Sermons By Ed

Study Notes Ed Underwood Esther God’s Unfailing Protective Love The chronology of Esther’s time is important: “It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this.” (Mordecai to Queen Esther, Esther 4:14) The fifth major unit within the seventeen Historical Books is referred to as the Post Exilic Period. The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther record Israel’s “second exodus,” this one from exile in Babylonia. This mini-exodus that only involved a returning remnant came in three waves. Zerubbabel rebuilt the temple in the first wave of 50,000. After God foiled a Satanic plot to exterminate God’s people in Persia, godly Esther reigns as Queen of Persia. Eighty-one years after Zerubbabel’s return, Ezra brings 5,000 Jews to Jerusalem to rebuild their godly culture. Finally, Nehemiah leads the third and last return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. This was the time when the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi spoke. Ezra 1-6 Restoration under Zerubbabel 538-515