Old Testament Bible Study – Page 20

Ezra: Lesson 4

June 22, 2016April 3, 2019 Michelle Lesley

ezra-study-e1465330077513 Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3

Ezra 3

When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. ²Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. ³They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. ⁴And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, ⁵and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. ⁶From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. ⁷So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

⁸Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the Lord. ⁹And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.

¹⁰And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. ¹¹And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Questions to Consider:

1. Read Ezra 3 and summarize the story line in 1-2 sentences. What was the first thing the people did when they arrived in Jerusalem after coming out of exile? (1, also 2:70) After the people had settled into their homes and towns, what was the first structure they built? (2) The second? (10)

2. What does verse 1 mean when it says the people gathered “as one man“? In what aspects can the church come together “as one man” when we meet for worship or do Kingdom work? Who led the way in rebuilding the altar (2-3) and what were their positions of leadership over the people?

3. In verses 2-6, what do the phrases “as it is written in the Law of Moses” (2), “as it is written,” and “according to the rule” (4), mean? How do the people’s actions in these verses show that their worship was guided by Scripture and carried out in obedience to it? How do the altar and the sacrifices point us to Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross? Consider the worship service at your church. Are all aspects of the service guided by Scripture and carried out in obedience to it? Does your worship service center around Christ and the cross?

4. Considering the spiritual significance of the first temple, why would it have been important to rebuild the temple? Compare verses 8-10 with Luke 6:46-49. What are some parallels between Israel laying the foundation of the temple according to God’s word and the foundation of our faith today being obedience to Christ and His word?

5. Compare verses 11-13 with 2 Chronicles 7:1-10. What are some of the similarities and differences between the people’s response to completion of Solomon’s temple and their response to the laying of the foundation of the post-exilic temple? (Especially compare v. 11 with 7:3 and v. 12-13 with 7:10). Was there any weeping at the completion of Solomon’s temple? Why would the “old men” have been weeping in verses 11-12? Recalling all that had happened to Israel between the completion of Solomon’s temple and the laying of the foundation of the post-exilic temple, was there good reason for both joy and weeping? What were those reasons?

6. In what ways could the laying of the foundation of the temple be considered Israel’s being “born again”? Think about…

…how the exile points to our captivity by the enemy and bondage to sin

…how God delivered His people from bondage through Jeshua the high priest, who “made a beginning” (8) of the foundation, and how God delivered us through Yeshua our High Priest who made a beginning – the beginning and the end, the founder and perfecter – of our faith.

…how the people mourned over the sin that had destroyed God’s ideal dwelling yet rejoiced over beginning a new life with Him, delivered and forgiven, and how we do the same when we come to new life in Christ.

Ezra Bible Study

Ezra: Lesson 3

June 15, 2016April 3, 2019 Michelle Lesley

ezra-study-e1465330077513 Previous Lessons: 1, 2

Ezra 2

Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. ²They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³the sons of Parosh, 2,172. ⁴The sons of Shephatiah, 372. ⁵The sons of Arah, 775. ⁶The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812.⁷The sons of Elam, 1,254. ⁸The sons of Zattu, 945. ⁹The sons of Zaccai, 760. ¹⁰The sons of Bani, 642.¹¹The sons of Bebai, 623. ¹²The sons of Azgad, 1,222. ¹³The sons of Adonikam, 666. ¹⁴The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. ¹⁵The sons of Adin, 454. ¹⁶The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. ¹⁷The sons of Bezai, 323. ¹⁸The sons of Jorah, 112. ¹⁹The sons of Hashum, 223. ²⁰The sons of Gibbar, 95. ²¹The sons of Bethlehem, 123. ²²The men of Netophah, 56. ²³The men of Anathoth, 128. ²⁴The sons of Azmaveth, 42. ²⁵The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. ²⁶The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. ²⁷The men of Michmas, 122. ²⁸The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. ²⁹The sons of Nebo, 52.³⁰The sons of Magbish, 156. ³¹The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. ³²The sons of Harim, 320. ³³The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. ³⁴The sons of Jericho, 345. ³⁵The sons of Senaah, 3,630.

³⁶The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. ³⁷The sons of Immer, 1,052. ³⁸Thesons of Pashhur, 1,247. ³⁹The sons of Harim, 1,017.

⁴⁰The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74. ⁴¹The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128. ⁴²The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

⁴³The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, ⁴⁵the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, ⁴⁶the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, ⁴⁷the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, ⁴⁸the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, ⁴⁹the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, ⁵⁰the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim, ⁵¹the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, ⁵²the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, ⁵³the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, ⁵⁴the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁵The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda,⁵⁶the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, ⁵⁷the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of Ami.

