Important Dates To Remember 70 yrs 612 B
Important Dates To Remember 70 yrs 612 B. C. 606 B. C. 586 B. C. 539 B. C. 536 B. C. 520 B. C. 516 B. C. 483 B. C. 458 B. C. 445 B. C. 430 B. C. Babylon defeats Assyria 1 st captives taken (Daniel & 3 friends) Judah falls to Babylon; captivity begins Medo-Persia defeats Babylon – Zerubbabel (temple) Prophecies of Haggai & Zechariah Temple completed Story of Esther (between Ezra 6 -7) – Ezra (spiritual 2 infrastructure)
Quarter 8 Captivity Return From Captivity Years Of Silence 3
Quarter 8 Lesson 14 Ezra Restores The Worship Early Chapters From 4
Persian Kings Cyrus The Great 539 – 530 B. C. Cambyses 530 – 522 B. C. Darius I (Hystaspes) 522 – 486 B. C. Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) 486 – 465 B. C. Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) 465 – 424 B. C. Haman’s plot tototo destroy all Jews set Nehemiah Temple Esther Ezra authorized chosen rebuilding authorized be work lead queen to 2 nd stopped lead in return 3 rd 7 thuntil return year to to occur 12 th year Esth 7: 8 3: 7 1: 1 2 nd Jerusalem year in Esth Ezra in 7 th in 4: 24 2: 16 20 th year Ezra Hag 1: 1 Neh Zech 1: 1 2: 1 5
Ezra Restores The Worship § 6 th year of Darius I (Hystaspes) Ezra 6: 15 § 7 th year of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) Ezra 7: 1 § Span of 57 -58 years…insert story of Esther § Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) [father of Artaxerxes I] is king § Ezra 1 -6 covers 23 years (538 -515 B. C. ) 6
Ezra Restores The Worship § Ezra’s lineage Ezra 7: 1 -5 (priest) § Ezra’s description Ezra 7: 6, 10 (profession, priorities) § Artaxerxes’ decree Ezra 7: 11 -26 § Authority for 2 nd return; full backing of throne § Passage of time since 1 st return = 78 years § Likely Zerubbabel & Joshua are dead § Very likely Israel had again fallen into 7 spiritual disorder (Haggai’s prophecy)
Ezra Restores The Worship § Returning remnant listed 20 Ezra 8: 1 - § A little more than 1, 500 men…about 1/8 the size of Zerubbabel’s group in 1 st return § Ezra had refused a security detail Ezra 8: 22 § Indicates a complete trust in God § Remnant had a major problem 9 -10 Ezra § Mixed marriages again showed the 8
Ezra Restores The Worship § Remnant had a major problem 9 -10 Ezra § Made worse because leaders were the major offenders 9: 2 § Ezra’s personal reaction 9: 3 -4 § Ezra’s contrite prayer 9: 5 -15 § Fixing such a widespread problem would be a “process” requiring time 10: 7 -14, 16 -17 [“process” took about 3 months] § Emotionally tough to do…but still “do- 9
Early Chapters From Nehemiah § Timeline information… § 20 th year of Artaxerxes I [445 B. C. ] § 13 yrs since Ezra led 2 nd return [458 B. C. ] § 71 yrs since the temple completed [516 B. C. ] § 91 yrs since Zerubbabel’s 1 st return [536 B. C. ] § 141 yrs since walls last stood [586 B. C. ] § Nehemiah is told about Jerusalem’s 10
Early Chapters From Nehemiah § Nehemiah reacts 1: 4 -11 § Great sadness…not indifferent because of his own personal success in Susa cp. 2: 3 § He prays (confession of sin…asks God to be faithful to His promise…hopes for success before the king) [already planning] § Nehemiah requests 2: 1 -10 § Asks Artaxerxes for time to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls 11
Early Chapters From Nehemiah § Nehemiah reviews & recruits 18 2: 11 - § Inspects the enormous task to be accomplished § Encourages the remnant to join him in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls 12
Nehemiah’s Inspection Of Jerusalem’s Walls Neh. 2: 12 -15 Dangero us 2: 14 13
Early Chapters From Nehemiah § Nehemiah reviews & recruits 18 2: 11 - § Inspects the enormous task to be accomplished § Encourages the remnant to join him in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls § Nehemiah responds 2: 19 -20 § His efforts are mocked and slandered…nothing the remnant hadn’t already faced Ezra 4 14 § Replies with solid faith in God, His
Early Chapters From Nehemiah § Nehemiah records 3: 1 -32 § He writes the record of the repair work § Some entries are noteworthy… ü Project not managed as 1 gigantic job…broken up into smaller segments…helped facilitate everyone being involved Eph 4: 16 ü Builders worked near their own homes…helped facilitate a “sense of personal ownership”… probably produced a high quality of work vv. 10, 21, 23, 28 -30 15
Early Chapters From Nehemiah § Nehemiah records 3: 1 -32 § He writes the record of the repair work § Some entries are noteworthy… ü Sadly, not everyone would participate v. 5 b ü Thankfully, others picked up the slack…did more than their share vv. 11, 19 -21, 24, 27, 30 16
APPLICATIONS § Like Ezra, we must have the “heart of a scribe” – We must prepare ourselves in the same way… study…practice…teach Ezra 7: 10 – The New Testament exhorts in a similar § M/D/R be easily way “controversy” Jn 7: 14 -17 can 2 Tim 1: 13 2: 2 solved – Does not minimize “emotional hardship” – To what did Ezra point the guilty? – Law of God must still be taught, 17
APPLICATIONS § God’s work must be accompanied by prayer – Several N. T. passages invoke the importance of praying while we carry out God’s commands Phil 4: 6 -7 Eph 6: 10 -18 1 Pet 5: 5 -8 – Nehemiah serves as a wonderful role model for an active (healthy) prayer life 18
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