Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-06-17
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For June 22.-Ezra and Nehemiah.
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL


We learned last week that rem
! nant, about $4,000, of the Jews re-
turned to Jerusalem, under the lead
ership of Zerubbabel, to rebuild the
temple. This was done under the
patronage of Cyrus the King OF
Persia, who reigned at the end OF
the 20 years OF captivity, and whose
name had been mentioned in this
connection by God, speaking through
the mouth of the prophet Isaiah,
nearly 200 years before. We also
learned of the difficulties that were
thrown about this work, how it was
arrested after the foundation had
been laid, and how under the preach
ing of Haggai and Zechariah the
work was renewed and brought to
completion in the sixth year of
Darius, four years being required
to complete it.
Now this same year was the year
that Esther was brought into the
palace at Shushan, and the next
year became the queen in the pal
ace in the place of the deposed queen
Vashti. And in this year when
she became queen. Ezra left Babylon
with a second band of 1,754 eXiles
and the golden and silver vessels
that had been given him for the
service of the now completed house
of God. The journey was a dam
gerous one, but Ezra had Dragged so
much to the king about what God
would do for them that he was
ashamed to ask for a military es-
cort; so after a three days fast at
the river Ahava, they started on
their perilous journey, trusting to
and being kept "by the good hand
of our God" Arriving safely at their
destination, they spent another three
days before going up to the temple
TO deliver the vessels that they had
brought. 1t occurs to us that. these
three days were spent IN thanks
giving for the answer to their pray
ers of the three days at the begin.
ming of their journey.
After keeping the Passover at
Jerusalem, Ezra learned from some
Of the princes that there had been
very generally marriages with the
heathen women. The people, the
priests and the Levites had done
this; and the princes and the rulers
had been the chief offenders. When
Ezra heard this, he tore his clothes,
pulled out some of his hair of his
head and his beard and sat down as
though dazed. In spite of the crowd
that gathered around him he didn't
utter a word all day At the time
= of the evening sacrifice he spoke-<
but it was to God. He fell on his
knees and spread his hands out be-
fore God, and prayed. Read his
prayer yourself in Ezra 1915. He
confessed the sin of the people, &C.
knowledged Gods sraciousness to
them, and yet in spite of all that
they h&9 gone deliberately into adj
sditional gin. Even the remnant who
had been saved had sinned; what
chance was there that there would
be a remnant of the remnant now?
We cannot stand before thee for
this" he said in closing. He had no
plea to make.
But it had its effect. The people
gathered at Jerusalem-all those who
had sinned in this way-and stood in
the street of the temple even though
1t was pouring down a terrific tor
rent of rain, and made confession of
their sin. Then they agreed to do
as he said and suggested that as it
would take such a long time, and
as 1T was raining so hard, Ezra ap-
point committee to adjust the mat
ter. Which thing he did, acting on
it himself, with four others; put
away their foreign wives and their
children, making proper provision for
them, and thus kept the royal strain
from being contaminated
Ezra's Ally @
In all the work of reform that this
priest effected, he had a. ready ally
in the person of Nehemiah. He was
one of those who went back to
Jerusalem with the first expedition:
but had come back to Shushan and
was now in a position of great power
in the palace. As cupbearer to the
king he occupied the place of the
most confidential adviser. The cup
bearer tasted all the wine that was
given to the king to be sure that
there was no poison in it, and there
fore the position could only be held
by one whom the kind trusted inn
plicitly.
Nehemiah's brother, Hanani, came
back from Jerusalem one day, and
naturally Nehemiah was interested to
know how things We're going there,
and how the people were who had
been his companions in travel He
was distressed when Hanani told him
that the remnant were in great afflic-
ton and that the walls were broken
down and the gates burned with fire.
This must have been some recent dis
aster, for it would not have been
news to Nhemiah to know of what
SNebuchadnezZar had done years be-
fore; he had already been there and
SAsfn that for himself.
, xIt distressed him so that the king
asked him one day what was the mat.
ter with him. Nehemiah had already
prayed this through and so he was
ready with an answer; but when the
king asked what he would like to do
he prayed again a shooting prayer
before he answered. He sent a radio
message to God before he spoke to
AhaSuerus.
1t was bold request that he made:
but since Queen Esther was sitting
by the king, Nehemiah had additional
l. L.