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In 2019, our church family studied through the books of Ezra, Esther, and Nehemiah, taking brief excursions into the minor prophets contemporaneous with these books. It proved to be a delightful year. The twentieth century witnessed the Jewish people returning to their land from an exile of more than 1800 years. Of course, the period of Jewish exile in the Old Testament was much briefer (70 years). The parallels between the returns have many similarities, as do the experiences of the Jews in the settings of their exiles. The twentieth century alone witnessed horrifying efforts to exterminate the European Jews, and God’s remarkable preservation of them. The last 150 years have also provided an astounding portrait of how God can do the unexpected – He can take His promises that have long lain forgotten, resurrect them, and fulfill them in dramatic fashion. He has done and is doing this again with the nation of Israel.
Some of the present historical drama connected with Israel (the restoration of Jerusalem as their internationally recognized capital, the early rumblings of peace with traditional enemies, etc.) causes us instinctively to reflect on the post-exilic period and doing so yields wonderful treasures. Our study consisted of thirteen lessons through the book of Nehemiah, and as you work through these, we trust you might find every bit as much delight in this precious book as we did.