lds old testament slideshow 27: ezra, nehemiah, esther

8/9/2019 LDS Old Testament Slideshow 27: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

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Old Testament

Hurricane UtahAdult Religion Class

Week 27:Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther


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Background of Ezra-Nehemiah 2 Chronicles 36:22 23 (=Ezra 1:1 2). Events of 539 432 B.C.

People of Judah reestablished in Jerusalem.Covenant renewal; city and temple rebuilt.

The Cyrus Cylinde

r(Kurash Prism)


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Outline of Ezra-Nehemiah Ezra 1 4 (538 520 B.C. ). Ezra 5 (520 B.C. ).

Ezra 6 (515 B.C.).Chronological break (Esther) Ezra 7 10 (458 457 B.C. ).

Nehemiah 1:1 7:4 (445 432 B.C. ). Nehemiah 7:5 13:31 (432 B.C.).


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Lessons from Ezra-Nehemiah Opposition to the work of God:

More and more frequent.Increasingly from secular atheists.

Ezra 4:11 16.D&C 123:4 15.

Nehemiah 4:1

3. Nehemiah 6:1 3.

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Dealing with distractions

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What should we do in the face of the opposition that nowconfronts us? There is an answer in the Old Testament.. When [Nehemiahs] enemies saw that the [Jerusalem]wall was nearly up and that it was strong, they becameworried. Sanballat and Geshem invited Nehemiah to meetwith them in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. ButNehemiah said, They thought to do me mischief. And Isent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that Icannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, andcome down to you ? Their defense was simple and effective: Wemade our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them (4:9)and then went about the work.And that is what we should do go about our work, strengthen thewards and the stakes, the quorums and the families and the individualmembers. We have a work to do. Why should it cease while we dobattle with our enemies? Set a watch and make a prayer and goabout the work of the Lord . Elder Boyd K. Packer, August 1983


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Characteristics ofanti-Mormon web sites

Nicknames. Mocking and satire. Exit stories. Lack of depth or context. Hyper-fundamentalist. Rejection of God. Church as dangerous, violent. Charges of brainwashing. Cheerleading.


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Facing the challenge of faithWhen facing the challenge of faith[or] inmoments of fear or doubt or troubling times,hold the ground you have already won, evenif that ground is limited. When thosemoments come and issues surface, theresolution of which is not immediatelyforthcoming, hold fast to what you alreadyknow and stand strong until additionalknowledge comes . Jesus said, If ye have faith as agrain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto thismountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shallremove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.The size of your faith or the degree of yourknowledge is not the issue it is the integrity youdemonstrate toward the faith you do have and thetruth you already know. 11


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Facing the challenge of faithWhen problems come and questions arise,do not start your quest for faith by sayinghow much you do not have, leading as itwere with your unbelief. That is like tryingto stuff a turkey through the beak! Let mebe clear on this point: I am not asking you topretend to faith you do not have. I am askingyou to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimeswe act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a highermanifestation of moral courage than is an honestdeclaration of faith. It is not! Be as candid aboutyour questions as you need to be; life is full of themon one subject or another. But if you and your familywant to be healed, dont let those questions stand inthe way of faith working its miracle.

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Facing the challenge of faith. Brothers and sisters, this is a divine work inprocess, with the manifestations andblessings of it abounding in every direction,so please dont hyperventilate if from timeto time issues arise that need to beexamined, understood, and resolved. Theydo and they will. In this Church, what we know willalways trump what we do not know. And remember,in this world, everyone is to walk by faith.

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Facing the challenge of faith. Last observation: when doubt or difficultycome, do not be afraid to ask for help. If wewant it [humbly and honestly], we can get it.The scriptures phrase such earnest desire asbeing of real intent , pursued with fullpurpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and nodeception before God. I testify that in response tothat kind of importuning, God will send help fromboth sides of the veil to strengthen our belief .

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2013

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Struggling with unanswered questSome struggle with unanswered questionsabout things that have been done or said inthe past. We openly acknowledge that innearly 200 years of Church history alongwith an uninterrupted line of inspired,honorable, and divine events there havebeen some things said and done that couldcause people to question.Sometimes questions arise because we simply donthave all the information and we just need a bit morepatience. When the entire truth is eventually known,things that didnt make sense to us before will beresolved to our satisfaction.

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Struggling with unanswered questSometimes there is a difference of opinionas to what the facts really mean. Aquestion that creates doubt in some can,after careful investigation, build faith inothers.And , to be perfectly frank, there have beentimes when members or leaders in theChurch have simply made mistakes. Theremay have been things said or done that were not inharmony with our values, principles, or doctrine.I suppose the Church would be perfect only if itwere run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and Hisdoctrine is pure. But He works through us Hisimperfect children and imperfect people make

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Struggling with unanswered quest. To those who have separated themselvesfrom the Church, I say, my dear friends,there is yet a place for you here.

Come and add your talents, gifts, andenergies to ours. We will all become betteras a result.Some might ask, But what about mydoubts?

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Struggling with unanswered questIts natural to have questions the acorn ofhonest inquiry has often sprouted andmatured into a great oak of understanding.There are few members of the Church who,at one time or another, have not wrestledwith serious or sensitive questions. One ofthe purposes of the Church is to nurture andcultivate the seed of faith even in thesometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faithis to hope for things which are not seen but which aretrue.

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Struggling with unanswered questTherefore, my dear brothers and sistersmy dear friends please, first doubt yourdoubts before you doubt your faith. Wemust never allow doubt to hold us prisonerand keep us from the divine love, peace,and gifts that come through faith in the LordJesus Christ . President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2013

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Readings at Jewish feasts Hamesh Megillot (The Five Scrolls):

The Song of Solomon at Passover.Ruth at Pentecost.Lamentations on the Ninth of Ab.Ecclesiastes at the Feast of Tabernacles.Esther at Purim.


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Esther: Setting characters King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I?). Queen Vashti.

Esther. Mordecai. Haman.


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Next week:Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

lds old testament slideshow 27: ezra, nehemiah, esther

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