Week 8
Elijah and Elisha
- God sends Elijah to select Elisha as his successor
- Elisha is a farmer who is plowing a field with 12 oxen. Elisha takes the oxen, slaughters
them, and cooks them using the plowing equipment after he hears God’s call
- Elisha requests a double portion of the spirit after Elihah is taken up to heaven. This is
granted to him and Elisha becomes the new prophet of Israel
Elijah’s Miracles
- Causing the rain to cease for 3 ½ years
- Being fed by the ravens
- Miracle of the barrel of meal and oil
- Resurrection of the widow’s son
- Calling of fire from heaven on the altar
- Causing it to rain
- Prophecy that Ahab’s sons would all be destroyed
- Prophecy that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs
- Prophecy that Ahaziah would die of his illness
- Calling fire from heaven upon the first 50 soldiers
- Calling fire from heaven on the second 50 soldiers
- Parting of the Jordan
- Etc
Ministry
- Elijah’s ministry was confrontational and displayed the power of God / Elisha’a ministry
displayed God’s grace and the desire to support his people
- Elisha truly did receive double of Elijah’s spirit
- Despite Elisha’s miracles, Israel would not return to God
Divided Kingdom
- The End of the Northern Kingdom
- Civil War erupts in Israel
- Assyria moves ina nd conquers Israels and takes them out of the land
- The End of the Israel
- Why was Israel exiled:
- Idolatry
- Injsutice
- Covenant Unfaithfulness
- The End of the Southern Kingdom
- The Babylonian Captivity
- The Southern Kingdom lasts 140 years beyond the Assyrian exile of the
Northern Kingdom
- Babylon attacks Judah and captures them. They destroy the Temple and take
most of the people into captivity
- Three Stages:
- Stage 1: Cream of the crop taken
- Stage 2: Many taken; Puppet king installed
- Stage 3: Many more killed and taken to exile; Jersalem and Temple
destroyed; Jeremiah witnesses the destruction; left in the land
Ezra and Nehemiah
- Rebuilding the Temple
- Return: King Cryrus signs a decree that allows the southern tribes to return to
Jerusalem
- Rebuild: Once in Jerusalem, the people identify their ancestry, begin rebuilding,
and celebrating the feasts. They rebuild the altar and lay the foundation od the
temple
- Stop: Judah’s adversaries stop the Temple work. They are asked to help but are
refused, then report to the king and get the construction to stop
- Restart: Haggai and Zechariah encourage Judah to finish the Temple
- Finish: King Darius issues a decree that the building should continue and the
Temple is complete
- Reforming the People
- Gap: There is a 50 year gap between Ezra 6 and 7
- Coordination: The king encourages another wave of Jews to return to Jerusalem.
He writes a letter and commissions Ezra to gather everything that is needed and
lead this return
- Return: Ezra leads a second group of about 2000 people from Babylon to Judah
eighty years after the first group had returned
- Prayer: Ezra learns of the people’s sins and goes to God in prayer for these sins
- Repent:The people are convicted of their sins, repent, and put away their sins
- Rebuilding the Wall
- Concern: Nehemiah is concerned that the walls of Jerusalem are in ruins and
asks the King for permission to rebuild them
- Construction: Nehemiah and the families living in Jerusalem begin rebuilding the
walls of the city. It takes them 52 days to complete them
- Opposition: From the outside, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem laughed, mocked,
and conspired to compromise the building of the wall; From the inside: An
economic crisis had led to social injustice
- Completion: The walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt in 52 days. Even Nehemiah’s
enemies recognize God’s work
- Organization: Nehemiah organizes the cities leaders and citizens for a city wide
worship
- Renewing the Covenant
- Reading: Ezra reads the law of Moses to the population of Israel. It takes 7 days
- Celebrating: The city celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles
- Praying: The Levites and the people in a prayer of national confession
- Renewing: The covenant between God and his people was reestablished
according to the Pentateuch. This leads to a great celebration
- Disobeying: Nehemiah confronts the nation with numerous issues:
- Foreigners were allowed in the temple. Levites were not being “paid.”
