Nehemiah follows along closely with Ezra in the restoration of the temple, community, Jerusalem, and the covenant.  It shows the many ways that God was at work to restore the people of Israel to their land.  Allegiance was made to God, and the Jews were restored.  God never forsakes, and nothing is impossible for Him. 

Esther was a Jew who heard of the plan of Haman, the chief administrator to the Persian King, which was to kill the Jews.  She approached the king and told him of the plan, hiding the fact that she herself was a Jew.  The king listened to her, and Haman was put to death.  Esther was very brave for approaching the king.  God used her to save His people.

Job is a great read when you’re feeling down and out.  Job suffered the loss of everything at the hand of satan, but he never rebuked God.  Satan took everything but his life, and Job maintained his innocence to his 3 friends who came to comfort him.  They didn’t believe that Job was innocent.  Why would God take it all away?  Just confess your sins and repent!  But Job stayed firm and steadfast, even questioning God as to why he was suffering so much.  God answered him in a roundabout way, showing him all He’d created, and the greatness of it all.  Job demonstrated his righteousness and God heaped His blessings upon him for the rest of his life. 

Ezra begins where 2 Chronicles left off, the exiles return.  They started rebuilding the temple and found opposition from the enemies of Judah.  A letter was written against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, and he ordered the rebuilding to stop.  That lasted until King Darius was petitioned to search for documentation that King Cyrus had issued a decree that the temple be rebuilt, and that documentation was found, and a decree made for construction to begin. 

Chapter 7 tells us that Ezra was well versed in the Laws of God, and a teacher.  7:10 says”for 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 travels from Babylon with a large number to Jerusalem under the allowance of king Artaxerxes. 

Chapter 9 discussed the disgrace that Ezra felt when he heard of the intermarriages.  It says he tore his cloak, pulled hair from his head and beard, then fell on his knees with his hands spread out and prayed. v6 – “O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. ”  A large crowd gathered around Ezra while he prayed, and they cried and confessed their sins.  Those found guilty pledged to put away their wives, and they presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering. 

The author of 1 and 2 Chronicles is thought to be Ezra by many bible scholars.  1 Chronicles was written for the Jewish exiles so they could relate to their ancestry.  It covers the history roughly the same as 1 & 2 Samuel, but it leaves out David’s sin and consequences of it, and it stresses in great detail the building of the temple and establishing worship for God.  It also lists the most comprehensive of genealogies.  The importance for the Jews to preserve their racial and spiritual heritage is stressed, as well as the importance of the law, and the temple and priesthoods ongoing relationship with God.  That was more important than a relationship with an earthly king! 

2 Chronicles covers the same time period of 1 & 2 Kings, but it focuses more on Judah’s history, worship, revival and reform.  A thought—focus on the temple.  There seems to be lots of focus on the temple.  So if we think about the temple, and the importance of it, then how does it relate to the New Testament?  What is the temple?  Doesn’t Jesus refer to His body as the temple in the New Testament?  Is the temple destroyed and raised again in 3 days?  Do God and the Lamb replace the temple?  YES!!  I can see the relationship between the OT and the NT by reading it like this.  I’m not saying that the OT is always a truly enjoyable read with all the geneaologies, but it helps me put things together relationally.  Tomorrow we start and finish Ezra.