“Let Us Rise Up and Build”
Lesson 47 –
Ezra 1-8; Nehemiah 1-2; 4; 6; 8
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “We may … find that a specific verse of scripture that was spoken
for quite a different purpose in an entirely different age will, under the
interpretive influence of the Holy Ghost, give us a very personal message
adapted to our personal needs today. … If we seek to liken the scriptures to
our own circumstances, ‘that it might be for our profit and learning’ (1 Nephi 19:23), a loving
Father in heaven can use them to bless us in highly individual ways”
(Studying the Scriptures [devotional given in the Salt Lake
Tabernacle, 24 Nov. 1985]).
Have you ever been reading the scriptures and felt that a particular passage spoke directly to you? Have the scriptures helped provide direction specifically for your life?
The events discussed in this lesson were set in
motion by a man who found that a passage of scripture written 150 years before
his birth spoke to him personally—in fact, it mentioned him by name. Today’s
lesson is designed to encourage us to help build Zion and to show Christlike
love to those who oppose the work of the Lord.
King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return
to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
In 721 B.C.,
when the kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom, or ten tribes) was taken
captive by Assyria, the Assyrian empire was the greatest in the world. By 612 B.C., however, the
Assyrian empire had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Under King
Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon ruled most of the lands that had been conquered by the
Assyrians. The Babylonian conquest of the kingdom of Judah (the Southern
Kingdom) extended from about 605 B.C.,
when they took many Jews captive, to 587 B.C.,
when they destroyed Jerusalem. After
Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C.,
Babylon declined rapidly in power. In 539 B.C.,
Babylon fell to the Medes and the Persians, united under the leadership of
Cyrus. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, who treated those he conquered with cruelty,
Cyrus was a benevolent ruler. By treating conquered peoples kindly and
respecting their religions, Cyrus won the loyalty of those he ruled. Shortly after conquering Babylon, Cyrus
decreed that the temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt. He invited the Jews in
his empire to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, and he returned the
vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar’s troops had stolen from the
temple. (See 2 Chronicles 36:22-23;
Ezra
1:1-3, Ezra 1:7. The prophecy
of Jeremiah that is referred to in these verses is that the Jews would return
to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian captivity; see
Jeremiah
25:11-12; Jeremiah 29:10.)
Ezra 1:1-2
- Cyrus decreed that the Lord had chargged him to build a temple in Jerusalem
again.
Cyrus knew the Lord wanted him to do this. The
words of Cyrus that are recorded in Ezra 1:2
refer to a prophecy in Isaiah 44:28 that mentioned Cyrus by name (although the
story of Cyrus comes before the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, Isaiah
lived about 150 years before Cyrus was born). The ancient Jewish historian
Flavius Josephus reported that Cyrus read his name in Isaiah’s prophecies, was
touched by the Spirit of the Lord, and desired to fulfill what was written (The
Works of Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, trans. William Whiston
[n.d.], bk. 11, chap. 1, pars. 1-2).
When Zerubbabel and Jeshua led the first group
of Jews back to Jerusalem, they found the Samaritans there. The Samaritans were
descendants of Israelites who had escaped at the time of captivity and had
intermarried with Assyrian and Babylonian colonists whom the kings had sent to
occupy the land.
Ezra 4:1-2
- The Samaritans asked to be included iin the temple building project.
Ezra 4:3
- The Jews refused to let the Samaritanns help rebuild the temple because they
felt the Samaritans were not true Israelites since they had intermarried with
those outside the covenant.
Ezra 4:4-7,
11-24
- When the Jews refused to let them hellp, the Samaritans tried to stop the
rebuilding of the temple by complaining to the kings who succeeded Cyrus. Work on the temple eventually ceased.
Ezra 5:1-2; Haggai 1
- The Jews were prompted to resume theiir work several years later when the
prophets Haggai and Zechariah provided inspired direction.
Haggai 1:3-4,
7-8
- The Lord, through Haggai, told the Jeews in Jerusalem that it was time to
rebuild the temple. A disbelieving
attitude among the Jews was hindering the rebuilding of the temple (see Haggai
1:2.)
The Samaritans again tried to stop the rebuilding of the temple when construction resumed. But the Jews explained the decree of King Cyrus, and King Darius allowed the work to continue.
