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Introduction
The oldest manuscripts indicate that Ezra and Nehemiah either originally were, or were treated as, one book. Even so, it’s reasonable to consider Ezra and Nehemiah responsible for their respective parts – especially since each speaks in the first person at least some of the time (Ezra 8:1, 15; Neh 8:1,11). Therefore, we will consider Nehemiah to be the author of the book that now bears his name. Ezra appears in Neh 8 and 12. At the farthest point below you’ll find a conclusion to both books.
The book of Ezra was about the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, and the things they did once they got there – including restoration of the temple and sacrifices, reinstatement of the priests and Levites, resumption of the nation’s feasts, and repentance for intermarriage with Canaanites and other non-Israelites. The book of Nehemiah is about the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and gates.
We can apply the lessons of this book in many ways. One of the most fundamental is to learn how to build up the walls of our minds.
Prov 25:28 Like a city that is broken into and without walls
Is a man who has no control over his spirit.
Building up a wall of truth to surround and protect the thoughts of our minds is vital to the security of our souls. Such a wall acts as a shield against enemy weapons.
Eph 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Spiritual warfare is a reality in this world. There’s no place for pacifism in the spiritual realm. Neither is there a Switzerland to which men can flee and be neutral.
2 Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
2 Cor 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
2 Cor 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor 10:6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
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1 Tim 1:18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
Nehemiah and those who worked with him to build the walls of Jerusalem faced much opposition to their building project. Therefore, their ultimate success was not achieved with mere engineering effort; they had to have a fighting spirit as well. So do we for the walls God would have us build.
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Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah Receives News of Jerusalem’s Hardships and Grieves
Neh 1:1-3
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon burned down Jerusalem (2 Kgs 25), and the city is still suffering from that calamity.
Nehemiah Prays for Jerusalem
Neh 1:4-11
Nehemiah bases his petition on the promise God has made to gather His people if they return to Him. Basing our prayers on something God has promised in His written word puts us on a very firm footing. Note also that Nehemiah does not ask God to do everything: repair the walls and restore the gates. Nehemiah is not asking God to do something for him, but rather for God to enable and equip him to help. This is a much more practical and realistic way of praying about a situation.
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Nehemiah 2
Nehemiah’s Prayer Answered
Neh 2:1-10
Neh 2:1-2 – Because a king was always at risk of someone trying to poison him, the position of cup-bearer was one of great honor and trust. If the king got to thinking you were moody, he might not see you as fit to continue holding such a critical position. Thus Nehemiah saw this conversation possibly going the wrong direction.
Neh 2:4 – The sentence “So I prayed to the God of heaven,” rather than being a description of what Nehemiah was doing in that moment, seems to be a reference back to Neh 1:11. That is, Nehemiah seems to take the king’s question – “What would you request?” – to be a sign that God had indeed granted Nehemiah the compassion he had sought from “this man” in his prayer (Neh 1:4-11). Therefore, Nehemiah proceeds to tell the king exactly what he wants.
Neh 2:5-8 -Nehemiah’s prayer had allowed him to think through everything he would need, and he makes a well-thought-out request to the king – including letters of authority that will help him in completing his mission.
Neh 2:9 – Turns out the king had given Nehemiah even more than he asked for: “Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.”
Neh 2:10 – The response of Sanballat and Tobiah sounds like the response of Satan: “it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.”
Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls
Neh 2:11-20
Neh 2:12 – Keeping what God has told you under your hat for a while is generally a better course than blurting it out right after you’ve heard it. Good ideas often need a gestation period to grow strong enough to withstand the elements.
Neh 2:13 – An unwalled city is an unprotected city. Even with walls, if you don’t control the gates, you don’t control the city.
Neh 2:17-18 – Having thoroughly surveyed the situation, Nehemiah can now see that the time is ripe for him to disclose his God-given plan to his associates.
Neh 2:19-20 – Nehemiah wisely wastes no time trying to win over the naysayers. There are always enemies to the plans of God, and they cannot be won over by argument.
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Nehemiah 3
List of the Workers
Neh 3:1-32
This chapter consists of a comprehensive list of who rebuilt which part of the wall and who repaired which gate.
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Nehemiah 4
Work Is Ridiculed
Neh 4:1-8
Neh 4:1 – We first heard of Sanballat in Neh 2:10.
