Posts Tagged ‘Ezra/Nehemiah (2011)’
Ezra/Nehemiah – Conclusion
We must know God’s word if we are His people, but we must also have it in our hearts. This word is for all of us, not just the clergy. We must drill it into our children’s hearts so that we can act on it rather than knowing the word but not acting on it.…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Lessons for Today
There are many lessons to take from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The story is told in such a way as to mirror the Exodus and the settlement of Israel. This is a restoration of the people of God, and if the people are to serve as an example of God’s great deeds, the…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Sabbath Rest
Israel gave a portion to the temple, but the high priest Eliashib gave space in the temple for the donations to Tobiah, who was forbidden to be in the assembly of God because he was an Ammonite. Nehemiah threw Tobiah’s things out of the temple and likewise shut down the merchants who sold goods to…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Populating Jerusalem
After the city is protected by the walls and the people and the city are blessed, Jerusalem must be repopulated to maintain a civilization to support the temple. Some volunteer to live there, but many are chosen by lottery. Download MP3 (41:10; 23 MB)
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – The Rededication of the People
After the people had heard the law, they confessed their sins and worshipped God. Ezra traces the history of God’s people, from His mighty deliverance from Egypt through the presumptuous sins of the people to the establishment of the land of Israel. The people came into the land but turned away again and were sent…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – The Renewing of the Covenant
After the completion of the wall, in the month of Tishrei, the people gather before the Water Gate to dedicate themselves as the people of God. It is around this time that the Festival of Booths occurred in the time of Moses, but the feast had fallen into disuse, as well as the day of…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – The Wall is Finished
The famine in Israel was deep enough that farmers are going into debt and some are requiring extreme amounts of collateral to cover their debts. Nehemiah is so concerned that he demands that all debt collections stop and the payments are reversed. As the building of the wall comes to a close, Sanballat, through his…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Making Sound the Rebuilding
Nehemiah came in to a dispirited land and brought about a seemingly unanimous decision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Even Jews as far away as Gibeon and Mizpah came to assist in the rebuilding, though some were more dedicated than others. Even what little some may do is made more difficult by a famine…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Nehemiah Begins Rebuilding
Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem and evaluates the work to be done but does not immediately tell anyone of his plans. When confronted about the rebuilding of the temple, Nehemiah tells his critics that God will restore the Jews to Jerusalem. It is when Nehemiah begins this rebuilding that Daniel’s messianic prophecy of seventy weeks of…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Nehemiah Seeks to Rebuild Jerusalem
Nehemiah came to prominence as a leader of the Jews 13 years after Ezra’s time. Powerful men had taken issue with Ezra rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, which had contributed to a decline of Ezra’s influence. Nehemiah, cup bearer to Artaxerxes, pleads to the king to rebuild Jerusalem, since Judah’s neighbors were exploiting the unprotected…
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