A restoration - Ezra and Nehemiah - Come Follow Me with Sam

 Welcome!

The chapters of Ezra and Nehemiah are about restoring the temple and the walls of Jerusalem again, restoring the law, and protecting against the opposition that arises.

Notes on Restoration

The restoration of the temple came in a very strange way. Cyrus, a worldly ruler, is inspired by a prophecy about him to restore the temple. The people go out and by their little efforts work to restore those things which were lost. 

An important principle is that the true restoration is done by God, and the work of kings, priests, and peoples is the work to be part of the restoration that is worked by God.


Nehemiah's prayer

I am saying this with almost no study beyond the face-value of reading the text, so feel free to put down what you know in the comments.

Nehemiah reads much like a prayer to God for strength to accomplish what he has been missioned to do. He writes in the first person and throws in pleadings in the text ending in Chapter 13 with these words

30 Thus cleansed I them from all astrangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;

31 And for the awood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

We can learn a number of lessons from this. In the first place, I think it shows a certain humility from Nehemiah - he is constantly looking to God to strengthen his work. Building on this, in the second place, I think it shows a pattern we can live our lives after. As mentioned above, it is God's work we do, and so we can see our daily walk and talk and work as a conversation, interaction with God, and invite Him in as we allow ourselves to fulfill His purposes. 

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