Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther

Message: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

1 & 2 Chronicles
Contents
An introductory word    _msg.1

I. First and second Chronicles being one book in the Hebrew Scriptures
II. The writer
III. The time
IV. The place
V. The content
VI. The central thought
A. To give a full chronology of God’s move in man’s history
B. To present some important details of God’s dealing with the kings of Judah
C. To give a complete history of God’s move in man’s history
VII. The sections of the coverage of the present study

The reproduction of God    _msg.2

Man created according to God’s kind
God becoming a man
The one grain producing many grains
God doing the work of transformation with patience
Revolutionized by realizing who we are
The staleness of fundamental Christianity
The high peak of the divine revelation

The genealogy from adam to the twelve tribes of Israel    _msg.3

I. The genealogy from Adam to Abraham
II. The genealogy of Abraham
III. The genealogy of Esau
IV. The genealogy of Israel
V. The genealogy of Judah
A. The main characters
B. The tribe of Judah being the royal tribe
C. The striking matter in Judah’s genealogy
D. A particular prayer by one of the descendants of Judah
E. Matters included in the genealogy of Judah
1. The genealogy of David
2. The genealogy of Solomon
VI. The genealogy of Simeon
VII. The genealogy of Reuben
VIII. The genealogy of Gad
IX. An insertion
A. The children of Reuben, the Gadites, and Half the tribe of Manasseh defeating their enemies and possessing their land
B. The children of Reuben, the Gadites, and Half the tribe of Manasseh trespassing against God
X. The genealogy of Levi
A. One of the sons of Levi being Kohath
B. A descendant of Aaron being captured to Babylon
C. The prophet Samuel being a descendant of the great rebel Korah
D. David setting the descendants of Kohath over the service of song in the house of Jehovah
E. Aaron and his sons being the priests
F. The Levites dwelling in cities among the tribes
XI. The genealogy of Issachar
XII. The genealogy of Benjamin
XIII. The genealogy of Naphtali
XIV. The genealogy of Manasseh
XV. The genealogy of Ephraim
XVI. The genealogy of Asher
XVII. The genealogy of the returned children of Israel
XVIII. The genealogy of the house of Saul

The highest point of God’s gospel    _msg.4

God’s kind and mankind
God becoming a man to produce God-man kind
God blending the nations on earth that we, the God-men, may be blended into one Body
The deification of man
Revolutionized by realizing that we are God-men
Preaching the truth that God became a man that man may become God in life and in nature and living the life of a God-man to bring in a new revival and to end this age

The supplement to the history of David    _msg.5

I. David’s preparation of the materials for the building of the temple of God in abundance
II. David’s charge to Solomon
III. David’s charge to all the leaders of Israel
IV. David’s arrangement of the order of the services of the priests and the Levites
A. Making Solomon his son king over Israel
B. The priests being ordered in twenty-four divisions
C. The divisions of the services of the Levites
1. The services of the descendants of the three sons of Levi
2. All the serving Levites serving alongside the priests
3. The rest of the Levites casting lots for their duty
4. David and the leaders of the army setting apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun
5. The doorkeepers being divided into divisions
6. Of the Levites, some being assigned to keep the treasures of the house of God
7. Of the Levites, some being appointed to outward duties
8. David’s arrangement typifying the Spirit’s arrangement
V. The officers in the administration of David’s government
A. The officers who served the king being of twelve divisions
B. Thirteen captains ruling over the twelve tribes and the house of Aaron
C. There being officers over the king’s treasures
D. David having counselors, teachers, friends, and the captain of his army
E. Typifying the submission to the authority and headship of Christ in the church
VI. David’s assembling at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel
A. His address to the assembly
1. Introducing his son Solomon to be the builder of the temple of God
2. Charging them to observe all the commandments of Jehovah
B. Charging Solomon his son to serve God and to build the temple of God
C. His preparation of the materials and his gifts for the building of the temple of God stirring up the leaders of Israel to offer willingly to God
D. His blessing to Jehovah in the sight of all the assembly
1. Praising God
2. Thanking God
3. Asking God
E. The response of all the assembly
1. Blessing Jehovah
2. Eating and drinking before Jehovah and making Solomon the son of David king a second time
F. David dying at a good old age

