Nehemiah 8-10

On the first day of the 7th month the people gathered in Jerusalem and had Ezra the priest bring out the law of Moses, for it to be read to them.  He read the law, and the priests interpreted and explained its meaning to the people, so that they understood it.  Upon reading God’s law, the people went out and gathered materials to make temporary shelters, so that they could celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) in remembrance of the 40 years that Israel lived in tents, which was the first time that Israel had celebrated this feast throughout its history.

After celebrating the Feast of Booths, the people came back together and entered into a contract with God, to serve Him, and to obey His commandments going forward, with the priests and the leaders of the people affixing each of their names to a document that declared their intentions before God.

Nehemiah 6-7

The efforts of Sanballat and Tobiah continued in trying to thwart the work, and in various ways they attempted to foment fear among the Jews in Jerusalem, and even with Nehemiah, but all of their efforts failed.  The walls were completed successfully, and the gates hung, and then Nehemiah ordered a census of the people, with more than 42,000 in total.

Nehemiah 1-5

The book of Nehemiah is considered to be the last of the historical books, and treated by many as the 2nd book of Ezra, even though it was clearly written by Nehemiah.  It relates the history of the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the walls of the city, being led by Nehemiah with position and authority from the king in Persia.  Nehemiah had been the cupbearer to the king, but when he found out that the inhabitants in Jerusalem were floundering, and the city walls remained in ruins, he went into a state of mourning.  But the king noticed this, and gave him a letter of permission and authority to go and oversee the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, with a promise that he return to the king’s service in the future.

Chapter 3 relates how the various families in Jerusalem each took responsibility to rebuild the portion of the wall that they lived closest to, so that each section of the wall, and all of the gates were gradually built up.  The enemies of Israel were led by Sanballat, and other gentiles in the land, and they continually attempted to opposed Nehemiah and the people in their work, but all the people pulled together to both work, and to also provide protection against attacks by their enemies.

Ezra 9-10

When Ezra and his company arrive in Jerusalem, he is told that there were many in Israel who had taken wives from among the pagans in the land, and Ezra responds with mourning and prayers to God.  They ultimately do a census of all in the land who had taken foreign wives, and it was decreed that they each put away such foreign wives, or they would be excommunicated from the congregation of Israel.  It was a prohibition from God that the children of Israel never intermarry with the pagan gentiles in the land, as such marriages always resulted in adopting the idol worship that the women had practiced before marriage.

Ezra 7-8

We now see Ezra enter the narrative, many years after the first return of Jews from Babylon, in the days of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.  This decree also triggered the beginning of the prophetic countdown that was written by Daniel (9:25-26), which predicts 483 years until the appearing of the Messiah, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in April of 32 AD.  Ezra was a priest, and a descendant of the High Priest in Israel, but not the High Priest.

The king gave Ezra a letter of authorization, as well as a great deal of money and valuables to take to Jerusalem, along with all Jews who were willing to return to Israel under his leadership.  The money and valuables were distributed into the hands of 12 priests, who swore responsibility for their part until it was delivered to the temple priests in Jerusalem.  The trip took 5 months, and the Lord provided them all the protection they needed along the way.

Esther 5-10

Queen Esther devised a plan, and invited the king and Haman to a great dinner.  At that dinner she asked that the king and Haman come again to a banquet the following evening, which was then planned.  That very night the king couldn’t sleep, so he had some history of the kingdom read to him, and discovered that Mordecai had saved his life, so the next morning he had Haman give honor to Mordecai throughout the streets of the Capitol city of Susa (this galled Haman to no end).  Haman had a gallows built, and planned to hang Mordecai on it the next day.

When the king and Haman went again to the banquet set by Esther, she revealed to the king the plan of genocide that Haman had made against the Jews, which included herself, and she begged the king to stop it.  Haman was exposed as the villain that he was, and the king had him hung on the same gallows intended for Mordecai, and then promoted Mordecai to the place Haman vacated.

On the appointed day in the 12th month, the king allowed the Jews to defend themselves, and they were rescued from the genocide that was intended on them by the enemies of Israel.  Because of this rescue, the 14th day of Adar, which generally corresponds to March on our calendar, was set aside as a day of celebration, which is called Purim, and celebrated annually to this day.

