Nehemiah 7:5-6

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Proving the Birthright

Nehemiah 7:5-6
Dave Reid
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BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. There must be proof of the birthright.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Are you sure of your birthright?

  2. We should emphasize the gospel in our ministry.

QUESTIONS

  1. List the three phases of the exile.

  2. List the three phases of the return.

  3. How is the 70-year captivity reckoned?

  4. Why did the Jews of Nehemiah’s day have to prove their birthright?

  5. What happened to the Jews who could not prove their birthright?

  6. What does it mean to be “a partaker of the divine birthright”?

ANSWERS

  1. Phase 1: Daniel and others were taken into captivity (605 BC), Phase 2: Ezekiel taken into captivity (597 BC), and Phase 3: Temple destroyed (587-586 BC).

  2. Phase 1: 50,000 Jews returned under Zerubbabel (538 BC), Temple rebuilt (516BC), Phase 2: Ezra returned with 2,000 more Jews (458 BC), and Phase 3: Nehemiah returned and the city walls were rebuilt (445 BC).

  3. In 2 ways:

    a. 605-535 BC (in 605 BC the first phase of the captivity began; in 535 BC the rebuilding of the temple began).

    b. 586-516 BC (the Temple was destroyed in 586 BC, and rebuilding was completed in 516 BC).

  4. Because non-Jewish enemies were infiltrating the ranks.

  5. They were excluded from the genealogy list.

  6. When a person repents and confesses his sin, and asks Jesus Christ to be his Savior, God forgives his sins. The believer receives divine life, becoming a partaker of the life of Christ (1 Peter 1:4), and is assured of a home in heaven.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Why do some people rely on good deeds, tithing, being a church member, or “being good” as their ticket to heaven? Do these things impress God? Review Matthew 7:22-23.

  2. What happens to professing believers who are not true possessors of the birthright? Does this concern you enough to share the above verses with them?

CHALLENGE

  1. Do you have proof of your birthright as a believer? Read 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Romans 8:1, 5-6, 9, 14.

KEY VERSES

  • “He has given us new birth…and an inheritance that can never perish.” 1 Peter 1:3-4

Nehemiah, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsNehemiah 7:5-6