Short Essay on Ezra and Nehemiah

1 Short Essay on Ezra and Nehemiah 1. The video shows how these books' structures, which summarize the Return from Exile history, are focused on three main leaders and the same 3-part outline. Summarize who each leader was, which Persian King sanctioned their work, what type of opposition each one faced, their main objectives or accomplishments, and the anticlimax for each of them.

One of the three main leaders was Ezra. Ezra refers to the commands of the Torah, which required the people of Israel to be holy and be light unto other nations. Ezra likens the individuals living in the Jerusalem environment to the Canaanites, and according to him, they will become corrupt and end up in exile. He, thus, offers a prayer of penitence for the purpose of healing the hearts and brokenness. However, the next thing that follows is him calling for a divorce decree for all to be annulled due to their wickedness.

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2 Interestingly, that was something that the Lord God did not command him to do. In fact, Ezra did such a thing because of the pressure he received from the leaders of Jerusalem. God is always against divorces. In general, it was the mixed results and the disagreements that resulted in the anticlimax.

The other leader in this video is Zerubbabel. He focused on restoring the sacrifices and rebuilding the temple that dwells in Jerusalem. The prophets had foretold that all the twelve tribes of Israel will one day come together as one, and together with the people from other nations, worship the true God of Israel upon the establishment of His kingdom. This was a moment that many people highly anticipated, and being modest about it was the anticlimax.

Lastly, the third leader was Nehemiah. His primary objective entailed rebuilding the city as well as restoring the character and culture of Jerusalem. Nehemiah desired to have a Jerusalem that kept its independence despite the opposition from its neighbors. Apart from being a very practical and organized man, Nehemiah was also an individual who had an adequate understanding of the world. He was outspoken and adopted goals and methodologies that were unique. Prophet Zachariah himself declared that the new Jerusalem of the Kingdom of God would be a city where every individual would be welcomed to join the covenant. However, Nehemiah declares with a lot of confidence that the people outside Jerusalem may not have any part in the covenant at all. Nehemiah was a very serious individual in his opinion and carried out his vision for Jerusalem with a lot of integrity and courage. He ensured the construction of the city's wall with armed guards in order for them to be protected from the outside environment.

This resulted in the anticlimactic movement.

2. The video lists the prophetic hopes for Israel after Exile. List those hopes. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah make it clear that these hopes were not accomplished during this

3 Post Exile period. The book seems to end in a depressing way. According to the end of the video, what was the Israelites' core problem, and what needs to happen for the people to obey God in the future? According to Christians, how has this been accomplished?

The three prophetic hopes for Israel after the exile that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah clarify that they were not accomplished during the post-exile period included: a) Hope for a future Messianic King from the line of King David, b) Hope for a rebuilt temple in which the presence of God will reside with His people, and c) Hope for the kingdom of God to come over all the nations and bring His blessings to the people just like He promised the father of faith, Abraham.

Israel wanted to see these three hopes fulfilled after the exile. However, that did not happen during that time. Based on the video’s ending, I believe that the Israelites' primary problem was that despite Nehemiah and Ezra doing their very best, the social and political platform they adopted failed to resonate with the people of Israel. It did not manage to address the issues in the hearts of the people of Israel. The books point out the three highlighted prophetic hopes after the exile, which the Israelites longed to be fulfilled. However, what was required of the people of Israel was a genuine transformation of their hearts if indeed they desired to be right with the Lord. According to Christians, this has been achieved by God giving us His only begotten son to come and die at the cross because of our sin. It is only Jesus who has the power to give humanity hope and grace. Those that hope and trust in the Lord are never put to shame. Following Jesus and his teachings will help us to transform our hearts holistically, to love God, and obey His commands, in order for Him to fulfill His great covenant promises.

Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were al instrumental in restoring the temple of God as one took charge over the governing affairs and the other focused on rebuilding the Jerusalem walls.

4 On the other hand, Esther later burst into the scene to instill the laws of God to the Jews in the post-exile period. It is interesting to note how the Jewish generation received the revelation and responded after listening to God’s word, which they received from the prophet. I can significantly equate their response to the teachings of Jesus about the Kingdom of God many years later and the phrase “He who has an ear, let him hear” that he repeated most of the time. In our worship today, the conclusion of the matter is that it is important and very necessary for us to receive a new heart from God the Father and listen to Him.

5 Reference Ezra & Nehemiah: https://bibleproject.com/learn/ezra-nehemiah/