Preface

Preface

Paul said that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable (2 Tim 3:16). He didn’t insert a nuanced footnote. He didn’t walk it back and tell Timothy that some parts of the Bible are, of course, more profitable than others.

Do you think God means to instruct us from a list of names? Can we learn anything from dusty stories about building projects? Is there anything relevant for us in the accounts of the Israelites putting away their foreign wives?

The questions come down to this: Do you believe that God inspired the books of Ezra and Nehemiah?

Here’s one way to discern the answer to that question: Would you preach these books? I’m not talking about preaching them because the church is embarking on a building project. I’m talking about preaching them straight through, start to finish, in the regular course of the ministry of the Word.

My guess is that if you’re reading this preface, you believe God really did inspire both Ezra and Nehemiah, and you are open to the possibility of preaching these books. I hope this book will help whether you’re going to preach, lead a Bible Study, or study through Ezra and Nehemiah in your personal examination of the Scriptures.

Another set of questions confronts those who believe that Ezra and Nehemiah are included in what Paul said about how “whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures” (Rom 15:4). How do the returns from exile and the rebuilding projects fit in the big story of the Bible? Was God at work in the rebuilding of the temple? Did He indwell that temple? Yes, He did! Were Ezra and Nehemiah laying the foundation for legalistic or pharisaic developments? No, they were not!

By faith Ezra and Nehemiah were used of God to advance God’s kingdom by provoking, preserving, and adding to the hope for a glorious eschatological restoration when the Messiah would reign. Can that be demonstrated from Ezra and Nehemiah? I hope you’ll read this book and consider my effort to show the kinds of connections that validate that assertion.

These sermons were preached at Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky from June 27, 2010, to December 26, 2010. The church was neither engaged in nor moving toward a building project. What a blessing to shepherd Kenwood with, at that time, Josh Philpot, Denny Burk, Edward Heinze, Ryan Bishop, and Ross Shannon. The Word of God is living and active. The parts of the Bible that we may be less drawn to can set off fireworks: convicting, humbling, teaching, and conforming us to the image of Christ. Ezra and Nehemiah are far better books than my poor preaching will show. I hope this humble attempt to exposit these portions of Scripture will put you in a position to see the beauty of these books.

I am thankful that Tony Merida reached out to me with the invitation to contribute to this series, and I praise God that B&H is committed to the great commission task of discipleship, teaching all of God’s people all of God’s Word. May the Lord use His Word to conform you, dear reader, to the image of Christ, to equip you for the work of ministry, and to move you toward the “unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son... with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness” (Eph 4:12-13).

One note on the finishing touches of the writing of this book: December of 2012 saw me in a far eastern land to teach the Bible in an “underground” setting. Because of the 13-hour time change, I decided to sleep from 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. (whenever I woke up). I would then get out of bed and work on this project until breakfast at 7:30 a.m., then teach the Bible from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., going to bed a short while later to rise again in the middle of the night. Thanks be to God for the time He provided for me to finish this project! I’m also thankful for Ryan Cheung’s friendship and fellowship in ministry on that trip.

I dedicate this book to my sister Dayna and her husband Clint, along with their kids, Cora, Anna, John, and Nate. My sister has always been used of the Lord in my life to spur me toward holiness and Christlikeness. That has only increased since the Lord blessed her, and our family, with Clint. They were married when my wife and I were dating, and their wedding was the first family function to which I took sweet Jill. It has been a blessing to see the friendship blossom between my sister and my bride and to watch our children play. Clint is a dear brother in the Lord. God has been so kind to us, so much better than we deserve. While I was pursuing a PhD, Clint and Dayna generously supported us by buying my books every semester. Their friendship, encouragement, and love over the years is like the oil on Aaron’s beard (Ps 133:2).

In Song of Songs 4, Solomon speaks of the bride in the Song as though she were the garden of Eden, a profound biblical-theological comparison in view of the fact that the new Jerusalem is the bride (Rev 21:9-10) and marriage is about Christ and the church (Eph 5:32). Psalm 128:3 describes the blessed man whose wife is “like a fruitful vine” and whose children are “like young olive trees around [his] table.” I cannot adequately communicate my God-ward thanks and praise for the glory and mystery of marriage, for the joy of fatherhood. My fruitful vine and our olive shoots are past my powers to describe.

To Him who ever lives and reigns, with the Father and the Spirit, be glory and honor, blessing and power, wisdom and thanks, world without end, Amen.

James M. Hamilton
February 1, 2013
Louisville, Kentucky