Lesson 1: Builders for God (Introduction)

by | Feb 11, 2022 | Old Testament Studies

INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK WE START A NEW QUARTER AND TWO NEW BOOKS: EZRA
AND NEHEMIAH. THIS IS A PERFECT STUDY FOR OUR TIME BECAUSE AS WE ARE IN
THE MIDST OF BUILDING A NEW CHURCH, THESE BOOKS DEAL WITH THE REBUILDING
OF THEIR CHURCH–THE TEMPLE. INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY BEGINNING TO STUDY THE
WORDS OF THESE BOOKS, THIS WEEK WE LOOK AT THEIR BACKGROUND.

  1. BACKGROUND



    1. LETS SET THE BACKGROUND FOR OUR STUDY THIS QUARTER. YOU REMEMBER, OF COURSE, 587 BC? IN 587 BC THE ERA OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH CAME TO AN END WHEN BABYLON CONQUERED JERUSALEM, DESTROYED THE TEMPLE AND BROUGHT THE LEADERS, INCLUDING DANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS, TO BABYLON. ULTIMATELY DANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS BECAME PART OF THE CORPS OF WISE MEN IN THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE.


    2. LETS READ DAN 2:1-5. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE? (THE JIG WAS UP, TO USE AN OLD EXPRESSION, THERE COULD BE NO MAKING UP SOME STORY. NEB WAS GOING TO CUT THE WISE MEN UP UNLESS THEY REALLY CAME THROUGH. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS GROUP INCLUDED DANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS. THEY PRAYED TO GOD TO REVEAL THE DREAM TO THEM. AND HE DID.)


    3. LETS READ ON: DAN 2:26-28 AND 31-34. DAN TOLD NEB THAT HE (BABYLON) WAS THE HEAD OF GOLD AND THAT OTHER KINGDOMS WOULD RISE UP AND TAKE OVER DOMINION. AS WE KNOW NOW, THE NEXT KINGDOM, THE SILVER KINGDOM WAS THE MEDO-PERSIAN KINGDOM.


    4. THIS PROPHECY CAME TO PASS, AND THE CONQUERING KING OF THE PERSIANS, CYRUS, CONQUERED BABYLON.


    5. IT IS AT THIS TRANSITION PERIOD THAT WE START THE IMMEDIATE BACKGROUND FOR OUR STUDY OF EZRA AN NEHEMIAH. CYRUS AND THE PERSIANS TOOK OVER FROM THE BABYLONIANS. IT WAS THE POLICY OF BABYLON TO CRUSH THE CONQUERED PEOPLE AND THEIR GODS. BUT CYRUS HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT POLICY. WHEN HE TOOK OVER HE SENT THE CONQUERED PEOPLE BACK TO THEIR LANDS WITH THEIR GODS AND HELPED THEM TO REBUILD THEIR TEMPLES. WHY? LET ME READ TO YOU FROM THE CYRUS CYLINDER:
      MAY ALL THE GODS WHOM I HAVE RESETTLED IN THEIR SACRED CITIES ASK DAILY BEL AND NEBO FOR A LONG LIFE FOR ME…


    6. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MEANS? (CYRUS WAS HEDGING HIS BETS, OR AT LEAST WILLING TO BELIEVE THAT ALL OF THE GODS MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP HIM TO LIVE A LONG LIFE.)


    7. SO THAT IS THE BASIS FOR SOME OF THE BABYLONIAN JEWS RETURNING TO REBUILD THEIR TEMPLE. AND THE BASIS FOR OUR STUDY OF THESE TWO BOOKS.


    8. SOMEONE READ TO ME JER 18:7-10. IS WAS BROUGHT INTO CAPTIVITY BECAUSE OF ITS SINFULNESS. THE MEDO PERSIAN KINGDOM LASTED ABOUT 200 YEARS. IN 1976 THE UNITED STATES EMPIRE HAD ITS 200TH BIRTHDAY. AND JUST LAST YEAR WE SAW THE SECOND MOST POWERFUL EMPIRE IN THE HISTORY OF MAN COLLAPSE.



