Sabbath School Lesson for November 23-29, 2019
Overview
Several practical concerns and questions were explored in Nehemiah 11 and 12:
- Why were lists of families and individuals so prominent in the books of Daniel (before their captivity) and Ezra (after their captivity)? (Sunday)
- Why were the leaders and the people both responsible and recognized by God for their rebuilding efforts? (Monday)
- Why was a lack of Levites so critical to the returning exiles, and how was the situation handled? (Tuesday)
- Why did Ezra’s group not have the king’s protection on their journey, but Nehemiah’s group did? (Wednesday)
- How was it decided who was to live in Jerusalem and who would live elsewhere in the land, and which location was preferred by the refugees? (Thursday)
Introduction
The trials and tribulations would have seemed overwhelming to the children of Israel during this time of rebuilding their city and nation. And yet, God appears to have seen merit in meticulously listing all the people involved in the effort.
In addition, He is careful to enumerate the items taken from the sanctuary by the Babylonian army, and the things that were returned. He even gives a count of the types of animals they brought with them on their return journey.
Perhaps this is God’s way of letting His people know that none of them goes unnoticed by God. He not only sees the critical leaders, but their families and all their material possessions. Nothing is insignificant in God’s eyes that concerns His children.
Jesus explained this interest in small things when He told us that God cares for the sparrow, a small bird, that falls to the ground and is injured. He also knows every detail about us, even the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:6, 7).
Memory Text: “These joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.” Nehemiah 10:29 NKJV
God knows far more about our happiness and well-being than we would know on our own. Unaided by His highly detailed laws and ordinances delivered to Moses, God’s people would never become as close to God as He would love to have us.
We, too, should join with our brothers and sisters and be willing to vow our loyalty to the One who created us and who cares enough to forewarn us of the consequences (the curses) that come about by our disobedience to His laws.
Sunday: The God of History
After seventy years, God had His prophet Ezra record the specific number of sacred vessels that had been taken from His temple after the defeat of Jerusalem by the Babylonian armies. God remembered and must have mourned the loss of every holy item that had been used in the pagan worship services during those seventy years. Just as He mourned the loss of His holy people during that time.
God always has us numbered. We matter immensely to Him. He is not going to give up on our return, and especially longs for a full, close relationship with us, as it was in the beginning. All through history, God has been present, not always visible, but His presence is nearly always felt by His chosen ones. Our faith in that presence will see us through, right down to the end of time.
Discussion Questions:
Read Ezra 1:9-11. Were the people as precious to God as these items, and how would their transporting them back to Jerusalem have reminded them of that?
Read Daniel 1:1, 2. How must God have felt to have His beloved temple furnishings used in such an offensive manner?
Read Daniel 5:2-4, 23. How was Belshazzar lifting himself up against God by his flagrant use of the sacred cups? What did it indicate about his relationship with the Lord of heaven?
Monday: In Their Cities
Both Ezra and Nehemiah list the family names of those who returned to Israel following their long years of exile. Both lists end with a summary that states “and all Israel dwelt in their cities”. What a comforting vision this gives us of the success of their mission.
As a family member, you may have experienced at some point the joy and satisfaction of having all your family under the same roof. This must have been similar to the feeling that God’s family had when the rebuilding projects were finally complete and everyone resided in his or her chosen place of permanent residence in their homeland.
How amazing and miraculous this return must have seemed, not just to the Jews, but to all the nations surrounding them. There had evidently been a total resettlement of the land, despite all the hardships of rebuilding they faced along the way.
Discussion Questions:
Read Ezra 2:1 and Nehemiah 7:6. Why do these lists begin with a clear statement about the names being listed?
Read Ezra 2:70 and Nehemiah 7:73. Why was it important for them to locate in all the cities around Jerusalem?
Read Ezra 2:62. How did these lists of families help in rebuilding the nation and beginning services again in the temple? Why was family line so important when it came to priestly duties?
Tuesday: Where Are the priests?
When the accounting was taken for this group of returning exiles that Ezra was putting together , it was found that no Levites had signed up to go back to Jerusalem. This unfortunate discovery must have been quite disconcerting to Ezra, himself a priest. How would the temple be able to operate in the manner God prescribed without the aid of God’s chosen tribe, the sons of Levi?
The problem was rectified by Ezra’s appeal to begin a special recruitment of priestly candidates to join them. And their need was thankfully filled, and hope was again restored in the success of their mission. God’s work, especially as it pertained to the temple, would go on.
This episode does cause us to ponder why so few overall chose to return to their homeland. After over a century by now, it can be safely assumed that most of the Jews had assimilated into their new surroundings and become satisfied with the “good life” found in their land of exile.