The supplement to the history of the kings of Judah (1)    _msg.6

I. Of Rehoboam
A. Being capable and wise
B. Not laboring for God’s interest on the earth
C. His way and condition not being proper
D. The priests and the Levites throughout all Israel abandoning their property and going to Judah and Jerusalem
E. Rehoboam indulging his sexual lust
II. Of Abijah
A. Defeating Jeroboam the king of Israel
1. Proclaiming the apostasy of Jeroboam
2. Jeroboam and the children of Israel being defeated
B. Indulging in sexual lust
III. Of Asa
A. Asa building fortress cities in Judah
B. Asa defeating the Cushites
C. Asa’s further reforms
1. Through the advice and encouragement of the prophet Azariah
2. Putting away the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin
3. Gathering all Judah and Benjamin and all the sojourners with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon
IV. Of Jehoshaphat
A. Strengthening himself against Israel
B. Jehovah being with Him because he walked in the ways of David his father
C. Establishing the kingdom of God
D. Jehovah causing all the kingdoms around Judah to fear Jehoshaphat and give him tribute
E. Rebuked by Jehu the seer for helping Ahab
F. Setting up judges throughout all the fortified cities of Judah to take care of all the cases of the people
G. Defeating the army of the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir by trusting in Jehovah
1. Setting his face to pursue Jehovah
2. Praying to Jehovah in the assembly
3. Jehovah answering His prayer through Jahaziel, a Levite
4. Jehovah destroying and demolishing their enemy

Being fundamental in full and walking according to the all-inclusive Spirit    _msg.7

Standing on the proper ground and keeping the fundamental faith
The truth concerning the assurance of salvation and the truth concerning Christ as life
The truth concerning the New Jerusalem
The truth concerning deification — that God became a man that man may become God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead
Conducting ourselves according to the spirit

Learning from the examples of the kings of Judah to have a God-man living in our daily life    _msg.8

The kings of Judah standing on the proper ground
The kings of Judah keeping their fundamental faith in God’s Word
Attracting to Jerusalem the priests, the Levites, and those from all the tribes who set their hearts to seek Jehovah
Examples referring to the way we conduct ourselves in the details of our daily living
What the Lord wants today
The enjoyment of Christ differing in degrees

The supplement to the history of the kings of Judah (2)    _msg.9

V. Of Jehoram
A. Warned by Elijah the prophet
B. Jehovah stirring up the Philistines and Arabians against Him
C. Jehovah striking Him with an incurable illness
VI. Of Joash
A. Seeing the good pattern of the chief priest
B. Listening to the captains of Judah and forsaking the house of Jehovah
C. God sending prophets to the people of Judah and Jerusalem to bring them back to Jehovah
D. The army of the Syrians coming up against him
VII. Of Amaziah
A. Preparing three hundred thousand chosen men for war
B. A man of God advising Amaziah not to fight with the help of the army of Israel
C. Strengthening himself to fight the children of Edom
D. The men of Israel whom Amaziah sent back raiding the cities of Judah
E. Setting up the gods of the Edomites as his gods for worship
VIII. Of Uzziah (Azariah)
A. Defeating the Philistines, the Arabians, and the Meunim by the help of God
B. Building towers in Jerusalem and works of defense
C. His heart becoming uplifted to trespass against Jehovah and go into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense
IX. Of Ahaz
A. Jehovah delivering him into the hand of the king of Israel
B. Oded, a prophet of Jehovah, advising the children of Israel to return their captives from Judah
C. The heads of the children of Ephraim returning the captives to Judah

The supplement to the history of the kings of Judah (3)    _msg.10

X. Of Hezekiah
A. Restoring the house of Jehovah
1. Charging the Levites and the priests to sanctify the house of Jehovah
2. The Levites and the priests doing it according to Hezekiah’s charge
3. Hezekiah and the leaders of the city worshipping God in the house of Jehovah
4. Charging the assembly of the people to offer sacrifices and thank offerings to God
B. Recovering the Passover
1. The degraded children of Israel not holding the Passover for a long time
2. Hezekiah recovering the Passover by sending letters to all Israel and Judah
a. Trying to keep the oneness of all God’s elect
b. Asking all the people of Israel and Judah to come to Jerusalem where the house of God was
c. Some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun Humbling themselves and coming to Jerusalem
d. The hand of God being upon the people of Judah
3. A very great assembly gathering at Jerusalem to hold the Feast of Unleavened Bread
a. Removing the idolatrous altars in Jerusalem
b. The priests, the Levites, and the people sanctifying themselves unto God
c. Hezekiah praying for many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun
d. The children of Israel at Jerusalem holding the Feast of Unleavened Bread with great rejoicing and praising
4. All Israel in the cities of Judah going out to smash the pillars, hew down the Asherim, and pull down the high places and the altars
C. Setting the services of the priests and the Levites in order
1. Appointing the divisions of the priests and the Levites
2. Appointing his portion of his substance for the burnt offerings
3. Commanding the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion for the priests and the Levites
4. Doing what was good, upright, and faithful before Jehovah his God with all his heart
D. Building a defense against the invasion of the Assyrians, trusting in God, and encouraging his people to do so
XI. Of Manasseh
A. Being disciplined by Jehovah
B. Entreating Jehovah his God and humbling himself greatly before the God of his fathers
C. Fortifying the city of David
D. Removing the foreign gods and the idol from the house of Jehovah
E. Restoring the altar of Jehovah and sacrificing on it
XII. Of Josiah
A. Beginning to seek after the God of David his father
B. Beginning to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the idols, and the molten images
C. Tearing down the altars throughout the land of Israel
XIII. The duration of the captivity of Israel and the proclamation of their release by Cyrus
A. The children of Israel becoming servants to the kings of Babylon for seventy years
B. Cyrus making a proclamation for Israel’s return to Jerusalem to build the temple of God

Living Christ for the expression of God    _msg.11

The law of God
The moral law
The commandment regarding coveting dealing with an inward matter
The law being a portrait of God
The law being a type of Christ
The law being linked to God’s economy
To keep the law being to express God
Living the life of a God-man in our married life and in the church life
Our need for a real revival

A concluding word to the supplement to the history of the kings of Judah    _msg.12

I. Covering only the kings of the kingdom of Judah
II. Remaining on the ground of the unity of God’s chosen people
III. Their condition not matching their standing
IV. Most of them forsaking God as the fountain of living waters and following the idols
V. None of them seeming to have a heart that was absolutely pure in seeking the kingdom of God
VI. Breaking the law of God
VII. The law of God, which was decreed through Moses, having two sections
A. The moral section
B. The ceremonial section
1. The laws of the tabernacle
2. The laws of the offerings
3. The laws of the priesthood
4. The laws of the feasts
VIII. God knowing that no man can keep the ten commandments as the moral section of His law to be justified by Him
IX. The entire law of God being decreed with the intention of exposing and convicting His people by the moral section that they would be conducted to the ceremonial section
X. The kings breaking the entire law of God and provoking the wrath of God
XI. To study the history books of the Old Testament in the way of life being to comply with God’s purpose

The resemblance of God and man in their images and likenesses    _msg.13

I. There being no “mankind” created by God in His creation
II. God creating Adam in His own image
III. Three men appearing to Abraham before Christ’s incarnation
IV. The angel of God appearing to Manoah and his wife
V. A Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven
VI. Adam being a type of Christ
VII. Christ being the image of the invisible God
VIII. The Word becoming flesh
IX. Christ taking the form of a slave
X. Stephen seeing the Son of Man at the right hand of God
XI. The Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven
XII. Conformed to the image of God’s Son
XIII. Being transformed into the same image
XIV. Children of God without blemish
XV. The Lord transfiguring the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory
XVI. We being like Him
XVII. God being like a jasper stone
XVIII. The New Jerusalem’s light being like a jasper stone

Ezra
Contents
The need of a return from captivity    _msg.1

A brief survey of the history of Israel
God giving up the people of Israel to captivity and promising to bring them back from captivity
The return from captivity through the secret preserving care of the hiding God
The history of the people of Israel being a type of the New Testament believers as God’s elect
Our need to be clear concerning three situations

An introductory word    _msg.2

I. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther being the last three books of the history of God’s chosen people in the Old Testament
II. The writer
III. The time
IV. The contents
V. The crucial points
A. The return of the children of Israel from their captivity recovering the purpose of God’s calling of them
B. Their return from their captivity to the unique ground of Jerusalem recovering their oneness
C. Their return from their captivity recovering their enjoyment of the portion of the good land promised by God
D. God’s intention to have His house built and His kingdom established on the earth
VI. The sections

