For Study and Discussion. (1) The traits of character displayed by Ezra. (2) The reforms of Ezra. (a) What were they? (b) Parallel conditions of today. (3) The adversaries of Judah. (a) Who were they? (b) The nature of their opposition. (4) The decree of Cyrus. (5) The expedition of Zerubbabel and Ezra. (6) Ezra's commission and the king's orders 7:1-26. (7) God's use of friends and enemies in forwarding his purposes. Analysis of Nehemiah. I. The Rebuilding of the Wall, Chs. 1-7. 1. Nehemiah permitted to go to Jerusalem, 1-2. 2. The work on the walls and its hindrance, 3-7. II. The Covenant to Keep the Law, Chs. 8-10. 1. The law read, 8. 2. Confession made, 9. 3. The covenant made, 10. III. The Walls Dedicated and Nehemiah's Reform, Chs. 11-13. 1. Those who dwelt in the city, 11:1-12:26. 2. The walls dedicated, 12:27-47 end. 3. Evils corrected, Ch. 13. For Study and Discussion. (1) Point out elements of strength in the character and work of Nehemiah. (2) The greatness and difficulty of Nehemiah's task, (a) the rubbish, (b) the size and length of the wall, (c) the strength of their enemies. (3) The reforms of Nehemiah, (a) religious, (b) moral, (c) political. (4) The public meeting and new festival, 8:1-18. (5) The covenant 9:1-10:39. (6) The repeopling of Jerusalem, Chs. 11-12. Name. This is taken from its principal character, a Jewish maiden became queen of a Persian King. Purpose. To explain the origin of the feast of Purim work of providence for God's people. Time. The events narrated are thought to have occurred about 56 years after the first return of Zerubbabel in 536 B. C. The King then would be Xerxes the Great, and the drunken feast may have been preparatory to the invasion of Greece in the third year of his reign. Connection with Other Books. There is no connection between Esther and the other books of the Bible. While it is a story of the time when the Jews were returning to Jerusalem, and very likely should come between the first and second return, and, therefore, between the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra, the incident stands alone. Without it we would lose much of our knowledge of that period. The Story. While Esther stands out as the principal character, the whole story turns on the refusal of Mordecai to bow down to Haman, which would have been to show him divine honor. He did not hate Haman but, as a Jew could not worship any other than God. He dared to stand for principle at the risk of his life. The Name of God. One of the peculiarities of the book is that it nowhere mentions the name of God, or makes any reference to him. This may be because his name was held secret and sacred at that time. However, God's power and His care of His people are everywhere implied in the book. Analysis I. Esther Made Queen, Chs. 1-2. 1. Queen Vashti dethroned. Ch. 1. 2. Esther made queen. Ch. 2. II. Haman's Plot and its Defeat. Chs. 3-8.