Ezra and Neh

1. The Triumph And
Decline Of Israel
• Abraham 2,000 BC
• David 1,000 BC
• National Rebellion 500yrs
Winston Churchill’s 6vol.
history of WW2 has this as the
title for the 6th vol.
What men don’t learn from
history they are doomed to
repeat.

2. Israel’s History

3. Two Exiles
Israel (10 North
Tribes) by
Assyria 721BC
Judah (2
Southern
Tribes) by
Babylon 586BC
2Chron 36:13-
21

5. First step
• Tiglathpileser, King of Assyria
During his reign, he came into the land of
Israel and took the inhabitants of the
tribes of Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun and
Dan. He also conquered areas east of the
Jordan River and took the tribes of Gad,
Reuben, and part of the tribe of
Manasseh as captives (2Kings 15:29;
1Chronicles 5:26).

6. Second Step
• King Shalmaneser V
Hoshea became the last King of Israel
when he assassinated King Pekah (2Kings
15:30). Although He paid tribute money
to the Assyrian Empire for a few years, he
stopped doing so shortly after a new
Assyrian ruler, King Shalmaneser V,
assumed the throne. Shalmaneser, angry
that no tribute was being paid, and
finding out the Hoshea was secretly
seeking a military alliance with Egypt,
acted swiftly against Israel. This led to the
captivity of what remained of Hoshea's
kingdom.

7. 2Kgs 17:4
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea:
for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and
brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had
done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut
him up, and bound him in prison.

8. Third step for 10
Northern Tribes
• Shalmaneser began to attack the
Kingdom of Israel and its capital Samaria
(2Kings 17:5-6).
• Samaria fell and with it Hoshea, along
with most of the remaining people in
the land, were taken captive to Assyria.
• God allowed this to happen as
punishment for the nation's many sins
against him, sins which they refused to
repent of (2Kings 17:7-23).

9. Southern Exile
586 BC

10. Three Deportations

11. • Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the
king of Babylon seventy years. KJV
• Jer 39:1-10 1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. 2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in
the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 3 And all the princes of the king of
Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris,
Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4 And it came to pass,
that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out
of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the
way of the plain. 5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of
Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in
the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. 6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of
Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover he put
out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon. 8 And the Chaldeans burned the
king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that
remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 10
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of
Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. KJV

12. Three Returns

13. Three Returns
• Zerubbabel (50,000) 537 BC
• Royal Line- Social Life.
• Ezra (1,800) 458 BC
• Priest/Levites- Religious Life
• Nehemiah 444 BC
• Craftsmen- Restore Physical
Walls

14. 7 Weeks
Dan 9:25
25) Know therefore and
understand, that from the going
forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince shall
be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks: the street shall be
built again, and the wall, even in
troublous times.
• Zerubbabel 536 BC
7 weeks = 7*7 49 Yrs.
Date Dan 9
70 years:
Captivity 586 – (Zurubbale) 37

15. Zerubbabel 536 BC
• Zerubbabel is of the line of
David; he is the great grandson
of Jehoiakim. (Mat 1:12; Lk 3:27)
• He brings back 50k of the royal
line from Judah and Benjamin-
• To restore the social order.

18. WHY ONLY 50K RETURN ?
In Babylon, unlike Egypt, the Jews were not slaves but free to do
business. When the offer to return to a desolate land was given most
were not interested.
While in Babylon the Jews had set up shop. It is hard to separate a Jew
from his source of income without the threat of a sword.
The wise men who seek Jesus could have been descendance of those
who stayed in Babylon.

20. Ezra 458 BC
• Ezra brings back
1,800 Priest and a
few Levites
• To restore the
Religious Life.

21. Ezra: Help,
Comfort
• Priest in the line of Aaron. Aaron- Elezer- -
Pheneas- Zadok
His life was dedicated to the law; he studied
it; lived it; taught it. He was so concerned for
the peoples spiritual condition to the point he
would cry over their sins.
• Order of Service
First the Word, then Worship- there is a
proper respect in listening to God before
speaking to him, then worship is a response to
this Word.

22. Religious Reform
This begins the preeminence of the “Scribe” as the messenger of God
instead of a Prophet or Priest.
Liberal Scribes become: Sadducees (Sad you see)
Conservative Scribes Become: Pharisees (Far I
See)
The scribes are
either Liberal or
Conservative

23. NEHEMIAH 444 BC
• Nehemiah brings back a
few craftsmen.
• To restore the Physical
life (the walls).

24. Nehemiah
Though he remained in Persia after the exiles had been
allowed to go home, he was highly interested in the state
of affairs in Judah (his brother Hanani [Neh 1:2] had
returned there earlier).
Nehemiah was a layman, not a priest like
Ezra nor a prophet like Malachi. He served
the Persian king in a secular position before
leading a group of Jews to Jerusalem in
order to rebuild the city walls. “Nehemiah’s
expertise in the king’s court equipped him
adequately for the political and physical
reconstruction necessary for the remnant
to survive.

25. Outline of Ezra and Nehemiah
Ezra
• 1-2 Return I (Zerubbabel)
• 3-6 Rebuild
• 7-8 Return II (Ezra)
• 9-10 Reform
Nehemiah
• 1-2 Return III (Nehemiah)
• 3-7 Rebuild
• 8-10 Renew
• 11-13 Reform
Chapter 9 of each book is a prayer of confession

26. The Events of the Book Neh.
• Return III (1-2)
• Sad News (walls down again)
• Secret Inspection
• Rebuild (3-7)
• Erecting defenses
• Encountering Difficulties
• External opposition
• Internal exploitation
• Enlisting Descendants
• Renew (8-10)
• Scripture Communicated
• Sin Confessed
• Submission Covenanted
• Reform (11-13)
• Sufficient Quantity
• Spiritual Quality
• Misappropriated Funds
• Desecrated Sabbaths
• Mixed Marriages
• Neglected Duties

27. Nehemiah the Man
Nehemiah the man was an upbeat motivator
(“the joy of the Lord is your strength”)- the
opposite of Ezra.
Ezra was the weeping in the night, Nehemiah
was the joy in the morning; Ezra was the
Bible reader and preacher, Nehemiah was
the prayer warrior (some long/short;
public/private; before an event/after)
• Nehemiah was a practical man (organized).
• Nehemiah was emotional (angry at sin).
• Nehemiah was a social man (motivator).
About the work “we” is used not “I”

28. The land and the People
The land of Israel had not had its Sabbath
year rests for 500years so 70years Israel
had to leave the land.
No prophecies or miracles are given in Ezra and
Neh. But God’s hand is clearly seen at work in
moving even heathen kings to fulfill his will.
Those who came back to the land had the
problem of returning before repenting, the
order has to be repent and return. Because
Israel did not learn from history they were
doomed to repeat it and for 400+ years God
did not speak to them.

29. The Rebellion and Restoration
Detailed Information
• Ezra 15th book (3*5) [Ezra, Neh,
Esther]
• Skipped 5 books (Job – S.O.S.)
The Big Picture
Every book of the O.T. makes
reference to this event is some
form or fashion.