After The FallEzra and Nehemiah

Ezra’s Message In JerusalemEzra Chapters 9-10

Announcements

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 Ezra’s 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

Nehemiah

Today’s Objectives• Review last weeks lesson

• Review the geo-political atmosphere surrounding Israel

• Learn about the complaint lodged about the leaders of Israel

• Learn how Ezra’s responds

• Learn what the people did in response to Ezra

• Learn about the great assembly and oath that the people took

• Learn what happens to the pagan wives of Israel’s leaders

Overview of Ezra• Two distinct parts:

– Part 1 – From 538-515 BC, return, rebuilding the temple– Part 2 – Around 459 BC, Ezra’s 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

Babylonian EmpireUnder Nebuchadnezzar (600 BC)

Turkey

IranIraq

Saudi Arabia

Achaemenid Persian Empire Under Cyrus (530 BC)

Iran AfghanistanSyria

Iraq

Turkmenistan

Pakistan

UzbekistanKyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

India

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Armenia

Kazakhstan

China

Main Characters of Chapter 9-10• Sheshbazzar (Persian name)/Zerubbabel - Prince

of Judah, at the head of the first Jews that returned to Jerusalem after the Exile

• Shechaniah - son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam

• Artaxerxes - reigned between 464 and 424 BC

Places of Chapter 9-10• 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

• Persia – part of modern day Iran

• 612 BC — Fall of the Assyrian Empire• 587 BC – Nebuchadnezzar’s third attack on Jerusalem,

remaining people carried away• 546 BC – Cyrus becomes king of Persia• 539 BC – Cyrus conquers Babylon• 535 BC – Second temple reconstruction begins (approx)• 515 BC – Second temple reconstruction completes• 480 BC – The Battle of Thermopylae (Persians against Greeks)• 458 BC – Ezra returns to Jerusalem• 458 BC – Cincinnatus is named dictator of the Roman Republic• 454 BC – Athens loses a fleet and possibly as many as 50,000

men in a failed attempt to aid an Egyptian revolt against Persia • 445 BC – Artaxerxes I gives Nehemiah permission to rebuild

Jerusalem

Geopolitical Situation

Problem is Exposed(Ezra 9:1-4)

• Leaders report to Ezra (9:1-2)– When these things were done? What things?– Letter of Artaxerxes was read and executed– Leaders of Israel come forth to lodge a complaint– People of Israel, priests, and Levites have sinned– Not separated themselves from pagan people– Taken their daughters as wives and wives for their sons– Leaders had been committing the gravest sins

• Ezra’s complete astonishment (9:3)– Ezra tore his garment and pulled out his hair

Problem is Exposed(Ezra 9:1-4)

• Ezra is joined by others who grieve (9:4)– All who feared God’s words came to Ezra– The were also horrified by what had happened– The very people carried away into captivity would

commit the same sins again

Ezra’s Prayer(Ezra 9:5-9)

• Ezra’s sense of shame (9:5-6)– Ezra fasts and mourns– Falls to his knees and prays to God– Iniquities have risen higher than their heads

• Ezra remembers God’s kindness (9:7-9)– Continues his prayer– Recognizes Israel’s sinful past– Recognizes God’s grace shown to Israel– Rejoiced in even a small amount of revival– God granted the restoration of Jerusalem

Ezra’s Prayer(Ezra 9:10-15)

• Ezra fears for God’s people (9:10-14)– Ezra offers no excuses for Israel’s sins– Conduct was indefensible– Israel has been punished less than their sins deserve

• Ezra calls upon the mercy of God (9:15)– Appeals to God– Ezra hopes for Israel’s covenant mercy– Recognizes Israel’s collective guilt

The People Decide to Repent of Their Sin(Ezra 10:1-8)

• The example of Ezra’s confession (10:1)– A large group witness Ezra’s confession– They are spiritually moved and weep bitterly

• Shechaniah exhorts the people to action (10:2-4)– Recognizes the people’s sins against God– Hope in Israel in spite of this sin– Offers a covenant on behalf of the people– All should forsake the pagan wives and offspring– Exhorts the guilty to do what was right– Shechaniah was not guilty of this, however

• Ezra issues a proclamation (10:5-8)– Ezra makes the leaders and all Israel swear an oath to do

according to the word– They swore the oath– Ezra continues to fast and mourn because of their guilt– All were told to gather at Jerusalem– All that would not come within three days, all property

would be confiscated and they would be separated from the assembly

– Ezra was given great authority (Ezra 7:26) and here he puts it to use

The People Decide to Repent of Their Sin(Ezra 10:1-8)

Spirit of Repentance(Ezra 10:9-44)

• Ezra’s appeal to the assembly (10:9-11)– All the men of Judah and Benjamin gather at Jerusalem– All set in the open square of the house of God– Trembling in fear and from heavy rain– Ezra pronounces their transgression– Asks all to confess and separate themselves from their

pagan wives

• The assembly responds (10:12-15)– The assembly agrees with a loud voice– Only four men disagree– The assembly asks for enough time to make it right

• Each case is examined (10:16-17)– Over a three month period of time– Each case examined starting on the first day of the 10th

month until the first day of the 1st month

• List of those found guilty (10:18-44)– Those who had to put away their wives because their

wives refused to convert– About 114

Spirit of Repentance(Ezra 10:9-44)

Review• Reviewed last weeks lesson

• Learned that Israel’s leaders had taken pagan wives

• Ezra responds by mourning and prays to God

• The people respond to Ezra’s prayer by mourning as well and undergo a great awakening

• A great assembly takes place where the leaders of Israel agree to disavow their pagan wives and children, Israel’s pagan wives and children are separated from the leaders

• Next week – Nehemiah 1-2: Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem