Notes

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

1. For a study of Nehemiah, see my book Be Determined, also published by David C. Cook. My exposition on the rest of the Minor Prophets may be found in Be Amazed and Be Concerned, also published by David C. Cook.

CHAPTER 1

1. My Utmost for His Highest, July 7.

2. Boorstin, Daniel J. The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (New York: Harper and Row, 1964), 61.

3. If we calculate from the fall of Jerusalem (587–586 BC) to when the first group of exiles returned (538), we have about fifty years. Perhaps we should see this as another evidence of God’s mercy, for He shortened the time of their exile.

4. It may seem strange that not all the Jews elected to go back home, but they had been in Babylon several decades and had settled down to as normal a life as they could have away from their homes and temple. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah had instructed them to be the best citizens possible (Jer. 29:1–7). Lacking a temple and priesthood, the Jews developed synagogue worship during their captivity, and with the synagogue appeared the body of teachers we know as the scribes and Pharisees. Life in captivity was neither dangerous nor unbearable, and for many of the Jews, the long journey back to Judah was an impossible challenge. The book of Esther and the book of Daniel prove that God had work in Babylon for some of the Jews to do.

5. Is it right for God’s people to accept and use for God’s work wealth that comes from unbelievers? In one sense, the Babylonians owed this money to the Jews whom they had plundered so ruthlessly during their invasion of Judah. The prophet Haggai (2:8) makes it clear that all wealth belongs to God and He can distribute it as He sees fit. However, we need to follow the example of Abraham and refuse wealth that would compromise our testimony or put us under obligation to unbelievers (Gen. 14:18–24). Deuteronomy 23:17–18 warns us that money earned from sinful activities is not welcomed by God.

6. “Tirshatha” in the KJV, a Persian word translated “governor” in the NIV and NASB. The same title was given to Nehemiah (Neh. 7:65, 70; 8:9; 10:1). It means “the feared one” and is the equivalent of “Your Excellency” or “Your Reverence” in English. Charles Spurgeon’s wife used to call him “the Tirshatha.”

7. We aren’t told why Joshua the high priest didn’t have the Urim and Thummim, as they were an important part of his glorious vestments. During the Babylonian captivity, the Jews didn’t seem to have the special miracles from God that had often accompanied them (Ps. 74:9), although the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel had wonderful revelations from God. There is no biblical evidence that the use of the Urim and Thummim was restored after the captivity.

8. Maclaren, Alexander. Expositions of Holy Scripture (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974), vol. 1, 77.

9. Ibid., vol. 3, 290.

CHAPTER 2

1. Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961), 85.

2. Taylor, Dr. and Mrs. Howard. Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret (London: China Inland Mission, 1949), 111.

3. Ezra 4:8—6:18 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew, and so is Ezra 7:12–26. These letters and the decree were copied from official documents kept in government archives.

4. Ezra 4:12 is the first place in Scripture where you find the word “Jews.” It refers, of course, to the people of Judah.

5. Historians estimate that Artaxerxes I collected between 20 and 35 million dollars annually from his subjects.

6. Spurgeon, Charles. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1986), vol. 7, 13.

7. When he laid the foundation of the temple, Zerubbabel followed the dimensions given in the law of Moses, but the edict allowed him to make a bigger structure.

8. The Hebrew word for “dedication” is hanukkah, which is the name of the Jewish holiday in December during which they remember the rededication of the temple in 165 BC. The temple had been taken by the Gentiles and defiled, but the courageous Jews, led by Judas Maccabeus, captured it, cleansed it, and dedicated it to the Lord.

9. That Darius, King of Persia, should be called “king of Assyria” in Ezra 6:22 shouldn’t disturb us. In Nehemiah 13:6, Artaxerxes, king of Persia, is called “king of Babylon.” Darius’ kingdom included Assyria, so the title applied.

CHAPTER 3

1. Of course, God is spirit and doesn’t possess literal hands such as we do. The phrase is what theologians call “anthropomorphic,” that is, attributing to God something that is true of humans (anthrop = human; morphos = form). God doesn’t have eyes, but He “sees” what’s going on in the world; He doesn’t have ears, but He “hears” our cries. Because He’s a person, God has the ability to act and respond, and the Bible uses human terminology to explain this. When Isaiah wanted to show the greatness of God, he said that God measured the waters “in the hollow of his hand” (Isa. 40:12); and the psalmist reminds us that all God has to do to feed His creatures is open His hand (Ps. 104:28). “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Ps. 145:16 NKJV).

2. He was called “Artaxerxes Longimanus,” which is Latin for “Artaxerxes the long-handed.” (The Greek equivalent is “Macrochier.”) He may have been called “the long-handed” because his great authority reached out so far, or because he was generous to his subjects. But it was God’s hand that moved the king’s hand to sign the edict that enabled Ezra to take a remnant of Jews to their land to serve the Lord.

3. Nixon, Richard. Leaders (New York: Warner Books, 1982), 1.

4. Hilkiah was high priest during the reign of godly King Josiah and found the book of the law while the temple was being repaired (2 Kings 22). Zadok was faithful to King David during David’s most trying times, especially when Absalom and Adonijah tried to capture the crown (2 Sam. 15 and 17; 1 Kings 1—2). Phinehas was the courageous priest in Moses’ day who was honored for opposing Israel’s compromise with the Midianites (Num. 25; Ps. 106:30).

5. Many students believe that Ezra was one of the founders of the synagogue, which in Babylon took the place of the temple as a place for assembly, worship, and teaching.

6. Moses wrote what God told him (Ex. 24:4, 12; Deut. 28:58; 29:21; 30:10; 31:9, 19, 24) and also kept a record of Israel’s journeys (Num. 33:2). He left Joshua “the book of the law” (Josh. 1:8) to which Joshua added his record (23:6). Samuel wrote in the book (1 Sam. 10:25) and others added to it (1 Chron. 29:29). The book of the law apparently was “lost” in the temple, of all places, and recovered during Josiah’s day (2 Chron. 34—35). The Jewish scribes were very careful to copy the Scriptures accurately and preserve them from textual corruption. Thanks to their faithfulness and the providence of God, we have the Scriptures today.

7. Zerubbabel didn’t have an abundance of Levites in his company, only 733 out of almost 50,000 men, less than 2 percent. One would think that God’s special servants would be anxious to go back to their land and serve, but they decided to stay.

CHAPTER 4

1. This injunction is also found in Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8; and 1 Peter 1:15–16. When God repeats a command eight times, His people had better pay attention!

2. Christians are exhorted to marry “in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39) and not join themselves with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14–18). The old covenant distinction between Jews and Gentiles no longer applies, for God has made all nations of one blood and there is “no difference” (Acts 10; 17:26; Rom. 3:21–23). The Messiah has come, the work of salvation has been completed, and believing Jews and Gentiles may marry in the Lord and serve God.

3. Three great prayers of confession are found in the Old Testament: Ezra 9; Nehemiah 9; and Daniel 9.

4. When Nehemiah discovered sin, he plucked out the hair of the offenders! (Neh. 13:25).

5. The word “heaviness” (KJV; “self-abasement,” NIV) suggests that Ezra fasted during this trying time, not because he was trying to earn God’s blessing, but because he was just too burdened to eat.

6. Depending on how you translate the text and determine the various relationships, there were either 110 or 111 offenders.

CHAPTER 5

1. However, it’s difficult to think that God’s servants would wait for sixteen years before urging the people to get back to work rebuilding God’s house. Did Haggai and Zechariah arrive in Judah much later, sent by God to get the work going again? Or do their books record only the success of their ministry? They may have been urging the people all along to return to the task for which they had been released from bondage. Ezra doesn’t mention them in his book until 5:1. It’s likely that God permitted His people to suffer sixteen years of discipline and disappointment to prepare them for the words of His prophets. It’s a good illustration of the truth of Matthew 6:33.

2. One of the basic themes of Malachi is the honor of God’s name.

3. Morgan, G. Campbell. The Westminster Pulpit (London: Pickering and Inglis, 1955), vol. 8, 315.

4. Zechariah uses the title “Lord of hosts” thirty-seven times and Malachi twenty-three times. Why should the little Jewish remnant fear the Gentile armies around them when the Lord of Armies is their Savior and Commander? The Hebrew word for “hosts” [tsaba] is transliterated as “Sabaoth” in Romans 9:29 and James 5:4. Martin Luther used it in verse 2 of his hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

CHAPTER 6

1. In the King James Version of Leviticus, words relating to ceremonial cleanliness are used 71 times, and words relating to “uncleanness” 128 times. “Unclean” is used 31 times in Leviticus 11, the chapter that details what the Jews were allowed to eat. Of course, “unclean” refers only to ceremonial defilement and not the condition of the heart. No amount of washing or sacrificing could of itself make the inner person clean. For inner cleansing, there must be repentance, confession, and faith (Ps. 51).

2. Whatever touched the altar became holy (Ex. 29:37), as well as whatever touched the sanctified vessels of the tabernacle (30:28–29), but the holiness of the objects that touched the altar or the vessels couldn’t be transmitted to anything else.

3. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Preaching and Preachers (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1971), 24.

CHAPTER 7

1. Zechariah the postexilic prophet must not be confused with the Zechariah who was martyred in the days of King Joash (2 Chron. 24:20–22) and to whom Jesus referred (Matt. 23:35). Their fathers had the same first name, but this wasn’t uncommon in Bible times. Since the Hebrew Bible ends with 2 Chronicles, Jesus was saying, “From the beginning of the Scriptures [Abel’s murder in Genesis] to the very end of the Scriptures [Zechariah’s murder in 2 Chron.], all the innocent blood that was shed will be held against you.” We have no evidence that the Zechariah who ministered with Haggai was ever slain.

2. See chapter 29 of Born After Midnight, by A. W. Tozer (Christian Publications, 1959).

3. The Jews certainly knew the terms of God’s covenant. If they obeyed, the blessing would overtake them (Deut. 28:2), but if they disobeyed, the curses would catch up with them. “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God … that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. … Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed” (Deut. 28:15, 45 NKJV).

4. See Revelation 2:5, 16, 21–22; 3:3, 19. Five of the seven churches to which Jesus wrote were commanded to repent.

5. Students of prophecy aren’t agreed as to the starting date for the captivity. If you begin with 606–605 BC, when the first prisoners were taken to Babylon, then the captivity ended in 537 when the Jews returned to Judah, led by Zerubbabel and Joshua. If you count from the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586, then the captivity ended with the dedication of the second temple in 515. If the latter date is what the Lord had in mind, then the completing of the temple was indeed a key event. However, the question in Zechariah 1:12 implies that the seventy years were now over.

6. Jeremiah lamented that nobody had comforted Jerusalem after the city was destroyed (Lam. 1:2, 9, 16–17, 21).

7. The London Observer, 2 Jan. 1983. Quoted in The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations, compiled by Robert Andrews (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993), 477.

8. The neo-Roman Empire appears again at the end of the age under the control of the Beast (Dan. 7:8; Rev. 13). This empire will be destroyed by the return of Christ in power and great glory (Dan. 2:44–45; 7:9ff.).

9. Alexander’s conquests are mentioned in Zechariah 9:1–8, 13.

10. The word pupil comes from the Latin pupilla, “a tiny doll,” referring to the small reflection you see of yourself when you look into another’s eyes. The Hebrew word for “apple” (pupil) in Deuteronomy 32:10 is literally “little man.”

