Ezra and Nehemiah are accounts complementary to one another. Both books of the Hebrew Bible speak of men who serve God as leaders of fellow men. Ezra, “a scribe, well-versed in the law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6) is concerned primarily with the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s temple and following the prescriptions found in the Mosaic covenant and Nehemiah, is concerned with the rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall as expressed in a portion of Nehemiah 2:17-20, “‘You see the evil plight in which we stand… Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer be an object of derision!’” (Nehemiah 2:17). Both Ezra and Nehemiah abide by the laws of the LORD. Ezra and Nehemiah alike are fearless in honoring their LORD with their lives and respective ministries. The Book of Tobit, however, completes the story of these men’s faith in the LORD by providing glimpses of their faith challenges not expressed in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Through all three books, we see the rebuilding of the city walls and of the temple to effectively honor and worship the God of Israel, as prescribed by the Mosaic covenant and promulgated by Ezra’s proclamations.
The Book of Ezra begins with a concise Jerusalem history, which leads to Ezra’s ministry. It begins with Jeshua in the third chapter. Jeshua “[rebuilds] the altar of the God of Israel in order to offer on it the holocausts prescribed in the law of Moses” (Ezra 3:2). The people who were inhabiting the land were those who had destroyed the temple and the city of Jerusalem. Because of the previous destruction, Jeshua and his people were in fear of them (Ezra 3:3). Despite this fear, Jeshua commenced with holocaust offerings to the LORD. Ezra 5 depicts the prophets beginning to rebuild the tem...
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...lped fortify his army who watched and protected through both day and night the construction of the city walls. All these men constructed faith in God for their own lives and within the lives of those in their cities. These constructions of faith are what remain in the kingdom of God.
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Not only did the religious history play a large role in Iran’s beliefs but also foreign invaders have been imposing their power on the Iranian region for thousands of years. Iran...
armies to remember God's goodness despite the difficult times, and to trust Him in spite of dire
Urban’s decision to begin the Crusade was based on more than just the idea that he was doing the Lord’s will. The Christian idealism was mind over m...
Aris & Phillips Ltd., 1993 Cawkwell, George (2006). The Greco-Persian Wars. Oxford University Press.
Pope Urban II naturally had a religious control over his people and when he gave his speech at the Council of Clermont in November 1905, he constantly referred to it as the will of God. His speech reminded them that the Crusades were their “concerns as well as God’s” . Throughout his speech, the Pope is constantly trying to align the need for men to fight with t...
had great faith in Jesus and teaches us that we should do the same. In
... faith and hope were the same; they both trusted in the same Savior for salvation (Edmonds 89)."
Jericho was an important city in the Old Testament. The city was overtaken and devastated several times. However, it was always reoccupied -- sometimes quickly and other times very slowly. Herod the Great, Cleopatra, and Augustus are some of the mighty rulers that once took claim of some or all of Jericho. Many Galileans would travel through the Jordan valley and go by Jericho on their route to Jerusalem. By taking this course, they could avoid passing through Samaritan territory (Metzger and Coogan, 1993).
Nevi'im( the Prophets) "…consists of narratives relating to Israel's …" (Harris, 3) history as a nation on its land and a "…collections of oracles" (Harris, 6) . Supporters of God's covenant do battle against the paganism of neighboring groups and among the Israelites themselves. The Prophets seem to have become a closed collection of books and status equal to that of the Law.
Ludwig, P. (1999). Iranian Nation and Islamic Revolutionary Ideology. Die Welt des islams. 39(2). 183-217.
...Temple (this action is also noted in 2nd Chronicles). In Nehemiah, Artaxerxes allows the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. These actions are attributed to God’s favor and reveal that God is still faithful to his people. The promises made to Abraham are still in effect, along with the Mosaic and Davidic covenants. Although the people disobeyed God and were punished, God continues to exhibit his love for Israel. From an overview of the writings of the Old Testament, the theme of God’s faithfulness is displayed.
Theme in “Defender of the Faith” can be interpreted in many varying ways, some of which are life-long lessons and others to the relation between faith and the individual.
In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...
Paul tells us to “fight the good fight of faith” (Tim. 6:12). We must not hold on to unbelief. When we give ourselve...