Day 13

I can see why these books, originally together, were separated in Christian bibles. Ezra is a gloomy sort while Nehemiah is joyful at what’s to come — even the difficult parts. I resonated with this contrast, though. At first, after reading Ezra, I was afraid of what was lurking around the corner with Nehemiah. It turned out it was the Kings vs. Chronicles difference in tone all over again. Here the Israelites and Judaeans are returning home, with permission from the Persian king, to rebuild Jerusalem! Ezra worries. He points out faults. He goes on tirades against impurity. Nehemiah delights in every moment.

I experience this night and day approach to issues as a minister often. One person is so delighted about xyz thing and the next quickly points out everything that is wrong. It’s neither good nor bad, it just is. Some people are like Ezra…always waiting and quick to take note of what went wrong. Others are along for the ride, finding the thrill of the good in every second. That’s where Nehemiah comes in.

I have to remember this. These texts are making a clear point. When I finished Kings, I felt the exile. When I finished Chronicles, I felt the hope. Same here. Ezra made me feel doubtful whereas Nehemiah had me engaged every verse. In justice work, which Nehemiah speaks of, it can be easy to adopt an approach that is perpetually angry, fearful, and exacting judgement on what isn’t perfect. But time and time again, communities show all of us that joy and anticipation are possible. Yes, Jerusalem was in ruins…but all of Israel was uniting to rebuild. It’s so much easier to focus on the ruins and leave your heart and mind there.

I’m going to remember these books, if only for the many moments in my life where I need the reminder woven into Nehemiah to remember the joy. I have plenty of Ezra days.

One Word for Ezra: Cynical
One Word for Nehemiah: Exuberant

Parts of the Story That Stayed With Me

1. Ezra 1-3, Weeping and Shouting. Ezra gives special attention to the weeping and how it nearly drowned out the shouts for joy when the people laid the foundation for the new temple. Were they tears of joy? Nope. Not with Ezra, the biblical Emo kid.
2. Ezra 4, Sabotage! Why, yes, the temple was sabotaged by resistant local kings. Nehemiah is mum on this. The contrast between the two is incredibly interesting. Ezra was a scribe and, therefore, likely wrote down every detail, including the bad. Was the author of Nehemiah really wearing rose colored glasses?
3. Ezra 9-10, Marry Your Own Kind. The author of Ezra really hates intermarriage. Chapters like these are sources of damaging perspectives regarding interracial/intercultural marriage in our world. So, yeah, he spends two chapters on how awful it all is.
4. Neh 4:21, Day and Night. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was hard work, but I love this verse here. “So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears form break of dawn until the stars came out.” Reading the rest of the book, you’ll immediately attach enthusiasm to this verse.
5. Neh 5, Justice in Action. This is probably the part of Nehemiah I hear about the most. We have the nobles of Israel exploiting the common people. So, they are called to account for their ways and publicly declare, before everyone, they will change. And they do. This chapter is often a foundational text for many relational organizing movements.
6. Neh 8, Livin’ the Law. It felt like a chapter that needed a lot of “oh, oh oh!” moments. In rediscovering the book of the law (Deuteronomy), the people start to relearn their lost traditions. They do it imperfectly, but there is an intentionality in learning and living. We see this again at the end when the Sabbath is reinstated and Nehemiah reflects on foreign marriages (as did Ezra). However, Nehemiah resists the ranting and raving…and it’s far less black and white as to who should stay married to whom.

This post is part of a lager series where I read the entirety of Hebrew & Christian scriptures in 45 days. Take a look a the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.