Old Testament Foundations: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther Book of Ezra I. Introduction to Ezra The book of Ezra tells the story of the return of the Israelite __________ to the land promised to them by the Lord, the rebuilding of the temple and the reestablishment of a Jewish remnant. (Isaiah 10:20-22) This restoration was in fulfillment of prophecies in both Isaiah and Jeremiah. (Isaiah 40:1-2; 52:7-10) Cf. Jeremiah 25:11-14, 29:10-14. There were actually two _________________ of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the 70 years of exile: 605-536/5 B.C. for the length of the exile and the restart of worship in Jerusalem and 586-515 B.C for the destruction of Solomon’s temple and the building the second temple. The book of Ezra includes details of two returns of the exiles. The first return (536 B.C.) was under the leadership of Zerubbabel and included some 50,000 persons. (Ezra 2:64-67). The second return, under the leadership of Ezra, occurred some eighty years later (458 B.C.) was a much smaller group than the first. (Ezra 8:1-20). The theme of Ezra is the ___________________ of the Lord to his promises. (Lamentations 3:22-24, 31-33) Below is a short outline of the book: A. Cyrus’ Decree and the Return of the Exiles from Babylon (1:1-2:70) B. The Returned Exiles Rebuild the Temple (3:1-6:22) C. Ezra the Priest Comes to Jerusalem to Establish the Law of Moses (7:1-8:36) D. Ezra Discovers and Confronts the Problem of Intermarriage (9:1-10:44) Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book. A key phrase in Ezra is “the hand of God” – which appears 6x in the text. II. Overview of the Content of Ezra Following the issuing of Cyrus’ proclamation (1:2-4) a minority of the exiled Jews resolved to return to the land of their ancestors. Upon arrival at the ruins of Jerusalem, the exiles made a strong start in rebuilding the spiritual __________________ of the nation. They built an altar to offer the proper sacrifices, the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles was celebrated, and the foundation was laid for the rebuilt temple. (Ezra 3) 1 Sadly, chapter four tells us how things soon went awry for the Jews. First, the exiles wisely turned down a very questionable offer by the surrounding peoples (“adversaries” in 4:1) to ‘help’ in the rebuilding of the temple. These people followed a syncretic religion combining paganism with elements of Judaism. (II Kings 17:24-41) In retaliation, the neighboring peoples began to harass the Jews to prevent them from finishing the temple. (4:4-5) (Ezra extends this same theme of harassment and false testimony against the Jews throughout the rest of chapter, citing examples of trouble that happened later during the reigns of Ahasuerus (Greek Xerxes, 486-465 B.C.) and Artaxerxes (464-424 B.C.) The work of rebuilding the temple ground to a halt. Then in 520 B.C., under the prophetic ______________ of Haggai and Zechariah (5:1-2) as well as a change in Persian policy with a new king (Darius the Great) the temple was finally finished in 515 B.C. – sixteen years after the work was begun. (6:13-18) Starting in chapter 7, Ezra, qualified as both a high priest and a scribe (7:1-6) arrives on the scene and, with the blessing of King Artaxerxes of Persia, leading a large group of exiles to Jerusalem. One of the challenges Ezra faced was finding ___________ who were willing to leave their comfortable lives for the uncertainties of living in the little province of Yehud. (Judea - 8:15-18). The ___________ of Ezra’s life was a thorough knowledge of the scriptures and how to apply them to the people of his generation. As J. Sidlow Baxter explains: “He shows us how God can use a man who studies to a proficient grasp on the written word of God. (II Timothy 2:15) He shows us what a noble and vital qualification for highest leadership it is to have a full and careful knowledge of the scriptures.” Tragically, Ezra upon his arrival in Jerusalem, is quickly blindsided by a crisis: the Jews had begun to ________________ with the surrounding pagan nations around them. This crisis, besides repeating the past sins of the Israelites with the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1-4), would eventually lead to the exiles losing their distinct ____________ as a people of God. (Exodus 19:5-6) Ezra wisely, however, instead using the judicial authority given to him by Artaxerxes (7:26), provided a powerful example to the people both by his profound grief over their sin and his powerful intercessory prayer. (Chapter 9) Influenced by his leadership, most of the sinning Jewish men put away their foreign wives and the community was preserved. (Chapter 10) III. Some Applications we can draw from Ezra 1. God can use anyone to accomplish his declared purposes, whether the person happens to descendant of David (Zerubbabel), priest/scribe (Ezra) or a pagan king. (Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes) 2 2. When we are fearful and anxious that is the time to draw together in unity with our fellow believers to ____________ the Lord. (Ezra 3:1-5; Psalm 118:5- 9) 3. If you are doing God’s work God’s way expect ________________. (Ezra 4) Cf. I Corinthians 16:8-9. 