CHAPTER 8

1. James M. Kouzes and Berry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1987), xvi.

2. It sank even lower after the temple was completed. Read the prayer of Ezra (Ezra 9) and the book of Malachi for proof. When our Lord came to earth, the flame of Jewish faith was flickering.

3. Merrill F. Unger, Commentary on Zechariah (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1963), 59.

4. In Solomon’s temple, the one large candlestick was replaced with ten smaller ones (1 Kings 7:49; 1 Chron. 28:15).

5. Vance Havner, The Vance Havner Quote Book, compiled by Dennis J. Hester (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986), 111.

CHAPTER 9

1. The Hebrew word eretz can mean either “land” or “earth” depending on the context, and sometimes it isn’t easy to determine which is meant. In Zechariah 4:14, eretz is obviously “earth,” for our God is “Lord of the whole earth.” The NIV translates eretz “land” in 5:3 and 6, meaning the land of Israel; while the KJV and NKJV use “earth,” meaning the whole world. I prefer the NIV translation since these visions deal especially with the sins of the Jewish nation against the law of God.

2. By making a minor change in the Hebrew text, the NIV translators have the white horses going to the west, but the received text has the white horses following the black horses.

3. The KJV translated it “crowns,” but how could you put several crowns on one man’s head? The Hebrew word is plural, but this refers to the elaborateness of the crown. It was a diadem (Rev. 19:12), one crown with several levels, one on top of the other.

4. The statement “Behold the man” (Zech. 6:12) reminds us of what Pilate said to the Jews in John 19:5 when he presented Christ to them. It reminds us of the gospel of Luke, the gospel of the Son of Man. “Behold my servant” (Isa. 42:1) reminds us of Mark, the gospel of the Servant; “behold thy King” (Zech. 9:9) relates to Matthew, the gospel of the King; and “Behold your God” (Isa. 40:9) reminds us of the gospel of John, the gospel of the Son of God.

5. Some people “spiritualize” these kingdom prophecies and relate them to the church today rather than to a restored Israel in the future. That there are present-day applications of Old Testament passages, no honest student would deny; for the only Bible the first-century church had was the Old Testament. But there’s a difference between application and interpretation. Each passage has only one basic interpretation, even though there may be several applications.

CHAPTER 10

1. However, let’s not wait until then to show compassion to the unborn and the elderly. If God’s ideal is happy children playing together in the streets and elderly people chatting together, then why not aim for the ideal today? Jesus came that we might have abundant life as well as eternal life, but our modern cities are more and more becoming places of death.

2. For that matter, their fasts didn’t accomplish anything because their hearts weren’t right with God (Zech. 7:4–14). They only went through a religious ritual that did more harm than good. Better not to do it at all than to do it and not mean it.

3. Contemporary opposition to Jewish evangelism is a subtle new form of anti-Semitism. The Christian church owes so much to Israel, and the best way to pay the debt is to share the gospel with the Jewish people. If it’s wrong to witness to Jews, then Jesus was wrong, and so were Peter and Paul. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and Paul was willing to go to hell for their conversion (Rom. 9:1–3). That ought to be motivation enough for us to lovingly witness to the people who gave us the Bible and the Savior.

CHAPTER 11

1. The Hebrew word means “to lift up,” suggesting that the prophet lifted his voice to proclaim the Word of God. But there’s also the idea of a heavy weight that the prophet carries because of the seriousness of the message.

2. The conquest of Phoenicia had also been predicted by Isaiah (23:1–18), Jeremiah (25:22; 47:4), Ezekiel (26:1–21; 28:20–24), and Amos (1:9–10).

3. The account of Alexander’s visit to the Holy City is recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews, book XI.8, sections 3–5.

