The books of Ezra and Nehemiah illustrate how leaders of God’s people confronted the challenges facing the Jews during the post-exilic period of Israel. Zerubbabel inspires the people of God to rebuild the temple; Ezra leads them in renewing their faith in God; and Nehemiah rebuilds the wall and, importantly, the people as well. The examples in these books, of leading through challenges and opposition by trusting the Lord and committing to prayer, testify to how God’s gracious hand guides and blesses his people at each step. The careful exposition of these two books provides a valuable model for us to balance prayer and action with contextual application, and how the full obedience of leaders can lead to communities being transformed.
The Asia Bible Commentary series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.