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Two Lectures on EZRA AND NEHEMIAH by William Kelly / BIBLE TRUTH PUBLISHERS / Printed in U.S.A
THE special value of these two lectures, now presented in volume form. in the clear indication they give of the purpose for which the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written, and of the place they occupy in the general scheme of Holy Scripture. The books record the provisional restoration of God's people from captivity in a heathen empire, and much useful instruction is to be derived by analogy therefrom, which is directly applicable to the difficult and closing days of the present church era. The way, as the inspired history shows, was opened in a providential manner for the return of the exiles. Babylon, the empire that subjugated the Jews, was itself overthrown, and the kings of Medo-Persia showed themselves friendly to the repatriation of the captives. The house of David was not, however, restored to the throne, and the people remained in subjection to the Gentile power, although back in their own land. Only a small number of the Jews availed themselves of the proclamation of Cyrus-less than 50,000. These however, erected
the altar of burnt-offering and laid the foundation of the temple-buildings. Through the opposition of the Samaritans their work was suspended for fourteen years. After re-commencement, the temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius Hystaspes (Ezra vi. 15). It was not until after this that Ezra himself went up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and he exerted his great personal influence in re-establishing the claims of the law of God upon the people, and introducing the worship and service of Jehovah in the newly-built temple. As the book of Ezra is mainly concerned with the reintroduction of the worship of God at Jerusalem, so that of Nehemiah is concerned mainly with the rebuilding of the city itself and the wall. It records the re-establishment of the civic condition of the Jews. They again received a status as a people. To Jehovah, however, they remained Lo-ammi (Hosea i. 9), and in actual fact they remained under Gentile rule. In many ways the restored remnant fell short of the ideals portrayed in Moses and the prophets. But the personal piety of Ezra and Nehemiah, the diligence and zeal of many of the returned exiles, the general effort to conform to the written will of God, and, above all, their penitent spirit because of the evil
that had come upon the nation on account of its sin, afford valuable intruction for us, to which we shall do well to give heed.
