Now that Nehemiah is in Jerusalem, he has organized the people to build the walls. One thing he did was place people in the section of the wall which was located by their homes, which gave them personal investment in building it. The Jewish enemies still tried to stop them from building, but Nehemiah continued in prayer and in leading the people, a…

Nehemiah, who was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, received word that the exiles in Jerusalem and Judah were "in great trouble and disgrace," which caused Nehemiah to mourn, fast, and pray. The majority of chapter 1 is Nehemiah's prayer on the day that he was going to address the king with his request. His prayer was full of Scripture es…

In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah are included as one book which are included in the section called writings. Ezra focused on the returned exiles rebuilding and finishing the temple, and now Nehemiah focuses on the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Throughout the time of the exile's return, they suffered persecution from those living in th…

Artaxerxes is now king of Persia, and he allowed Ezra and a second group of exiles to go home to Jerusalem. The king even provided financially for them to go. Ezra was a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest, and 7:10 says, "For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in…

Esther has been queen to King Xerxes of Persia for about five years (2:16 & 3:7). The man Haman has been elevated above all the other nobles by king Xerxes, and people were to bow down to him at the king's request, but Mordecai would not do so, which infuriated Haman. He decided that he did not just want to get Mordecai, but all of Mordecai's peopl…

The story of Esther is during the time that the exiles were allowed to go home to Judah, but not all went. Those who went back, finally finished the temple, under the edict and financial support of Darius I, king of Persia. Darius, who brought the Persian empire to it's peak, has now died, and his son Xerxes, also known as Ahasuerus, is in his thir…

Chapter 4 of Ezra ends with the work on the house of God came to a standstill due to persecution and harassment from neighbors. Chapter 5 begins telling us that through the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, they spurred the leadership, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, and the people to start rebuilding the temple, and the proph…

These chapters cover Zechariah's second oracle, a word or "burden" from the Lord. It mentions about 17 times the phrase, "On that day," which shows us that much of what this oracle is about is futuristic. Much of it is in reference to the time of Jesus. 12:10 speaks of the "One they have pierced", and we know that Jesus was pierced when he hung on …

Chapters 9-11 of Zechariah is an oracle from the Lord through Zechariah, and He calls judgment upon cities and areas around Judah and Israel. The Lord is now defending His house and His people. There is also a prediction of a new King coming, and He will come, not like anyone expected. He will come riding on a donkey, a coal, the foal of a donkey. …

In chapters 7-8 of Zechariah, since the Jews are now home from exile, they asked the question do we need to continue fasting on months that reminded us of the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem? The 10th months was when Babylon laid siege on Jerusalem. On the 4th month Babylon breached Jerusalem's wall. It was on the 5th month that Jerusalem and the te…

Zechariah 1:7-6:15 cover the eight "night visions," and they get that name because 1:8 reads, "During the night I had a vision..." The 1st vision was of a man on a red horse among the myrtle trees and behind him were red, brown, and white horses. They were scouts throughout the land, and their report was the earth was at rest, and then the horsemen…

In Ezra 5:1, we learn that Haggai and Zechariah were both prophets at the same time to the exiles who returned to Jerusalem and Judah to rebuild the temple. They had started the task with building the altar and the temple's foundation, but due to persecution, they had stopped building. It was through Haggai and Zechariah that they encouraged the le…

Haggai was a prophet during the time the exiles who were taken to Babylon, can now come home under the leadership of Cyrus king of Persia. Cyrus was even willing to support financially the rebuilding of the Temple of the Lord. They came home to Jerusalem, and built the altar and then the foundation of the temple, but due to the people who were livi…

Daniel received his last known vision during the third year of the reign of Cyrus King of Persia. He mourned for three weeks and fasted from mean and wine during that time. Daniel was by the Tigris River when he had his encounter, and the heavenly beings came to him because Daniel had set his mind to gain understanding, he had humbled himself befor…

The book of Ezra begins in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia who made an edict that the Jews could go back to Jerusalem and rebuild it and the temple. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah (and Isaiah) that the exile would come to an end in seventy years. Jews came from all over the land, plus, Cyrus requested that they be given gold, silver…

Daniel chapter 6 is the story of Daniel in the lions' den. Darius is king in Babylon, and Daniel was such an efficient and honorable man, that the king was thinking of having Daniel be in charge over the whole kingdom. Well, the other administrators did not like that idea, so they looked for ways to discredit him. They found no corruption, nor negl…

