Most successful prophet
Haggai (520 BC, second year of Darius I) is the “most successful prophet”: thirty-eight verses, five messages, one theme — the unfinished Temple.
Lesson 12 · Course 54
Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah and Malachi
Five leaders after the exile — temple, people, wall, and the last OT word.
At a glance
Summary
Five leaders after the exile — temple, people, wall, and the last OT word. Ezra is post-exile, 458–433 BC. The book is written to encourage those who returned to be faithful. Two halves: restoration of the Temple (Ezra 1–6), then reformation of the nation (7–10). Worship first, then the people. Essay work covers Summarize the major message of Ezra's book.; What does Zechariah tell us about the two advents of the Messiah?; Describe Nehemiah's life from the time he hears of Jerusalem's sad condition until the time the walls and gates of Jerusalem are rebuilt..
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Big ideas
What to teach and remember
- Ezra is post-exile, 458–433 BC. The book is written to encourage those who returned to be faithful. Two halves: restoration of the Temple (Ezra 1–6), then reformation of the nation (7–10). Worship first, then the people.
- Cyrus took Babylon in 539 BC and decreed the return the next year (2 Chron. 36:23; Ezra 1:2–3). Isaiah 45:1 named him; the Cylinder of Cyrus matches the policy. About 50,000 came home with Zerubbabel (Sheshbazzar — legal heir of David’s throne, Matt. 1:12) and Jeshua the high priest. The road home still sings in the Psalms of Ascents, 120–134.
- They built the altar first and kept the Feast of Tabernacles. The foundation went down in the second month of the second year — mixed weeping and shouting (Ezra 3:8–13). Samaritan help was refused; opposition followed; the work stopped sixteen years (Ezra 4:23).
- Haggai (520 BC, second year of Darius I) is the “most successful prophet”: thirty-eight verses, five messages, one theme — the unfinished Temple. “Lord of Hosts” piles up here (Haggai 14×, Zechariah 50×, Malachi 25×). The house is finished 516 BC (Ezra 6:15; the workbook also says 515). Passover in Jerusalem for the first time in seventy years.
- Zechariah (520–500 BC), a Levite, son of Iddo, writes two advents. Rejected: 9:9 on an ass; 11:12 thirty pieces; 12:10 pierced; 13:6 wounds in the hands. Reigning: 14:2 the nations; 14:4–6 the Mount of Olives splits; 14:8 living waters; 14:16 the Feast of Tabernacles.
- Nehemiah (438–433 BC) is the last historical book of the Old Testament. Cupbearer to Artaxerxes in Shushan. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem oppose him. The wall is finished in fifty-two days (6:15). The decree of Nehemiah’s day starts Daniel’s seventy weeks (Dan. 9:25). Ezra’s reading of the Word brings revival.
- Malachi (435–430 BC) means “messenger.” His burden is covenant violation — dishonor, maimed offerings, broken marriage vows, unpaid tithes. Elijah is John the Baptist (3:1; 4:5). The last word of the Old Testament is “curse.”
- Hold the three builders: Zerubbabel builds the temple, Ezra builds the people and the worship, Nehemiah builds the wall.
Key terms
People, places, and words that matter
Lord of Hosts
“Lord of Hosts” piles up here (Haggai 14×, Zechariah 50×, Malachi 25×).
Messenger
Malachi (435–430 BC) means “messenger.” His burden is covenant violation — dishonor, maimed offerings, broken marriage vows, unpaid tithes.
Curse
The last word of the Old Testament is “curse.” Hold the three builders: Zerubbabel builds the temple, Ezra builds the people and the worship, Nehemiah builds…
Summarize the major message of Ezra's book
Ezra’s main message is that God kept His word and brought a remnant of the Jews back home after the seventy years in Babylon. Cyrus of Persia signed the decree…
What does Zechariah tell us about the two advents of th
Zechariah preached with Haggai around 520–500 BC, but his message went farther than the temple. He wrote about the Messiah coming two times. In the first…
Describe Nehemiah's life from the time he hears of Jeru
Nehemiah was in Shushan palace as cupbearer to king Artaxerxes. His brother and some men came from Judah with the news: the wall of Jerusalem broken down, the…
Ezra
Ezra is post-exile, 458–433 BC
Structure
Outline / timeline
- Summarize the major message of Ezra's book.
- What does Zechariah tell us about the two advents of the Messiah?
- Describe Nehemiah's life from the time he hears of Jerusalem's sad condition until the time the walls and gates of Jerusalem are rebuilt.
Must remember
Facts to keep straight
| Quiz score | 100% (1 attempt) |
|---|---|
| Audience | encourage those who returned to be faithful |
| Date | 433 BC |
| Key claim | Ezra is post-exile, 458–433 BC. The book is written to encourage those who returned to be faithful. Two halves: restoration of the Temple… |
| Key claim | Cyrus took Babylon in 539 BC and decreed the return the next year (2 Chron. 36:23; Ezra 1:2–3). Isaiah 45:1 named him; the Cylinder of… |
| Key claim | They built the altar first and kept the Feast of Tabernacles. The foundation went down in the second month of the second year — mixed… |
For the pulpit
Sermon hooks
- The work stopped sixteen years because of the Samaritans — discouragement and letters to the king — until Haggai and Zechariah preached and the people started…
- Zechariah preached with Haggai around 520–500 BC, but his message went farther than the temple.
