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A Renewed Remnant
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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Overview
• Remnant a small remaining piece
• Often re things (fabric, carpet, etc.)
• Also re people in the Scripture
• Spiritual Jer 231-8 Rom 111-5 Mt
  713-14 2214

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Overview
• Remnant a small remaining piece
• Often re things (fabric, carpet, etc.)
• Also re people in the Scripture
• Physical Isa 1020-23

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Overview
• Both Israel Judah guilty of idolatry both
  carried off into captivity
• Israel in 721 B.C. Ù not a kingdom again
• Judah in 586 B.C. Ù captive in Babylon for 70
  years 2 Chron 3621-23 Jer 2511-12
  2721-22 2910 Dan 92

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Overview
• God promised a remnant would return to their
  promised home
• The last of the O.T. history books conclude this
  storytold by Ezra Nehemiah
• Prophets Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi add other
  details

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Overview
• Emphasis on remnant renewed
• Identity as Gods people had been destroyed
• Consequences for sin had to be paid
• Only through Gods grace would there be a 2nd
  chancethe people would have to renew their
  commitment to serve Him

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Overview
• Emphasis on remnant renewed
• Not everyone went back Ezra 14
• Many chose to remain in Persia with their
  successful lives Jer 291-7
• Most likely, only the spiritually-minded would
  have come back to rebuild Jerusalem

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Historical Perspective
• Remembering the chronological order of events
  helps with such a study
• Information from both secular and Biblical
  history provides such a framework

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605 B.C.
Babylon defeats Egypt at Carchemish Nebuchadnezzar
learns his father dies races back to Babylon
claim the throne 1st group of captives taken
Dan 11-2 2 Kings 241 2 Chron 366-7 Jer
462 (70 years of captivity begins)
586 B.C.
Jerusalem finally falls to Babylon the city
is destroyed
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539 B.C.
Under Cyrus the Great, the coalition of Medes
Persians defeat Babylon Cyrus order allows all
captives to return to their homelands petition
their gods on his behalf he was a
polytheist Of special interest was his decree
re the Jews Isa 4424 2517 Ezra 11-4
538 B.C.
Zerubbabel leads 1st return to Jerusalem The
objective rebuild the temple Ezra 1-6
12
520 B.C.
God sends prophets Haggai Zechariah to
encourage the people to finish building The
rebuilding work had been stopped for approx. 16
years due to opposition from outside,
indifference from within
516 B.C.
The temple is completed Ezra 615
13
458 B.C.
Ezra leads 2nd return to Jerusalem The objective
rebuild the spiritual infrastructure of the
people Ezra 7-10
445 B.C.
Nehemiah leads 3rd return to Jerusalem The
objective rebuild the city walls Neh 11
25
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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Ezra
• Biblical emphasis on preparation
• To teach Gods word to correct spiritual
  indifference and ignorance 725
• Jews had been back nearly 80 years
• Idolatry was no longer the problem apathy had
  made inroads into the remnant

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Ezra
• Biblical emphasis on preparation
• God had sent 2 prophets some 62 years earlier to
  address their indifference
• Ezra illustrates the importance of dedicated
  study to teach others 710

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Ezra
• Also provides a good illustration of what is
  demanded by repentance Ezra 9-10
• The remnant was starting back down paths that had
  gotten them in trouble 91-2
• They violated the Law Deut 71-5

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Ezra
• Also provides a good illustration of what is
  demanded by repentance Ezra 9-10
• Repentance demands fruitno matter how
  emotional the issue or how difficult it may be
  to produce

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Nehemiah
• Classical Biblical essay on leadership
• The remnant had been back nearly 90 years
• Conditions still distressing 13 51-5
• Indications also show they had not been faithful
  in observing feasts 813-18

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Nehemiah
• Aspects that made him a great leader
• He put his priorities in the right order 111
  25
• He was a man devoted to prayer 15-11 24
  44-5, 9 519 614 1329

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Nehemiah
• Aspects that made him a great leader
• He shows how to handle adversity
• Opposition from without 219-20 41-8
  61-13
• Discouragement from within 35 45,
  9-23 51-19

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Application
• In many ways, we are like the post-exilic Jews
• Studying these 2 books will help us to apply
  Bible-based principles in our present-day
  situations

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Application
• Just like them
• we are a remnant Mt 713-14 2214
  (small numbers can be discouraging)
• we have returned from our captivity to serve
  God Jn 831-34 1 Cor 619-20 (we must
  not return to old behavior)

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• Lesson 1 General Introduction
• Application
• Just like them
• we must set our hearts re Gods word Psa
  11910-11 Col 316 2 Tim 22
• we are engaged in a building project 1
  Pet 24-5 (opponents without
  discouragement within)

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