The book chosen for this report is on the Book of Nehemiah. The theological theme of this book is centered on Babylonian time and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, the rehearsal of certain divine laws and the restoration of ancient ordinances. Nehemiah was a priest who serves as a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. During his time of serving this King he felt a prompting to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah understood his position as a leader not a cupbearer and took of advantage of having favor with God and the King he served to go do the Lords work. The history of this man’s life is shown through the willingness to rebuild Jerusalem and bring the Jewish people back to a place that belongs to them.
The year that is presumed when the Book of Nehemiah was written is 446 B.C. He is the son of Hacaliah. Also it is known to be considered to be one book with the Book of Ezra with Nehemiah first and then Ezra. The separation of the book took place about the 4th century A.D. All of the works of Nehemiah took place after Zerubbabel. His position was held in the Persian court and was very highly esteem. He also was considered to be eunuch. When Nehemiah decided to go and help build the walls of Jerusalem is during the twentieth reign of King Artaxerxes. The Jews during this time were those of the captivity that had returned under Zerubbabel and Ezra. Also they are the remnant in Judah. This is why the walls of Jerusalem were to be rebuilt.
The area where the temple was is in Palestine. The purpose is to show the long and slow process connected with the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian captivity. This is also reflection of the Jews in their rebirth as a nation and to reveal...
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... than by doing the labor themselves. So as a leader it is important to bring others along special projects because it encourages others to believe along with you. It shows your compassion for the hearts of the people as a leader. It is important as a leader that we are responsible for charting the course for others to follow. This is important because as Christians we have a duty to help others run this course with grace of God. Anyone can lead but where are they leading too. Leaders, who are called by God, should always seek God for the plan. Yet when they do receive the plan from God, it’s important to understand there will challenges of who you are, if you really heard from God, your integrity will be challenged and your hope in God. Focus is key. If we learn to stay focus we can be like Nehemiah building things in 52 days or in two months for the glory of God.
Throughout many of Paul’s letters there are many debates pertaining to the authorship, destination, date, and the purpose. In the book of Ephesians many scholars debate on the authorship and if Paul actually wrote the letter, or if it was a scribe. Although there are some debates on whether Paul actually wrote it or not, he does refer to himself twice in the letter. In 1:1 and in 3:1 Paul states himself, 1:3 states, “For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” (NIV) In verse 1:3 Paul states that he is a prisoner, therefore it is debated that he did not specifically write this because he was imprisoned in Rome at this time. According to Wallace “This, of course, is not to say that the letter must be by Paul, but it is to argue that without such internal testimony, no such claim could be made” (Wallace). Many scholars also debate on the vocabulary usage and the structure of the letter. Some believe that the structure is similar, but the vocabulary seems to be different than his New Testament epistles. Hoehner claims that,” Though the book has a close affinity with Colossians, critics claim that Ephesians is uncharacteristic of Paul” (Hoehner 613). The destination of Ephesians is somewhat debated, but many do believe that the letter was sent to the church of Ephesus. “Some to claim that Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea.” (Wallace) Although this is an argument that has many valid points, it is obvious that Paul was imprisoned in Rome while he wrote Ephesians. It is said by Hoehner that “Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-9)” (Hoehner 613). As for the date goes m...
1996. “Sacrifices and Offerings in Ancient Israel” in Community, Identity, and Ideology: Social Science approach to the Hebrew Bible., ed. Charles E. Carter.
Guitar, meanwhile, has grown increasingly edgy and increasingly obsessed with the idea of Milkman's pampered position within the local black hierarchy; at last he divulges to Milkman that he is in a group called the Seven Days, which kills a white person for every black person murdered by a white. Each person has a different day; Guitar's day is Sunday; whenever a black person is murdered on a Sunday, Guitar murders a white person in the same fashion.
Hebrew religion began to give rise to Judaism after the destruction of the temple and the exile of Judah in 586 BC. The term "Jew," in its biblical use, is almost exclusively postexilic. The Jewish religion of the biblical period evolved through such historical stages as the intertestamental, rabbinic, and medieval to the modern period of the nineteenth century with Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism.