Ezra 6:15-22
- When the temple was finished, the Jewws celebrated with a joyful feast.
Ezra led another group of Jews
back to Jerusalem.
Just as the Lord had earlier moved the heart of
King Cyrus to free the Jews, He moved the heart of King Artaxerxes to let
Ezra’s group of Jews return to Jerusalem (Ezra
7:27-28; see also verses 11-26).
Softening the hearts of government leaders
toward the Church also occurs in the latter days (See, for example,
Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 1989, 50-53.) To encourage government leaders’ hearts to
be softened toward the Church, we can obey the laws of the land, do good,
prepare to teach the gospel to all the world, and pray for the Lord to soften
the hearts of the leaders. (See D&C 58:21,
D&C
58:27; D&C 98:4-6.)
Ezra 8:21-23,
31
- Ezra proclaimed a fast to ensure thatt the group of Jews he was taking to
Jerusalem was protected.
Nehemiah went to Jerusalem and led the people
in rebuilding the walls to protect the city.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes
of Persia. This was a position of great trust and responsibility, requiring
Nehemiah to ensure that the king’s food and drink were safe. Even though
Nehemiah was in a position of importance in Persia, he cared about his people
in Jerusalem and sought to help them when he heard of their difficulties.
Nehemiah 1:4-11; 2:1-5
– When Nehemiah heard of the difficulties of his people in Jerusalem, he
mourned and fasted for them and then asked the king for permission to go to
Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2:6-8
- King Artaxerxes responded to Nehemiahh’s request by granting Nehemiah
permission to go, providing guards and an escort for safety, and authorizing
the use of timber from the forest to rebuild the city walls.
Nehemiah 2:17-18
- Nehemiah encouraged the people to rebbuild the walls around the city by
testifying of the truth and sharing his spiritual experiences.
Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, and he
and his people were enemies of the Jews who had returned with Zerubbabel. Sanballat opposed the plans to rebuild the
city walls. The Jews responded to the
efforts to stop the construction of the walls by preparing for battle to protect
themselves (See Nehemiah 4:9, 13-15.) Sanballat asked Nehemiah to stop working and
meet with him to try to distract him from the work (See Nehemiah 6:1-4.)
Some people try to distract Church members from
the Lord’s work today. Because that
happens, Elder Marvin J. Ashton counseled: “Certain people and
organizations are trying to provoke us into contention with slander, innuendos,
and improper classifications. How unwise we are in today’s society to allow
ourselves to become irritated, dismayed, or offended because others seem to
enjoy the role of misstating our position or involvement. Our principles or
standards will not be less than they are because of the statements of the
contentious. Ours is to explain our position through reason, friendly
persuasion, and accurate facts. Ours is to stand firm and unyielding on the
moral issues of the day and the eternal principles of the gospel, but to
contend with no man or organization. … Ours is to be heard and teach. Ours is
not only to avoid contention, but to see that such things are done away” (Ensign,
May 1978, 8).
The people rejoiced as Ezra
read the scriptures to them.
After the people had finished rebuilding the
city walls, they requested that Ezra read the scriptures to them. Most of the Jews had been in captivity so
long that they had never heard or read the scriptures. Ezra read to the people for days.
(See Nehemiah
8:3, 17-18.) The people responded by listening attentively,
bowing their heads, weeping, and being joyful. (See Nehemiah
8:3, 6, 9, 12.)
Nehemiah 8:8
- Ezra read distinctly to help his peopple understand the scriptures.
Conclusion
“Nehemiah’s energy, ability, unselfish patriotism, and personal
integrity brought a new, exuberant Judah into existence once again. The
restoration of Jerusalem, which had lain in ruins for a century and a half, was
begun. Ezra, a righteous, dedicated priest, joined Nehemiah in this work, and
together they succeeded in restoring a Jewish community in Jerusalem once
again” (Old Testament Student Manual: 1
Kings-Malachi [1982], 314).
Just as the Jews had the responsibility to rebuild Jerusalem, Latter-day Saints have the responsibility to build Zion throughout the world. To help us do this, we need to follow the teachings in the scriptures and participate in temple work. Some people will try to stop the work of the Lord, but it is our responsibility to show Christlike love to them but not allow them to distract us from our efforts to build the kingdom of God.
These
lesson are posted on the Internet at http://www.geocities.com/jeninstitute/