The events of the book of Nehemiah follow the book of Ezra, with Ezra appearing in the book of Nehemiah and Nehemiah showing up in the book of Ezra. The book of Ezra covers rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, whereas Nehemiah focuses on rebuilding the city walls. Nehemiah’s story begins with him in exile, serving […]
Ezra’s ministry begins several decades after Daniel’s time. Chronologically, the book of Ezra follows the ending of 2 Chronicles, with 2 Chronicles 36:23 repeated in Ezra 1:2–3. Given this, as well as other clues, some Bible scholars attribute the authorship of 1 and 2 Chronicles to Ezra. Ezra is a priest and scribe who returns from exile decades […]
When King Nebuchadnezzar conquers the nation of Judah, he deports most of its citizens. He sets aside young men who are members of the royal family and nobility. They’ll undergo training and be forced into a lifetime of service to the king who conquered them and killed many of their friends and relatives. Daniel is […]
Ezekiel is a priest, the son of Buzi. In addition to being a priest, he’s also a prophet. He lives in Babylon in exile, the result of King Nebuchadnezzar conquering Judah and deporting most of its people. The entire book of Ezekiel is about him and by him, but aside from headings added to the […]
Baruch, Jeremiah’s faithful scribe and assistant, is the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. Since we know nothing about these two men, they give us little insight into the life of Baruch. All we know about him is what appears in the book of Jeremiah, a document that Baruch wrote most, or all, of […]
Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, is both a prophet and a priest. The book of Jeremiah is about the life and ministry of this prophet, but Baruch compiled the content based on Jeremiah’s dictation and the scribe’s own chronicling of Jeremiah’s life. Because of this, we know more about Jeremiah than any of the other […]
Isaiah son of Amoz is a faithful and long-serving prophet whose ministry spans the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah is the prophet who delivers God’s messages to King Hezekiah. The first message promises deliverance from the advancing army. The second is a pair of announcements about Hezekiah’s death, […]
Five generations after Joash, his descendant Hezekiah becomes king of Judah. He’s one of the few good ones, perhaps the best. The Bible says he trusts in the Lord God. No king of Judah before or after him is like him. He does right like King David. He removes the high places (which King Jehoshaphat […]
Young, orphaned Joash lives in the temple for six years, where his nurse cares for him. He’s hiding from the queen, his murderous, power-hungry grandmother. The priest is Joash’s uncle, Jehoiada, the husband of Jehosheba. We can envision the priest teaching and guiding his young nephew. When Joash turns seven, Jehoiada anoints the boy as […]
Jonah is the best known of the Bible’s so-called minor prophets. He runs away from God and spends three days in the belly of a large fish. There he has plenty of time to think about his disobedience to God. When the fish spits him onto the shore, God speaks to Jonah again. “Go to […]