Esther 1-4

It is generally considered that the events of the book of Esther occurs between the periods recorded by Ezra and Nehemiah, between the first and second returns of Jews to Israel following the Babylonian captivity.  It is not clear which king of Persia is referenced in this story, since there were many named Ahaseurus, or Artaxerxes, but some scholars believe he was the same as Artaxerxes Longimanus, who issued the decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

The king of Persia was disrespected by his queen, and so she was set aside from being queen, and a search was initiated throughout the land to find a new queen.  Esther, who was an orphan, and under the care of her uncle Mordecai, was included among the many young women to be considered for the king’s choice, and she was chosen and made queen.  However, the king also promoted an evil man named Haman, but he grew incensed that Mordecai refused to bow to him, and eventually convinced the king to allow him to have all the Jews in the land killed.  A proclamation is made in the first month of the year that the Jews will be vulnerable to slaughter and plunder on the 13th day of the 12th month.  Mordecai and all of the Jews go into mourning over this news, and after some time he is able to communicate to Esther all that is going on, and the plan that Haman has to wipe out all the Jews in the land.  Esther asked that all the Jews fast and pray for her for three days, and then she would go in to see the king.

Zecheriah 9-14

9 - The Lord will triumph over all the nations around Israel, and in this prophecy of Zechariah we also see the prediction of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

10 - In the last days the Lord will bring back all of His people to the land, and strengthen them to greatness in His Name.

11 - Before the last days there will be judgement upon Israel, which we’ve seen severely happen in the past 1900 years.  This chapter also includes a prophecy concerning Judas, and the 30 pieces of silver he took, and how it was later used to buy the potter’s field.  The worthless shepherd described at the end of this chapter speaks of the anti-christ in the last days

12 - In the last days many nations of the world will come together to fight against Jerusalem, but the Lord will defend His own

13 - There will be times of great trouble for Israel in the last days, but the Lord will save a remnant for Himself

14 - In the end, the Lord will return to the earth and do battle with the enemies of His people.  He will establish His throne in Jerusalem, and all the nations of the world will come to worship Him there.

Psalms 125, 126, 128, 129, 132, 147, 149

The psalms between 120-134 are called songs of ascent, and tradition has it that they were sung walking up to the temple from the eastern entrance of Jerusalem, which is an uphill walk from the Kidron valley.

125 - The Lord does good for those who are His, but He allows the wicked to be led away in deceit with their evil companions.

126 - Psalm 126 is a song of praise to God, Who restores His children, and is believed to have been written by Ezra.

128 - Blessed are those who fear the Lord, and walks in His ways

129 - The Lord will put to shame all those who hate Zion and His people

132 - The Lord has chosen Zion as His forever, and His promises to David will not falter.

147 - Give praise to the Lord for His faithfulness and countless acts of mercy.  He restores His people, and builds up Jerusalem.

149 - The Syriac version of this psalms is titled “concerning the new temple”, and it commands praises to the Lord for His goodness and justice

Psalms 107, 116, 118

The Lord will never stop dealing with those He loves, and is faithful to both discipline and bless them as He sees fit.  We are to render thanks and praise to Him at all times, whether we are being blessed or humbled by the Lord, because everything He does is good, even though not always pleasant.  The Lord hears our prayers and petitions, and we love Him for Who He is, and all He has done.  He rescues us time after time, and preserves us until the day of His choosing.

The lovingkindness and mercy of the Lord is forever.  As the psalmist says in 118:8-9, it is always better to take refuge in the Lord, rather than trusting in ourselves, in other men, or even in governments, or power kings.

Zechariah 7-8 | Ezra 6:14-22 | Psalm 78

In Zechariah 7-8 a group of men inquired of the Lord regarding some days of fasting that they had observed in Babylon, but God tells them that He never commanded such fasts, and He preferred to see them exhibit hearts of kindness and compassion towards each other.  God is telling them that empty religious practices are worthless before Him.  He promises to rebuild His temple, and make Zion a place that many people desire, but He expects His people to rightly represent Him in treating others with righteousness and honesty in all interactions.

The exiles completed the building of the temple in the 6th year of king Darius of Persia, and it was re-dedicated to the Lord with sacrifices and offerings, and again celebrated the Passover in the first month on their calendar.

Psalm 78 recounts the history of God’s faithfulness to Israel, even though they continually failed to remain faithful to Him.  In spite of their persistent unfaithfulness, God did not destroy them, and He was quick to forgive them when they turned to Him in repentance.  Just like He promised, the Lord brought back the peoples to Israel, and all of His promises will likewise be fulfilled exactly as He has said in the future.

Zecharaiah 1-6

In the Old Testament, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide the historical record of Israel in the years following the Babylonian captivity of Israel, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple over the course of around 100 years.  During that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied the words of the Lord.