In this chapter Daniel reads from Scripture, Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. If we interpret the first year of Darius as the first year of Cyrus, when the Persian's and Medes conquered Babylon, this places the time around 536-537 BC. That means that Daniel had been in Babylon around 67 years, which means their releas…

Daniel chapter 5 covers the story that King Belshazzar was king of Babylon, and he was having a party even though the Persians & Medes were coming his way. He celebrated by taking the golden goblets that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, and not only were they drinking from them, but they all praised the gods of gold, silv…

Daniel received two visions from the Lord during the reign of Belshazzar king of Babylon. Daniel had been in Babylon for about 50 years, and in the beginning, he had interpreted king Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the fall of Babylon and then the rise and fall of other kingdoms. These two dreams were similar in concept. The one in chapter 7 had four …

Even though this chapter does not give a date, since verse 4 says, "I Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous, it is believed it is a few years before the end of his reign (562 BC), after his conquests had come to an end. He had a terrifying dream which his wise men could not explain, but "Finally, Daniel came into my pre…

This vision from the Lord came to Ezekiel in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city of Jerusalem which would be around 572 BC. He had already seen a vision of the glory of the Lord leaving the temple, because of the sin of the Israelites who desecrated the temple with idols, and now he receives a vision that the glory of the Lord is coming …

This last chapter of Jeremiah, reminds the readers that Jeremiah's prophecies about Judah and Jerusalem came true. Babylon did come and destroy Judah and Jerusalem. They exiled everyone except the poorest of the poor. King Zedekiah witnessed his sons and officers killed, and then his eyes were plucked out. He was placed in chains and taken to Babyl…

This section of Scripture covers the judgments upon the nations surrounding Israel and Judah. The first to be addressed was Egypt, and the judgment was that Babylon was coming to Egypt to bring disaster, but there was a glimmer of hope in verse 26b, "'Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,' declared the Lord.'" With the Philistin…

In these chapters we see what happened after the fall of Jerusalem. The commander of the army of Babylon found Jeremiah and freed him. He chose to go back to Judah, even though the commander offered to take him to Babylon and take care of him. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, placed Gedaliah as governor of Judah. The poor were left there to ten…

This book of poetic songs of lament were written because of the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon on 586 BC. It is traditionally thought to be written by Jeremiah, and most of these 5 chapters were written as an acrostic, meaning each verse starts with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The main points found in the songs are 1) This devastation c…

In these chapters we see how Jeremiah was persecuted for his preaching that Babylon was coming, and if they surrender their lives would be spared, but if they do not, it will not end well. In chapter 34, the last king of Judah was warned, but he and his people would not listen. Chapter 35 gives an object lesson on how the Recabites, kept their vow …

Some years have passed between chapter two and three of Daniel. In the Septuagint, LXX, there is a note that chapter 3 happened in the eighteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, which would have made it 586 BC, the year that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. That helps understand why, the king believes he and his god is supreme over the…

Zedekiah was king of Judah, and chapter 24 ended, "Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon." Oh no! Of course this brought King Nebuchadnezzar down to Judah with his WHOLE army, and they laid siege to Jerusalem. It took two years until the wall was broken through. The king and the soldiers fled. King Zedekiah was caught, but some of the s…

Chapter 24 begins with a word from the Lord that the king of Babylon has laid siege on Jerusalem. Ezekiel also received word that his wife would die, but he was not to show any sign of mourning because he was an object lesson to his fellow exiles in Babylon, to remind them that this destruction of the city and the temple was all because of their si…

In these two chapters, Jeremiah is is confined in the courtyard of the guard, because he keeps declaring the word of the Lord that Babylon will destroy Jerusalem and Judah, and if the king surrenders he will live, but if he fights against King Nebuchadnezzar, he will die. That was NOT a popular message! During this time, the Lord tells Jeremiah to …

Before these two chapters, there are two groups of Jews who have been exiled to Babylon. In chapter 29, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles letting them know the number of years they will be in exile is 70, and during those years they were to "grow where they have been planted!" They also were to pray for their place of exile, because if it prosp…

Ezekiel, the priest, was taken into exile when king Jehoiachin was also taken to Babylon in 597 BC. Ezekiel received his first vision during his fifth year while in exile, which would place it at 592 BC. Zedekiah is now king of Judah, and the prophet Jeremiah is there declaring that Babylon was coming, which was the Lord's plan, and they would dest…

In this section of Jeremiah, it does not go in chronological order, but it gives flashbacks of events that happened earlier in Jeremiah's ministry. We also see that Jeremiah's prophesy that Babylon was coming and the people of Judah and Jerusalem should surrender to them and to the Lord, was not received well. In chapter 20, Jeremiah was beaten and…