Quiz drill
Quiz drill / review · open to practice · 10 items
Quiz score: 100% · 1 attempt
1. Ezra was written to encourage those who returned from captivity to be faithful to the Lord.
TrueThat is the purpose Towns names — encourage the remnant who came home to stay faithful.
2. Ezra recorded the restoration of temple worship.
TrueChapters 1–6 restore the Temple; that is the first half of the book.
3. Ezra recorded the preservation of the line of the Messiah
TrueTowns: Ezra records the preservation of the Messianic line (Zerubbabel / Sheshbazzar in David’s throne, Matt. 1:12).
4. Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah.
TrueBoth preached about 520 BC under Darius I. Haggai and Zechariah together got the work moving again.
5. Zechariah wrote of the two advents of the Messiah.
TrueFirst advent: rejected (9:9; 11:12; 12:10; 13:6). Second: reigning (ch. 14).
6. Nehemiah is the last historical book of the Old Testament.
TrueAfter Nehemiah the historical books of the OT close. Malachi is prophecy, not history.
7. Nehemiah's task was to restore the broken down walls as well as the dignity of Jerusalem.
TrueBroken walls and burned gates — and the shame of the people. He restored both.
8. Nehemiah faced considerable opposition to his objective yet worked on undeterred.
TrueSanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem mocked, threatened, and tried to lure him down. He would not come down.
9. Malachi means "messenger."
TrueThe name itself is “messenger.” Elijah / John (3:1; 4:5) is the messenger still ahead.
10. Malachi's burden was to redress the issues related to the "Covenant Violation".
TrueHis burden is covenant violation — dishonor, maimed offerings, broken vows, unpaid tithes.
Essay themes
If you preach or review
Summarize the major message of Ezra's book.
Ezra’s main message is that God kept His word and brought a remnant of the Jews back home after the seventy years in Babylon. Cyrus of Persia signed the decree in 538 BC, and about 50,000 came back with Zerubbabel the governor and Jeshua the high priest. First they built the altar, started the sacrifices, and kept the Feast of Tabernacles; then they laid the temple foundation. The work stopped sixteen years because of the Samaritans — discouragement and letters to the king — until Haggai and Zechariah preached and the people started again. The temple was finished in 516 BC under Darius. Later Ezra himself came in 458 BC with about 1,500 people; his work was reformation, teaching the law and dealing with the sin of the people. So the book records the restoration of temple worship and the preservation of the line of the Messiah. The lesson is simple: God is faithful even when His people are only a small remnant.
What does Zechariah tell us about the two advents of the Messiah?
Zechariah preached with Haggai around 520–500 BC, but his message went farther than the temple. He wrote about the Messiah coming two times. In the first coming He is rejected: Zechariah 9:9, the king comes lowly riding upon an ass; 11:12, they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver; 12:10, they shall look upon me whom they have pierced; 13:6, what are these wounds in thine hands, wounded in the house of my friends. All of that was fulfilled in Jesus at the cross. In the second coming He is reigning. Chapters 12–14 tell how the Lord will gather all nations against Jerusalem; His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives and it will split in half and make a great valley. Living waters will go out of Jerusalem, and everyone will come up year by year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. The same Messiah who was rejected the first time will come back as King.
Describe Nehemiah's life from the time he hears of Jerusalem's sad condition until the time the walls and gates of Jerusalem are rebuilt.
Nehemiah was in Shushan palace as cupbearer to king Artaxerxes. His brother and some men came from Judah with the news: the wall of Jerusalem broken down, the gates burned, the people in trouble and shame. Nehemiah sat down and wept, then he fasted and prayed. He confessed the sin of the nation and asked God for mercy before the king. When the king saw his sad face and asked what he wanted, Nehemiah prayed again quickly and asked to be sent to rebuild the city. The king gave him letters and timber, and Nehemiah said the good hand of God was upon him. When he arrived he told nobody at first; he went out by night and inspected the walls himself, then called the people and said, let us build — and they said, let us rise up and build. Every family worked on the part of the wall near where they lived. Opposition came at once: Sanballat of Samaria, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian first mocked, then grew angry and planned to fight, then tried to compromise and call Nehemiah to the plain of Ono, and even hired a false prophet to make him afraid and hide in the temple. Inside there were problems too — much rubbish, fear of the enemy, and usury charged by rich Jews on their own brothers. Nehemiah answered all of it: a guard day and night, half the men working and half holding weapons, the workers building with one hand and a weapon in the other, the nobles made to stop the usury. He kept praying, he kept working, and he would not come down. The wall was finished in fifty-two days, and even the enemies perceived that this work was done of God. After that Ezra read the law to the people at the water gate; they stood up and said amen and wept, and there was revival in the city.