Even though Zechariah prophesied in these times, much of what God said through Him spoke of things that would happen far in the future, with Joshua the High Priest being an explicit foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.  He is called The Branch, which is the same title used by God in Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5, and Jeremiah 33:15.  In chapter 4 we see the 2 anointed ones, who represent the 2 witnesses of Revelation 11:4.  In chapter 6, Joshua the High Priest (called The Branch) is crowned, prophetically speaking of Jesus, Who will be both King and Priest to God.

Ezra 4:6-6:13 | Haggai

The people who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon had laid the foundations of the temple, but they encountered opposition from the inhabitants of Samaria.  Their enemies wrote a letter to the king of Persia, accusing Jerusalem of being at the center of much rebellion, and the king wrote back commanding that they stop working.  This stop lasted until the reign of king Darius of Persia (not the Babylonian king of the same name).

In the 2nd year of king Darius’ reign, the Lord stirred up the leaders and people in Israel through the prophet Haggai and Zechariah, rebuking them for not finishing the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.  In response to the words of Haggai, work on the temple was restarted, and this caused a letter to be sent from the regional governor to the king, asking him for a response to this activity.  Darius had the archives searched, and they found the decree of Cyrus the Great, declaring freedom for the Jews, permission to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and that the work to do so would be funded out of the king’s treasury (from taxes on the people).  So this work in rebuilding the temple was not only approved by Darius, but he instructed the regional governor to provide the Jews with tax money for the costs of doing so.

Daniel 10-12

In chapter 10 Daniel is fasting for 3 weeks, and then the messenger of God appears to him by the Tigris River. The messenger was sent from God to Daniel when he started praying, but there was spiritual war going on with satan’s ruler over Persia, and after 3 weeks the Archangel Michael came to his aid. This story gives us a picture of the spiritual warfare that goes on around us, which we cannot rightly see with human eyes, which Paul makes reference to in Ephesians 6:12.

Daniel 11 provides a very detailed description of historical events in the middle east following the reign of Alexander the Great. The details of these chapters are so specific that historians have contended that they were written hundreds of years after Daniel, describing events that had already happened. However, the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible was created by 70 Rabbis some 60-100 years before some of the events described in Daniel 11, and that version was included in the books found among the Dead Sea scrolls, dated to before these events. The latter half of chapter 11 describes the activities of one Antiochus Epiphanes, who lived in the 2 nd century BC, and who caused the uprising of the Maccabees. This same man is prophetic of the anti-christ, and there is a shift in the scope of this prophecy to the last days beginning around verse 36.

The messengers finishes up in chapter 12, briefly describing the time of great tribulation that will come upon the earth in the last days.

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 | Ezra 1:1-4:5

When Cyrus, king of Persia became the ruler of the Medes and Persians, tradition has it that Daniel met with him, and showed him the prophecy of Isaiah, where God called Cyrus by name more than 150 years earlier. Cyrus was so impressed that he not only issued the decree that allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem, but he gave back all the temple treasures, funded the costs of the trip, and gave his protection over all who went back to Israel.

The book of Ezra covers a period of around 70 years of Israel’s history, starting with the declaration of Cyrus to free the exiles, and to provide support for those who desired to go back to Israel and rebuild the temple. Ezra wrote this book, but was probably not alive when the decree of Cyrus was made, so the first 6 chapters were written as history, but then he participates in the story beginning

in chapter 7. Some 50,000 exiles responded to the invitation of Cyrus to return to Jerusalem, where they rebuilt the alter of God, and laid the foundation for the temple. However, work on the temple would stall at that point because of opposition to their efforts from the locals in that region.

Daniel 9, 6

Under king Darius the Medes conquered Babylon, and Daniel was given honor and authority under this new rule, which is quite extraordinary, since he had already been a counselor, administrator, and friend of king Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s rival leaders under Darius conceived a plan to kill him, but God was faithful to protect him, and Daniel never compromised his integrity or service before God in the process.

About this same time Daniel recalled the prophecy of Jeremiah, which said that Israel would be slaves in that land for 70 years, so he begins to pray to God for Him to act on that promise, and bring about the release of Israel. That prayer

in Daniel 9 is incredible, and worthy of much study and emulation. At the end of that prayer the angel Gabriel comes and tells Daniel about the future, giving him another very wide scope of prophetic insight, covering God’s calendar between that time and the end of the age. The last verses of Daniel 9 have been much studied by students of prophecy, which has been called the 70 weeks of Daniel. Those 70 weeks represent 70 weeks of years, or 490 years, with the first 69 of them being fulfilled on the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of Hosanna, and was then killed (cut off). The final week of this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled, which will occur in the future during the 7 years we refer to as the great tribulation. During that time the devil will set up the abomination of desolation in the temple in Jerusalem, which Jesus directly refers to in Matthew 24.

