Reading Time: 4 minutes
A touched heart typically is what spurs a person to action. The devastating news of Jerusalem caused Nehemiah to weep and mourn in chapter 1, and God used Nehemiah’s sadness to get the king’s attention in chapter 2.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Fear seems more common than faith these days. . . . But over the course of my life, my best decisions have been the times when I chose to walk by faith, not by sight.
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Questions for group discussion for use with this week’s lesson from Nehemiah 1:11–2:8, “Courage to Stand Up.”
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Upon his arrival in Jerusalem in chapter 7, Ezra sized things up rather quickly. The exiles were in danger of turning back to the sinful ways that had caused them to go into captivity in the first place. Ezra was committed to nip that mindset in the bud.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Israelites were supposed to be a holy people, distinct from others who lived around them. No work on the Sabbath day. No graven images. . . . God wanted more than surface obedience, though. He said, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts” (Deuteronomy 6:6). . . .
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The New Testament calls the follower of Jesus to be distinct as a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). . . . What values and priorities should be different between us and the non-Christians around us?
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Once work on the temple altar and temple itself were completed, it was time to get the exiles’ lives in order. Ezra the great Bible teacher led the way in this through prayer and fasting.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Why isn’t fasting more common in the American church? The Bible mentions it at least 60 times. Moses and Jesus both fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Exodus 34:28; Matthew 4:2). Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther fasted. So did David, John the Baptist, and Paul. . . .
Reading Time: 2 minutes
What leadership traits do you see in Ezra?