Lord’s Day, Vol. 12 No. 50
Old Paths Conference 2024
Thank the Lord for assembling His people for the Old Paths Conference 2024 from 12 – 14 December 2024. The theme was “The Westminster Confession”. The particular focus was “The Ten Commandments” given in the Westminster Confession of Faith, The Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism” taken from “The Westminster Confession” published by the Banner of Truth Trust.
The Westminster Confession was addressed to the heads of families, and the focus on the heads of families leading their respective families on their spiritual growth and journey was the emphasis.
Thank God for the publication of the Westminster Annotations by Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church. It was first printed in 1645. It provides a companion to the King James Bible. This first book covers Genesis to Esther. God willing, the next publication will cover Job to Malachi to complete the Old Testament annotations and finally a third volume from Matthew to Revelation for the New Testament. Before the publication of the King James Bible, the English church used the Geneva Bible which has footnotes. These footnotes gave explanations and cross-references to aid Bible understanding. When the King James Bible was produced, there were no footnotes. The Annotations were therefore produced by the Westminster (divines) theologians to aid Bible understanding.
Opening the Book of Esther
The Jews returned from Babylon to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. The Temple was rebuilt 538-515 B.C. Esther, a Jewess, became Queen of Persia in 478 B.C. Esther saved the Jews from massacre in 473 B.C. Ezra went from Babylon to Jerusalem 457 B.C. and Nehemiah rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in 444 B.C. Thus Esther appeared about 40 years after the Temple was rebuilt, and about 30 years before the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt.
Chronologically, though this book comes after the book of Nehemiah, yet its events occurred before Nehemiah by about 30 years. Esther, it seems, made possible the work of Nehemiah. Her marriage to the King must have given the Jews great prestige. It is impossible to guess what might have happened to the Hebrew nation had there been no Esther. Except for her, Jerusalem might never have been rebuilt, and there might have been a different story to tell to all future ages.[1]
The book of Esther is a fascinating and captivating book. Along with the book of Ruth, it is the only OT book named after a woman. The name of God is nowhere found in the text of the book and yet we observe the unmistakable hand of God moving circumstances and events. His good hand works often hidden in mysterious ways, undetected yet still at work to demonstrate His glory and power. We see the providential hand of God working in human history, through often ordinary circumstances to work out His good will.
“Ahasuerus” was another name for Xerxes who ruled Persia from 485-46 B.C., one of the most illustrious monarchs in ancient world. This great feast that he held in this chapter it has been learned from Persian inscriptions that it was held in preparation for his famous expedition against Greece, in which he fought the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, 480 B.C. It seems that he deposed Vashti (482 B.C.), before he left, and married Esther (478 B.C.) after he returned from his expedition against Greece (1:3; 2:16).[2]
Spurgeon said of this book it is, “a record of wonders without a miracle and, therefore, though equally revealing the Glory of the Lord, it sets it forth in another fashion from that which is displayed in the overthrow of Pharaoh by miraculous power.”
The pomp and opulence of Xerxes in his kingdom was incredulous. His empire spanned 127 provinces, including Judah in Palestine stretching to Africa (Ethopia was conquered by Cambysus) on the one end and India (the word means “Indus River” equivalent to the province of Punkab in Pakistan today, conquered by his father Darius I) in the other. This is a picture of man’s fleeting glory upon this earth.
Susa was the Greek name and Shushan was the Hebrew name of the winter capital of the Persian Empire. This was the place visited by Daniel in 551 B.C. in a vision (Daniel 8:1-8) in 551 B.C. in which he forewaw the rapid rise of the Medo-Persian Empire (which began a year later in the great victory of Cyrus over the corrupt Astyages the Mede).[3]
Xerxes held this great drink feast to plan for the invasion of Greece. This is the richest of all the Persian kings revealed to Daniel in Daniel 11:2 and how the Persian Empire will give way to the Grecian Empire.
The rich king is Xerxes, who reigned from 485 to 464 B.C. The kings who preceded him after the death of Cyrus were (1) Cambyses, who reigned from 529 to 523 B.C.; (2) Gaumata, an imposter, who reigned from 523 to 522 B.C.; and finally (3) Darius the Great, who assassinated Gaumata and reigned from 522 to 485 B.C.[4]
The significant thing about Xerxes’ reign is that he crossed the Hellespont in an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Europe and was defeated by the Greeks. The Persians had tried to conquer Greece earlier under Darius the Great and had been defeated at Marathon. In this second invasion the great navy of the Persians was defeated by the Greeks at Salamis (in 480 B.C.), and the main body of the Persian army (Herodotus estimated it at a million men) was forced back to Asia. The 100,000-man land army left behind was crushed at the battle of Plataea the following year.
These invasions and attempted subjugation of Greece stuck in the Greek mind and were a major factor in the campaign of Alexander the Great against Persia in the years 334 to 331 B.C., more than a century later. This is what the next verse of Daniel 11 talks about: “And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will” (v. 3). The next verse shows how the empire of Alexander was to be divided into four parts after his death, which has already been prophesied in the earlier visions.
[1] Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook, Zondervan, 1965, 237.
[2] Ibid., 238.
[3] John Whitcomb, Esther, Unpublished Notes, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, 17.
[4] Boice, J. M. (2003). Daniel: An expositional commentary (111). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
CHART OF SOME EVENTS COVERED IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER
Xerxes took 4 years to organise the army. It was in this great banquet that matters of the expedition against Greece were discussed. This feast lasted 6 months (180 days cf. Esther 1:4). Great variety of drinking vessels was a Persian luxury. It is recorded by the historian Herodotus that when the Greeks defeated the Persian invaders, they found their camp adorned with many golden bowls and drinking vessels.
We observe that whilst the king was having the great drinking banquet, Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus (Esther 1:9). It is also observed that the king called for the queen in his drunken stupor who refused to come in the audience of the king in his drunkenness.
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
The wretched victims of strong or intoxicating drink have been mocked and grievously deceived. Be not deceived is the warning! Not only does it overcome them before they are aware, but it promises pleasure which it can never give. It’s raging power causes unruly behaviour, degrades man below the level of beast because the government of reason is surrendered to lust, appetite or passion. Strong drink is deceptive in that it led us astray and wandered from the path of instruction.
It was in the fit of anger that Vashti was deposed. Albeit it was part of God’s providential plan to bring the Jewess Esther into the palace to be the next queen is such a time to save the Jewish people from a coming holocaust.
Although the book of Esther does not mention the name of God but we can observe the providential hand of God working in the midst of His people in captivity.
The heart of depraved man is the springboard for the issues of life. Our Lord Jesus observed in truth concerning the depth of evil in the heart of depraved men in Matthew 15:18-20 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man...”
Jesus further distinguished between the good heart and the evil heart in Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
We continue our story at the close of chapter 2 where the king Ahasuerus loved Esther above all the women and she obtained grace and favour in the king’s sight more than all the virgins so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
It was after this momentous event of the Jewess Esther becoming queen that sets the stage for chapter 3. We recall interestingly and surprisingly how Esther’s Jewish background has been thus far concealed from the king.
We see here the introduction of the villain in the drama. This man is called Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. We see his advancement to a position second only to the king himself, above all the princes of the land.
Haman received the reverenced of all the king’s servant except one man, Mordecai, Esther’s foster father.
And why is it that Mordecai did not bow to Haman, we are not told. Mordecai was warned by the king’s servant that by not bowing and honouring Haman, he is transgressing the king’s commandment.
Because of Mordecai consistent refusal to acknowledge Haman that caused the king’s servant to tell Haman concerning Mordecai’s irreverent behaviour. By ignoring Haman, he brought wrath upon himself.
In fact, the Jews were instructed by Jeremiah the prophet to submit to the yoke of the Babylonians and they would be spared from trouble. How is it that Mordecai behaved in such a manner that would court trouble for himself? Indeed, we cannot such ungodly behaviour on Mordecai’s part.
It is interesting that Mordecai revealed to the king’s servants that he was a Jew. Why did he do that? We are not told. But we understand from Scriptures the perennial conflict against the Jews – Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This spiritual conflict we can understand. Satan hates the Jews because it is from the Jewish nation that the Messiah will come. We see in this text the seed of antisemitism. It is true that Mordecai provoked Haman to wrath by his irreverence but we cannot understand how this slighting of Haman’s pride warrant the annihilation of all the Jews scattered all over the in the Persian Empire. We cannot only conclude that this is spiritual.