Daniel 7, 8, 5

The book of Daniel is divided equally between the history of Daniel (chapters 1-6), and the prophetic visions of Daniel (chapter 7-12). Chapters 7-8 relates visions of Daniel during the reign of the Babylonian king Belshazzar (the son, or grandson of Nebuchadnezzar), and chapter 5 relates the last night of his reign, when the city is overrun and conquered by the Medes and Persians.

The vision of chapter 7 is (in many ways) parallel to the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, which provides a broad view of human history, and the kingdoms of the world from that time until the end. Babylon is the first beast, the Medes and Persians are the second beast, and the Greeks are the third. The fourth beast is the Roman empire, and it will be a remnant of that empire in the last days, when the antichrist will appear on the scene and make himself great for a short time, but he will be judged, and Christ will be victorious on behalf of the saints forever.

The vision of chapter 8 is parallel to that of chapter 7, again focusing on the evil one who will appear in the last days, but who will be judged and destroyed by the Lord.

In chapter 5 we have the story preceding overthrow of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, where God delivers a message to Belshazzar, saying that he had been weighed in the balance and found wanting. The general of Darius, the Mede, engineered a diversion of the Euphrates river, and his army walked into the city under the walls (where the river had previously flowed through), and took the city that very night without a fight, just as Daniel told Belshazzar.

Psalms 85, 102, 106, 123, 137

85 - The timing of the psalm may have been in the early years following the release of Israel from Persia, where some had returned to Israel, and many had stayed in the land of Cyrus. It’s a psalm of prayer and praise to God, Who is faithful, but Who also exercises justice. The final verses describe Jesus, Who is the marriage between mercy and truth, between righteousness and peace.

102 - A prayer of the afflicted who wait upon God for their relief and deliverance

106 - This is a recitation of Israel’s history in continuously being saved by God, and then turning around and rejecting Him, yet the mercy of God continues to respond when His people turn to Him in submission. He saves for His Name’s sake, and not for the sake of anyone’s righteousness or goodness.

123 - A cry for mercy from the Lord

137 - A song of mourning among those who were slaves in Babylon, who suddenly had fond memories of Zion and Jerusalem.

Psalms 74, 79, 80, 89

74 - A prayer to God for Zion, and the destruction that had occurred to the Lord’s temple. A prayer for God to remember His people, and deliver them from their adversaries.

79 - Like chapter 74, a prayer for God to remember His people and be merciful, who have experienced His wrath at the hand of their enemies, destroyed the temple, and left Jerusalem in ruins.

80 - A prayer for God to extend His mercy to Israel, who has suffered His discipline, asking Him as their Shepherd to hear and act on their condition.

89 - This is a prophetic psalm penned by someone named Ethan, although nothing is known about him. This psalm is written as a dialogue, with the psalmist speaking praises to God, and then God responding. The Lord promises to remain faithful to His promises to David, even though He brings discipline against his descendants for a time. His promise to David will be ultimately fulfilled when his descendant and Lord, Jesus Christ, sits on His throne forever.

Ezekiel 29:17-21 | Daniel 4 | Jeremiah 52:31-34 | 2 Kings 25:27-30 | Psalm 44

In the 27 th year of the captivity Ezekiel speaks his final prophecy from God, telling that Nebuchadnezzar will despoil Egypt.

Daniel 4 is an interesting chapter because it is the only chapter in the Bible that is written by a pagan Gentile, which is also written in the Aramaic language. It is the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar, who God humbled in his pride. He was given a dream that Daniel interpreted, where God foretold that he would lose his mind for a period of 7 years, and then be restored to his majesty as king of Babylon. This happened as God said, and tradition has it that Daniel cared for him during those years. We may well see Nebuchadnezzar in heaven.

King Jehoiachin had been in prison in Babylon for more than 30 years when he was released by the king Evil Merodach, and given a place of some prominence in the kingdom. This king is believed by some scholars to have been the same as Belshazzar, descendant of Nebuchadnezzar.

It is not certain when Psalm 44 was written, or by who it was written, but we get the sense of the Babylonian captives in its narrative. It is a prayer to God for mercy and action.