page for the simplest, most direct content. This option is great for discussion-based teachers. To allow more time for discussion, the direct route Review the Text section should take 15-20 minutes. • OPTION 2 TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE - Bulleted beneath the main text, you will find a gold arrow signaling additional commentary and content for those teachers focused more on lecture. Teachers who take the scenic route can expect the Review the Text section to take about 25-30 minutes. CONCLUSION - Summary statements explain the main ideas of each passage. r REFLECT ON THE TEXT (5-10 Minutes) In hopes of allowing students to reflect personally on the message of the text, and to allow for deeper relational ties important to discipleship, three questions will be provided to stimulate discussion in the class. s RESPOND TO THE TEXT (5 Minutes) While many students are accustomed to receiving uplifting, useful information in Sunday School, it is critical to allow time and space for students to open their hearts to absorb the truths presented and begin to apply them in their lives. These short exercises are intended to graciously nudge students toward personalizing the messages of the text and move toward Christ-likeness in application. 6 NEHEMIAH Teacher Guide | Spring 2018 HISTORICAL CONTEXT REFERENCE GUIDE INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT • During the renewing and rebuilding that happened under both Ezra (Temple and people) and Nehemiah (walls), the Persian empire was the dominant world power. • The Persians had a much more generous foreign policy than both the Assyrians and Babylonians who preceded them. Like any dominant nation, they wanted as little resistance as possible. Often their means of achieving this was to let the people they conquered return to their home land, offering them a significant amount of autonomy. • While the Israelites were allowed to return and work on repairing Jerusalem, they still faced great opposition from surrounding powers. • Remember that the main line of defense for any ancient city was its walls. A city without walls was completely vulnerable. Therefore their task in Nehemiah was vital and urgent. LITERARY CONTEXT REFERENCE GUIDE TRACING THE MESSAGE I. PREVAILING THEMES: II. AREAS OF EMPHASIS: • The Lord hears prayer. Old Testament • The Temple • The Lord works providentially. • The Law • The Lord protects his people. • The City Walls • The Lord is merciful and faithful to His promises. New Testament Applications • Worship is at the center of the life of God’s people • Worship and it includes the willing, joyful giving of their • Word resources. • The Church • God’s people need to be on guard against their own moral weakness. [ESV Study Bible] III. THE MESSAGE OF NEHEMIAH God is so good that He keeps his promise to Abraham in that while the whole nation is dispersed and only exiles remain, He raises up Nehemiah to respond to His sovereignty with determination. The story of Nehemiah provides believers a model of passionate, determined discipleship. Nehemiah, a man who shares God’s passion for his glory, is used of God to bring about a unity among God’s people, a renewed focus on His Law, and a people repositioned to worship God in his presence. The message of Nehemiah contains clear implications for the church, its leaders, and the enduring mission of God in the world. Teacher Guide | ibclr.org NEHEMIAH 7 REDEMPTIVE CONTEXT REFERENCE GUIDE NEHEMIAH IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY After the reigns of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, though warned by many prophets, the people’s hearts were hardened toward God and the northern Kingdom (722BC) and the Southern Kingdom (597 & 586 BC) were taken into exile, leaving Jerusalem in ruin. But in God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), God orchestrated the return of his people to the land through the work of Zerubbabel (538BC), Ezra (458BC), and Nehemiah (433BC). From a theological perspective, the return of the Israelites from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem showed the Jews that God is faithful. They were the continuation of the pre-exilic Jewish community, and God was not done with them. Both Ezra and Nehemiah emphasize God’s continuing providential care and redemptive plan. TIMELINE (SOUTHERN EXILE TO RESTORATION) 586 539 538-537 536 530-520 516 458 444 433 Southern Cyrus of Cyrus issues Temple Temple Temple Ezra arrives Nehemiah Nehemiah kingdom Persia a decree construction construction completed in Jerusalem first arrives returns to of Israel captures allowing begins arrested Ezra 6:15 Ezra 7-10 in Jerusalem Jerusalem taken into Babylon Jews to under due to Neh.1-2 Neh 5, 13:6 captivity in Dan 5:30 return Zerubbabel opposition Babylon Ezra 1:1-4 Ezra 3:8 Ezra 4:1-5 8 NEHEMIAH Teacher Guide | Spring 2018 HISTORICAL CONTEXT MAPS Teacher Guide | ibclr.org NEHEMIAH 9 RENEW REBUILD Nehemiah LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION CH 1:1-4 l START HERE (5 Minutes) Utilize one of the following tools to ignite the interest of your students. Tell a story, spark a discussion, or show a clip. THE IDEA: Today, we start TELL A STORY our study of Nehemiah. This Corrie Ten Boom and her family helped Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II is a man deeply and, by all accounts, saved nearly 800 lives. distraught over the state of his Her famous book The Hiding Place recounts her courageous and dangerous work, which people and his ultimately led to the imprisonment of her entire family and the deaths of several loved home city. We ones. Amidst all her trouble and hardship, she said, “There is no pit so deep but He is not are going to see deeper still.” just how deep the pit was and how Nehemiah responded to the Lord.
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