NEHEMIAH: Learning to Lead

1
NEHEMIAHLearning to Lead

• Outline and Historical Background

2
Outline

• 21 April- The Leader and Opposition, Part 3,
  61-773
• 28 April- The Leader and His Nation, Part 1,
  773-818
• 5 May- The Leader and His Nation, Part 2, 91-37
• 12 May- The Leader and His Nation, Part 3,
  938-1039
• 19 May- The Leader and His Community, 111-1226
• 26 May- The Leader and His Church

• 3 March- Outline and Historical Background
• 10 March- The Leader and God, 1
• 17 March- The Leader and His Superiors, 21-8
• 24 March- The Leader and His Subordinates, 29-20
• 31 March- The Leader and His Mission, 3
• 7 April- The Leader and Opposition, Part 1, 4
• 14 April- The Leader and Opposition, Part 2, 5

3
General Background

• Authorship probably written by the Chronicler
• Chronicles written 450-425 B.C.
• Some say Ezra was the Chronicler
• Certainly Ezra and Nehemiah provided sources for
  the Chronicler

4
General Background

• Date of Writing After 420 B.C., Nehemiah
  1226,47
• Ezra (78) arrived in Jerusalem 7th year of
  Artaxerxes (began rule in 465 B.C.)- 458 B.C.
• Nehemiah came in 20th year of rule (11), thus
  445 B.C. for start of book
• Elephantine Papyri notes sons of Sanballat were
  governors of Samaria in 408 B.C. (see Neh. 41
  for cross reference)

5
General Background

• Theme Rebuilding the Walls
• Major Sub-themes
• Gods Covenant
• Purity of Worship
• Faithfulness in Adversity
• Major Teaching Point for this Study
  Characteristics of Good Leadership

6
Why Nehemiah?
Ninevah
Assur
Akkad
Susa
Sumer
7
ANE Timeline
Babylon Periods Early Dynastic 2800-2360 Old
Akkadian 2360-2180 Gutian/Sumerian 2180-1960
Egypt Predynastic 5000-2900 Protodynastic
2900-2700
ANE POWERS
8000-4500 B.C. Neolithic Age
4000-3000 B.C. Chalcolithic Age
3000-2000 B.C. Early Bronze Age
ISRAEL/JUDAH
8
ANE Timeline
Egypt Old Kingdom 2700-2200
Hammurabi, 1700

Egypt Middle Kingdom 1990-1775 Hyksos 1775-1546
ANE POWERS
2000-1500 B.C. Middle Bronze Age
3000-2000 B.C. Early Bronze Age
ISRAEL/JUDAH
Abraham, ca 2100
9
ANE Timeline
Egypt New Kingdom 1570-1200
Assyrian Kingdom Weak, 1000-880
ANE POWERS
1200-1000 B.C. Early Iron Age
ISRAEL/JUDAH
Exodus, 1446
Judges, 1360-1200
United Kingdom 1004-926
10
The United Kingdom

11
ANE Timeline
Assyrian Victory at Qarqar 853
Over Babylon 710
Over Egypt 671
Assyrian Dominance and Decline-745
ANE POWERS
Obadiah, 848-841 Amos, 762
Jonah, 759 Hosea, 750-715
Isaiah, 740-700
Micah, 740-690
Nahum 697-642
ISRAEL/JUDAH
926 Divided Kingdom
722 Assyria defeats Samaria
12
The Divided Kingdoms

13
The Assyrian Empire
14
ANE Timeline
Medo-Persian Conquest of Babylon- 539 CYRUS
Babylonian Dominance 612- Nineveh destroyed
Egypt defeated 605 Carchemish
ANE POWERS
Zephaniah, 640-609 Jeremiah, 626-582 Daniel,
605-536
Joel, 597-587 Ezekiel, 593-571
ISRAEL/JUDAH
605 1st exile to Babylon Daniel
597 2nd exile
586- Temple destroyed 3rd exile
15
Battle of Carchemish
16
Babylonian Exile
17
ANE Timeline
Greeks defeat Persians 490- Marathon DARIUS I
Alexander defeats Persians- 331
Greeks defeat Persians 480- Salamis- XERXES
ANE POWERS
XERXESAHASUERUS
Haggai, 520 Zechariah, 520-18
Esther, 483-473
Malachi, 450
ARTAXERXES
ISRAEL/JUDAH
538-515 1st Return- Zerubbabel
458-456 2nd Return- Ezra
444-432 3rd Return-Nehemiah
18
Medo-Persian Empire
19
Rebuilding the Walls
20
Theological Considerations

• Gods sovereign control and guidance of history
  are clearly seen
• In Political developments
• In Military necessities
• Fulfillment of Prophecy- accurate!
• Daniel 2,7- 4 Kingdoms
• Isaiah 4428, 451
• Jeremiah 2511,12 2910
• Gods covenantal faithfulness- even to those who
  broke covenant with him

21
Concluding Thoughts

• You are currently serving in one of the most
  important areas of the world
• In terms of ancient history
• In terms of biblical history
• In terms of contemporary threats and
  opportunities
• Who knows where this is going?
• NEXT WEEK The Leader and God, chapter 1