O Brother, Where Art Thou
Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther
By Paul Gibson
UofL BCM
Where We Left Off
15 The
LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his
messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and
on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God's messengers,
despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of
the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who
killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared
neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God
handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to
Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and
small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of
the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God's temple and broke
down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and
destroyed everything of value there.
2 Chronicles 36:15-19 (NIV)
Where We Left Off
20 He
carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the
sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the
kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its Sabbath
rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years
were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by
Jeremiah. 22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill
the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the
heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his
realm and to put it in writing: 23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia
says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms
of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at
Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may the
LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"
2 Chronicles 36:20-23 (NIV)
Escaping Captivity and Going Home
Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everetts home to recover
the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange
characters. (imdb.com)
O Brother, Where Art Thou
Tonight’s Story:
It may not be Everett, Pete, and Delmar trying
to journey home, but tonight’s story does
portray Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther leading a
people home so that they may rightfully claim
their land.
Ezra—Outline
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
First Emigration
Rebuilding the Temple
Second Emigration
Intermarriage
Confession/Separation
1.1-2.70
3.1-6.22
7.1-8.36
9.1-9.15
10.1-10.44
Nehemiah—Outline
I. The Report and Prayer
II. Nehemiah’s Commissioning
III. Jerusalem’s Walls and Gates
IV. The Exiles
V. Spiritual Renew
VI. Residents, Priests, and Levites
VII. Dedication of the Wall
VIII.Final Reforms
1.1-1.11
2.1-2.20
3.1-7.3
7.1-7.73
8.1-10.39
11.2-12.26
12.27-12.47
13
Ezra & Nehemiah—Key Characters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cyrus
Ezra
Jeshua
Zerubbabel
Artaxerxes
Nehemiah
Sanballat
Tobiah
Ezra and Nehemiah—
Key Themes/Verses
• Fulfillment of Prophecy—Ezra 5.1; 6.14;
Haggai 1.1; Zechariah 1.1
• Restoration via Persia—Ez 1.2-3; 6.15;
Nehemiah 6.15-16; 8.1-6
Esther—Outline
I. Vashti’s Refusal
II. Esther’s Accession
III. Mordecai’s Service
IV. Haman’s Plot
V. Mordecai’s Request
VI. Esther’s Request
VII. Mordecai’s Reward
VIII.Haman’s Punishment
IX. The King’s Edict
X. The Jew’s Triumph
1.1-1.22
2.1-2.18
2.19-2.23
3.1-3.15
4.1-4.17
5.1-5.14
6.1-6.14
7.1-7.10
8.1-8.17
9.1-10.3
Esther—Key Characters
•
•
•
•
•
Xeres
Vashti
Mordecai
Haman
Esther
Esther—Key Themes/Verses
• God’s Calling of Ordinary People (in order to fulfill
his promise to Abraham)—Esther 4.14; 4.16
• The Centrality of God’s People—Esther 9.20-22
• *Also noted as God’s Love for his People
God continues to keep his promise to Abraham
and fulfill the prophecies towards his people.
Thus, God provides the dim hope of returning to
a “true home.”
Crisis
Surrender
Opp./Fear
Pain
Passion
Is Calling Temporary?
THE CRUCIBLE OF CALLING
The Crucible of Calling is Found at
the Intersection of Crisis and Pain
Identify Moments of Crisis and
Pain in Your Life
Are You Willing to Surrender?