4. The donkey was the animal used by royalty (2 Sam. 16:2; 18:9; 1 Kings 1:33).

5. Isaiah gave his two sons names that illustrated what he was preaching to the people, and he also dressed scantily, like a prisoner of war, for three years. Jeremiah wore a yoke, publicly broke pottery, and wore a dirty girdle. Ezekiel played at war, got a haircut and disposed of the cuttings in three unusual ways, and cut a hole in the wall so he could escape.

6. Students have a tough time figuring out who these three shepherds were. They scour lists of the names of rulers, priests, and other important people who lived at that time, but we have to confess that we just don’t know, and it’s useless to speculate.

7. History reveals that the Jews have had a tendency to break up into parties and sects rather than try to agree and work together for common goals. Over the centuries, they have produced many different groups, religious and political, and there will be no national unity until the birth of the new nation when Messiah comes.

8. In Mark 1:1–3, in the best Greek texts, Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 and says, “It is written in Isaiah the prophet” (NIV). He names the greater prophet.

CHAPTER 12

1. The word Armageddon is used only in Revelation 16:16. Some students of prophecy prefer “the campaign of Armageddon,” since the invasion and attack take place in several stages.

2. That the last great world battle will involve horses and riders is a puzzle to some. But the prophets wrote so that the people could understand, and horses and chariots were the strongest and best equipment an army could have in their day. However, the description of the results of the plague (Zech. 14:12–15) resembles that of the victims of an atomic blast.

3. The NIV reads “a spirit of grace and supplication,” that is, an attitude of heart, and gives “the Spirit” in the margin. But parallel passages suggest that it is the Holy Spirit of God who is referred to (Joel 2:28–29; Ezek. 39:29), and see Peter’s reference to Joel’s prophecy when the Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 2:16–21).

4. Having rejected the truth, the Jewish nation fell prey to lies, especially false prophets. Jeremiah had to battle the false prophets in his day, and false prophets will abound in the end times (Matt. 24:4–5, 11, 23–24).

5. Some interpreters apply verse 6 to the Messiah, but the context prohibits this. In verses 2–6, it’s clearly the false prophets who are being discussed.

6. The reign of Christ on earth is usually called “the millennium” because it will last for one thousand years. “Millennium” comes from the Latin: mille = thousand; annum = year. See Revelation 20:1–7.

7. Some students equate the millennial Jerusalem of Ezekiel 40—48 with the heavenly city described in Revelation 21—22, but to accept that view requires total disregard of several facts. There is no temple in the heavenly city (Rev. 21:22), but Jerusalem in the kingdom age will have a temple and a priesthood. Worshippers from all nations will celebrate the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles at the kingdom Jerusalem (Zech. 14:16–21), but surely there would be no such worship in the heavenly city. Furthermore, those who don’t worship properly will be punished, something we can’t begin to imagine happening in the heavenly city. During the kingdom age, Jesus will reign in Jerusalem from David’s throne (Luke 1:32–33), but the throne in the heavenly city is “the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:3). The heavenly city is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9), while the nucleus of the millennial Jerusalem is the refined Jewish remnant, “the wife of Jehovah” who is now cleansed and restored.

8. Unger, 265–66.

9. Zechariah 14:21 is another evidence that the temple and the priesthood will be important elements of life in the kingdom age.

CHAPTER 13

1. Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. “The Decline of Heroes,” in Adventures of the Mind, edited by Richard Thruelsen and John Kobler (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960), 96.

2. Ibid., 98. In the years that followed the publication of Dr. Schlesinger’s essay, especially during the sixties, individualism began to be more acceptable as the younger generation rebelled against “the establishment.” With the many options and lifestyles around us, society today may not appear to be very homogeneous, but conformity today is found in the many subcultures that make up society. “There’s safety in sameness,” says the subculture. “Let’s all be different by being alike.” So, Dr. Schlesinger’s thesis is still true: We’re a nation of sheep, and most people are just trying to find their own comfortable fold.

3. Boorstin, Daniel J. The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (New York: Harper and Row, 1964), 45.