Main Events in the history of Jerusalem. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2011, from Century One Educational Bookstore: http://www.centuryone.com/hstjrslm.html
...d a place for Jews to go and preach to their lord, while also having a place that allowed them to meet with each other and socialize. Much like todays gatherings such as church or meetings, it allowed them to have an essential meeting place in their communities. When the Nazi Empire was eliminated and the Jews were set free, they had nowhere to really go because they had been in captivity for so long. The synagogue has helped Jews since then regain their strength by connecting them with their lords and allowing them to be stronger in life. Without the synagogue, the Jews would not have had anywhere to go and preach and would have therefore have not influenced our churches of today’s world. The history that we know today and the ways of preaching would never be known if the synagogue had never been built, making it one of the most important points in Jewish history.
Later around 792 BCE, the writing prophets come about with the powerful speaker Amos. Amos says a bunch of things that no one wants to hear such as the downfall of Israel’s Northern Kingdom and the death of the King. Then he really upsets everyone by saying that Israel will be sent into exile.
Ezekiel lived in a time of international crisis and conflict. Assyria was the world power in the area under the rule of Tiglath-pilesar III. In 724 B.C Israel raged war upon Assyria, and Israel was no match for Assyria. In 627 B.C the last of the able Assyrian ruler, Ashurbanipal died. Right after the death of Ashurbanipal, Babylon under Nabopolassar wanted independence from Assyria. In 612 B.C the Assyrians under Nineveh surrendered to the rising Babylonians. In 605 B.C the Babylonians were at war against the Egyptians. The Babylonians won and they established themselves as the leading power in the area. During all of this Judea allied with the Babylonians and with this Judea kept her independence. During the last century before Judea was destroyed it was ruled by four rulers and of those rulers, all but Josiah were wicked. Josiah was committed to God and led Judea to him. All the others did not heed the warnings of Ezekiel and Jeremiah from God, and the rulers of Judea chose to rebel against God. God punished Judea by sending Nebuchadnezzar’s army to crush the nation of Judea and flatten the city of Jerusalem.
The first event, is the building of the wall in the book of Nehemiah, this passage describes how the people of Jerusalem came together to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah aligns people by knowing the certain skills of the individuals and using those skills to participate in the construction. Nehemiah is able to organize and motivate skilled artisans to work alongside common laborers, shows the level of commitment Nehemiah was able to gain from the people. In addition, Nehemiah assigns family projects just outside their homes, sending the message teamwork will succeed in our commitment. Organizing and s...
God’s goodness and mercy far transcends the comprehension of the most brilliant human mind! He “who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 113:6).Yet in His infinite love for us He stoops down to reveal Himself to us by a multitude of illustration, types, and shadows, so that we may learn to know him. This paper will describe what is meant by the Kingdom of God; examine the religious philosophy of the various sects of Judaism during the Second Temple period: Pharisee, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, describe the religious philosophy and political philosophy of each sects, it will also describe how the Messianic expectation differ from the Messianic role that Jesus presented, and include an exegesis of the temptation of Jesus and how other sects defined the Messiah.
Nehemiah is a leader to be admired. After reading this passage my prayer is to be as strong as he was when faced with opposition. In my own life sometimes I find myself pre-occupied with the negativity that people my put on me or the conflicts that I encounter and I find it difficult at times to “keep working” like Nehemiah did. I believe it is getting better for me in that regard but I continue to pray that God will continue to build me up and make me strong enough to withstand the fiery darts.
...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.
Robert Clinton states “The central task of leadership is influencing God’s people toward God’s purposes” (Clinton, 1988). George Barna defines a Christain Leader as “someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christlike character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place” (Barna, 1997). It is a shame we as Christians fail to recognize that Christ would have us be leaders in more than the church.
The Babylonian Exile or Captivity was a forced exodus of the Jews to Babylon. This was known as the ultimate punishment for the people of Israel because of their inability to uphold the covenant with YHWH. The exile began from a revolt in Judah that led to conquest by the Babylonians in 598 B.C.E. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the Holy City for the people of Judah, was the aftermath of this happening. About twenty thousand citizens were deported to Babylon where they resided for approximately seventy years. When the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians under Cyrus, the people of Judah were allowed safe return back to Jerusalem, given a free degree of self-rule. The Exile had the effect of reminding the Jews of the importance in keeping the covenant with YHWH as it brought about identity changes, reestablishment of community life and distinction of religion.
Abraham, the founder of Judaism was sent by God to Israel, the country where Jerusalem was located, and a lot of Jewish history such as the binding of Abraham’s son, Isaac on Mt. Moriah; and the dream of Abraham’s grandson, Jacob about the ladder towards heaven took place in Jerusalem. The most compelling evidence is the Temple Mount, the Jews first temple built in the 825 BCE by King Solomon.