Tetzaveh/Ezra & Nehemiah

By Tim Johnson   March 8, 2025

Today’s portion is Tetzaveh.  This is the part of Exodus where the Tabernacle and all its parts and accessories are being called for by God, then they are made by the Children of Israel, and finally they are built and used in service to God.  In our particular portion this week, we have the priests’ robes talked about, the breastplate, the ephod, some details about some of the sacrifices on the altar, and such things as these. 

Sometimes in these types of portions, in the Haftarah, we are sent to sections in the book of Kings where Solomon is building the Temple.  But never in all the Parashot, (that I can remember), are we directed to read from Ezra and Nehemiah.  That is where we are going today, and I think this is by direction from above.  The rebuilding of Jerusalem after the carrying away is often overlooked, it seems to me.  

The first Tabernacle in the Wilderness was designed by God and was a truly amazing, awesome thing.  Especially since the Children of Israel were walking around in that “Dirty Desert” for all those forty years.  I mean, they didn’t know they were going to be there for that long when they made it, but God did. 

Next came Solomon’s Temple. This was magnificent by comparison to the Tabernacle.  The sheer size of the place, the opulence of all the gold, the size of the Cherubim inside, and the presence of all the rooms, the stone work, the pillars, and so forth not only dwarfed the previous Tabernacle, but also was truly a wonder of the world. 

We know from our Bibles and from history that this temple didn’t last forever.  Because of the sins of the houses of Israel and Judah, they both got carried away from the Land of Israel.  In the end, the Temple was destroyed, and the riches of it were carried away into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and his army.

But in Babylon, after they were carried away, there were still believing Jews who knew about the prophecies of Jeremiah and Daniel, the Prophets, and recognized that God had said there was to be an end to their captivity after seventy years. 

After this, there were other men called to rebuild Jerusalem.  One of these was Ezra, and another was Nehemiah.  As you probably know, their jobs were to bring believing Jews, in this case the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, back to the land of Israel to help repair the Temple and the Wall in Jerusalem.

We’ll begin in Ezra.  Well, actually, let me mention the Book of Daniel first and talk about timelines.  In the Hebrew Tanach and in my bible, the NJV, Daniel directly precedes Ezra and Nehemiah in the order of the books.  It’s very appropriate that this is the way it is, because they are all about the same period in history, and are basically chronological.  I’m reading the wonderful stories and prophecies in the book of Daniel, and just assuming that these kings are chronological.  But they are not. 

In Daniel, the order the kings are mentioned is: 

• Nebuchadnezzar,
• Belshazzar (the Kasdian)
• Darius the Mede
• Darius the son of Ahasuerus- the Mede (probably the same Darius..?)
• And finally, Cyrus King of Persia. 

Then, coming to Ezra, the Persian kings were in a different order.  It’s because of this that I finally looked them up.  Ezra is chronological, but there are great spaces of time that are not really explained.  The kings that are in control at the time are mentioned, and once you realize when the kings were, you can see the time gaps. 

In Ezra, we read of:

• Cyrus, king of Persia
• Darius, king of Persia
• Ahasuerus
• Artaxerxes the King- (in his seventh year, Ezra goes up to Jerusalem),

Then, Darius king of Persia is mentioned again. 

The next numbers you need to pay attention to are of Artaxerxes (I) from 464 to 424 B.C.  He reigned for forty years until four hundred twenty four years before Messiah.  The spread of years between these is over one hundred years.

That is what is not obvious when you read Ezra.  It starts out with Cyrus, and a few chapters later we’re talking about Ezra going up to Jerusalem.  When Ezra went to Jerusalem, it was in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia.  First year of Cyrus is in 559 B.C.  Artaxerxes is in 464 B.C.  That is over a hundred years later! 

This is what was so surprising to me, because it reads on the surface as if it is a continuing story, (and it is).  But actually, Ezra is recounting historical accounts and information that happened over a hundred years previously in the first part of his book, and then telling his own current story afterwards. 

So, with that in mind, we now come to  

Ezra 1

Scripture quotations are from the NJV Bible (New Jerusalem Version).  Copyright © 2022 by Hineni Publishers

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of YHVH by Jeremiah’s mouth might be fulfilled, YHVH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,  2 “Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘YHVH God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 

3 Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of YHVH, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.  4 And whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and with animals, in addition to the freewill offering for God’s house which is in Jerusalem.’”

