Welcome back from Exile, and to the book of Ezra (and Nehemiah, but focussing on Zerubbabel).
Last Time on Tales of Faith
It is a time of Return! CYRUS GREAT of PERSIA has ended the Babylonian Exile. He has allowed the former inhabitants of Judah and Israel to return to Jerusalem. ZERUBBABEL, a child of the Exile, has been empowered to restore the Temple and worship of YHWH in Jerusalem.
Not all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were exiled, however. What will the returning exiles think of those they are returning to, and what of those who remember the days of national sovereignty?...
The Text
Overview of Ezra/Nehemiah
Bible Project- Ezra-Nehemiah (Read the Bible Series)
Bible Project- Ezra/Nehemiah (Tim Mackie Lecture)
Zerubbabel and Jerusalem Worship (Ezra Ch 1-6)
Cyrus Moved by YHWH to send Zerrubbabel to Jerusalem (Ch 1-2)
1:1 Historical preface
1:2-4 Cyrus’ decree
1:5-11 Narrative telling of return
2:1-70 Details of return
Zerubbabel does what he was sent to do (Ch 3)
3:1-5 Zerubbabel (and co.) rebuild the altar (in dread of neighboring people) and reinstitute daily sacrifices, and Festival of Booths.
3:6-9 Jeshua (Jesus) rebuild the Temple foundation
3:10-11 The Foundation of the Temple is consecrated
Weirdness /Zerrubbabel faces opposition (Ch 3-4)
3:12-13 The (young) people celebrate while the older people weep
4:1-5 The locals try to help with the rebuilding of the Temple, but are not allowed.
4:6-24 The locals get Artaxerxes to stop on the Temple.
5:1-6:12 The Prophet Haggai makes a counter-suit and King Darius allows work on the temple to resume.
6:13-18 The Temple 1s completed and consecrated
6:19-22 Passover Celebrated
Ezra and Torah Faithfulness (arguably)- Ezra Ch 7-10
Artaxerxes Moved by YHWH to send Ezra to Jerusalem (Ch 7-8)
7:1-10 Historical Preface
7:11-28 Letter from Artaxerxes to Ezra
8:1-14 Details or return
Ezra does what he is sent to do (Ch 7-8)
8:15-20 Separating out the Levites
8:21-23 Fasting and praying
8:24-30 Details on gifts for the Temple
8:31-36 Return to Jerusalem
Weirdness (Ch 9-10)
9:1-4 Ezra reacts (strongly) to intermarriages
9:5-15 Ezra’s (intense) prayer
10:1-5 Covenant to divorce foreign wives
10:6-17 Foreign wives and children rejected
10:18-44 A (surprisingly small) list of those who divorced their wives
Nehemiah and the Wall- Nehemiah Ch 1-7
Artaxerxes Moved by YHWH to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem (Ch 1-2)
1:1-11 Nehemiah, cupbearer to Artaxerxes, hears about the bad state of Jerusalem
2:1-10 Artexerxes sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem
2:11-16 Inspection of the wall
2:17-20 Decision to fix the Wall
Nehemiah does what he was sent to do (Ch 3)
3:1-32 Work is Organized
Opposition (Ch 4-7)
4:1-23 The locals oppose the rebuilding of the wall
5:1-13 Worries about food
5:14-19 Nehemiah’s generosity
6:1-14 Continued opposition
6:15-7:4 Walls completed
7:5-60 Details of returned exiles
Weirdness
7:61-65 The people who don’t belong
7:66-73 Totals
Spiritual Renewal- Nehemiah 8-12
8:1-18 Ezra and Nehemiah have the law proclaimed and taught to people
9:1-37 National Confession
9:38-10:39 Details on who signed the covenant
11:1-35 Population of Jerusalem and daughter cities increased
12:1-26 Details of priests and Levites
12:27-43 Dedication of the Wall
12:44-47 Temple responsibilities
Spiritual Failure/Weirdness- Nehemiah Ch 13
13:1-3 Foreigners separated
13:4-31 Nehemiah’s Reforms:
13:4-9 Kicks Tobiah out of one of the rooms in the temple (where he has been squatting)
13:10-14 The correct portions had not been distributed, so levites were working in the field, N sends them back.
13:15-22 Sabbath laws reinstated
13:23-31 N finds Levites who were still married to foreigners, so he beats them (in the name of the Lord, of course)
Notes:
Zerubbabel means “the one sown in Babylon”
Ezra means “helper” (same root as Ezer)
Nehemiah means “God comforts”
Links:
Bible Project- Ezra-Nehemiah (Read the Bible Series)
Bible Project- Ezra/Nehemiah (Tim Mackie Lecture)
Bible Worm Podcast Episode 514- (2023), Episode 115: (2019)
Data over Dogma Podcast: “The Why Question” with David Wright
Pop Culture Connections:
As mentioned last week, there is a pretty big recent Pop-culture reference to another Ezra (Big Spoiler Warning for those who have not watched Ahsoka)
Boring Stuff:
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Music: “Flying” by Track Tribe, edited by Revochart, YouTube Audio Library License
As It Was