Nehemiah in Context (INTRO)

Nehemiah: The “Good Hand of God” Pray & Intro: (Use your imagination to put yourself in the time and place of these Jews approx. 2500 years ago.) Nehemiah is the story of an exiled Jew who worked for the Persian emperor and became a determined leader to govern Judah and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah is portrayed as godly and decisive (almost heroically), but in the Biblical recounting of these historical events, the people of God are intended to most prominently see the good hand of God. Lesson 1 – Nehemiah in Context  Historical background, Biblical context, and the flow of God’s redemptive story I. Let’s go Bible first, then historical setting and redemptive story (melded together) A. Ezra and Nehemiah (were originally kept together – author either Ezra or the author of the Chronicles)  They follow closely the end of Chronicles – Chronicles  Ezra & Nehemiah B. Let’s also find our place in the Old Testament [divisions] C. Ezra outline  Ezra was a scribe of priestly lineage (“skilled in the Law of Moses”) – calling the people back to covenant loyalty to God [click] D. Nehemiah outline  Nehemiah was a trusted cupbearer (to the Persian ruler Artaxerxes) who became governor (for 2 terms), leading the people in the hard work that renewing covenant faithfulness to God requires (with help from Ezra the priest and teacher)  Wall Rebuilt: protect the revitalization movement; Covenant Renewed: faithfulness to their covenant relationship with God; Society Reformed: to preserve the commitment made II. Historical Setting of Returning exiles & Redemptive Story (and why it matters) A. Of empires and exiles  Imagine coming back as strangers to your own land. 1. The northern tribes of Israel were exiled much earlier under the Assyrian empire 2. Judah was later led into exile under Babylonian rule, namely one Nebuchadnezzar – Judah into exile (in 3 waves), one of which destroyed the temple (and stole the treasured priestly artifacts) and demolished the holy city of David (Jerusalem)  In 586 BC, b/c of Zedekiah’s revolt (2nd revolt, first was under Jehoiakim), Jerusalem was plundered, and Solomon's Temple was destroyed. Most of the elite were taken into captivity in Babylon. The city was razed to the ground. a. Included in these deportations went the likes of Daniel and Ezekiel, while Jeremiah was left behind in what remained of Judah. b. But as God promised (through the prophet Isaiah), the Babylonian empire was crushed when the Persian leader Cyrus easily took control 3. [Persian Emperors over exile]  In 539 BC Cyrus of Persia easily overthrew Nabonidus (Babylonian King at the time). – Jews were exiled in 3 waves, now in 3 waves remnants returned from exile a. Cyrus allowed Zerubbabel and the priest Jeshua (Joshua) to return to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1-6), which faced opposition and had a lengthy delay. b. Sometime later in Persian empire, after Cyrus’ son Cambyses died, a leading officer named Darius took control and proved to be a remarkable leader. (You’ll remember Daniel being his trusted advisor and taking a quick trip to a lion’s den.)  In Ezra 5, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah helped to get the temple rebuilding back in motion when it had stalled out for a long period of time. It was Darius who honored the edict that Cyrus had originally made to the Jews. c. Next came his son Xerxes/Ahasuerus (of the fame of the book of Esther in your Bible). d. Ezra arrived (now under Artaxerxes) with another wave more than half a century after the first wave to make religious reforms and fix up the temple even more (7-10), followed by Nehemiah (3rd wave) to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. 4. Ezra-Nehemiah timeline (458, 445 BC) – [reiterate the big picture here]: The temple = the first and indispensible mark for the Jews of the Lord as the center of their worship (and in Jerusalem)  Ezra came to ensure that actually worshipping God the way he had instructed went along with completing the temple project. Then they further needed to secure the city to protect the restored temple, which is where Nehemiah comes in to lead the people in rebuilding the city walls. [map of Nehemiah’s return] a. BTW, that lack of a temple was a Major Issue – (no temple to atone for sin by sacrifice  rebuilding it of high religious significance, & identity as the people of the Lord) – In fact, the first thing they did was build an altar to sacrifice to the Lord. b. Speaking of atoning for sin in the redemptive storyline, in Hebrews in N.T. it is made abundantly clear that God has made eternal atonement for sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, our Great High Priest. That atonement is appropriated by those who believe in him by faith, and are counted righteous. B. In the grand narrative of Scripture, then, God is bringing back his people into the land to fulfill what he promised to Abraham. [Psalm 105:1-11] & scripture reading from Jer. 29 1. Consider the importance of this history… to them, and to us  everything from Israel’s past is portrayed as God’s will) – to the favorable disposition of Cyrus (in Ezra) and the friendly attitude of Artaxerxes (ascribed to the Lord) [read vv. in Neh. 1 & 2) 2. “Thus in the stream of history is the undercurrent of the will of God that steers the history of his people in a given direction, guided by his grace and love for his people.”  “At the end the returnees had nothing to offer to God to save them; only through his grace and covenant love could they be saved (cf. Neh. 9:33ff).” (F. Charles Fensham) C. What takes place then under E & N is not simply rebuilding, but also renewing the people’s sincere desire to be faithful to the covenant, as well as reforms that would help secure consistently living by the prescribed law in every day life. 1. Even while stressing pure religion, it is evident that religion can simply become a custom rather than a living reality. The need for the community to remain absolutely faithful to the Lord, springs from the conviction that their very life depended on it. (There is an acute recognition that they have already been punished for lack of faithfulness.)  So the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah (and their emphasis on the law) were meant to counteract such insincere faith. 2. “The covenant was the vehicle that had given expression to the relationship between the Lord and his people since the time of the patriarchs.” (Fensham) a. God’s covenant arrangement with them carried both promise and expectation – by that I mean promises to them and expectations of them) – God’s covenant faithfulness also meant that his people needed to maintain high standards of holiness in their community and personal lives. It is to be “a way of love and a living reality that grows out of a living relationship with the Lord.” (Fensham) b. This is where issues like intermarriage became problematic. It wasn’t exclusivism or elitism that led to reforms against intermarriage, but faithfulness to God’s covenant. (And God hadn’t arbitrarily imposed this requirement on them. If they intermarried with those around them, they would be prone to idolatry. As God knew, low and behold—it happened every time.)  We see Ezra and Nehemiah set the example, evidenced by their prayers, to show that purity of religion ultimately comes from purity of heart in devotion to God. III. Conclusion: The Bible teaches us to interpret history in terms of the actions of God.  Applying these thoughts about the God of History and God’s Redemptive Story: A. As we go through this study in the months ahead, my desire for you is to consider carefully God’s redemptive plan in history and how your story is meant to intersect with His great story. B. Our study in Nehemiah should cause us to magnify God together (again 1:5), and cause us to pursue intimacy and faithfulness in covenant relationship to God. C. It should also challenge us to serve God with a determined faith so that His people can be a light for His glory. (Like Nehemiah, in spite of opposition or distraction, etc.) D. And in every ministry we set our hands to do for him, we aim to remember that it is ultimately “the good hand of God” at work to make for himself a people who will be for the praise of His glory. [For further discussion with others…] • Does confirmation of accurate historical context help to reinforce your faith? Doesn’t the cohesiveness of the Bible do the same? [What other examples come to mind? Are there any biblical-historical areas that still cause some confusion for you?] • Do you see the pattern and flow of God’s faithfulness to his covenant love unfolding as revealed in the Bible? How have you responded to the covenant loving relationship that God offers through his Son Jesus Christ? (What impact should that currently have on your daily living?) • What does all we’ve discussed say about who God is? Why does it matter?