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the kohanim and the Levites arose, all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of YHVH which is in Jerusalem.  6 All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with animals, and with precious things, in addition to all that was willingly offered.  7 Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of the house of YHVH, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; 8 even those, Cyrus king of Persian brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

Now this in itself is remarkable, that this Persian king (Cyrus) is so acknowledging of YHVH God of the heavens, God of Israel.  I personally do not know his background or how he got this way.  But this is such an amazing example of how our God is supreme and involved in the history of his people, as well as the historical events of mankind.  We may feel at times like maybe God doesn’t even know what is going on in the world, but God knows, and God cares.  Nothing happens in this world without him knowing, and nothing happens to you that did not first pass through him first.  God made sure his people began to be returned to their place at the appropriate time after the carrying away, and a huge part of how he started it was through this Persian king, Cyrus the Great. 

We’ll skip a bunch of names and so forth in Ezra 1 and 2, and continue to

Ezra 3

1 When the seventh month had come, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.  2 Then Yeshua the son of Jozadak stood up with his brothers the kohanim, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Torah of Moses the man of God.  3 In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings morning and evening.  4 And they kept the feast of Sukkot, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required; 5 and afterward the continual burnt offering, the offerings for Rosh Chodesh, of all the set feasts of YHVH that were consecrated, and of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to YHVH.  6 From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to YHVH. 

But the foundation of the temple of YHVH was not yet laid.  7 They also gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters.  They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of Persia.

8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Yeshua the son ot Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the kohanim and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of YHVH.  Then Yeshua stood with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have the oversight of the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites. 

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of YHVH, they set the kohanim in their clothing with trumpets, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise YHVH, according to the directions of David king of Israel.  11 And they sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to YHVH,

“For he is good, for his chesed endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised YHVH, because the foundation of the house of YHVH had been laid. 

12 But many of the kohanim and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice.  Many also shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a great shout, and the noise was heard far away.

So this all happened in the reign of Cyrus the Great, in his first and second year. 

In Ezra chapter 4, there are accounts of trouble with the enemies of the children of Israel.  It starts during Cyrus, and continues during Darius, and Ahasuerus, and into the reign of Artaxerxes.  This happens over chapter 4 and 5, and takes over a hundred years, like I said. 

Throughout history, ancient and modern, we see a consistent thing happen, and that is persecution of the Jews.  This is not always related to the sinfulness or to the righteousness of God’s chosen people.  Yes, sometimes it is, but not always.  Throughout these hundred years in Ezra, persecutions seem to constantly crop up.  It seems to me, that to any logically minded individual, whether they believe in God, or not, this constant persecution should raise a red flag.  And what is this red flag, you may ask?  It indicates the presence of a spiritual enemy who goes beyond ages and generations,  beyond personalities and kings.  This enemy of righteousness, this enemy of God, wants to obliterate God’s people, and continues to try to do so even up to today. 

The story of God’s people in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah is so obviously spiritual.  God is reestablishing them back in the land of promise, and their enemies continue to sprout up and try to stop them.  On the one hand we have the obvious favor of God in many of these Persian kings to help and to bless the Children of Israel.  On the other, there are constant uprisings against them by the people who surround them.  These contrary people want to thwart them in their good endeavors, and ultimately want them dead or gone.  They are dead serious in their opposition, and do not give up.  This to me indicates a spiritual enemy behind all of this, and it’s not just here in Ezra and Nehemiah, this happens throughout human history. 

We see this in modern times as well. It’s constantly happening in current events.  We as believers in Messiah, as Messianic Jews today, are a part of this Biblical family we see here in Ezra and Nehemiah.  Do not think for a moment that we don’t have an enemy.  We do.   We also have our great and awesome God who favors us, protects us, blesses us, and helps us continue on our life’s paths. 

But please remember, that this is what is going on all around us every day.  It behooves us to make our lives count in the spiritual realm.  Remember the words of Yeshua, as he taught us to pray:

Matt. 6

9 Pray like this:

          ‘Our Father in heaven,

                    may your name be kept holy.

          10 Let your Kingdom come,

                    let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

If we want the will of God to happen on this earth, we need to involve ourselves in his work.  That’s what Ezra did.

Chapter 7 of Ezra is where we get to his story. 

Ezra 7

1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Esesar, the son of Aaron the chief kohen—6 this Ezra went up from Babylon.  He was a skilled scribe in the Torah of Moses, which YHVH, the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all his request, because the hand of YHVH his God was on him.  7 Some of the sons of Israel, including some of the kohanim, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 

This king Artaxerxes was supportive of Ezra and the Jews, and gave him a letter of passage, as well as promise of support and help with supplies.  Also the Jews were not to be taxed.  This is Ezra’s response to God:

Ezra 7

27 Blessed be YHVH, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of YHVH which is in Jerusalem;  28 and has given me chesed before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.  And I was strengthened as the hand of YHVH my God was upon me, and I gathered together chief men out of Israel to go up with me.

