- Ezra Chapter 1 - Cyrus, king of Persia, is instructed by God to send the Israelites who have been captive in Assyria back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple. He gathers up the stuff that had been stolen to return with the captives.
- Chapter 2 - the Israelites who return are listed.
- Chapter 3 - worship is restored in Jerusalem. Temple reconstruction is started. Some really loud shouting.
- Chapter 4 - Resistance and opposition to the rebuilding of the temple is intense. A letter writing campaign from the advesaries of Judah delays and tries to stops the temple reconstruction.
- Chapter 5 - I guess Persia is Babylon, because verse 13 lists Cyrus king of Babylon. King Darius is asked to check the archives to see if the letter from Cyrus really exists that instructs that the Jews could rebuild the temple. And it was found, and it even says that Persia will pay for the project. And, whomever alters the edict is to be destroyed. So Darius lets them complete the temple.
- Chapter 6 - Haggai and Zechariah are prophets in this rebuilding time.
- Temple is completed in the sixth year of Darius reign.
- Passover is celebrated.
- Chapter 7 - Ezra is introduced as a great scribe of God, come from Babylon with king Artaxerxes blessing to Jerusalem to teach. It appears that the Assyrians/Persians still reign over the Jews in Jerusalem, but support their religious ways. Ezra is to choose the judges in the land "beyond the river"
- Chapter 8 - The families who went with Ezra to Jerusalem are listed.
- Ezra and those with him camp near a river and send for Levites from Jerusalem to help fast and pray for protection as they move to Jerusalem.
- Chapter 9 - it is brought to Ezra's attention that the people are intermarrying with the pagan tribes again, especially those in leadership positions. "So when I [Ezra] heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished" vs. 3. Had he not read any of the history of the people? This shouldn't have surprised him too awfully much!
- Chapter 10 - those willing to turn away their pagan wives and children were to report to Ezra within 3 days or loose their property and be separated. They ask for more time and a scheduled arrangment, which they get. The guilty parties are listed.
That's the end of Ezra. What did I learn? Ezra used fasting and prayer effectively. God used a powerful king to whom the Jews would listen to prepare a new temple for His Glory. The Israelites won't listen to their own prophets, but apparently will listen to a foreign king holding them captive.
15 books down, 51 to go.
- Nehemiah Chapter 1 - In the twentieth year of what? Is this before the temple is rebuilt? Or has there been more damage to the temple?
I've done a lot of reading of this challenge online using www.Biblegateway.com, reading from the New King James Version, because that's the hard copy version I started with. I've found two typographical errors so far. One is in Nehemiah chapter 1, verse 3. Can you find it?
- Apparently Nehemiah has read Deuteronomy, because he is quoting it. Maybe it wasn't in that form, but he knew it.
- Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer. Which king?
- Chapter 2 - king Artaxerxes. When the king inquires why he looks sad, Nehemiah says he wants to return home to help restore the burned city and the burial places of his family. The king says he can go, but he is to return at an assigned time. Nehemiah is bold enough to ask for a traveling safety pass and for people to supply him with what he needs for the rebuilding projects.
- Hey, I remember this guy - he rebuilds the wall - Pastor Barry gave a sermon from Nehemiah that I remember.
- Reference to the Refuse Gate and the Valley Gate and the Fountain Gate in Jerusalem as Nehemiah checks out the damage at night.
- Chapter 3 - Repairs or building of: Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, Old Gate, Refuse Gate, Eastern Gate, Horse Gate. Many people got into the action of repairing the walls and gates: the men of power, perfumers, daughters, goldsmiths...
Important archaelogical references - the gates that Nehemiah refers to are probabaly long gone - either destroyed by the Romans, or covered up and built over. However a reference is made to the "stairs that go down from the City of David" and a man-made pool - I think those were discovered on the south side of the temple mound when some excavation was done within the last few decades. Visitors to the Jewish Quarter of the old city of Jerusalem can see a portion of the wall that was rebuilt by Nehemiah. Is the East Gate mentioned in 3:29 the closed up gate that can be viewed today? Some sources say that the masonry at the base dates from the time of Nehemiah. It's more likely that the Golden Gate was erected on the same site of the Gate that Nehemiah erected.
Here are a couple of interesting sites about the temple mount: http://www.templemount.org/visittemp.html and the southern stairs http://community.gospelcom.net/Brix?pageID=5015
Other than referring to the tribe of Levi, it seems Ezra and Nehemiah don't really pay attention to the tribes much. They list by heads of families.
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