4. Confronting sin in others needs to also include intercessory __________ for the sinner(s). (Ezra 9:4-15) Cf. Job 42:7-9; Daniel 9:19. Book of Nehemiah I. Introduction to Nehemiah The events of Nehemiah begin some thirteen years later (445 B.C.) after Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem (458 B.C.) Nehemiah held the important ____________ of cupbearer (Genesis 40:1; 41:9) for King Artaxerxes. Upon receiving approval from the king, Nehemiah is appointed governor of Yehud/Judea with the immediate task of rebuilding the shattered walls of Jerusalem. The time period covered in the book is roughly between 445 – 430 B.C. The spiritual condition of many of the Jews during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah is described in ____________, perhaps the last book of our Old Testament was written at this same time. The theme of Nehemiah is ________________ the foundations of Israel. The first part of the book focuses upon restoring Jerusalem’s walls (2:1-7:4), the second part of the book is concerned with strengthening the spiritual priorities of the exiles, whether that is understanding God’s law, renewing and enforcing the Mosaic covenant, or (once more) confronting the issue of mixed marriages. (8:1-13:31) H.G.M. Williamson (New Bible Commentary) provides a useful outline of Nehemiah: A. Nehemiah Restores the Walls of Jerusalem (1:1-7:73) B. Covenant Renewal (8:1-10:39) C. Consolidation (11:1-13:31) Throughout the book, it is the character and actions of Nehemiah himself that push the story forward. Alexander Whyte describes Nehemiah well when he wrote that he was: “A self-contained man. A man of his own counsel. A man with the counsel of God alone in his mind and in his heart…A man to take command of other men…He will 3 not begin until he has counted the cost. And then he will not stop until he has finished the work.” Bible Characters of the Old and New Testaments II. Overview of the Content of Nehemiah Following the discouraging report of Jerusalem’s physical condition from his brother, Nehemiah begins a four month prayer and fasting vigil that Artaxerxes, his master, will reverse present Persian policy and allow him leave to help the returned exiles. (1:1-4; 2:1) Finally, the Lord provided the opportunity and Nehemiah was released to go to Jerusalem. (Proverbs 21:1) Upon his arrival, Nehemiah wisely first reconnoiters the worst section of Jerusalem’s wall at night before revealing the real purpose of his appointment as governor. Reconstruction then begins at once. (2:9-20) Nehemiah divides the people into 42 teams, each group _____________ a section of the wall that was often near their residence. (Chapter 3) Unfortunately, opposition and trouble quickly develops, both external and internal. First, Nehemiah is confronted by a ______________ of enemies, led by Sanballat the Horonite, governor of the province of Samaria. The external opposition inspired by Sanballat and his ally Tobiah the Ammonite includes: (1.) scorn (4:1-6), (2.) a threatened attack (4:7-23), and (3.) deceit and treachery (6:1- 19). In addition, Nehemiah also has to contend with internal troubles with the Jewish community. These troubles include: (1.) discouragement over the size of the work (4:10), (2.) fear of surrounding enemies (4:11-14), and greed of the wealthy Jews against the poorer. (5:1-13) In spite of all the difficulties, Nehemiah remains ______________ to the task the Lord had given him and the people – and the wall is rebuilt in 52 days! Cf. 6:15-16. However, the job of rebuilding the Jewish state is only half done with Jerusalem’s restored wall. The rest of the book is focused upon strengthening the spiritual foundations of the returned exiles. To accomplish this task, Nehemiah first enlists the help of Ezra, the priests and the Levites, to expound to the people the “Book of the Law” during the Feast of Tabernacles. (8:1-8) Following the celebration of the feast, the people once more gather to confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors and to make a _____________ with the Lord to faithfully follow him and to support the ongoing worship within the temple.