Unqualified people were serving in the Temple
- The Sabbath was used for buying and selling
- The people returned to marrying foreign women
The Centrality of the word of God in the Life of Ezra
- Determined: Set/Prepare his heart - a daily deliberate decision
- Study: To inquire or search carefully
- Obey: To practice or live out
- Teach: Training or educating to follow the will of God
- There are 10 shaoters in the book of Nehemiah and 10 prayers are recorded in the book
of Nehemiah
- Nehemiah prays long prayers, short prayers, thought-out prayers, and spontaneous
prayers
- Nehemiah is an example praying without ceasing vs. quiet time prayers
- Successful because they were committed to God’s word
Esther - Deliverance will Arise
- Esther: Jewish queen of Persia
- Mordecai: A descendant of Saul; Cousin of Esther who raises her after her parents die
- Xerxes: King of Persia
- Haman: An Agagite; Descendant of the Amalekites
Two Problems
- The name of God is not mentioned in the book of Esther
- Esther and Mordecai go from living faithful lives to that of comfortable lives. Even their
names exemplify the blending in that they have accomplished. Mordecai is named after
the Babylonian god Marduk. Esther is named after Ishtar, the Persian goddess of love
The Rise of Esther
- The King of Persia throws two pirates that last for 187 days in order to display his
greatness and splendor
- As the party is coming to an end, the King asks his wife, Queen Vashti, to come and
display her beauty. She refuses and is deposed as queen
- The King of Persia holds a beauty contest in order to select the next Queen. Esther is
entered in to the contest and says nothing about how she is a Jew. Esther pleased the
King and is made the Queen
Mordecai Saves the King
- Esther’s cousin Mordecai overhears a plot to kill the King
- Mordecai tells Esther and Esther tells the King. Mordecai is given credit for saving the
King’s life
- No reward or honor is given to Mordecai. It appears that his act of valor is quickly
forgotten
The Promotion of Haman and the Plan of Esther and Mordecai
- Haman is elevated by the King to the highest position in the land
- With his new authority, Haman orders everyone to kneel before him. Mordecai refuses.
Haman is furious and gets the King to order a decree to destroy all the Jews
- Esther and Mordecai come up with a plan to put a stop to Haman’s plot. Esther will risk
her life and request an audience with the King
- Mordecai is convinces that even if Esther remains silent, God will save the Jews. He
believes that perhaps Esther was made queen for an occasion such as this\
- Esther hosts an exclusive party for the king and Haman. At this party, she reveals that
she has some news she would like to share at another party for both of them tomorrow
- As Haman leaves the party, he sees Mordecai in the street and his anger gets the best
of him
- Haman orders gallows to be built and Mordecai to be executed in the morning
A Sleepless King
- That night, the King can’t sleep and he orders the royal record to be read to him
- He hears about how Mordecai saved his life and realizes that nothing was done to honor
him
- Haman meets with the King in the morning seeking execution orders for Mordecai
- Instead, the King orders Haman to lead Mordecai around town and command the people
to praise Mordecai
Esther’s Party Part 2
- Esther holds her second party and reveals to the King that someone is trying to kill her,
her cousin Mordecai, and all her people
- The king is furious and orders that Haman be executed on the gallows that were built for
Mordecai
Mordecai’s Decree
- The King cannot reverse his own decree so he tasks Mordecai with making a counter
decree
- Mordecai’s decree allows the Jews to defend themselves and put to death any who are
seeking to kill the Jews
- Mordecai is elevated to the seat beside the King - the highest position in the land
The People are Saved
- Day 1: THe Jews put to death Haman’s sons and other Persian officials who joined
Haman in his plan to kill the Jews
- Day 2: The Jews put to death anyone in the kingdom who was seeking to execute the
Jews
- Esther and Mordecai establish the Feast of Purim in order to commemorate the
deliverance of the Jews from their enemies
Implications
- The book of Esther shows us how God preserves his people despite our half hearted
commitment to him
- God uses faith and hope of morally compromised people to accomplish his purpose