There are other important stories in the book of Ezra, but I need to leave here and get to Nehemiah. 

Nehemiah has the same spiritual and physical conflict happening that we have already seen in the book of Ezra. 

Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

And it came to pass in the month Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I  was in Susa the palace, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.  3 And they said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach.  The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

4 And it came to pass when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of the heavens, 5 and said, “I beg you, YHVH the God of the heavens, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and chesed with those who love him and keep his mitzvot, 6 let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the sons of Israel you servants, while I confess the sins of the sons of Israel, which we have sinned against you.   Even I and my fathers house have sinned.  7 We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the mitzvot, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which you commanded your servant Moses.  8 Remember, I beg you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you trespass, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to me, and keep my mitzvot and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.’  19 Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand.  11 Adonai, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants , who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s cupbearer.

This is how we begin.  The next verse is the beginning of chapter 2:

Nehemiah 2

1 Now it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king…

So this gives us our time stamp.  Ezra went up in the seventh year of the king, and Nehemiah goes in the twentieth year, which is thirteen years later.

Again, remember, the Children of Israel have already been back living in the land for over one hundred years before Ezra and Nehemiah get there. 

As you probably know, the book of Ezra deals a lot with the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, while Nehemiah concerns himself with the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem.

As Chapter 2 of Nehemiah continues, he goes to the king with his request to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.  The king is gracious to him, and sends him with letters as well as armed horsemen to escort him.  Then…

Nehemiah 2

11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.  12 I arose in the night, I and a few men with me.  I did not tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.  There was no animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.  13 And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal’s well, then to the dung gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.  14 Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.  15 Then I went up in the night by the brook, and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.  16 And the rulers did not know where I went, or what I did.  I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the kohanim, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work. 

17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire.  Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we will not be disgraced.”  18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.  And they said, “Let us rise up and build.”  So they strengthened their hands for the good work.  19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing?  Will you rebel against the king?”  20 Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of the heavens will make us prosper.  Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. 

Nehemiah 3:33  (4:1 in Christian Bibles)

33 And it came to pass when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, that he was angry and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.  34 And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing?  Will they fortify themselves?  Will they sacrifice?  Will they finish in a day?  Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?”  35 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it he would break down their stone wall.”

36 “Hear, O our God; for we are despised; turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.  37 Do not cover their iniquity and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”

38 So we built the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Nehemiah 4

1 Now it came to pass when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired, and that the breaches began to be filled, that they were very angry;  2 and they all plotted together to come to wage war against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion in it.  3 But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them. 

9 And it came to pass when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.  10 And it was from that time forth, that half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.  11 Those who built the wall, and those who carried burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon.  12 Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built.  He who sounded the shofar was by me.  13 I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 

14 Wherever you hear the sound of the shofar, rally there to us.  Our God will fight for us.”

Nehemiah 7

1 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 that I put my brother Hanani, and Hanananiah the governor of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.

(73) When the seventh month had come, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

What is the seventh month?  The first day is Yom Teruah, a memorial of blowing shofars.

Nehemiah 8

1 All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the wide place that was in front of the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Torah of Moses, which YHVH had commanded to Israel. 

2 So Ezra the kohen brought the Torah before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.  3 And he read from it before the wide place that was in front of the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and or those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the scroll of the Torah.

9 Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the kohen and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, “Today is holy to YHVH your God; do not mourn, nor weep.”  For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah.  10  Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord.  Do not be grieved, for the joy of YHVH is your strength;  11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy.  Do not be grieved.”  12 All the people went their way to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. 

This scene is just so sweet.  The wall is completed, the people are few, but assembled, it is a feast day, Yom Teruah.  They spend the entire morning listening to the Torah, and they want to weep, but it is supposed to be a day of celebration, so they can’t.  What a scene!

I guess that’s all we have time for today.  Nehemiah has a bunch of other things to read in it.  One thing in chapter 9 is a prayer to God, which includes a wonderful summation of the history of the Children of Israel, but no time for that today…  I guess you’ll have to read that for yourselves. 

In closing, I’ll quote one of the times that Nehemiah asks God to remember him for the good that he has done.  This is something that resonates with those of us who are involved in the work of our God, and in the Body of Messiah.

Nehemiah 13

14 Remember me, my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my chesed that I have done for the house of my God, and for its observances.

Shabbat Shalom