Neh 4:2 – Recall that the land of Samaria – previously the northern kingdom of Israel – was to the north of, and adjacent to, the land of Judah. This land of the tribe of Judah will come to be regularly called Judea by the time of Jesus. Simultaneously, we see in the Scriptures that the term “Israelites” is increasingly being replaced by the term “Jews.” ***** As Satan spoke through the serpent to Eve, so he speaks through Sanballat to the wall builders. ***** Sanballat helps us recognize the doubts that the devil casts into our hearts like weeds in a garden whenever we hear the word of God and seek to believe and obey it.
Neh 4:3 – Satan uses Tobiah to reinforce the messages he’s sending through Sanballat. Satan often uses multiple voices to amplify his thoughts.
Neh 4:4-5 – When we want to work for God, the devil is a demoralizer.
Neh 4:6 – Having “a mind to work” can overcome doubts.
Neh 4:7-8 – Likewise, as Jesus sought to build up walls of faith in which His fellow Jews could find refuge through His preaching, the evil one aroused the Pharisees, Sadducees and others to conspire against Him at every turn. That is, through multiple voices the evil one amplified his campaign against God’s servant.
Discouragement Overcome
Neh 4:9-23
The theme of this chapter segment is the dual focus of work and warfare that was necessary for Nehemiah’s success. As fathers, we must accept the reality that in our efforts to build our children into quality adults we face formidable and sustained opposition. We must fortify our minds so that we do not succumb to discouragement. The only way the enemy can thwart our wall building is to tempt us to give up. We must keep ourselves encouraged in the Lord our God no matter how dire our circumstances may appear.
1 Sam 30:6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
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Nehemiah 5
Usury Abolished
Neh 5:1-13
It won’t work to get ourselves out of debt while we keep others in it.
Matt 6:12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
***
Matt 6:14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matt 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
***
Matt 18:32 “Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
Matt 18:33 ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’
Matt 18:34 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
Matt 18:35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
Nehemiah’s Example
Neh 5:14-19
Does the leader serve for the benefit of the leader or for the benefit of the led? Is your headship of your family for your benefit or theirs?
As husbands and fathers, we can lead like the Pharisees led…
Matt 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
Matt 23:2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
Matt 23:3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.
Matt 23:4 “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.
Matt 23:5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
Matt 23:6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Matt 23:7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.
Matt 23:8 “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.
Matt 23:9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
Matt 23:10 “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
Matt 23:11 “But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
Matt 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Or we can lead like Jesus led…
Luke 22:24 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.
Luke 22:25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’
Luke 22:26 “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.
Luke 22:27 “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
The choice we have as men is simple: lead in pride or lead in humility, lead as a Pharisee or lead as Jesus. It makes a world of difference.
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Nehemiah 6
The Enemy’s Plot
Neh 6:1-14
Neh 6:1 – Until its gates are functional and secure, walls around a city are of limited value.
Neh 6:2 – The enemies of God don’t try just once to discourage the work of God; they keep coming back with one scheme or another.
Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Neh 6:3 – Once we have realized that someone is being used by Satan, we should cease giving that person air time.
Rom 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.
Rom 16:18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
Neh 6:4 – Satan is going to be persistent. We must be equally persistent.
Neh 6:5-9 – Sanballat ups the ante by accusing Nehemiah of insurrection. His letter indicates his intention to make the reigning king think that the accusation is true. Nehemiah responds, not for the purpose of winning Sanballat’s favor, but to make clear to the king that there is no rebellion in the works.
Neh 6:10-14 – As the chief priests and elders bribed Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus, so Tobiah and Sanballat hired Shemaiah to betray Nehemiah.
Matt 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
Once it was clear that Nehemiah had learned that Tobiah and Sanballat were tools of Satan, it was necessary for them to do their work through someone else. Recognize that Satan is sneaky enough to use anyone to plant his thoughts in our minds – even through those that mean us no harm. Let us be on guard.
Matt 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
Matt 16:22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
Matt 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
That Satan could use two men as different in their commitment to Jesus as Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter were, tells us that bad ideas can come through any human source. Let us diligently and vigilantly guard our minds. This is the purpose of surrounding our minds with a wall of truth – keep out the doubt!
The Wall Is Finished
Neh 6:15-19
The completion of the wall around Jerusalem silenced many critics…but not all. As long as we’re on this planet, there’ll always be another temptation waiting around the corner. “Happily ever after only” comes with death. And it wouldn’t even come then if Jesus Christ our Lord had not turned it from a curse into a blessing.
