After The Fall Ezra and Nehemiah

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After The FallEzra and Nehemiah

• Rebuilding the Temple
• Ezra Chapters 1-3

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Announcements
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Nehemiah
Week Date Topic
1 04 Sep 13 Rebuilding the Temple Ezra 1-3
2 11 Sep 13 Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple Ezra 4-6
3 18 Sep 13 Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem Ezra 7-8
4 25 Sep 13 Ezras Prayer Ezra 9-10
5 02 Oct 13 Nehemiah Arrives in Jerusalem Nehemiah 1-2
6 09 Oct 13 Rebuilding the Walls Nehemiah 3-4
7 16 Oct 13 Nehemiah Helps the Poor Nehemiah 5-6
8 23 Oct 13 Nehemiah Reads the Law Nehemiah 7-8
9 30 Oct 13 Israelites Confess Their Sins Nehemiah 9-10
10 06 Nov 13 New Residents of Jerusalem Nehemiah 11-12
11 13 Nov 13 Nehemiah's Final Reforms Nehemiah 13
12 20 Nov 13 Summary of Ezra and Nehemiah
13 27 Nov 13 Malachi 1-4
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Todays Objectives

• Provide an historical overview of events leading
  up to the book of Ezra
• Learn about the return of Gods people to
  Jerusalem after the captivity
• Learn about the people who returned to Jerusalem
  and the surrounding lands
• Learn about the restoration of worship to God in
  Jerusalem
• Learn how Judah rebuilds the temple
• Learn about the reaction of the people as the
  temple foundation is started

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Overview of Ezra

• Two distinct parts
• Part 1 From 538-515 BC, return, rebuilding the
  temple
• Part 2 Around 459 BC, Ezras arrival and
  teaching, first and third person writing style
• Ezra was a priest and scribe, son of Seraiah and
  a lineal descendant of Phinehas, the son of Aaron
• Ezra is sent by the Persian king to Jerusalem to
  enforce religious laws
• Ezra leads the second body of exiles that
  returned from Babylon to Jerusalem in 459 BC
• Book of Ezra is a work of religious history
• Describes his religious reforms, including
  introduction of the law and divorce of foreign
  wives

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Babylonian EmpireUnder Nebuchadnezzar (600 BC)
Turkey
Iran
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
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Achaemenid Persian Empire Under Cyrus (530 BC)
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Georgia
Uzbekistan
Azerbaijan
Armenia
China
Turkey
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Syria
Iran
Afghanistan
Iraq
Pakistan
India
Saudi Arabia
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Main Characters of Chapter 1-3

• Cyrus Persian king from 546 BC to 530 BC, freed
  the Judah from captivity after defeating the
  Babylonians
• Nebuchadnezzar Babylonian king who took Judah
  into exile in 586 BC
• Sheshbazzar (Persian name)/Zerubbabel - Prince of
  Judah, at the head of the first Jews that
  returned to Jerusalem after the Exile

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Places of Chapter 1-3

• Judah region of southern Israel, strategically
  located on the mountains overlooking the Jordan
  river
• Jerusalem capital of Judah, or the southern
  kingdom, city of David, location of the temple
• Babylon near modern day Baghdad, where the two
  rivers are closes (Tigris and Euphrates)

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Geopolitical Situation

• 612 BC Fall of the Assyrian Empire
• 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of the
  Babylonian empire, initial attack on Jerusalem,
  Daniel, others carried away
• 597 BC Nebuchadnezzars second attack on
  Jerusalem, most of Judah carried away including,
  Jehoiachin
• 587 BC Nebuchadnezzars third attack on
  Jerusalem, remaining people carried away
• 561 BC Evil-Merodach becomes king of Babylon,
  releases Jehoiachin
• 552 BC Cyrus becomes king of Anshan (Mede
  vassal nation) and proceeds to unite the Persians
• 546 BC Cyrus becomes king of Persia
• 539 BC Cyrus conquers Babylon
• 535 BC Second temple reconstruction begins
• 480 BC The Battle of Thermopylae (Persians
  against Greeks)

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Cyrus Cylinder
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Cyrus cylinder in the British Museum in London
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Decree of Cyrus the Persian (Ezra 11-4)

• God stirs Cyrus to make a decree (11)
• Here, Ezra is writing about the past events
• Cyrus makes a decree that God words may be
  fulfilled
• Jeremiah 258-13 and Jeremiah 2910-14
• 538 BC
• The Decree of Cyrus (12-4)
• People of Judah are to return
• Rebuild the house of the Lord
• Directs resources be provided for the rebuilding

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Response of the People (Ezra 15-11)

• Those returning to Jerusalem encouraged (15-6)
• Houses of Judah and Benjamin
• Priests and Levites
• All those around them encouraged them with
  resources
• Return of the articles of the house of God
  (17-11)
• Those that Nebuchadnezzar had taken
• Out of the hand of Mithreadath
• Gave them to Sheshbazzar, prince of Judah
• Sheshbazzar takes these items to Jerusalem

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Those Returning From Exile (Ezra 21-67)

• Those associated with Zerubbabel (21-2)
• Zerubbabel was the appointed governor over the
  province of Judah
• Listing of families returning (23-35)
• Similar listings in Nehemiah and non-biblical
  works
• Listing of priests, Levites, and temple workers
  returning from exile (236-57)
• Two special groups who return (258)
• Nethinim, decedents of the Gibeonites
• Children of Solomons servants
• Priests of uncertain genealogy returned and
  summary (259-67)

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Those Returning Make Their Home in the Promised
Land (Ezra 268-70)

• Offerings made for the temple rebuild (268-69)
• Heads of the fathers houses make offerings
• Restoration of the Judean presence (270)
• Priests and Levites
• Dwelt in their cities and all Israel in their
  cities

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Restoration of Regular Worship (Ezra 31-7)

• Beginning in the seventh month (31)
• Important, Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets,
  Feast of Tabernacles
• People gathered as one in Jerusalem
• Altar is Rebuilt on its ancient foundation
  (32-3)
• Jeshua, priests, and Zerubbabel, brothers
• Offerings to God on the altar
• Feast and regular sacrifice resumes (34-6)
• Feast of Tabernacles, daily burnt offerings
• Preparations for rebuilding the temple (37)
• Provided resources including money and materials

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Work Begins on the Temple (Ezra 38-)

• Great joy and worship begins (38-11)
• Work begins around 535 BC
• Great praise given for God during construction
• Mixed reaction among the people (312-13)
• Old men who had seen the first temple wept
• Would not match the glory of Solomons temple
• Yet many shouted
• Could not discern between weeping and shouting
• Prophets warned against despising the temple for
  its humble beginnings

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2nd Temple
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Review

• Provided an historical overview
• Learned about the return of Gods people to
  Jerusalem after the captivity
• Learned about the people who returned to
  Jerusalem and the surrounding lands
• Learned about the restoration of worship to God
  in Jerusalem
• Learned how Judah rebuilds the temple
• Learned that the people of Judah were both
  rejoiced and were saddened as the temple
  foundation started
• Next week Ezra 4-5, Opposition to temple rebuild