      1. SHOULD WE BE WORRIED?


      2. SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER THE UNITED STATES, TO QUOTE JER 18:10, OBEYS GOD?


      3. IS THIS KIND OF WARNING FOR THOSE NATIONS WHO DO EVIL LIMITED ONLY TO ISREAL? (THE TEXT CONTAINS NO SUCH LIMITATION IN ITS WORDING.)


      4. WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT THIS? WHAT CAN WE DO?



  2. THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE.



    1. READ EZRA 5:13-16 AND 2. [PAST 1&2KINGS, 1&2 CHRONICLES, IF HIT JOB YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR.] ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE THREE NAMES MENTIONED: ZERUBBABEL, SHESHBAZZAR AND JESHUA SON OF JOZADAK. WHO ARE THESE GUYS? (IT IS BELIEVED THAT SHESHBAZZAR IS THE PERSIAN OR BABYLONIAN NAME FOR ZERUBBABEL. AND JESHUA IS JOSHUA.)


    2. CYRUS SENT THESE TWO MEN TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE.



      1. CAN YOU TELL ME WHY HE SELECTED ZERUBBABEL? I’LL GIVE YOU A HINT, HE IS THE GRANDSON OF JEHOIACHIN. (JEHOIACHIN WAS THE KING OF JUDAH WHEN NEBUCHADNEZZAR TOOK HIM INTO CAPTIVITY. CYRUS PROBABLY SELECTED HIS GRANDSON ZERUBBABEL TO LEAD IN THE REBUILDING BECAUSE HE WAS THE NATURAL DESCENDANT FOR THE THRONE.)


      2. CAN YOU TELL ME WHY JOSHUA WAS THE OTHER MAN SELECTED TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE? I’LL GIVE YOU A HINT FOR HIM TOO — HE WAS THE SON OF JOZADAK. (JOSHUA AND JOZADAK COULD TRACE THEIR LINEAGE BACK TO AARON THE HIGH PRIEST. SO JOSHUA WAS APPARENTLY CHOSEN BY CYRUS TO BE THE NEW HIGH PRIEST, WHICH POSITION HE COULD LEGITIMATELY HOLD.)


      3. WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU ABOUT THE RELATIVE SKILL OF CYRUS AS A RULER? (THE GUY WAS SMART ENOUGH TO HAVE SOMEONE LOOK UP THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THE PEOPLE AND WORK THROUGH THOSE.)


      4. THIS AFTERNOON YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ, IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY, A FEW VERSES IN ZEHARIAH (3:1-7) WHICH TALK ABOUT A DISCUSSION BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN ABOUT JOSHUA. GOD CALLS JOSHUA A “BURNING STICK SNATCHED FROM THE FIRE.” OR KJV “BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE FIRE.”



  3. 80 YEARS LATER …



    1. 80 YEARS LATER, AFTER ZERUBBABEL AND JOSHUA HAD BEEN SENT TO START THE PROJECT OF REBUILDING THE TEMPLE, IT WAS STILL NOT DONE. THE PERSIANS HAD A NEW KING (AFTER CYRUS AND DARIUS) AND HIS NAME IS ARTAXERXES. LETS READ EZRA 7:11-17 & 21-23.



      1. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS DECREE TO ALLOW? (THE PEOPLE TO LEAVE TO REBUILD, AND TO HAVE AN OPEN CLAIM ON THE KING’S TREASURY FOR THE BUILDING EXPENSES.


      2. IS THE IDEA THAT THE STATE CANNOT HELP THE CHURCH A CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE OR A BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE?


      3. AND IF IT IS CONSTITUTIONAL INSTEAD OF BIBLICAL, DO YOU THINK THE MINISTERS IN OUR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DEPT SHOULD TAKE SUCH STRONG STANDS AGAINST THE STATE HELPING TO FUND THE CHURCH?