Heb 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Heb 2:15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Everyone Is Going to Heaven. (If some are going to hell, then Jesus didn’t turn the curse into a blessing – instead, He would have been replacing the curse of death with an infinitely worse curse. Hallelujah that this was not the case!)
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Nehemiah 7
This chapter consists of reference material. Generally speaking, it replicates the information about exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem provided in Ezra 2.
Census of First Returned Exiles
Neh 7:1-65
Total of People and Gifts
Neh 7:66-73
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Nehemiah 8
Ezra Reads the Law
Neh 8:1-8
What Ezra and his fellows did in the city square on this occasion, you and your wife get to do with your children in your homes…every day, even multiple times a day. Ezra’s Bible was only a portion of the one we have today; ours is complete and shines with the light of Christ! Therefore, let us partake of it regularly for the good of our souls as we partake regularly of physical food for the good of our bodies.
Matt 6:11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
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Matt 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”
***
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
“This Day Is Holy”
Neh 8:9-12
The people grieved because the reading of the Bible brought to mind their sinfulness. bible reading should have the same effect on us. When it does, the Spirit likewise encourages us to rejoice – and even more so because the knowledge of Christ’s crucifixion gives us an assurance of forgiveness that Nehemiah and Ezra could only hope for. And the knowledge Christ’s resurrection to heaven gives us a view of eternal existence that Nehemiah and Ezra would not have imagined.
***** As for any day being holy, let us be found among those who now consider every day holy.
Rom 14:5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
How can we do this? By taking fully to heart exhortations like these:
1 Pet 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
1 Pet 1:15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
1 Pet 1:16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
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2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
2 Cor 5:15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
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Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
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Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
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Mark 8:34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mark 8:35 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:37 “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Therefore, let us believe and declare the following statement daily and with great reverence:
Ps 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The Feast of Booths Restored
Neh 8:13-18
This celebration of the Feast of Booths (Israel’s Feasts) could be the same one briefly mentioned in Ezra 3:4. (This is the feast that Jesus and His brothers separately attended in Jn 7.)
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Nehemiah 9
The People Come Together in a Spirit of Repentance
Neh 9:1-38
The people gather publicly to hear the Law of Moses read and to confess their sins. Since it was expensive and impractical for people to store large handwritten scrolls in their homes, coming together to hear the Scriptures read was the main way people consumed written content in ancient times.
The Levites Pray
Neh 9:5-37
This prayer can be characterized as a confession of faith. Specifically, the Levites, praying on behalf of the people, describe the history of creation and of their nation and the various ways in which God has shaped events. The Levites attribute the nation’s successes to God’s kindness and the nation’s failure to their sins – specifically, their repeated failures to live according to the Law of Moses. The prayer climaxes with a request for relief from the distresses that their sins have brought upon them in consideration for the people’s commitment to put away their sins and live as they should.
In the prayer, the Levites are appealing to…
Neh 9:5-6 – …the God who created us all
Neh 9:7-8 – …the God who made a covenant with Abraham
Neh 9:9-12 – …the God who delivered the descendants of Abraham from slavery because of His covenant with Abraham
Neh 9:13-15 – …the God who miraculously made slaves into a nation
Neh 9:16-21 – …the God who patiently bore with a stubborn and rebellious generation in the wilderness
Neh 9:22-25 – …the God who gave the next generation of that nation the land of Canaan, expelling the sinful nations that had been living there
Neh 9:26-31 – the God who bore with them through judges and even kings until His impartiality required Him to expel them from the land of Canaan for the same reason He had expelled the Canaanites: sinfulness
Neh 9:32-37 – …the God who, in spite of all our unfaithfulness, has had mercy on the heirs of His covenant with Abraham and granted them this moment – this opportunity to ask for mercy and for help in their time of need, just as Ezra had prayed:
Ezra 9:6 and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.
Ezra 9:7 “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.
Ezra 9:8 “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.
Ezra 9:9 “For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
These prayers of Neh 9 and Ezra 9 also follow the same pattern outlined ever so briefly by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Hebrews:
Heb 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The major portion of the Neh 9 prayer is given to recalling enough history with God to “draw near with confidence.” This is why the prayer by the Levites on behalf of the people spends considerable time laying out how – over many centuries – God has made a name for Himself (as they themselves say in Neh 9:10) in the way He has conducted Himself. On the basis of this name He has made – that is, on the basis of this reputation for mercy and grace in keeping a covenant He has earned – the people are humbly asking for help in dealing with their current distresses. As they ask, they also commit to significant and specific behavioral improvements. With a substantive understanding of the dynamics of covenant – fully demonstrated in the way they prayed this prayer – and therefore having full awareness of the consequences of being unfaithful to a covenant, these people are now ready to declare what they themselves are going to do.