⁵⁸All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.

⁵⁹The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer,though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:⁶⁰the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652. ⁶¹Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). ⁶²These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶³The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁴The whole assembly together was 42,360, ⁶⁵besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. ⁶⁶Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, ⁶⁷their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720.

⁶⁸Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. ⁶⁹According to their ability they gave tothe treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments.

⁷⁰Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel in their towns.

Questions to Consider:

1. Review again the historical background for the book of Ezra from lesson 1 (link above). How many stages of exile had there been from Judah to Babylon? How many stages of return of the exiles from Babylonia? Was this (v.1-2) the first, second, or third of the return trips? Who led this return trip? Where did the exiles settle upon their return? (1)

2. Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Does “all Scripture” include Ezra 2:2-67? How is the census information given in verses 2-67 “profitable” to Christians? Do you think the information in these verses is for teaching, reproof, correction, or training in righteousness? How do these verses “complete” and “equip” Christians for good works?

3. Notice that the group of exiles precisely numbered in verses 2-67 is organized and subdivided into several categories. What are those categories? (2b, 36a, 40a, 43a, 55a, 59). Read verses 68-69, and glance ahead at Ezra 3. What is the main event of those passages? Does this shed some light on why the categories in verses 2-67 focus largely on temple officials and leadership?

4. What was the special situation of the people mentioned in verses 59-63? (53) What two actions were taken regarding this situation in verses 62 and 63? Why would they have been excluded from the priesthood or partaking of the most holy food? What were the Urim and Thummim, and why would the priest have needed to consult them? What does this passage demonstrate about the separation between God’s people and the world? How does the New Testament reinforce this idea for Christians? Why did/does God not want His people to yoke themselves to unbelievers?

5. What does the precision and organization of the census information in verses 2-67 tell you about Ezra’s administrative skills? How can people with administrative gifts use those gifts to serve the body of Christ today? How does the information in these verses reflect on the nature and character of God? His omniscience? His love and care for His people? His attention to detail? The accuracy of His word?

Ezra Bible Study

Ezra: Lesson 2

June 8, 2016April 3, 2019 Michelle Lesley

ezra-study-e1465330077513 Previous Lessons: 1

Ezra 1

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

²“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

⁵Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. ⁶And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. ⁷Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.⁸Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. ⁹And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, ¹⁰30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; ¹¹all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

Questions to Consider:

1. If needed, refamiliarize yourself with the characters, purpose, and historical setting of the book of Ezra by reviewing lesson 1 of this study. Read the entirety of Ezra 1, identifying each character and location mentioned.

2. Read Cyrus’ decree in verses 2-4. Summarize it in your own words. To whom was it written, and what instructions does Cyrus give? How does Cyrus describe God? How was this decree a fulfillment of “the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah“? (1) (Notice the context all of these passages give to the popular “coffee cup verse” Jeremiah 29:11.)

3. Verses 1 and 5 say God “stirred up the spirit” of Cyrus and the people. Examining these verses in the context of this chapter, what does this phrase mean? Compare these verses to Proverbs 21:1 and these other passages about God “stirring” people’s hearts or spirits. What can we learn from these Scriptures about God moving the hearts of people in order to accomplish His will? What does this teach us about God’s sovereignty?

4. Do verses 5-6 remind you of another major Old Testament event? What are some of the similarities and differences between these two events? What are some things God might have wanted to remind His people of as they remembered the Exodus on their journey back to Jerusalem? How do both the Exodus and the return from exile point us to Christ and how He delivers us from slavery to sin?

5. Verses 7-11 describe God’s preservation and restoration to His people of the temple vessels. Who had originally seized them? (7) For how many years had God protected these worship vessels? (see link in question 2 for help). Consider God’s protection of these vessels for so many years – through war, the overthrow of Babylon, the leadership of various pagan kings – and God’s promise to return them, along with His promise to bring His people out of exile after 70 years. How can God’s sovereign protection, preservation, and deliverance of His people in this story move you to trust Him to keep His promises? To provide for you? To save and keep you? That He is always in control?

Ezra Bible Study

Ezra: Lesson 1

June 1, 2016April 3, 2019 Michelle Lesley

ezra study

Welcome to our brand new Wednesday’s Word Bible study! Over the next several weeks, we’ll be studying the book of Ezra. Many of us feel like our knowledge of the Old Testament – particularly the post-exilic writings – could use some beefing up, and Ezra is a perfect book to study for that purpose.

But is Ezra relevant to us as Christians today? As we study, I think you’ll find the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Second Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God’s people are God’s people, B.C. or A.D. We love God, love His word, and struggle with many of the same sins. And, of course, God Himself never changes.