      4. WHY DID ART OPEN SEND THESE PEOPLE OFF TO HELP BUILD THE TEMPLE AND OPEN HIS TREASURY TO THEM? (v.23 “WHY SHOULD THERE BE WRATH AGAINST THE REALM OF THE KING AND HIS SONS?”)



    2. ABOUT 12 OR 13 YEARS AFTER EZRA ARRIVED IN JERUSALEM AS THE NEW HIGH PRIEST, ARTAXERXES APPOINTED NEHIMIAH AS THE GOVERNOR OF JUDAH. LETS FIND OUR HOW THIS CAME ABOUT.



      1. READ NEH 1:2-4. HOW WAS THE BUILDING GOING? (SOUNDS LIKE THINGS WERE TERRIBLE.)


      2. SO NEHEMIAH STARTED TO PRAY ABOUT IT. READ NEH. 1:11.


      3. LETS JUST STOP HERE A MOMENT. v. 11 MENTIONS THAT NEH. IS THE CUPBEARER. IS THAT SOME KIND OF WAITER? HOUSEHOLD SLAVE? WHAT? (THE CUPBEARER CHOSE AND TASTED THE KING’S WINE TO MAKE CERTAIN IT WAS NOT POISONED. ART’S FATHER (XERXES) HAD BEEN KILLED BY A COURTIER.)



        1. SO IS THIS A POSITION OF TRUST? (YOU BET IT IS! MCCONVILLE’S COMMENTARY SUGGESTS THAT THIS COULD MAKE HIM THE SECOND MOST POWERFUL PERSON NEXT TO THE KING.)



      4. LETS READ ON: 2: 1-6.


      5. IN ADDITION TO BEING TRUSTED, WHAT KIND OF EMPLOYEE WAS NEHEMIAH? HOW DO YOU KNOW? (HE WAS A GREAT EMPLOYEE. WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE THE KING NOTICED THAT HE WAS SAD WITHOUT BEING SICK.(2:2) AND THE KING WANTED HIM BACK.(2:6))


      6. WOULD ANYONE THAT WORKS WITH YOU NOTICE THAT YOU WERE NOT SMILING? OR DO YOU NORMALLY NOT SMILE?


      7. WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP DID NEH HAVE WITH GOD? (NEH SEEMED TO LOOK TO GOD FOR EVERYTHING. DID NOT WANT TO MAKE A STEP WITHOUT GOD.)


      8. IN OUR BIBLE STUDY GROUP WE ARE DISCUSSING PRAYER. LOOK AGAIN AT 2:4. WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT PRAYER IN THIS BRIEF REFERENCE? (PRAYER DOES NOT JUST MEAN A FORMAL TIME WHEN YOU HAVE A LONG SPIEL TO GIVE TO GOD. NEH IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO GOD FOR HELP. AND HE PRAYED INSTANTLY. I AM SURE HE DID NOT TAKE FIVE MINUTES BEFORE HE ANSWERED THE KING’S QUESTION ABOUT WHAT HE WANTED.



    3. WHEN WE STUDY THIS LATER IN THE QUARTER WE WILL FIND THAT NEH SET OUT WITH AUTHORITY FROM THE KING TO GET MORE BUILDING MATERIALS TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE.


    4. IF YOU WERE TO SAY: “HERE IS A STORY IN THE BIBLE ABOUT HOW TO BUILD A CHURCH.” WHAT LESSON WOULD YOU DRAW FROM JUST THE FEW VERSES THAT WE READ? (THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN BUILDING A CHURCH IS PRAYER. THAT ONCE YOU TAKE THE MATTER TO GOD, THE MATERIAL SUPPORT FOLLOWS.)


  4. NEXT WEEK: WE START OUR STUDY OF THE BOOK OF EZRA. EZRA 1,2. UNFORTUNATELY, I WILL NOT BE WITH YOU THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. I REALLY FEEL BADLY ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO START WORKING ON EZRA WITH YOU.