After The Fall Ezra and Nehemiah

After The FallEzra and Nehemiah

Nehemiah Reads The LawNehemiah 7-8

Announcements

Week Date Topic1 04 Sep 13 Rebuilding the Temple: Ezra 1-32 11 Sep 13 Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple: Ezra 4-63 18 Sep 13 Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem: Ezra 7-84 25 Sep 13 Ezra’s Prayer: Ezra 9-105 02 Oct 13 Nehemiah Arrives in Jerusalem: Nehemiah 1-26 09 Oct 13 Rebuilding the Walls: Nehemiah 3-47 16 Oct 13 Nehemiah Helps the Poor: Nehemiah 5-68 23 Oct 13 Nehemiah Reads the Law: Nehemiah 7-89 30 Oct 13 Israelites Confess Their Sins: Nehemiah 9-1010 06 Nov 13 New Residents of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 11-1211 13 Nov 13 Nehemiah's Final Reforms: Nehemiah 1312 20 Nov 13 Summary of Ezra and Nehemiah 13 27 Nov 13 Malachi 1-4

Nehemiah

Today’s Objectives• Provide an historical overview • Review last weeks lesson, Nehemiah 5-6• Learn about Nehemiah’s census of Jerusalem and

Judah• Learn about the many families who originally

returned• Learn about Ezra’s reading of the Law after the

wall was finished• Learn about the revival that took place after

reading the Law• Next week: Nehemiah 9-10

Overview of Nehemiah• Nehemiah’s lived in Persia; however, his ancestral

home was Jerusalem• Judah was a province of the Persian Empire• Nehemiah was the royal cup bearer in the palace at

Shushan• Artaxerxes I was the Persian king during this time• Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in 444 BC• Nehemiah led completion of the wall around

Jerusalem over a 52-day period• Nehemiah remained in Jerusalem for 13 years or

until 431 BC

Overview of Nehemiah• Nehemiah supplemented and completed the work of

Ezra• After completing his work, Nehemiah returned to

the Persian palace of Shushan • After Nehemiah leaves, moral degradation begins to

return back to Jerusalem• Nehemiah again returns after a two-year absence• With vigor, Nehemiah seeks to rid the nation of the

immoral behavior – he was the last of the Persian governors sent to Judah (it was later annexed)

• We know little of his remaining life (died 413 BC)

Chapters of Nehemiah• 1 – Nehemiah’s Prayer• 2 – Nehemiah’s commission and travel• 3 – Building the wall• 4 – Enemies try to stop work on the wall• 5 – Internal problems threaten work on the wall• 6 – Wall is completed• 7 – Wall is guarded• 8 – Revival• 9 – Israel confesses their sin• 10 – Israel’s covenant with God• 11 – People of Jerusalem• 12 – Dedication of the wall• 13 – Nehemiah’s reforms

Babylonian EmpireUnder Nebuchadnezzar (600 BC)

Turkey

IranIraq

Saudi Arabia

Achaemenid Persian Empire Under Cyrus (530 BC)

Iran AfghanistanSyria

Iraq

Turkmenistan

Pakistan

UzbekistanKyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

India

Saudi Arabia

TurkeyAzerbaijan

GeorgiaArmenia

Kazakhstan

China

Geo-Political Atmosphere• Egyptian revolt against Greek military presence• This reality caused Persian to value strongholds

such as Judea – prompting a continuous build-up of key cities

• Likewise, Persia needed stable populations inhabiting these cities

• Therefore, it was in Persia’s strategic interest to fortify cities like Jerusalem and to ensure that the population was strongly governed with little to no change of insurrection

Geopolitical Situation• 612 BC — Fall of the Assyrian Empire• 587 BC – Nebuchadnezzar’s third attack on Jerusalem,

remaining people carried away• 546 BC – Cyrus becomes king of Persia• 539 BC – Cyrus conquers Babylon• 535 BC – Second temple reconstruction begins (approx)• 515 BC – Second temple reconstruction completes• 480 BC – The Battle of Thermopylae (Persians against Greeks)• 458 BC – Ezra returns to Jerusalem• 458 BC – Cincinnatus is named dictator of the Roman Republic• 454 BC – Athens loses a fleet and possibly as many as 50,000

men in a failed attempt to aid an Egyptian revolt against Persia • 445 BC – Artaxerxes I gives Nehemiah permission to rebuild

Jerusalem

Main Characters of Chapter 7-8• Nehemiah – sent by God to rebuild the wall and re-

establish the law in Jerusalem, cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes I

• Ezra - led the second body of exiles that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem in 458 B.C.; recounted the temple rebuilding process; reads the Law of Moses after the wall is completed in 445 B.C.

Watchmen Provided For The Walls (Nehemiah 7:1-3)

• Appointment of Hanani and Hananiah (7:1-2)– The wall, including gates/doors, had been completed– Spiritually, the Levites and singers had been appointed– “Charge of Jerusalem” – leadership of Jerusalem– Hanani was Nehemiah’s brother

• A watch is set on the walls (7:3)– Jerusalem still needed protection– Gates to be opened late and closed early– Inhabitants were responsible for their own security

The Returned Families (Nehemiah 7:4-73)

• Need to develop Jerusalem (7:4-5)– Jerusalem was large and spacious, people and houses

were few– Nehemiah finds a registry of genealogy of those who

returned first• Those who returned from captivity (7:6-73)

– From Babylonia– Estimated that less than 2% of those carried away

actually returned– He lists the names, head of family, and gifts– Klein suggests this is part of a relocation program

Hearing God’s Word Ignites A Revival (Nehemiah 8:1-13)

• People ask Ezra to read God’s word (8:1-3)– Scholars believe 8:1 picks up from 7:6– Nehemiah describes those gathering at the Water Gate– Read the Law of Moses (Gen., Ex., Lev., Num., Deut.)– From daylight to mid-day, six hours

• How God’s word was received (8:4-6)– Again, Ezra delivers the word– Joined by the men who supported his ministry– People stood up as he opened the book of God’s word– The people thanked God, prayed, and worshipped

• God’s word is read so people understand (8:7-8)– Teachers were appointed to help them understand the

Law (Guzik)• Teachers used to bring spiritual discernment• Teachers used to help apply ancient means to the current day• Our minds are often slow to understand things that will convict

our heart– Read clearly, gave the words meaning

Hearing God’s Word Ignites A Revival (Nehemiah 8:1-13)

The Response to God’s Word (Nehemiah 8:9-18)

• People respond with weeping (8:9-11)– Nehemiah was the Governor, Ezra the priest and scribe– People wept when they heard the law– They are told to go celebrate because of God’s word

• People choose to rejoice (8:12)– They understood the words and praised God in

celebration• Leaders gather for more study of God’s word (8:13)

– On the second day– Heads of the fathers’ house, priests, and Levites– Gather with Ezra in order to better understand the law

• People keep the Feast of Tabernacles (8:14-18)– Children of Israel would dwell in booths as they did in

the wilderness (Exodus)– Great gladness because of obedience to God’s word– Read from the Book of the Law from the first day until

the last day

The Response to God’s Word (Nehemiah 8:14-18)

Modern Day Jerusalem

Review• Provided an historical overview • Reviewed last weeks lesson, Nehemiah 5-6• Learned about Nehemiah’s census of Jerusalem

and Judah• Learned about the many families who originally

returned• Learned about Ezra’s reading of the Law after the

wall was finished• Learned about the revival that took place after the

law was read• Next week: Nehemiah 9-10