Come, Follow Me — Old Testament Lesson 30

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Old Testament Lesson 30:
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“I Am Doing a Great Work”
Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8

Illustration of the temple of Zerubbabel, by Sam Lawlor

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President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “The word of God … has the power to fortify the Saints and arm them with the Spirit so they can resist evil, hold fast to the good, and find joy in this life” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 118).

Ezra 1: King Cyrus of Persia lets the Jews go back to Jerusalem to build the temple—Cyrus returns the vessels of the house of the Lord taken by Nebuchadnezzar.

Ezra 3: The altar is rebuilt—Regular sacrifices are reinstituted—The foundations of the temple are laid amid great rejoicing.

Ezra 4: The Samaritans offer help, then hinder the work—The building of the temple and of the walls of Jerusalem ceases.

Ezra 5: Haggai and Zechariah prophesy—Zerubbabel renews the building of the temple—The Samaritans challenge the Jews’ right to continue their building work.

Ezra 6: Darius renews the decree of Cyrus to build the temple—It is finished and dedicated, and sacrifices and feasts commence again.

Ezra 7: Ezra goes up to Jerusalem—Artaxerxes provides for beautifying the temple and sustains the Jews in their worship.

Nehemiah 2: Artaxerxes sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem—Sanballat and others oppose Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 4: The Jews’ enemies seek to prevent them from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem—Nehemiah arms the laborers and keeps the work progressing.

Nehemiah 5: Many Jews are in bondage to their fellow Jews—At Nehemiah’s direction they are freed, their lands are restored, and the taking of usury is discontinued.

Nehemiah 6: Sanballat engages in intrigue against Nehemiah and the building of the wall—The Jews finish the construction of the wall.

Nehemiah 8: Ezra reads and interprets the law of Moses to the people—They keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Resources on ChurchofJesusChrist.org

- Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

- Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

- Come, Follow Me—For Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women Classes (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

- Come, Follow Me—For Primary (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

- “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95.

Additional Material on ChurchofJesusChrist.org

- Chapter 44: Return to Jerusalem

- Old Testament Seminary Student Material: Lesson 107: Ezra

- Old Testament Seminary Student Material: Lesson 108: Nehemiah

- Old Testament Study Guide for Home-Study Seminary Students: Unit 21: Day 2, Ezra 1–6

- Old Testament Study Guide for Home-Study Seminary Students: Unit 21: Day 3, Ezra 7–10

- Old Testament Study Guide for Home-Study Seminary Students: Unit 21: Day 4, Nehemiah

- Old Testament Institute Student Manual Kings-Malachi: The Exiles Return (Ezra)

- Old Testament Institute Student Manual Kings-Malachi: Builder of Walls and Wills (Nehemiah)

Resources on Interpreter Foundation

- Come, Follow Me Study and Teaching Helps — Lesson 30: Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8, Jonn Claybaugh

- Audio Roundtable: Come, Follow Me Old Testament Lesson 30 (Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8)

Additional Posts & Roundtables on the Interpreter Foundation Website

- Scripture Roundtable: Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 47, “Let Us Rise Up and Build”, Administration, October 1, 2014

Resources on Other Sites

- Come, Follow Me Week 30 – Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8, FAIR

- Book & Chapter Guide: Ezra 3, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Ezra 4, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Ezra 5, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Ezra 6, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Ezra 7, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Nehemiah 2, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Nehemiah 4, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Nehemiah 5, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Nehemiah 6, Bible Central

- Book & Chapter Guide: Nehemiah 8, Bible Central

- Come Follow Me Insights – Ezra Nehemiah, and 2 Chronicles: I am Doing a Great Work, Book of Mormon Central

- Rebuilding Jerusalem and Ourselves (Books of Ezra, Nehemiah), Book of Mormon Central

- Understanding the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Come, Follow Me: Ezra, Nehemiah), Book of Mormon Central

- Ezra Reinstates the Passover to Remember God (Come, Follow Me: Ezra, Nehemiah), Book of Mormon Central

- Nehemiah Rebuilds Jerusalem’s Wall (Come, Follow Me: Ezra, Nehemiah), Book of Mormon Central

- Who was Nehemiah in the Bible? (Come, Follow Me: Ezra, Nehemiah), Book of Mormon Central

- Why is the Feast of Tabernacles Significant to Latter-day Saints? (Come, Follow Me: Ezra, Nehemiah), Book of Mormon Central

- Come Follow Me Old Testament Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8 (July 18-24) Don’t Miss This, Don’t Miss This

- Come Follow Me – Ezra-Nehemiah, Part 1 (Ezra): Rebuilding the Temple, Unshaken

- Come Follow Me – Ezra-Nehemiah, Part 2 (Nehemiah): Rebuilding the Walls, Unshaken

- Come, Follow Me for Sunday School: “I Am Doing a Great Work” – Ezra 1, 3-7, Nehemiah 2, 4-6, 8 , Meridian Magazine

- “The Joy of the Temple and the Power of the Word”—Come, Follow Me Podcast #30: Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8 , Meridian Magazine

- July 18–24, 2022 Come, Follow Me Songs, Music for Latter-day Life

- Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8 – “I Am Doing a Great Work”, BYU Studies

BYU Religious Education Old Testament Roundtables

- BYU Religious Education Discussions on the Old Testament: The Return of Exiles: Ezra 1-6

- BYU Religious Education Discussions on the Old Testament: Renewing The Covenant: Mal. 4 Ezra 7-10

- BYU Religious Education Discussions on the Old Testament: The Book of Nehemiah: Neh. 1-13

BYU Studies Recommended Reading

- Consider Your Ways: The Book of Haggai and the Responsibilities and Blessings of Temple Work, Ray L. Huntington, in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Old Testament

- Haggai: Prophet of the Second Temple (Haggai), Old Testament Student Manual Kings- Malachi

- Harry S. Truman as a Modern Cyrus, Michael T. Benson, BYU Studies, Volume 34, no. 1

- The Exiles Return (Ezra), Old Testament Student Manual Kings-Malachi

- The Persian Empire, the Return of the Jews, and the Diaspora, Old Testament Student Manual Kings-Malachi

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