4 Lessons from The Books of Ezra & Nehemiah
We have just 3 days left in the book of Nehemiah! Next week, we complete our study. So let’s take a look back and review.
Here’s 4 Lessons We Learn From the books of Ezra and Nehemiah
1.) God Has a Plan
God has a plan and when God has a plan – he is unstoppable!
After 70 years of the Israelites being in exile, God moves! God is at work as he stirs up the heart of King Cyrus to rebuild the House of the Lord in Jerusalem. And it says right in verse 1 of Ezra, that this is the fulfillment of prophecy spoken by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 29:10-11 says:
“This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The Book of Ezra shows us how God is in control and he is faithful to his promises. Despite the challenges faced by the Israelites, including exile and the destruction of Jerusalem, God remains faithful to His covenant with His people.
(for more details see the video below)
2.) Ezra is an admirable man.
We don’t hear about Ezra very often, but he is an admirable man! Look at what Ezra 7:10 says about him:
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Ezra had 3 special character qualities.
- He set his heart to study the law.
- He set his heart to do it.
- He taught the statutes and rules to Israel.
Can these three things be said of you?
- You study the word of God.
- You do the word of God.
- You teach the word of God.
May we be like Ezra and put God’s word into practice in our lives!
(for more about Ezra, watch this video below)
3.) Nehemiah Prays and Obeys
In the Book of Nehemiah, we follow along as the children of Israel begin the enormous job of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in only 52 days. With Nehemiah’s expert leadership, they were able to complete this God-given task despite heavy opposition from their enemies, physical weariness, discouragement, and even attempts of direct sabotage through deception and manipulation.
What did Nehemiah do when he faced opposition?
- He prayed.
- He obeyed.
- He stayed.
With all that Nehemiah faced, the majority of us would have quit. We would have said things like… obviously this is not God’s will!
But look what Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 4:14:
Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
We need to understand that all of us, who are obeying the Lord, are going to face battles. And when we do, may we be like Nehemiah and not give the enemy an inch!
(for more about how we can battle the enemy, watch the video below)
4.)Nehemiah’s name means “Yahweh Comforts”
God used Nehemiah to bring the children of Israel comfort, as they read the Law for the first time, in the newly restored Temple.
Jerusalem had gone from being a city in ruins, to having the temple rebuilt under the direction of Ezra, and the walls repaired under the leadership of Nehemiah. Then a remnant returned and renewed their covenant with the Lord.
On the day that they dedicated the wall, all of the leaders came together with the people, and they rejoiced, sang, and worshipped God so loudly that the sound of their worship and rejoicing was heard far away!
And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
Nehemiah 12:43
Final Conclusion:
It is astounding how one man was able to have a vision, prepare a plan, rally the people to carry out the plan and persevere through opposition.
Nehemiah consistently turned to God in prayer for guidance, strength, and protection and so…it is fitting that the final words of the book is this prayer of Nehemiah
Remember me, O my God, for good.
Nehemiah 13:31
May we follow in the footsteps of Ezra and Nehemiah as we faithfully follow the will of God in our lives.
Keep walking with the King,
What’s next?
? Next week I will be revealing some exciting news AFTER we finish the final 3 days of Nehemiah! ?
So please be sure to come back next week!
If you are looking to do a Bible Study
during our break, here’s a few I recommend:
Ecclesiastes – Wisdom for Living Well
A 6-Week In-depth Bible Study with a Free Video Series
With over 1000 5-Star Reviews on Amazon – this is my most popular Bible Study! It is a verse-by-verse in-depth study of the book of Ecclesiastes. You can find all of the free resources for this study along with the video series —-> HERE.
Ruth – God’s Amazing Love for You
A 5-Week In-depth Bible Study with a Free Video Series
With over 1,200 5-Star Review, this is my second most popular study. It is a verse-by verse, in-depth study of the book of Ruth.
You can find all of the free resources for this study along with the video series —> HERE.
Rest and Release
A 4-Week Bible Study with a Free Video Series
You can find all of its resources and the free video seres —–> HERE.
Other books of the Bible
You can find all of the books of the Bible we have already studied together and the free resources to go along with those studies on this page —–> HERE.
I encourage you to pick a book of the Bible and study it on your own and I’ll be back in April to study with you again!
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