Lesson for September 30, 2020
Knowing the Bible
Lesson 19
II Kings and I Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther
II Kings and I Chronicles
At the end of the reign of Solomon, the kingdom, which had been united under David and had continued to be united under Solomon, began to split. Shortly after the death of Solomon, because he allowed paganism to infiltrate the nation, a division occurred. Israel was split into two kingdoms. The Northern kingdom was comprised of ten tribes and the Southern kingdom the remaining two tribes (Judah and Benjamin). The Northern kingdom was referred to as Israel and the Southern kingdom as Judah. The Southern kingdom continued to be ruled by the Davidic line with its capital in Jerusalem. The Northern kingdom made Jeroboam their king with its capital in Samaria. As you can imagine, the strife between these two kingdoms was ongoing as both vied for power in the region. Both kingdoms were eventually destroyed by the Assyrian army; the Northern kingdom in 722 B.C. and the Southern kingdom in 586 B.C. The majority of problems that the nation of Israel faced were self-imposed because of their idolatrous relationship with other nations. This is the reason that God had given them specific instructions, first in the Law of Moses and later in the Davidic Covenant to “have no other God before Him.”
Most of the kings of Israel defied God and His Word and either worshipped idols or allowed the practice of idol-worship to exist within the nation. There were only a handful of kings in Israel that would be considered “good.” They were as follows: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah. The remaining kings would be considered evil and idolatrous. When a client nation to God turns its back on God and His mandates, the end result is always destruction in some form. Such was the case for the nation of Israel, though it was restored several times in history and will be again in the future.
During this time period two great prophets of God arose, which we must consider in our study. The first is Elijah and the second is his student and successor, Elisha. Elijah, which means God is Jehovah, was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. Elijah was a great man of faith, but suffered (as we all do) a few lapses in his faith on occasion. He was, however, bold before kings, even rebuking them in the name of the Lord for their sinful practices. Elijah is honored throughout the Scriptures as a follower of God and a man of faith. (Matthew 17:2) He was eventually translated into Heaven by a chariot of fire and never experienced a natural death. (II Kings 2:1-11)
Elisha, which means God is Savior, was also a great prophet in Israel and followed in the footsteps of Elijah. When Elijah was translated to Heaven he left behind his mantle (cloak), which was a sign of his supernatural power (by means of the Holy Spirit). Elisha was trained by Elijah and was given double the divine power. With this power of the Holy Spirit, Elisha performed even more miracles than his mentor Elijah. Though different in personality and style, these two men carried out the instructions of God when the nation of Israel was in jeopardy of being severely disciplined by God. The death of Elisha was ordinary as compared to Elijah’s dramatic translation. In the Old Testament, spiritual gifts as we know them in the Church Age did not exist. “Prophet” was an office, though it was carried out under the empowerment (enduement) of the Holy Spirit.
Every believer in Jesus Christ during the Church Age receives at least one spiritual gift (some have multiple gifts) at salvation. A spiritual gift is a specific ability given by God the Holy Spirit to the believer. The word for gift in Greek is “charisma” and means “grace gift.” Therefore, spiritual gifts are not earned or deserved. These gifts are divinely bestowed by the Holy Spirit in grace to those He chooses. The purpose for spiritual gifts, as stated in Scripture, is for the function of the body of Christ in the local church. (Romans 12:4-6; I Corinthians 12:11-31) Within the category of spiritual gifts there are permanent and temporary gifts. Permanent gifts were first given to believers in the early Church and will continue to be operational until the end of the Church Age, which ends at the Rapture. Spiritual gifts are a great blessing from God for the local church. Without the function of these gifts in the local body, the church could not properly operate. Each of us has at least one spiritual gift and it is up to us to discover those gifts and use them. The discovery of our gift may come from recognition from a person in authority in the local church, such as the pastor or a deacon. Temporary gifts were also given to believers in the early Church, but were foundational for the establishment of the Church and are no longer operational.
The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther
These three books are companion books covering approximately the same time period and chronicle events that took place during this period. Ezra and Nehemiah deal with the return of Israel from Babylon, who had captured them after their defeat by the Assyrians. Through the kindness of King Darius, the nation of Israel was allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, which had been destroyed in 586 B.C. (Daniel 6)
Ezra, a scribe and an Aaronic priest led the nation in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah, the king’s cup-bearer, led the nation in the rebuilding of the walls and gates of the city of Jerusalem. The book of Esther chronicles a period of 12 years and testifies to the care of Jehovah over His people while they are dispersed among the pagan nations.
Ezra led the nation of Israel back to Jehovah and reestablished the knowledge of the authority of God’s Word among the people of Israel. Mixed marriages to pagans were annulled and the Law was re-instituted. Ezra was a lover of God’s Word and it was this program that brought Israel back from the brink of destruction. Ezra is generally known as a reformer and revivalist among Biblical scholars. This being true, then it was the knowledge and application of God’s Word in the life of this individual believer that fueled the reform and revival in the nation of Israel.
