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A Pilgrimage Through the Old Testament

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A Pilgrimage Through the Old Testament A PILGRIMAGE THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT ** Year 3 of 3 ** (Part 1 of 2) Cold Harbor Road Church Of Christ Mechanicsville, Virginia Old Testament Curriculum TABLE OF CONTENTS Lesson 105: REBUILDING GOD’S TEMPLE Ezra 3-6.......................................................................................................... 4 Lesson 106: GOD GUIDES EZRA Ezra 7-10 ........................................................................................................ 9 Lesson 107: REBUILDING JERUSALEM’S WALL Nehemiah 1-6................................................................................................ 14 Lesson 108: SPIRITUAL RESETTLEMENT AND REFORM Nehemiah 7-13.............................................................................................. 20 Lesson 109: ESTHER’S DEVOTION TO GOD AND HER PEOPLE Esther 1-2....................................................................................................... 26 Lesson 110: ESTHER’S GREAT FAITH Esther 3-6....................................................................................................... 29 Lesson 111: ESTHER PETITIONS THE KING Esther 7-10..................................................................................................... 34 Lesson 112: JOB’S SUFFERINGS Job 1-21 .......................................................................................................... 38 Lesson 113: JOB IS BLESSED BY GOD Job 22-41 ........................................................................................................ 44 Lesson 114: REVIEW Ezra - Job ....................................................................................................... 50 Lesson 115: SONGS AND PRAYERS OF DAVID Psalms 1-41.................................................................................................... 53 Lesson 116: HYMNS OF DAVID AND KORAH Psalms 42-72.................................................................................................. 61 Lesson 117: PRAISES TO GOD BY ASAPH Psalms 73-89.................................................................................................. 68 Lesson 118: ANONYMOUS SPIRITUAL SONGS Psalms 90-106................................................................................................ 73 Lesson 119: ANTHEMS OF PRAISE BY DAVID AND OTHERS Psalms 107-150.............................................................................................. 80 Lesson 120: WISDOM/BETTER THAN RUBIES Proverbs 1-9 .................................................................................................. 87 Lesson 121: PEACE, JOY, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS Proverbs 10-16............................................................................................... 92 Lesson 122: TRUST IN THE LORD Proverbs 17-24............................................................................................... 96 Lesson 123: TRUE RICHES Proverbs 25-31............................................................................................... 103 Lesson 124: SOLOMON SEEKS THE MEANING OF LIFE Ecclesiastes 1-6.............................................................................................. 110 Lesson 125: FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS Ecclesiastes 7-12............................................................................................ 116 Lesson 126: TRUE LOVE Song Of Solomon 1-8.................................................................................... 122 Lesson 127: REVIEW Psalms - Song Of Solomon........................................................................... 128 Lesson 128: POLITICAL, MORAL, AND SOCIAL JUDAH Isaiah 1-23...................................................................................................... 138 Lesson 129: PREDICTIONS AND PROMISES Isaiah 24-39.................................................................................................... 145 Lesson 130: JESUS IS COMING Isaiah 40-66.................................................................................................... 150 Page 4 Old Testament Lesson 105: Rebuilding God’s Temple Text: Ezra 3-6 Memory Verses: Ezra 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Goals: Student will learn: • not to be discouraged by those who do wrong, but to strive to please God by doing good. • God cares for our needs because He loves us so much. Outline: I. Beginning to rebuild God's temple. Ezra 3 A. The altar rebuilt. B. Workmen and building materials assembled. C. The foundation is laid. II. Opposition to God's temple. Ezra 4 A. Tempters of compromise. B. Lying letters. C. King Artaxerxes stops their work. III. Building resumes. Ezra 5 A. God's prophets encourage His people. B. Tatnai's tattletale letter to King Darius. IV. God's temple is finished. Ezra 6 A. Discovering Cyrus' decree. B. King Darius' decree. C. Help issued. D. Celebrating the temple dedication/Passover. OT Lesson 105 Page 5 Ezra 3-6 Facts: 1. Soon after arriving in Judah, Jeshua and Zerubbabel gathered the Jews in Jerusalem to rebuild God's altar on its original site. They offered sacrifices to Jehovah and celebrated the Feast of Trumpets. Two weeks later, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. (Numbers 29:13) They were fully aware of their need for God's protection as they re-entered this inhabited territory. This occurred about September, 536 B.C. The following spring, they were ready to lay the temple's foundation. 2. Stone masons and carpenters were hired. Cedar logs from Tyre and Sidon were brought down the Lebanon mountains and floated down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa. King Cyrus included this provision in his grant to the Jews. All those who had returned became workers on the temple under the direction of Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and 341 fellow priests and Levites. (Compare their resources to what Solomon had in II Chronicles 2-23:4.) 3. Once the foundation was completed, the priests, in their finest robes, gathered the people in joyous celebration and thanksgiving to God for His love and mercy toward them. This was observed much as when the ark had been brought by David to Jerusalem. (I Chronicles 16:5, 6) The psalm sung (Psalms 136:1) was in reference to Jeremiah's prophesy. (Jeremiah 33:11) 4. While most were overwhelmed by joy, many of the older men able to recall the splendor of Solomon's temple openly wept. Fifty years had passed since its destruction. Such shouts of joy mingled with weeping, created a loud noise heard from far away. 5. Now, trouble for the Jews began. Isaiah had prophesied the northern ten tribes would cease to be a distinct nation within sixty five years (734 B.C.). (Isaiah 7:8) This was fulfilled by 669 B.C. within the reign of Esar-haddon of Assyria who transplanted foreigners throughout Samaria, who in turn, intermarried with Israelites. (II Kings 17:24) The returned remnant now constituted the majority of the Jewish nation, relocated in their old territories. Their northern descendants now cunningly approached Zerubbabel offering to “help” them rebuild God's temple. 6. To have accepted the help of these pagans on an equal basis with true Jews would not have been pleasing to God in the rebuilding of His temple. Besides these Samaritans really only sought to discourage their efforts and later build their own temple at Mt. Gerizim. (John 4:20-22) Zerubbabel and the Jewish leaders resisted the temptation to compromise and told the Samaritans they must do the work themselves. 7. Then, the local people tried to frighten them, by writing lies about them to high officials such as King Cyrus (535-530 B.C.), Cambyses (530-522 B.C.), Smerdis (522 B.C.), and Darius I (521-520 B.C.). Local governors, scribes, judges, and other leaders who had been deported from Babylon, Persia, Erech, and Susa to Jerusalem and Samaria joined in writing to King Artaxerxes. (They wrote in Aramaic, the commercial language of the fertile crescent during the first millennium B.C.) 8. Their letters accused the Jews of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. They professed great concern for the safety and welfare of the Persian king. Their report was highly exaggerated. They claimed they did not want to see the king taken advantage of by these rebellious Jews who would probably quit paying their taxes soon so that was the purpose of their report. These men were on the king's OT Lesson 105 Page 6 Ezra 3-6 payroll. They encouraged a search of the historical records which would surely show how evil the Jews were and if their rebuilding was not stopped, they would soon take over Persia's empire beyond the Euphrates River. 9. King Artaxerxes responded to the letter written by Rehum and Shimshai, the scribe, by writing that he had ordered a search of the records. He realized there had been some very great kings of that area before (David, Solomon, Asa, Jehoshaphat, etc.) and that it was an area where rebellion and insurrection had been common. (II Kings 24, II Chronicles 36:13) So, while he investigated the matter, he had the Jews stop their rebuilding of the temple. 10. Delighted with the king's reply, they hurried to
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