AS you and your family build up a history of dealings with God through Jesus Christ, you, too, will be able to pray with increasing confidence that He will answer your prayers.
A Documented Covenant Results
Neh 9:38
As a sign of their seriousness about repentance, the people’s commitments to specific acts of repentance will be put in writing. We’ll see those in the next chapter.
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Nehemiah 10
The Leaders’ Names on the Covenant Document
Neh 10:1-27
This is the list of names of the leaders of the people who were taking responsibility for the people making the covenant of repentance. The list begins with Nehemiah himself. Like Jesus, he does not stand aloof from his people; rather, he becomes one with them.
Obligations of the Covenant Document
Neh 10:28-39
Neh 10:28-29 – The people make the general commitment to keep the Law of Moses, with the understanding that this will entail God’s blessings if they are are obedient and curses if they are disobedient. Of course, none of this represents anything new. What follows are specific commitments, most of them simply being a part of Mosaic Law.
Neh 10:30 – The people agree not to intermarry with foreigners.
Neh 10:31 – The people will keep the sabbath, per the fourth commandment.
Neh 10:32-33 – The people agree to keep the temple and its furnishings in working order.
Neh 10:34-36 – The people commit to supporting all the regular sacrifices and offerings.
Neh 10:37-39 – The people commit to supporting the Levites and priests, who are, of course, the designated members of the population responsible for the operation of the temple.
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Nehemiah 11
This chapter consists primarily of reference, not reading, material.
Heads of Provinces
Neh 11:1-19
Outside Jerusalem
Neh 11:20-30
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Nehemiah 12
The chapter consists primarily of reference, not reading, material.
Priests and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel
Neh 12:1-21
The Chief Levites
Neh 12:22-26
Dedication of the Wall
Neh 12:27-30
Procedures for the Temple
Neh 12:31-47
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Nehemiah 13
Foreigners Excluded
Neh 13:1-3
Of the five reforms described in this chapter, this one is the only one in which Nehemiah doesn’t claim personal involvement. That’s not particularly significant; what is significant is that a return to the Law of Moses has been a recurring theme of Ezra-Nehemiah. Moses’ and the other prophets’ writings are read to the people; and when the people hear a provision they’ve violated, they acknowledge their sins and take steps to comply.
Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed
Neh 13:4-9
Because Tobiah was an Ammonite (Neh 2:10, 19; 4:3), there is a connection between this chapter segment and the previous one. Another recurring theme of Ezra-Nehemiah is the priesthood of Israel – more specifically, the importance of faithful priests and Levites to the nation’s spiritual health. Although no punishment is mentioned for the erring priest – Eliashib – it is obvious that Nehemiah sees him as complicit in Tobiah’s evil. One could say that the view of the returning exiles was: as the priests and Levites go, so goes Israel.
Tithes Restored
Neh 13:10-14
Further to the point of the previous chapter segment, proper tithing was the lifeblood of a healthy and productive priesthood for Israel.The purpose of the people’s tithes was to support the priests and Levites who maintained the Scriptures and managed the temple. The prophet Malachi was a contemporary of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (who were both mentioned in Ezra 5:1 and again in 6:14). Malachi had this to say about tithing.
Mal 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!
Mal 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.
Mal 3:11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:12 “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.
Sabbath Restored
Neh 13:15-22
Restoration of the sabbath was another example of recovering the practices Moses had laid down in the Law. Sabbaths were an indication of good times in Israel; defeat by Babylon and exile meant the elimination of sabbaths, as foreign cultures did not practice it and could not be counted on to honor it. The prophet Hosea had explicitly warned Israel that the sabbath would be taken away if they did not repent.
Hos 2:11 “I will also put an end to all her gaiety,
Her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths
And all her festal assemblies.
We know that they indeed did not repent, and that’s why the sabbath was lost. By restoring the sabbath, Israel could experience a modicum of peace even though the times of Ezra and Nehemiah were not marked with anywhere near the peace and prosperity that Solomon enjoyed.
