The BOOK – Rebuild and Reform

Ezra opens (Ezra 1:1-6) with King of Persia, Cyrus, making a proclamation throughout his kingdom permitting the Jews who were captives in his kingdom to return to Jerusalem. At Cyrus’s first call (537BC), (Ezra 1:1-4) no more than 50,000 Jews availed themselves of the opportunity of returning to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel. Cyrus gave back to Zerubbabel the golden vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5-11). They started back over 700 miles of barren desert from Babylon to Jerusalem. Not only money for rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, but also travelling expenses and all other needs were provided by God at Cyrus’s direction (Ezra 1:4-6).

We can see the hindrances to the work of the Temple (Ezra 4:1-22). Hindrances to all the real work for God are to be expected. The Church or men of God may not have the help of the world. The opposition dishearted them. They needed Haggai’s message. Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets, encouraged the people from within the ranks (Ezra 4:23-5:17), and within 4 years the Temple was complete and dedicated (Ezra 6)

At least 60 years after Jews had first returned to Jerusalem, Ezra led a second expedition from Babylon to reinforce the struggling Jews in Judah. The King was so impressed with Ezra’s love of God’s word (Ezra 7:25). This shows that we must live in such a way that others would learn to have respect for God’s word.

The Old Testament history closes about 100 years after the Jews returned from their captivity. Alexander the Great (336-325BC) broke the Persian hold and world power passed from Persia to Greece. He showed consideration to the Jews. 

Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel (Ezra 7:10). In addition to Ezra’s outstanding ministry of the word, he probably wrote portions of 1 and 2 chronicles, and Psalm 119, which is a wonderful poem about the word of God. Under Ezra we see the great revival of Bible study. 

In Nehemiah 9 we find prayer of Nehemiah. Prayer is the most important privilege of a Christian. Nehemiah’s prayer began where Ezra ended – with utter surrender to God.

The names of those who returned are given in Ezra 2. They laid the foundation of the Temple the first thing upon returning. It was a time of great rejoicing. It is interesting to notice that before they built homes for themselves they first thought of a house for the Lord. They did not build the Temple first, but the altar (Ezra 3:2). 

The place where sin must be dealt with come first in every life. The heart must be right if God is to bless. The alter was the center of the Jew’s religion and the Cross is the center of the Christian faith. 

May God help you to keep your faith first above all other things and live a life pleasing to God, Amen.

The BOOK – Never Abandoned

Ezra and Nehemiah, which were one book in Hebrew Bible, tells the return of God’s chosen people after the exile. They give the record of one of the most important events on Jewish history – the return from exile in Babylon.

·         Both books begin at Persia and end at Jerusalem

·         Both center around the man of God who wrote them

·         Both begin with a Persian Kings decree

·         Both tell of building as their chief theme.

·         Both books contain a long prayer of humiliation and confession

·         Both end with the purification of the people.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of how God remembered and how he brought back his people from exile. During the captivity, the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel told the Jews of their restoration and predicted that they would return to their own land and rebuild Jerusalem.

In accordance with time, 2 periods are important

·         23 years (537-517 BC) from the 1^st year of Cyrus to the 6^th year of Darius when the people under Zerubbabel, the governor and Joshua, the priest, rebuilt the temple.

·         25 years (458 – 433 BC) when Nehemiah, the governor, and Ezra, the priest, rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem and restored the city. Malachi was the prophet of this day.

Ezra gives the record of both of these periods. Nehemiah tells of the second period, building the walls.

The 10 northern tribes (The Northern Kingdom) were taken captive first by Assyria (2Kings 17), then the two southern tribes (Benjamin ad Judah, the southern Kingdom) by Babylon (2Kings 25). They were restored to their own land under the Persian Empire. The Babylonians had been conquered by the Medes and Persians. The ten Northern tribes who were carried away to Assyria never returned.

·         In 537 BC, the first Jews returned to Jerusalem from Babylon

·         In 516 BC, the Temple was restored.

·         In 479 BC, Esther became queen of Persia (wife of Xerxes)

·         In 458 BC, Ezra led second expedition from Babylon

·         In 445 BC, Nehemiah rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem.

The purposes of God may sometimes seem delayed, but they are never abandoned. If God has promised you something, he will certainly fulfil it, even if it may delay because of you. May God bless you.

The BOOK – Chronicles

Through the book of Chronicles we get the history of the Jewish nation. It begins with Adam and goes through the genealogy of Israel. It continues through all the 12 tribes of Israel. Through this nation our Lord came to earth. God chose this people for the fulfilment of his great promises and purposes. He is still their God (Romans 11:1) and he has his purposes yet to be fulfilled in them. 1 Chronicles ends with Solomon reigning as the King of Israel.

