Week 19: Ezra 5-Esther5

 

Ezra 5-8: Decrees. In response to the prophetic exhortation of Haggai and Zechariah, the people resume rebuilding the temple despite the opposition they face. When questioned by regional authorities, a letter is sent to King Darius, who—by God’s providence—issues a decree not only permitting the work but also commanding that it be supported materially (6:6–12). Though this appears to be a royal decision, Ezra affirms that it is ultimately God's decree (6:22), showing His sovereign hand at work through pagan kings to fulfill His covenant promises. Just as God preserved and provided for His people then, so in Christ, He continues to build His true temple—the Church—by His Word, Spirit, and divine favor.God is not so small or powerless that he cannot bless His people. We should rejoice seeing how he cares for His people.

Ezra 9-Nehemiah 2: Prayer of Nehemiah. The words of God's people offered in prayer are never wasted words when they are prayed to God from a sincere heart. This morning, slow down as you read Nehemiah's prayer and consider what gives him confident hope.

O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Nehemiah 1:5–11.

Nehemiah 3- 6: Headwinds. Earlier in Ezra we were encouraged to know that when we face opposition doing God's work, we are not alone and that God is ultimately the one who is sovereign and has decreed whatsoever shall come to pass. As the people labor to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, they face mounting resistance from enemies seeking to discourage and disrupt the work. Nehemiah responds not with fear, but with fervent prayer and practical action, asking God to bring justice (4:4) while rallying the people to continue, “for the people had a mind to work” (4:6). This passage reminds us that opposition to God’s work is not a sign of His absence, but often evidence of His active hand in redemptive history. Like Nehemiah, we are called to persevere in faith, knowing that in Christ, the true Builder of God’s kingdom, our labor is never in vain (1 Cor. 15:58), and that God equips His people to endure for the sake of His name.

Nehemiah 7-10: Confession. Perhaps you can reflect back on times when you had gone to the Lord in repentant prayer for a great sin. Maybe you can recall the words you used, the specificity of your sin stated, and the remorsefulness of your heart? But was that prayer also God-centered? What I mean by that question is, in light of Christ, was the focus of your prayer solely on your sin or did you acknowledge the character and nature of God in your confession. In Nehemiah 9, we see a good example of a God-centered repentant prayer. Though they recall their past sins, not absent in their prayers is the tender mercy of the God they are praying to. In recalling their complaints about Egypt and the lack of food, they focus on God's protection and provision (9:9-15). In their rebellion of the golden calf, they highlight God's nature as "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (9:16-21). After possessing the land, they rebelled against God and yet God''s "great mercies [He] did not make an end...or forsake them" (9:31). True repentance does not end in despair over sin, but lifts the eyes to the God who is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” In Christ, who bore our sin and intercedes for us, we confess with hope, trusting that the God who preserved Israel through her wanderings will surely keep His people now.

Nehemiah 11-Esther 1: Legacy. As Nehemiah concludes, the narrative shifts from reconstruction to preservation—of worship, leadership, and covenant fidelity. Amid ongoing struggles with compromise and disobedience, Nehemiah's final words are simple yet profound: “Remember me, O my God, for good” (13:31). His prayer is not self-exalting, but a humble appeal to the covenant-keeping God to honor a life spent laboring for His name. In Christ, whose perfect obedience secures our standing before God, we too can live with the hope that our labor in the Lord is not in vain, longing to be remembered not for our merit, but for faithfulness to His glory. May our lives echo Nehemiah’s cry—lives marked by gospel-driven service, even if the world forgets, trusting that our God never will.

Esther 2-5: Esther. Although you may already be familair with the book of Esther, take the opportunity this reading to see the beauty of Esther in light of the rest of the Scriptures. We read of events that make us think of other figures, like Joseph and Daniel. And even though the name of God is not mentioned and though there are several places where we would expect praise to be lifted to God or prayers to poured out before Him, none is offered, God is present in all of the actions. Even in preserving this book for us today, we can see how He was working throughout history to reveal Himself and the end. For example, consider the description of Esther found in 2:7, "The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at". This phrase which describes Esther is actually found elsewhere in the Bible. In Genesis 29:17 we read, "Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance" and in Genesis 39:6, concerning Joseph, we read that "Joseph was handsome in form and appearance." Esther served to remind the reader of Rachel, described similarly, who was favored over others in a past instance. Where the Jewish reader might be disturbed by the thought of a young Jew marrying a gentile king, Esther’s description would remind the reader that God had placed another Jew, Joseph, similarly described, within the inner workings of a gentile kingdom for the deliverance of God’s people. So already by that description, we know that this is God’s providential work at hand and that she would be preferred over all the others in the beauty pageant. Do not let teh familiarity of this story, lull you into thinking there is nothing for God to reveal of His wisdom.

Family Discussion Questions

• 1. How does God’s sovereign hand give us confidence when we face resistance or uncertainty in doing what is right—whether in rebuilding (like in Ezra and Nehemiah) or standing firm in difficult places (like Esther)?
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• 2. In Nehemiah 9, the people confess their sins by remembering both their failures and God’s faithfulness. What would it look like to practice God-centered confession regularly in our home, focusing not only on our sin but also on God’s mercy?
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• 3. Nehemiah prayed, “Remember me, O my God, for good.” If your life were to be remembered by God and others, what would you want it to be remembered for? Is your daily life building that kind of legacy?