Babylon is now the major world power. They invaded Judah once already and took money and some exiles such as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Jehoiakim died after eleven years of reign, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place. He was only eighteen years old, and he reigned only three months, until King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon cam…

In Daniel chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had dreams that troubled him. He asked his wise men to not only interpret the dreams, but to tell him what he dreamed. His men responded, "What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men" (vs. 11). This anger the king, and he co…

In the first chapter of Daniel we meet, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These four young men were from the royal family and nobility of Judah, and they were exiled by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. Since these young men were handsome and bright, they were chosen to be trained for three years to learn the literature and language of the…

King Josiah, the last "good" king of Judah died because he fought Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. His son, Jehoahaz became king for three months, but then Pharaoh Neco came and took him to Egypt where he died, and Neco placed Eliakim king in Judah. He changed his name to Jehoiakim. Judah was now a vassal nation to Egypt, and they had to pay tribute money to…

In these chapters of Jeremiah the Lord is declaring judgment on Judah for their sin against the Lord. There are comparisons with the Lord who provides living water, and the idols which are like broken cisterns that can't hold water. There is also a declaration that a nation from the north is coming, a people whose language the people of Judah do no…

Chapter one of Jeremiah tells us that he is from a Levitical family of priests, who served in the city of Anathoth, in the territory of Benjamin, a part of Judah. His calling began during the reign of Josiah, the last "good" king of Judah, who reigned around 641-609 BC. It was during his reign that the capital of Assyria fell to the Babylonians wit…

We do not know when Obadiah was written, but we do know that judgment came upon Edom because they attacked their brother, Jacob, when they were down. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, and the Israelites were descendants of Jacob. Jacob and Esau were twin of Isaac and Rebekah, and even when they were in the womb there was conflict between them …

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah King of Judah, which was around 641-609 BC. Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and began restoring the temple of the Lord. During that project, the Law of the Lord was found. When it was read to the king, he humbled himself before the Lord and received a word from the Lord through the …

In these two chapters we are looking at the reign of Josiah, the king of Judah. His father and grandfather both did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but Josiah was different. In his eighteenth year, he had his men to repair the temple. When they did that the high priest found a copy of the Book of the Law in the temple, and he told Shaphan the secreta…

This review began with the calling of Abram and his covenant with the Lord in Genesis 12. Abraham and Sarah had Isaac, Isaac and Rebekah had Jacob and Esau. From Esau came the nation of Edom. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. The Lord sent Jacob's family to Egypt because of a severe famine, but…

The Minor Prophet of Habakkuk is unlike the other prophets, where he hears a word from the Lord and proclaims it to the people, but instead it is a theodicy - a defense of God. Habakkuk questions the Lord and asks, "How long must I call for help in this place of no justice?" The Lord tells him He is doing something, "I am raising up the Babylonians…

The oracle of Nahum begins with a description of God. He is jealous, avenging, and wrathful - against His enemies, and yet He is good, He cares, and He is slow to anger towards those who trust in Him. The rest of chapter one lets Nineveh know that His wrath is coming, and to Judah that He will fight for them. The Lord tells Nineveh that He is again…

The prophecy of Joel describes the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. It begins with a description of three swarms of locust, the second swarm is great, and the third swarm are young, but afterwards there is nothing left. This is also a call for the priests and the elders to mourn, and to call for a holy fast and a sacred assembly to…

The greatest king of Judah since King David has died, King Hezekiah, and his son, Manasseh reigned. He did more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord cleared out of the way before Israel took the land. He did more evil than the kings of Israel, who were wiped out because of their sin. He rebuilt the high places, brought back polytheism with Baa…

Chapters 38-39 end section one of Isaiah, and it sets the stage for the second half, chapters 40-66. The Lord defended Judah from the attack by Assyria because they defamed the name of the Lord, and King Hezekiah humbled himself and prayed unto the Lord. Following that, he became ill, but again because of his prayers, the Lord healed him, and allow…

In this chapter, King Hezekiah became ill. Isaiah the prophet came and told him that he will die and he needs to put his affairs in order. Hezekiah did what he was great at, he immediately cried out to the Lord. He pleaded his case of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord, and he wept bitterly. Before Isaiah left the middle court, the word of the …

Proverbs 25-29 start by saying, "These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah." He reigned around 716-687 BC. He was a godly king who sought the Lord and brought a revival to the land. He would reach out to Isaiah especially during difficult times, as he sought the Lord. One of those times was when Assyria came to…