Page 101 - Advanced OT Survey Revised

Practical Application: Ezra and Nehemiah led the Israelites into a respect and love for the text of
Scripture. Nehemiah, because of his love for God and his desire to see God honored and glorified, led
the Israelites towards the faith and obedience God had desired for them for so long. In the same way,
Christians are to love and revere the truths of Scripture, commit them to memory, meditate on them
day and night, and turn to them for the fulfillment of every spiritual need. Second Timothy 3:16–17 tells
us, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works.” If we expect to experience the spiritual revival of the Israelites (Nehemiah 8:1-8), we must begin
with God’s Word.

Each of us ought to have genuine compassion for others who have spiritual or physical hurts. To feel
compassion, yet do nothing to help, is unfounded biblically. At times we may have to give up our own
comfort in order to minister properly to others. We must totally believe in a cause before we will give
our time or money to it with the right heart. When we allow God to minister through us, even
unbelievers will know it is God’s work.

Ezra and Nehemiah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkETkRv9tG8

Esther

The book of Esther is the last book of the historical books.

Author and date: The author and the date are not accurately known.
However, most speculations seem to date the events in Persia (485-465
B.C).

Themes include: Hidden Providence and Human Initiative

Message: God is working to preserve His promises, using both hidden providence in the Persian court
and human initiative among His own people!

Background about the Weak and Temperamental King

Ahasuerus was the king of Persia who chose Esther as his queen. He has been identified with the
celebrated Xerxes I (486 – 465 B.C.), the fourth major king of the Persian dynasty. Shortly after the
outset of his reign, Xerxes quelled a rebellion in Babylon, destroying the city and carrying away the
statue of Marduk, the city’s patron deity.

Xerxes is best known from the writings of Herodotus, the Greek historian who wrote the history of the
wars between Greece and Persia. The son of Darius I, Xerxes continued his father’s intervention in
Greek affairs, preparing a massive invasion of Greece in 480 B.C. Despite winning the first battle at
Thermopylae, the venture proved fatal. The Persian navy was decisively defeated at the Bay of Salamis.
Dejected, Xerxes fled Greece before the final defeat of his army at Plataea in 479 B.C.

99