Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “The Builders on the Wall”, “A Rebuke Against Extortion”, and “Heathen Plots”, pp. 635–660, in Prophets and Kings. “The opposition and discouragement that the builders in Nehemiah’s day met from open enemies and pretended friends is typical of the experience that those today will have who work for God. Christians are tried, … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 6:1-13. Why does Nehemiah see the work he is doing in Jerusalem as a “great work” (Neh. 6:3)? What were the attempts in this case to stop him? Chapter 6 describes many attempts on Nehemiah’s life. Sanballat and Geshem kept sending Nehemiah letters in order to get him to come to them under the pretext … Continue reading –>
Read Neh. 4:1-23. What did the Jews do under Nehemiah’s leadership to stand up to opposition? Why was it important for them to prepare themselves to fight, rather than just do nothing, believing that God would protect them? After starts and stops, the people began working again. The Jews prayed, and then Nehemiah set up … Continue reading –>
What did the “enemies” do in Ezra 4:6-24 in order to stop the work in Jerusalem? The “people of the land” wrote letters of accusation against the Jews and their work first to Darius (Ezra chapters 5 and 6), then to King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) as well as Artaxerxes. They were doing everything in their power to stop the … Continue reading –>
Unfortunately, the opposition that the Jews encountered from the surrounding nations, as described in Ezra chapters 4-6, left them afraid and unwilling to work on the temple. As mentioned before, Ezra 4:6-6:22 is not written in chronological order. Therefore, we will look at chapter 5 before chapter 4. Read Ezra 5:1-5. Why does God send the prophets Haggai … Continue reading –>
Read Ezra 4:1-5. Why do you think the Israelite remnant refused the help of other people in building the temple? On the surface, the request seemed like a kind, neighborly thing to do, so why turn down the help? In one sense, the answer is found in the text itself. The “adversaries” came to offer them … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Ezra 4:1-5, 2 Cor. 6:14, Ezra 5:1-5, Haggai 1:1-15, Ezra 4:6-24, Nehemiah 4:1-23, Neh. 6:1-13. Memory Text: “But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter” (Ezra 5:5, NKJV). … Continue reading –>
Japanese Pastor Finds $30,000 By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission The large water bill shocked Japanese church leaders in Tokyo. Astonished that the bill had doubled from the previous month, leaders of Amanuma Seventh-day Adventist Church contacted the water company and soon learned that an underground pipe had burst and was spewing water. The waterpipe could … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read carefully Prophets and Kings, pages 697–699, regarding the 70-week prophecy and its historical fulfillment. “The time of Christ’s coming, His anointing by the Holy Spirit, His death, and the giving of the gospel to the Gentiles, were definitely pointed out. It was the privilege of the Jewish people to understand these prophecies, … Continue reading –>
If we are called by God, we still have free choice in accepting or rejecting that call, just as we have free choice in accepting or rejecting the salvation that He offers us all. He may place us in a particular position, but we can choose not to follow His biddings. Yes, He wants us … Continue reading –>