There is historical evidence that there were many wealthy Jews living in and around Mesopotamia. This would have, no doubt, contributed to the reluctance of many of God’s people to return. They would hesitate to leave behind the lives and land they had already labored for, in exchange for a rigorous and uncertain future in a far-away, primitive place.
This is a decision, however, made by every foreign missionary in the world today.
Discussion Questions:
Read Ezra 8:15. What may have been some of the reasons many Jews did not return to the homeland? Why would Satan particularly work on the hearts of the Levites who considered the move back to Israel?
Read Acts 14:22. Why should God’s people expect trials and tribulations? How do they contribute to our ability to enter the kingdom of God?
Read 2 Timothy 3:12. What kind of trials happen when we try to live godly lives? How does this help us understand the difficulties the Levites had in making the decision to return to Jerusalem?
Wednesday: Humbled Before God
Ezra did a great job of convincing everyone that God would protect them if they returned with him to Jerusalem. By pointing out the many times God had helped His children down through their history, it built their faith to the extent that thousands decided to join the arduous journey back home.
Ezra had even confronted the king with the claim that God would be with them and protect them in this shaky endeavor. Therefore, when it got time to leave, the priest found himself unwilling to ask for any of the king’s army to protect them on their journey.
For this reason, Ezra was greatly humbled with thoughts of the grave dangers that lie ahead on the way home. Through much fasting and prayer, however, they made the trip unaided by soldiers, who would have deterred their enemies from harming them. Thankfully, but not surprisingly, God honored his earnest request for protection and granted them a safe journey to their destination.
Some time later, Nehemiah was offered the king’s protection and saw no reason to refuse the added security it provided the travelers. Each situation was different, but God’s presence was obviously felt with all the groups of exiles who returned to the city of God.
Discussion Questions:
Read Deuteronomy 30:4, 5 and Romans 3:23, 24. Why might this promise to Israelites in Moses’ day have been precious to Ezra’s exiles, returning after their many years of captivity? How were their circumstances similar? What kind of captivity are we all a victim of?
Read Ezra 8:22. Was it a mistake for Ezra to speak to the king the way he did, and why?
Read Ezra 8:21, 23. Why is prayer always a good idea when we need direction from God? How does fasting help during these times of difficult decision-making?
Thursday: In the Holy City
Once the return journeys had been made and the city rebuilt, the difficult decision about who would live in Jerusalem and who would live in the surrounding countryside must be made.
Nehemiah encouraged and oversaw a program of casting lots to determine where each family would live. This seemed fair to the population of exiles, because those residing within the holy city would be the subject of the most attacks and would endure more privations than those in more rural areas.
Surprising to us today, Jerusalem itself was not the most desirable place to live. In a farm setting, you could grow your own food and would not be constantly victimized by God’s enemies, who concentrated their offensive activities on those within the city.
One might apply the sacrifice of those brave residents of the city to those missionaries today who often experience privations, in order to further the work of God in undesirable places to live.
That might also be in metropolitan areas, places where God’s work needs to advance, often at great cost to the ones who agree to work there. Inner-city missions should never be overlooked by those wishing to represent God to a dying world.
Discussion Questions:
Read Nehemiah 11:1 and Hebrews 7:4, 5. How might the one-tenth, a holy amount when returning tithe, be related to the one-tenth who were to reside in Jerusalem?
Read Nehemiah 11:2. What made it a sacrifice to live in Jerusalem? Why would they be considered blessed for their choice, when the casting of lots really determined their place of residence? How was it still a choice for all involved?
Read 2 Timothy 2:19 and Nahum 1:7. How do we know we are on God’s list?
Final Thoughts
No matter who you were in the lists provided this week, the Jews who returned had immense faith in the God of their fathers. Would we have been so bold to return, if the choice had been ours? Perhaps it’s not just the fact that they ended up in the most dangerous assignment of living in Jerusalem, but that they were willing to do so.
We can actually see these kind of bold steps taken by God’s children in the world today. Let’s join them, by “signing up” for whatever God has in mind for our future. We must have faith that our obedience can only bring blessing–if not in this life, then the one that stretches to eternity.
“Nehemiah’s efforts to restore the worship of the true God had been crowned with success. As long as the people were true to the oath they had taken, as long as they were obedient to God’s word, so long would the Lord fulfill His promise by pouring rich blessings upon them.” Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 668
Next Week’s Lesson: Worshiping the Lord
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly or see more resources for its study, go to https://www.absg.adventist.org/
Other Outlook blogposts by Teresa Thompson, are at http://outlookmag.org/author/teresathompson/