The Levites mentioned the importance of the sabbath in their great prayer for forgiveness and blessing (Neh 9:14) and they wrote it in as a specific obligation of their written covenant of repentance (Neh 10:31-33). In this chapter segment, Nehemiah gives several examples of sabbath violation and how he dealt with them.
This focus on the sabbath is understandable for the exiles returning to Israel. They had been forcibly taken from their homes and transported to Babylon and elsewhere for a minimum of 70 years. They have returned to a capital city that was burned to the ground and never rebuilt during those many decades. They have had to live under the domination of another culture – quite different from their own. They have returned to their homeland and are trying to restore the national order – particularly with respect to the things that distinguished them from other nations. The importance of this national restoration is magnified by the the fact that it was the people’s abandonment of some of these national distinctions – such as the sabbath – that caused God to abandon His support of the nation and give the nation up to their enemies.
What’s not so understandable is why – 400 years later, in the time of Jesus – the focus would still be on the sabbath, and myopically so. But I’ll say more about this in the conclusion to Ezra-Nehemiah below.
Mixed Marriages Forbidden
Neh 13:23-29
Yet another recurring theme of Ezra and Nehemiah has been intermarriage with foreigners. The last two chapter of Ezra (Ezra 9-10) were consumed by this topic. It was also addressed in the two chapters given to the covenant of repentance led by Nehemiah (Neh 9-10) among the specific sins about which the nation particularly grieved. It comes up again here, including a mention of how even the nation’s most glorious king (Solomon) was brought low by foreign women. Nehemiah seems a peaceful man but even he has taken to cursing, striking, and pulling the hair of those who are violating the clear-cut instruction from Moses to keep their nation holy.
Summary
Neh 13:30-31
In the final two verses, Nehemiah touches on his role as a purifier of Israel and alludes to what we can call three key areas of focus for the Ezra-Nehemiah period:
- Temple – It needs to be operating with regular sacrifices and fully-staffed with priests and Levites teaching and practicing the Law…just as the word of the Lord through Moses said.
- Family – It needs to be a Jew marrying a Jew…just as the word of the Lord through Moses said.
- Sabbath – It needs to be practiced by every person every week…just as the word of the Lord through Moses said.
What was common to these three areas of Jewish life was the need to purify them, a point that one of the prophets of this period (Malachi) made:
Mal 1:6 “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’
Mal 1:7 “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’
Mal 1:8 “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 1:9 “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 1:10 “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.
Mal 1:11 “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 1:12 “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’
Mal 1:13 “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD.
Mal 1:14 “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”
The Lord’s point through Malachi is that these Jews must purify themselves and their offerings, and this point is going to be brought home more fully in the third chapter when the Lord Himself is going to purify all of them more thoroughly.
Mal 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
Mal 3:3 “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.
Mal 3:4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
In other words, the people must purify themselves to the full extent they are willing and able, and the Lord will purify everything else.
The main thrust of all this is hope in the coming Messiah. Israel has returned to the promised land, not to resume the kingdom it had failed in maintaining, but to prepare for the coming of the Lord in the great king Messiah. This is why Mal 3:1 is quoted to describe John the Baptist. (The quotation of Mal 3:1 is in all caps in both citations below.)
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;
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Matt 11:7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
Matt 11:8 “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!
Matt 11:9 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.
Matt 11:10 “This is the one about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’
The appearance of “the messenger” would be the sign that the time of Messiah had come. This is why Jesus was so perplexed about the scribes and Pharisees asking for a sign when they had John the Baptist pointing to Jesus and Jesus doing things that had not been seen since the days of Elijah and Elisha. Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were all screaming from the pages of their writings: “This is how you’ll know when He’s come!” If religious elite of Jesus’ day did not take heed to what their ancestors Ezra, Nehemiah, and the others wrote for them, we can at least learn from their mistakes.
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Conclusion to Ezra-Nehemiah
In the introductions to both Ezra and Nehemiah, I made known that the most ancient sources consider these two books as one. Even if they weren’t, their subject matter is so intertwined that it’s just as natural to view them as one as it is for us to view Samuel-Kings as one and Chronicles as one.
Ezra-Nehemiah, especially as supplemented by the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, document for us a very important time in the life of the nation of Israel. This is the time that Israel resumed a national life in the promised land after an exile of 70 years and before the four hundred more years they’d have to wait for Messiah. This was the time that Israel had been reduced to a stump of the former great tree it had been. As Isaiah prophesied of waht would happen after Israel fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
Is 6:13 “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it,
And it will again be subject to burning,
Like a terebinth or an oak
Whose stump remains when it is felled.
The holy seed is its stump.”
The time of Ezra and Nehemiah provides a critical vantage point from which we can look both backward and forward into history to better understand the sequence of times and epochs recorded for us in the Bible – particularly those involving Israel dwelling in the promised land.
Dan 2:21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to men of understanding.
Looking backward, Moses had brought Israel to the promised land, but it was Joshua who brought them into it. Once there, Israel failed to drive out all the Canaanites and therefore had thorns in their sides all through the times of the Judges. It was like the American wild west, with no single prevailing power to govern the land. Raids were coming from this direction and that. Once Samuel launched Israel’s line of kings, starting with the anointing of Saul and then David, however, the land became more one of law and order. By the time of Solomon – the nation’s third king – Israel was the envy of all the surrounding nations. But that law and order would eventually break down as Israel became increasingly unfaithful to its covenant with God. When God had seen all He could stand, justice required Him to allow Nebuchadnezzar to burn Jerusalem and haul its citizens to Babylon…for 70 years.
Roughly speaking, the period of the Judges was about 300-400 years, and the period of the Kings was about 400-500 years. Then came the time of Ezra-Nehemiah. Ezra was a priest and Nehemiah was a cupbearer-turned-governor. Neither ever sought to be king. Neither did we see anyone else seek to become king during their time. The simple reason for this was that the time of Ezra-Nehemiah was not like the wild west of the Judges. There was a prevailing authority; it was the government of the Medes and Persians.
When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Dan 2 (see accompanying BSN notes on that chapter), he prophesied that there would be four major empires beginning with Babylon. After that comes Medo-Persia, Greece, and then Rome. It was during the time of the fourth – Rome – that Messiah would come. Among other things, this meant that Israel would be a vassal state until Messiah came. There would be no point in its having a king. On the contrary, for a nation to seek a king when it was a vassal state could be to invite hostility from the reigning empire.
The time of Ezra-Nehemiah, therefore, was a time of reduced civil power for Israel. The nation, such as it was, was restricted to primarily religious power. Ezra and Nehemiah had launched what is now called the period of Second Temple Judaism. (Once the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, this would transition into what is called rabbinic Judaism.) Unlike the periods of the judges or the kings, Israel in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah primarily had religious leaders, not political leaders. Although the house of Herod arose in the 1st century BC, it was never considered relevant to Israel’s biblical hopes because the Herods were not even Jews, much less descendants of David as the Messiah was required to be. All the kings in the line of Herod were vassals of the Roman empire. Messiah would be a vassal to no other state – only to God.
Looking forward from the time of Ezra-Nehemiah to the time of Jesus, little would change in the way of government for Israel. This is why in the Gospels we see the nation of Israel as being under the political control of Rome with Rome’s appointees like Pontius Pilate over Judea and King Herod over Galilee. The priesthood is very strong in Jesus’ day, but it has become greatly corrupted since the time of Ezra the priest. There is still concern for the well-being of the temple, the purity of bloodline, and the sabbath – but all from ungodly motives. The temple had been completely commercialized since the time of Ezra and Nehemiah – so much so that Jesus had to drive moneychangers out of the temple. Purity of bloodline had become of way of enforcing snobbery preserving the status quo rather than a means of maintaining a culture of holiness. And the sabbath, which had been a way of beginning to restore the Law of Moses in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, became a way of trivializing the Law of Moses in the days of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The history in Ezra-Nehemiah is the essential link between the times of judges and kings in the past and the time of Messiah in the future. With the coming of Messiah, the nation of Israel would be destroyed by Rome, having served its purpose by birthing Messiah for the whole world. Ezra and Messiah preserved what was closest to David’s heart as king: the house of the Lord. As David himself said:
Ps 69:9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me…
And this sentiment was ascribed to Messiah Himself:
John 2:15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
John 2:16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”
John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”
David sought to build a house of the Lord on earth, but Messiah sought to build one in heaven. He could see firsthand that one on earth would never be kept clean. Who would sweep it once He was gone?
Ezra and Nehemiah could not restore the glorious kingdom that Israel had squandered, but they were able to preserve what was essential in Israel to one day effect the transition from the kingdom of David to the kingdom of God.
Matt 22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:
Matt 22:42 “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.”
Matt 22:43 He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
Matt 22:44 ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET”‘?
Matt 22:45 “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”
Matt 22:46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.
The Duty of a Man 