The Fellowship Residency Program has introduced me to the idea of reading commentaries alongside scripture. By next August, I will have read through the entire Bible as well as The King in His Beauty, our selected commentary. As I am reading, I am writing a little bit about each of the books of the Bible so you and I can have a more thorough understanding of the scriptures. I invite you to follow along with me as we learn the Bible in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation. This summary does NOT encompass the entire book, but it is a good place to start. I encourage you to read for yourself and begin your own Biblical journal along the way. To read any of my other Residency related posts, click here.
Introduction – The narrators of Ezra and Nehemiah viewed their political and religious work as functionally united in the restoration of God’s people. There is debate as to whether the book falls during or after Chronicles, though it is helpful to note that Ezra picks up with the last works of Chronicles. Ultimately, the book appears to be a sequel to Chronicles. Both books address rebuilding and restoring of the city and the temple of God.
Rebuilding the Temple in the Midst of Opposition – We know that the earthly temple is a representation of the heavenly temple and stands as a symbolic image of Yahweh’s reign over His people and restoration of His favor to the people. We are reminded that Israel faced exile as a result of its worship of other pagan gods. Since the temple goes against pagan gods, many around Jerusalem were opposed to the rebuilding of the temple. For those that sided with evil, God’s will and plan would always be opposed.
The Reform Work of Ezra – Ezra set out on a 4-month trip, and “the hand of God was on Ezra.” This trip was dangerous, but God is willing to bless those who actively seek Him. Ezra is known to be successful, because of his consistent willingness to obey and teach God’s law. He is not simply a “hearer’ of the law, but one who studies, obeys, and teaches in that ordained order. The successful trip was made to seek provisions for the temple including people to serve in the temple ministry. As Ezra was reflecting on Israel’s past, he became burdened by the sins of the past. Israel’s primary sin was the marrying of foreign women, and was even prevalent in the leaders of Jerusalem. The remnants were still somewhat enslaved during this time as a result of their sin. Ezra decided to pray and confess to the Lord. Israel responded by breaking off their foreign marriages. The future of Israel was hopeful, but they must remain faithful and obedient or they would risk losing God’s favor.
Rebuilding Jerusalem – When Nehemiah first hears of the struggles of Jerusalem, he responds with weeping, mourning, fasting, and prayer. Nehemiah is a fiercely hard worker, yet he moved in obedience seeking God through prayer. He does not believe that faith in God’s plan means inaction. Instead, he seeks God’s presence before moving forward. Again, opposition is rampant regarding the rebuilding of the wall. However, after the wall is done, it becomes clear that the purpose of the wall is to give glory and praise to God. Jerusalem joyfully celebrates the dedication of the wall to Yahweh.
Living in the Fear of Yahweh – The theme seen is that although there is opposition, it is not Israel’s biggest weakness. The people are the biggest weakness due to their own lack of devotion and obedience to their faithful God. Nehemiah is outraged by the leaders participating in evil by charging interest from the needy. “Devotion to Yahweh expresses itself in obedience to the Torah.” We see a form of revival in Chapter 8 as the law of the Torah is read over the people. The people begin to weep as they recognize how poorly they have served their God. Instead, the officials encourage them to rejoice for the renewal of their commitment to God. Chapter 9 is arguably one of the best reviews of Israel’s OT history in the scriptures. We see the pattern that the people disobey God, hit rock bottom, cry out to God, and God mercifully responds. After confessing and lamenting their past, they make a new covenant to serve Yahweh faithfully. They agree to refrain from intermarrying foreigners, avoid working on Sabbath, and uphold the temple worship and sacrifice guidelines. Clearly both Ezra and Nehemiah are deeply worried about the purity of Israel. Only 3 chapters later, we see Israel begin to sin against the new covenant in blatant ways. Nehemiah remained faithful and was outraged by the sins against God. He calls Israel to renew their oath to God and prays that God would remember him for his faithfulness to the law and word of God. We can trust that God will offer his favor over Nehemiah for his consistent obedience.
Conclusion – At this point, the wall and temple have been rebuilt, but the people are still weak due to their disobedience. Additionally, they have returned, but are still under the rule of other nations. Though God will fulfill his covenant promises, He will require that Israel surrender to His will for them.
Themes: God will sovereignly work His will through various kings to offer favor over His people. God desires all praise and worship be given to Him and Him alone. Opposition and evil will always oppose the will, favor, and dwelling place of God. However, God’s sovereignty does not preclude human work. Nehemiah is a hard worker and consistently seeks God’s favor. When walking in obedience, we can expect opposition. We must not lament our past but move forward under the grace and mercy of Christ.