So let’s roll up our sleeves and start digging in, shall we?

Introduction to the book of Ezra:

Before we begin studying a book of the Bible, it’s very important that we understand some things about that book. We need to know…

Who the author was and anything we might be able to find out about him or his background.

Who the audience of the book is: Jews or Gentiles? Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians? This will help us understand the author’s purpose and approach to what he’s writing.

What kind of biblical literature we’re looking at. We approach books of history differently than books of wisdom, books of wisdom differently than books of prophecy, etc.

What the purpose of the book is. Was it written to encourage? Rebuke? Warn?

What the historical backdrop is for the book. Is Israel at war? At peace? In exile? Under a bad king? Good king? Understanding the historical events surrounding a piece of writing help us understand what was written and why it was written.

When the book was written. Where does the book fall on the timeline of bibical history? This is especially important for Old Testament books which are not always arranged in chronological order.

So this week, before we start studying the actual text of the book of Ezra, we need to lay the foundation to understanding the book by finding the answers to these questions.

Read the following overviews of the book of Ezra, taking notes on anything that might aid your understanding of the book, and answer the questions below:

Ezra at Grace to You

Overview of the Book of Ezra at Reformed Answers

Book of Ezra at Got Questions

1. Who wrote the book of Ezra? What was his profession? His background and lineage? What do these things tell us about his position in society, his knowledge of Scripture, his approach to writing, or anything else about him?

2. Who is the intended audience of the book of Ezra?

3. Which genre of biblical literature is the book of Ezra: law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, or prophecy/apocalyptic? What does this this tell us about the approach we should take when studying this book versus our approach to books of other genres?

4. What is the theme or purpose of the book of Ezra?

5. Who are the leaders and significant personalities in the book of Ezra?

6. What is the historical backdrop of the book of Ezra? When did the events of the book of Ezra take place on the timeline of biblical history (ex: before the Flood, during the period of the judges, during or after the exile, etc.)? What are the historical events immediately surrounding the events of the book of Ezra? Where do the events take place? (Sometimes, a good Bible map like this one or this one can be helpful.)

7. What else did you learn about Ezra or the setting of his book that might help you understand the text of the book better?

Wednesday's Word

Wednesday’s Word ~ Micah 7

April 20, 2016April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

Micah 7Woe is me! For I have become

    as when the summer fruit has been gathered,

    as when the grapes have been gleaned:

there is no cluster to eat,

    no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.

2 The godly has perished from the earth,

    and there is no one upright among mankind;

they all lie in wait for blood,

    and each hunts the other with a net.

3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;

    the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,

and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;

    thus they weave it together.

4 The best of them is like a brier,

    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.

The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;

    now their confusion is at hand.

5 Put no trust in a neighbor;

    have no confidence in a friend;

guard the doors of your mouth

    from her who lies in your arms;

6 for the son treats the father with contempt,

    the daughter rises up against her mother,

the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

    a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord;

    I will wait for the God of my salvation;

    my God will hear me.

⁸Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
⁹I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
¹⁰Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    like the mire of the streets.

¹¹A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
¹²In that day they will come to you,
    from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
¹³But the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their deeds.

¹⁴Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
    in the midst of a garden land;
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
¹⁵As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them marvelous things.
¹⁶The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
¹⁷they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
    they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall be in fear of you.

¹⁸Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
¹⁹He will again have compassion on us;
    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
    into the depths of the sea.
²⁰You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
    from the days of old.

Questions to Consider:

1. Who wrote the book of Micah? (1:1) What is the purpose or theme of the book? Which literary genre (historical narrative, wisdom, epistle, prophecy, etc.) is the book of Micah?

2. In verses 1-6, as Micah recounts the woes of his society, how would you characterize his outlook (hope, anger, joy, zeal, etc.)? What are some of the specific problems Micah lists in this section? What are some specific problems you see in the church and/or society that might leave you with feelings of hopelessness and despair?

3. How does verse 7 serve as a pivot point in this chapter? To whom does Micah turn as the solution? (7-8) List the attributes of God and actions He will take that are discussed in verses 7-9. Take a moment to pray about the problems you listed in #2, thanking God that He is the solution, hope, and salvation in each of them.

4. What are some names, places, and incidents in this chapter that remind us that it was written to and for a specific people (Judah) about their unique situation? Examine verses 11-17, 20. Knowing that these specific details were for Judah, what are some general biblical principles we can glean from this passage that apply to Christians today? Can you think of New Testament verses that support these principles?

5. What do verses 7-9 and 18-19 teach us about sin, repentance, God’s mercy, forgiveness and salvation? How do they point ahead to Christ as our ultimate forgiveness and salvation?