Ezra was a serious student and teacher of God’s Word. He led the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild their place of worship, the Temple. It was Ezra’s faithfulness to God and His Word that enabled him to become the leader of Israel and encourage them to build what had been destroyed some years before. Ezra was a humble servant of God who denied self in order to intercede on the behalf of the Jews. (Ezra 9:5-9)
Nehemiah is more of the model of a dedicated businessman who loved God and desired to serve Him with his talents and abilities. A gifted organizer and leader of men, Nehemiah was a man of action and few words. He believed in prayer and performance. Nehemiah went about his duties of restoring the city of Jerusalem with total dependence upon Jehovah. Despite much opposition, Nehemiah successfully completed the rebuilding of the walls and gates of the city of Jerusalem, the Temple having already been built.
A believer who was born in exile and captivity, Nehemiah rose to be the pagan king Artaxerxes cup-bearer. A cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in the royal courts whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. The constant fear of death plots, against the king, the cup-bearer must be thoroughly trustworthy to hold the position. He must guard against poison being put into the king’s cup and was sometimes required to drink from the king’s cup before serving it. This relation with the king gave the cup-bearer a position of great influence. The position of cup-bearer was greatly valued and given only to a select few throughout history.
Esther was an Israelite in captivity in Persia who became the queen of the pagan king, Ahasueraus. Though God is never mentioned in this book, it is easy to see Him working on behalf of Esther and the Israelites who were in captivity under this king. The book of Esther is a story of love, loyalty and deliverance at the hand of God for Esther and her fellow Jews.
The story of Esther begins with a grand banquet at the palace of King Ahasuerus. The king had become drunk on wine and commanded that his wife, Queen Vashti come out before everyone to show how beautiful she was. Queen Vashti refused to be paraded before everyone and King Ahasueraus was so angry at her disrespect and disregard for his request that he divorced her. The king called for a nation-wide beauty pageant to be held to find a new beautiful queen.
A Jewish woman named Esther was taken with other young women to a castle. Esther’s cousin Mordecai had taken Esther in and raised her as his own after Esther’s parents had died. A man named Hegai was put in charge of preparing the women for meeting the king. Esther’s beauty won her Hegai’s favor and she was given special attention. Esther was careful however to not tell anyone her nationality, as Mordecai had warned her not to.
When it was Esther’s turn to go before the king, he immediately found her the most attractive and beautiful of all woman and placed the royal crown on her head. King Ahasuerus held a great banquet for his new queen, Esther. Esther continued to hide her Jewish background as Mordecai had instructed her to do because he knew it would be dangerous for her if anyone found out she was a Jew.
One night when Mordecai was sitting by the king’s gate, he overheard two guards named Bigthana and Teresh conspiring to assassinate King Ahasuerus. Mordecai told Queen Esther of the plan and Esther told the king, giving credit to Mordecai for overhearing the plan. The two guards were hanged.
Haman, the highest of all nobles in the kingdom was to be paid honor by bowing before him. Mordecai, as a faithful Jew, refused to bow down to him, bowing down to only God. (Esther 3:1-4) When Haman found out about this and that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman became enraged with anger and wanted to kill not only just Mordecai but all of the Jewish nation. Haman convinced King Ahasuerus to kill all Jews as they stood in opposition to the king’s rule. King Ahasuerus agreed and set a date for all Jews to be killed.
Mordecai told Esther about the king’s edict to kill all the Jewish people. Esther feared for her life and tried to avoid his request to do something. Mordecai again pleaded with Queen Esther to do something to save the people. Esther responded by instructing all Jews to join her in fasting for three days and three nights, then she would approach the king with her request.
Esther went to King Ahasuerus after three days of fasting and the king asked her what her request was. Queen Ester asked that the king and Haman join her at a banquet the next day. The king said yes and asked Esther to let her request be known at the banquet. Haman was still so enraged with Mordecai that he went to set up a structure to hang Mordecai the morning before the banquet.
The king could not sleep that night and began to read the book that contained all that had happened during his reign. The king read and was reminded of how Mordecai exposed the plot to assassinate the king. The king wanted to reward Mordecai for his good deed and he called Haman in to ask what should be done for a man who the king delights in. Haman thought the king was talking about him and responding saying extravagant gifts and honor. Haman was even more enraged when the king told him it was for Mordecai!
The next day was the banquet Queen Esther had called for. The king again asked Esther what her request was so he could grant her what she wanted. Esther boldly asked that she and her people be spared and told him that Haman had plotted to kill all Jews for money. The king was filled with anger against Haman and had him hanged on the very structure that Haman had set up for Mordecai.
Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman’s estate. They were honored with royal garments and a decree was written to protect all Jews.