Mordecai’s action provoked Haman’s wrath. We can see the wickedness in the heart of this man Haman. It was a occult practice of consulting astrology and necromancy of casting lot as Haman plotted to hatch his plan against all the Jews in the land. Haman managed to convince the king that the Jews were a rebellious people. The word “destroy” is repeated 25 times in this book to describe the wrathful plan of evil that Haman had against the Jews.
The king’s ring was a signature to the seal the decree to kill the Jews. Haman agreed to put 375 tonnes of silver or 12 million ounces of silver to the king’s coffer as an incentive. The plan took eleven months to fruition. The massacre would take place on the 13th day of the 12th month. The plan was hatched in the first month of Nisan which is the month of April.
We notice how the people were perplexed by the king’s action. This holocaust of the Jews would come as a result of Haman’s evil plot. However, we realise that the Jews are God’s covenant people. Recall God’s promise to Abraham – Genesis 12:2-3 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. We shall see how God fulfilled His promise to them.
We see here the providential built-up of a supreme crisis which Esther the Queen was confronted with – the plot to kill all the Jews throughout the Persian Empire has been hatched, sealed with the king’s unalterable decree. Mordecai sent word through Hathach to Esther to do the needful to thwart the evil plan killl her own people
Look at Esther’s response – Esther 4:15–17 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. 17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
She requested that fasting and prayer be made that God may make a way for her to approach the king to thwart the scheme of Haman for the destruction of the Jews. She was determined in her heart to do something for the survival of herself and her people. She said, “If I perish, I perish!” I believe it is not a statement of despondency, she was not “resigned” as the unbelievers would say “to fate.” Indeed, the circumstances looked gloomy, everything seemed to be going against the Jews and God seemed as it were not to be able to bail them out. For the child of God, we understand that all things work for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). Would we conclude that Esther’s response was one of faith and courage and confidence in God? Was it a statement likened to Job’s response in the thick of his afflictions in Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
What drastic measures against a man who do not pay homage to him. What triggered the great hatred that Haman had for all the Jews? We are told in Esther 3:5 that Haman was “full of wrath” – the word literally means “heat” describing a “burning anger or rage”, an uncontrolled outburst. He schemed and succeeded to have the king signed the decree for the decimation of all the Jews in his kingdom.
We observe in the opening of chapter 4 the great mourning and grief of Mordecai when he understood the viciousness of the decree issued by the king. He knew in his heart that he was the culprit that provoked this insane decree by his insistence in not acknowledging Haman’s authority. In his unkempt state, Mordecai could not enter the king’s gate.
Mourning took place through the Persian Empire wherever the Jews were found who understood their perilous predicament. When Esther came to know of Mordecai’s deep mourning, she sent word to bring comfort and new change of clothing for Mordecai but was rejected. She sent Hathach, a close confidant of Mordecai to enquire. Mordecai instructed Hathach to bring word to Esther of Haman’s devious plot showing to Esther the decree and requesting Esther to seek audience with the king to find a way of their predicament.
Esther explained to Mordecai that she was not allowed to approach the king unless summoned. Defying the order would certainly put her in imminent danger of losing her life explaining the king had not called for her for 30 days now. Esther was crowned queen in January 478 B.C. It is 4 years later in 474 B.C. that this event occurred. It seemed strange that the Queen is kept away from the King for so long. It is not a normal marital relations for husband and wife to not see each other for such prolonged period.Mordecai pointedly reminded Esther of her obligation toward her people and her being queen, and in the king’s palace, would be no protection to her; and she would be no safer there than the Jews elsewhere, since they had no greater enemies any where than in the king’s court; and it was or would be known of what nation she was, and therefore must not expect to escape the fury of the enemy. (Gill)
The events that took place in Esther’s life seemed to lead her to this moment of testing. Indeed, as Solomon said in Proverbs 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
Esther was determined in her heart to do the needful to approach the king. She requested fasting be made for 3 days and night as she prepares to do the impossible, overturn the decree to save her people.