The return of the captivity under the kingly leadership of Zerubbabel    _msg.3

I. The decree of Cyrus king of Persia
A. In his first year
B. By God’s stirring up of his spirit
C. In fulfillment of the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah
D. Ordering the captivity of Israel to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of God
II. The response of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites
A. By God’s stirring up of their Spirit
B. All the Israelites around them strengthening their hands
III. The cooperation of King Cyrus
IV. The number of the returned captives
V. The willing offering of some of the heads of the fathers’ houses
VI. The rebuilding of the altar of God
A. In the seventh month
B. The children of Israel gathering to Jerusalem as one man
C. The altar being built upon its bases
D. Keeping the Feast of Tabernacles
VII. The rebuilding of the house of God
A. Hiring stone hewers and carpenters
B. In the second month of the second year after their return
VIII. The frustration
A. The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin pretending to help the rebuilding of the house of Jehovah
B. Artaxerxes decreeing to stop the building of the house of God by force and power
IX. The continual rebuilding work
X. The confirmation of the decree of Darius king of Persia
A. The rebuilding questioned and referred to Darius
B. Darius’s checking of the decree of Cyrus
XI. The completion of the rebuilding of the house of God
A. In prosperity
B. On the third day of the month Adar
XII. The dedication of the rebuilt house of God
A. With joy
B. With the offerings for the dedication and a sin offering
C. With the setting up of the services of the priests and of the Levites
XIII. The keeping of the Passover by the children of the captivity
A. Having their priests and Levites purified
B. Continuing with the Feast of Unleavened Bread

The return of the captivity under the priestly leadership of Ezra    _msg.4

I. The return of the captivity under Ezra
A. The beginning of the return through the request of Ezra to the king
1. Ezra’s genealogy
2. The king’s granting of the request of Ezra
3. Coming safely to Jerusalem
4. Ezra having set his heart to seek and do the law of Jehovah
B. The decree of Artaxerxes king of Persia
1. Permitting the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites to go to Jerusalem
2. Permitting the provision for the needs of the house of God
3. Ordering all the treasurers to provide whatever Ezra required for the house of God
4. Ordering the treasurers not to impose tribute, taxes, or tolls
5. Authorizing Ezra to appoint magistrates and judges
6. Ezra’s blessing to God
C. The genealogical enrollment
D. Ezra’s proclamation of a fast
E. Ezra setting apart twelve of the leading men of the priests
F. The journey and arrival of the returned captivity
1. Setting out from the river Ahava
2. Arriving at Jerusalem and delivering all the silver, gold, and vessels
G. The offerings to God by the returned captivity
H. The returned captivity’s delivering the king’s decrees
II. The purification of the returned captives from the defilement of the foreign wives
A. Initiated by the officials of the returned captives
B. Ezra’s reaction
1. Tearing his garment
2. Making a thorough confession of the iniquities of the children of Israel
3. Thanking God for leaving them a remnant to Escape
4. Confessing their being defiled
C. The congregation’s reaction
1. Weeping very bitterly for their unfaithfulness against their God
2. Making a covenant with their God
3. Encouraging Ezra to be strong and bear his responsibility
D. The final decision

The need for Ezras — those skilled in the Word of God    _msg.5

God’s intention that Israel would be His testimony
The nation of Israel being God-men in typology but eventually becoming degraded
The return of God’s people under Zerubbabel
The need for an Ezra
The responsibility of the elders to teach the saints with the truths
A great famine throughout the earth
The need for Ezras to constitute the people with the heavenly truths
Types of the riches of Christ
The Lord moving in His recovery by His word

Nehemiah
Contents
An introductory word and the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah    _msg.1

I. An introductory word
A. The book of Nehemiah being a history of the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem
B. The writer
C. The time
D. The contents
E. The crucial point
F. The sections
II. The rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah
A. The report of the condition of Jerusalem
B. Nehemiah’s prayer by fasting
C. The king’s favor in giving permission to Nehemiah
D. Nehemiah’s journey to Jerusalem and his personal observation
E. The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem
F. A record of the building of the wall in consecutive sections
G. The frustration of the enemy
1. The enemies becoming angry
2. Nehemiah trusting in God
3. The enemies being angry because the building work was advancing
4. The Jews praying to their God and setting a watch against the enemy
H. The settlement of the interior problem
1. The people’s complaint
2. Nehemiah’s rebuke and resolution
3. Nehemiah’s good example
a. Not eating the food appointed for the governor
b. Applying himself to work on the city wall
c. Asking God to remember for good all that he had done
I. The further frustration of the enemy
J. The completion of the building

Nehemiah’s aggressiveness    _msg.2

Three sections of the work related to God’s house and God’s kingdom
The leadership of Zerubbabel
The leadership of Ezra
The leadership of Nehemiah
The aggressiveness of Nehemiah in volunteering himself to his burden
The natural virtues and capacities being brought to the cross in order to be brought into resurrection
The example of Moses
The example of Peter
Entering into resurrection
An important principle
Nehemiah’s living in resurrection