In second Chronicles, we see great revivals

• ·         Asa – 2 Chronicles 15
• ·         Jehoshaphat – 2 Chronicles 20
• ·         Joash – 2 Chronicles 23-24
• ·         Hezekiah – 2 Chronicles 29-31
• ·         Josiah – 2 Chronicles 35

2 Chronicles begins with the reign of King Solomon and goes on with the split of Israel into two kingdoms and ends up with the beginning of Babylonian captivity. Jesus Christ is portrayed as King in the books of Kings and Chronicles.

These books are a revision of the previous books. Hope this will encourage you and revise how God will lead you when you are chosen.

The BOOK – The Captivity

In 2 Kings, we see continuous war between the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. 2Kings 13-35, we see 80 years of continuous war, but these wars failed. After that there was peace because of the marriage of the son of Jehoshaphat (Southern king) and the daughter of Ahab (Northern king). 

In the southern kingdom, there was only one dynasty – Davidic from King Rehoboam to Zedekiah. The great prophets of those days were Nathan, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Joel and Zephaniah. About 136 years after the Northern kingdom had been taken into captivity by Assyria, the southern kingdom was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was burned. 

The history of the Jews is a record of God’s dealings with disobedient children. The moving figures and powerful factors of those days were the prophets Elijah and Elisha. 

Elijah was a bolt of fire God let loose upon wicked Ahab and idolatrous Israel. Jehovah sent him to do away with the awful worship of Baal during the reign of Ahab who had married the wicked foreign princess, Jezebel. Suddenly emerging from the desert and standing before the corrupt king in the splendour of his court, the stern prophet boldly said, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except my word” (1Kings 17:1). He was given power to shut up the heavens so there would be no rain for three and a half years. He called down fire from heaven before the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. 

Elisha succeed Elijah. Elijah trained Elisha as his successor. Elisha’s ministry lasted 50 years and most of his miracles were deeds of kindness and mercy. Elisha had a great influence upon the kings of the day, and although he did not approve of what they did, he was always coming to their rescue.

There is a great difference between the fall of Israel and Judah. Israel was scattered throughout the nations for an indefinite period, but God specified the length of Judah’s captivity to 70 years. Judah was to return to Jerusalem, which they did later. The messiah was to come out of Judah and God was preparing the way for him to come there and not to Babylon or Assyria. God was using even the rulers of foreign nations to work out his plan.

God will have plans for everyone. But it the decision we take which leads us to go forward in our life to fulfill his plans. When we move away from him, he will punish us with the rod and lead us to his way. Praying that you will understand God’s will in your life and live accordingly. Amen.

The BOOK – Kingdom Torn

From 1 Kings 11, the second period of King Solomon, we see serious trouble. Taxes under Solomon’s reign had weighed the people down. Luxury and idolatry had broken down their morale. Prosperity of money meant increased taxation, which grew into burdens that were unbearable and that bred the seeds of unrest and revolution. 

When Solomon’s son Rehoboam, threatened to levy heavier burdens upon the people, his unwise headstrong action added fuel to a fire that had already been gathering and burning. The revolt of the 10 tribes immediately followed (1 Kings 12:16), though the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal (1 Kings 12:17). This tension led to the appointment of Jeroboam as King of the northern section (1 Kings 12:20).

The Kingdom was divided and the judgement was upon Solomon for his long years of luxury and pride and power. 

Jeroboam, the ruler of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, made Shechem his capital. It seemed the natural place because it was in the center of the land. It was a custom, according to the law, to go up to Jerusalem regularly to worship (Deuteronomy 12:11,14). Jeroboam was afraid to have his 10 tribe’s journey to Jerusalem, the capital of Rehoboam’s kingdom, to worship God. So he made 2 golden calves and placed them in convenient spots – Bethel and Dan, so that the people would not have to go to Jerusalem. More than 20 times, it is written he caused Israel to sin. 

After 200 years, the people were carried into captivity by the King of Assyria in 722 BC (2 Kings 17). Many of God’s prophets had warned Israel of captivity, but they did not turn from their idolatry to Jehovah.

Things do not happen by accident. There is a cause at the root of every revolution. The event may come as suddenly as an explosion, or as the eruption of a volcano, but somewhere secret causes were at work undermining the structure. When you continue in secret sin against God, things may seem fine as nobody bothers, until suddenly God walks out your life. We should be very careful the way we live. The devil always roams around us to catch us into its arms. Praying that we should be extra careful in the way we live, things we talk and the time we spend alone so that through our actions our Gods name will be glorified, Amen.