There are times in life where we are faced with extreme adversity. May we cultivate our devotion life so that whatever may come in life, we are ready to rough through the storm with Christ in the vessel.
Our heroine Esther must have felt her inadequacy as she raced with time to prevent a major holocaust for the destruction of God’s chosen people in Persia. The date of 7 March 473 B.C. was set for the destruction of her people and it was on April 17, 474 B.C. that Mordecai conveyed to Esther through Hathach the king’s decree for their destruction. She declared her conviction to take action as we saw at the close of chapter 4 by her words of resolve, “If I perish, I perish.” She requested the Jews to fast and pray for 3 days and 3 nights.
It was the time to act and Esther through preparation was ready and she prepared to seek an unauthorized audience with the king. God gave her the necessary courage to know this is the time. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room when Esther approached him.
The king graciously received Esther, and she found favour in the sight of the king – Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart isin the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. We observe here how God’s power was over the heart of this king to change his mind for the sake of His people.
We see here the king acknowledging Esther’s presence and she was spared from immediate execution – Esther 5:3Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. It is providential how the king showed favour to her to the extent that he would give to her half his kingdom.
We see how Esther did not immediately speak her request but instead invited the king and Haman to a private banquet. It was not the appropriate time and she delayed to speak her heart. She was granted her request and of course in not speaking she is risking not having a second opportunity. In the meantime, Haman went off happily and with pride how even the Queen would invite him for a banquet. We see how he was such a proud and arrogant. He could not stand the sight of Mordecai and in discussion with his wife made a gallow in one night – 23m tall gallow to crucify him.
The exiled Jews in the Persian Empire were faced with imminent destruction by a decree that the evil Haman had crafted. The hatred was vehement. And time was ticking towards their ultimate destruction. We watch here the turn of events! And so Haman the villian was brought to the audience of the king. Here is the climax of the drama. Surely, this is it for Moedecai, he is doomed!
This is the irony of the story. Haman thought that the king is going to honour him and therefore gave all that the king could do to honour him thinking that he was heaping for himself great honour only we see how God overturned the events!
Haman’s suggestion was like what the father of the prodigal son did for his son who came back to him in contrition of heart. Here was the bombshell upon Haman.
Esther 6:10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
Imagined the shock that must have come upon Haman after all the scheming and plotting, everything back fired upon him – Proverbs 26:27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.
Here is a warning particularly against hidden malice. How much Haman was cast down with his disappointment. He could not bear it. To wait upon any man, especially Mordecai, and at this time, when he hoped to have seen him hanged, was enough to break such a proud heart as he had. He hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered, as one that looked upon himself as sunk and in a manner condemned. What harm had it done him to stoop thus to Mordecai? Was he ever the worse for it? Was it not what he himself proposed to be done by one of the king’s most noble princes? Why then should he grudge to do it himself? But that will break a proud man’s heart which would not break a humble man’s sleep. (Matthew Henry)
And now begins the banquet, the call came from Esther… In Esther’s first audience with the king in Esther 5, she managed to seek the audience of the king but was silent to the king’s request to know her request. Instead she invited the king and Haman to a banquet. And at the first banquet, again she kept silent as to her request. At this second banquet, Esther will not ask the king for the preservation of her people from destruction and boldly accused Haman of being the adversary.
Once again, the king had offered with emphatic assurances on three separate occasions to fulfil his queen’s wish, he could hardly deny that he had really made such a promise. Thus the king had put himself as it were in a corner. The king was obviously ignorant of the true significance of the events that had transpired in the last 24 hours. But Esther must have seen the significance and the providential direction of those events. On the other hand, she needed all the reassurance she could get for this encounter was still a matter of life and death. Once she revealed her ethnic and religious origin to the king, not to mention her opposition to the king’s most powerful official, her future was most uncertain. With a boldness bolstered by desperation, Esther now stated her petition (for her own life) and her request (or the life of her people), following the exact wording of the king’s question.
Esther bravely interceded for her people. Esther’s wisdom is shown in the way in which she presents her petition. Notice how she first focuses the king’s attention on the fact that her life was in danger, a tact that surely would appeal to the king’s feelings for her. In other words she did not just blurt out that “There is a man in your kingdom who plans to destroy all the Jews!” In fact, in the entire petition (v3-4) she does not implicate an single individual as responsible for the evil plan. The term “sold” refers to the price that Haman offered to the king in exchange for the privilege of destroying this unwanted people!
We observe a built up of Esther’s case appealing to the king’s sympathy and the sorry plight fo herself and her people. The king was made to suddenly realize the impact of his decree against the Jews.This scene in the high court of the Persian Empire truly had great significance to the plight of the Jews in Jerusalem. The decree meant once again the destruction of the Jews and possibly the Second Temple that was just built! Esther had surely raised by God for such a time as this – To save the Jews from certain destruction!
A time of judgment is coming upon Haman because the king was stirred up with anger against Haman. The momentary retreat of the king to the palace garden sets the scene that sealed Haman’s ultimate judgment. Haman tried to take advantage of the temporary absence of the king by pleading desperately for his life to Queen Esther, knowing in his heart that the king had determined evil against him. He was trapped as one commentator said “between an enraged king and an offended queen.”
Haman fell at Esther’s feet and it gave the impression to the king that Haman was violated his queen. It is interesting to see the role reversal now between the Haman and the Jew whom he demanded total obeisance and now he was begging this Jewish girl for mercy. He was so proud earlier in his disdain for the Jews and now we see a poor coward! We see God’s hand leading and meting out judgment. Haman was hung on the gallows that he made to hang Mordecai. The Jews were vindicated. The psalmist David wrote of a similar experience of how God executed judgement upon wicked men that arose in his life.
The villain of the drama was taken down. He had sowed evil and reaped the consequence of his evil plan fulfiling God’s promise to Abraham for his descendants – Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We see how God is in control of human affairs and how He directed His will to be done for His own honour and glory, working out His plan of redemption for all mankind of which the Jews played a vital role. From them would come the Messiah that will save all men from their sins. God’s salvation plan for man’s own good was not thwarted because God loves us and desire that we be reconciled to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
Opening the Book of Ezra
The closing words of 2 Chronicles provided a summarized introduction to the Book of Ezra giving the historical background to the second captivity of the Jews in a foreign land, of which the first was Egypt and this second Babylon.2 Chronicles 36:14-23 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 17Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire,
and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-2 gives to us the connection of the little Hebrew nation and the great World Empires that emerges in history. The return of the Jews to Jerusalem by the decree of Cyrus marks the beginning of Israel’s Second Exodus.[1]
From the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the deporation of the Jews to Babylonian, to the fulfilment of Jeremiah’s prophecy of their return to Jerusalem after 70 years, which we studied in the Book of Daniel, is the story of God’s chastisement and eventual restoration of His people to true worship.
Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Hebrews 12:11-13 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
The first Exodus of the Jews out of Egypt, we have studied before we studied the Book of Daniel, as led by Moses. This second Exodus was less impressive than the return from Egypt because only a remnant chooses to leave Babylon was led by Jeshua the high priest, and Zerubabbel the governor.[2]
In the first Exodus, the Tabernacle was constructed as a temporal replica of the Temple in Jerusalem that would be built after Israel enter the Promised Land.
In this second Exodus, in the Book of Ezra, is recounted the efforts of the exiles who returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple. Under the leadership of Jeshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor over the region, proper worship was restored in Jerusalem. When the life of God’s people were centred in dependence upon their God as depicted by the setting of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, they thrived but when they begin to lose sight of the vitality of true worship, life took a turn for the worse. This is a true depiction of the Christian life for our admonition and learning.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one volume. The Vulgate (a Latin translation of the Scripture) was the first edition of the Bible to separate them, but at that time they were designated as First and Second Ezra. Like the Book of Daniel, portions of Ezra were also written in Aramaic, the language of Babylon (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26).
Many years later, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem with another group of exiles. Ezra was the scribe who was commissioned by King Artaxerxes to teach the statutes of the Mosaic Law to the people in Israel. While there may have been many groups of exiles that returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, Scripture speaks of only three. The first group returned in 538 B.C. under the leadership of Zerubabbel, the second in 457 B.C. under Ezra, and the third in 444 B.C. under Nehemiah.
The Book of Ezra tells of the first two groups of exiles. Long periods of time are passed by without mention, however, because only those facts that are relevant to the religious life of Israel are given. Despite the fact that all those who desired to return to Jerusalem were free to do so, a great number of Jews chose to remain in Babylon. As a result, Babylon became an important center for Jewish learning until the city’s decline near the end of the fourth century B.C.
[1] Walter F. Adeney, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1900, 12.
[2] Kenneth D. Boa, The King James Open Bible, Nelson Bibles, 1985, 472.
Nevertheless, God always has His faithful remnant that stands faithful in a faithless world. They may be the minority in the world but precious in God’s sight and exercising a permeating as salt and light in a decaying, dark and godless world. Just like Daniel did in Babylon.
God preserves His own for His own glory as He works out His purpose of redemption echoing the words of the psalmist David in psalm 12 who turned to Him by holding on to His forever inerrant, infallible and preserved word, will find peace and joy and spiritual prosperity in a faithless, decaying, godless and God blaspheming world.
Psalm 12:1-8 To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. 3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? 5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. 8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
Opening the Book of Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah is a personal testimony written by Nehemiah of how God moved his heart when he saw the “great affliction and reproach” (Nehemiah 1:3) suffered by his own kindred, the Jews in Jerusalem and how he courageously step forward to help his fellow Jews back home while he was in living in the comforts in the palace of Shushan as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.
Artaxerxes I, whom Nehemiah served as cubbearer, was the son of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), who took Esther to be his queen. The Feast of Purim (Esther 9:20-32) was instituted on 3 March, 473 B.C. In the spring of 458 B.C. Ezra led an expedition of Jews back to Jerusalem with the blessing of Artaxerxes and by the following spring, he had completed the examination of those in Judea who had married foreign wives (Ezra 10) which we saw last week.
One of the by-products of the revival under Ezra seems to have been an effort on the part of the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. This in turn provoked the wrath of Rehum and Shimshai, who wrote accusation against them to Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:7-16). The king commanded the work to cease until a further decree should be issued (Ezra 4:21). Rehum and Shimshai, upon receiving this decree from the king, hurried to Jerusalem and made them to cease by force and power presumably breaking down the wall that had been started and burning the gates (Ezra 4:23; Neh. 1:3). It was the news of this fresh disaster that shocked Nehemiah and brought him to his knees before God.
The name Nehemiah means “Jehovah comforts”. Nehemiah was among the men of Israel “whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city.” (Ezra 2:1).
The Book of Nehemiah covers a period of 20 years, from December, 446 B.C. to about 425 B.C.[1] The book of Nehemiah is the personal memoirs of Nehemiah, a personal eye- witness account. This is evident in the use of the first person throughout the writing Nehemiah chapters 1-7, eg. Nehemiah 1:1 “I was in Shushan the palace” KJV, Nehemiah 1:2 “I asked them concerning the Jews…”, Nehemiah 1:4 “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned…” KJV, Nehemiah 5:9 “Also I said, It is not good that ye walk…” KJV. It is noted that from chapter 8 onwards, Nehemiah writes from the third person from Nehemiah 7-11. The next mention of first person is in Nehemiah 12:31 “Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall and appointed two great companies of them that gives thanks…” during the dedication of the completed walls of Jerusalem and continues on in chapter 13:6 “But in all this time, I was not in Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king and after certain days obtained leave of the king.” Nehemiah returned to the palace and he again obtained leave from the king to go to Jerusalem on the 12th year since he first came to Jerusalem.
His task involves physically helping the Jews in Jerusalem to build the walls of Jerusalem which was in utter desolation and together with Ezra the scribe, help rebuild the spiritual lives of fellow Jews in Jerusalem. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee
[1] When Nehemiah returned from Babylon to cleanse Jerusalem, and the province, of various evils that had crept in during his absence since 433 B.C. The careers of Ezra and Nehemiah overlap, as may be seen in Neh. 8:1-9 and 12:26. It is probable that Malachi prophesied during the governorship of Nehemiah, for many of the evils he denounced are found to be prominent in the Book of Nehemiah.