The reconstitution of the nation of God’s elect (1)    _msg.3

III. The reconstitution of the nation of God’s elect
A. Coming back to God by coming back to His law, His word
1. All the people of Israel gathering as one man and telling Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses and read to them
2. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites charging all the people to sanctify that day unto Jehovah their God
3. The heads of the fathers’ houses, the priests, and the Levites being gathered to Ezra in order to gain insight into the words of the law
B. Making a clear confession to God of their past and making a firm covenant with God
1. The descendants of Israel separating themselves from all foreigners
2. Praising God as the only God
3. Enumerating all the good that God had done for their forefathers
4. Making a further confession of their disobedience and rebellion
5. Making a firm covenant in writing
6. The rest of the people entering into a curse and an oath
a. To walk in the law of God
b. Laying upon themselves obligations to offer their produce from the land for their sacrifices

The reconstitution of the nation of God’s elect (2)    _msg.4

C. The arrangement of the dwelling place of the people and the appointment of the officers of the Levitical service and of the civil affairs
1. The rulers of the people dwelling in Jerusalem
2. A record of the arrangement and the appointments
D. A record of the priests and Levites
1. Those who went up with Zerubbabel and Joshua
2. Those who served in the days of Joiakim the priest
E. The dedication of the rebuilt wall
1. The people seeking the Levites from all their places
2. The priests and the Levites purifying themselves
3. Nehemiah appointing two great companies
4. The offering of great sacrifices
F. The appointment of the services of the priests and the Levites and the supply of their needs
G. The clearance exercised on Israel as God’s elect
1. Separating all the mixed multitude from Israel according to the law
2. Purifying the chambers of the house of God
3. Removing the negligence in taking care of the need of the Levites
4. Getting rid of the people’s profaning of the holy Sabbath
5. Cleansing the people and especially the priests from the defilement of their marriages with the nations
H. Appointing duties for the priests and the Levites, for the wood offering, and for the firstfruits

The leadership of Nehemiah for the reconstitution of the nation of God’s elect    _msg.5

Nehemiah’s particular characteristics
Being a pleasant person with a proper attitude and behavior
A person who loved God and God’s interest on earth
One who prayed to contact God in fellowship
A person who trusted in God and who was one with God
Altogether unselfish
Not indulging in lust
Nehemiah going to Ezra for help in reconstituting the nation of God’s elect
Re-education for reconstitution
The returned israelites becoming God’s testimony

Esther
Contents
An introductory word and the secret care of the hiding God for His oppressed elect in their dispersion    _msg.1

I. An introductory word
A. The writer
B. The time
C. The contents
D. The crucial point
E. The sections
II. The secret care of the hiding God for His oppressed elect in their dispersion as seen in Esther
A. Establishing a top king in the Gentile world
B. Causing the top king to depose his queen because of her disobedience to his word
C. Raising up a Jewish orphan virgin to be crowned by the top king as his queen

The open salvation of the hiding God in secrecy to His persecuted elect in their captivity    _msg.2

III. The open salvation of the hiding God in secrecy to His persecuted elect in their captivity as seen in Mordecai
A. Haman’s plot to destroy all the Jews in Medo-Persia
1. An agagite by the name of Haman being promoted to the highest seat above all the princes who were with the king
2. Haman being filled with rage and plotting not only to kill Mordecai but also to destroy all the Jews throughout the empire
B. Mordecai’s confrontation of Haman’s plot through Esther’s close and intimate contact with the king
1. All the Jews and Esther fasting
2. The king being unable to sleep and finding the report of how Mordecai had saved him
3. Esther pointing out to the king that Haman was the wicked adversary and enemy who conspired to kill all the Jews
C. The open, triumphant victory of the Jews over their enemies
1. The king issuing a decree through Mordecai
2. The Jews having light, gladness, joy, and honor
3. The Jews destroying all their enemies throughout the empire
4. The triumphant Jews appointing and establishing the days of Purim
5. Mordecai becoming second to King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews
IV. A concluding word
A. A crucial hidden point
B. For the fulfillment of the promise through Moses
C. For the fulfillment of the prayer of Solomon
D. For the keeping of the lineage of the genealogy of Christ
E. To keep a people for the possessing of the holy land for the coming kingdom of Christ

The eschatology of the church according to the divine revelation of the Scriptures

The real condition and end of the Catholic Church
The general condition and end of the Protestant church
The genuine condition and end of the original and recovered church
The New Jerusalem as the ultimate consummation of God’s eternal intention

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Living Stream MinistryLSM

Life-Study of 1 &amp; 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther

Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther