Rebuilding. Prayers. Confession. Renewal.  These seem to be the themes of Ezra and Nehemiah.  Ezra the priest is dedicated to the rebuilding of the temple; Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the king, is dedicated to rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.  Along the way in these rebuilding projects, both Ezra and Nehemiah offer prayers to God.  Ezra reads the law.  Israel confesses her sin and seeks renewal as they ask God to help them rebuild...everything.  This is a difficult, yet exciting time in the life of Israel.  But questions remain: Will the people remain faithful to God?  Will the leaders follow the direction and example of Ezra and Nehemiah or will they lead the people back to idolatry?  Has Israel learned its lesson?  

Be sure to check out the blog for the guiding questions as you read and for the opportunity to interact with each other.  We enter our rhythm of LEARN-READ-INTERACT.

From How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams makes these points about Ezra:

Phrase: Temple Restoration
Theme: God brings the exiles back to Jerusalem and directs that his temple be rebuilt.
Christ-Focus: Through Christ, God is building a living temple (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Implications: Let us join God's construction crew (1 Corinthians 3:10-17).
Questions: What are you building with your life? What kind of life does this building demand?

From How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams makes these points about Nehemiah:

Phrase: Distinctions
Theme: God moves the returned exiles to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.
Christ-Focus: Christ's true home (and that of his disciples) is not of this world (John 17:14-15).
Implications: Let the world see what it means to be distinctively Christian (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
Questions: What difference does your relationship with Christ make in your marriage, friendships, career, student life, or entertainment choices? Is there a visible distinction between your life and that of an unbeliever?

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