ESTHER: Purim

Students of the Bible are often familiar with the story of Esther. We all seem to know the story of the underdog queen who was chosen to be the tool used by the hand of God for a perfect moment in the history of God’s people.

For the sake of a quick review, the story of Esther comes to us as the king of Persia, Xerxes (or Artaxerxes, depending on your translation and source), has deposed his current wife and queen, Vashti, after she refuses to “appear” (i.e., striptease) before the men as they gather for a banquet to celebrate the greatest of the Persian empire. The men, who are worried what Vashti’s rebellion might signal to all the women of the empire if she is not made an example of, said she should be deposed. After Vashti’s banishment, a beauty competition is put together. This contest — which appears to be a sick combination of American Idol, the Bachelor, and the Hunger Games — ends as a young Jewish woman named Hadassah/Esther is chosen to succeed Vashti as queen.

We are introduced to Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, a righteous Jew who becomes a main character in a subplot to the story of Esther. Mordecai, who has previously uncovered a plot to assassinate the king, is also determined not to bow his knee to the character of Haman, a right-hand man to the king who seems addicted to the praise of the empire’s subjects. After Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman, Haman’s rage develops into a full-blown plan to destroy the Jewish people.

Mordecai, having learned of the plot to destroy his people, seeks to persuade Esther to put her life on the line in crafting a petition to the king to save the life of his queen. Mordecai succeeds, calling Esther to consider that she was put in her royal position “for such a time as this.” She requests an audience and banquet with the king at which she uncovers the plot of Haman. The king orders that Haman be executed, makes an edict that the Jewish people may defend themselves, and, after their triumph, they usher in the annual celebration of Purim.

What most of us never catch is the massive “story behind the story” of Esther.

Let’s look at the historical setting of the story of Esther. Most of us have always heard and considered the story of Esther in a sort of reader’s vacuum. Honestly, while I thought I knew some of these things vaguely in the back of my mind, it wasn’t until far too recently that I realized how significant they were in this piece of biblical literature. When I was trained in biblical history, I was taught about the remnant who returned upon the decree of Cyrus. The impression given to me was that the Israelites all cheered, threw a party, and started coming home in droves. In fact, this is not at all what happened. A very small percentage of people came home from Persia initially. Even centuries later, scholars estimate that only 250,000 people had returned from Babylon to rebuild the land of Israel. Many people stayed in Persia. They did this, certainly, for a few reasons:

1) It’s incredibly hard to rebuild. To return home and “start from scratch” is going to take a dedicated group of people. The project is formidable and not for the faint of heart. These people will need to be tenacious, radical, and a little crazy in order to pack up everything and move their families home.

2) Persia appeared to be — at least at first — a step in the right direction. Persia was not like Babylon. It would be hard to pack up and move home in the middle of a culture shift that is making the world around you “better.”

3) People didn’t stay just because of ease or their laziness. People also stayed because they felt like God was doing something IN PERSIA. This is a conclusion that I would argue is true — and backed up by more than one historic prophet. The book of Esther takes place in Persia. It is the story of the people who remained in Persia for a whole host of reasons. Was it because they were lazy compromisers? Was it because they were taking the mission of God seriously and blessing “all the nations” around them? Was it a little of both?

Now let’s explore the cultural setting of the story of Esther. Most readers will be unaware of the cultural setting for the entire story of Esther. The English nicely and quaintly translates away the real source of this “beauty contest.” When the Text tells us that these girls would be brought to the king’s harem for a year’s worth of “beauty treatments,” what they are not told in the English is that these beauty treatments include a year’s worth of training in the art of lovemaking. When they get to spend their “one night with the king,” they are not going on a dinner date; they are being given one shot to impress the king with their sexual prowess. If he is impressed with her “abilities,” he may move her on to the next round, or he might choose her to be his new wife. Otherwise, she will be sent home.

Esther is chosen to be Xerxes’ new wife after she wins his approval. Really? And just how does this Jewish girl manage to do that? You see, we are told that she is keeping her Jewish identity a secret. Her Babylonian name (Esther) is actually the name of the Babylonian goddess of love and sexual fertility. What kind of a girl is this Esther?

This brings us to the rampant debate that exists in Jewish thought surrounding the book of Esther.

Esther could be a story of a girl who came to her position of influence by some morally questionable means. She may, in fact, be a girl riddled with a horrible past and tremendous compromise. If so, the story of Esther becomes an anthem for anyone who’s ever made some serious mistakes or has a history littered with horrible decisions. If this story happens to be the one of biblical reference, then we have to realize that Esther’s horrible decisions and marred past did not keep her — for single moment — from God’s future. For all of those people who seem certain that God could never use them, the story of Esther becomes God’s retort: “I do not care about your yesterday; I care about your today. I’m not interested in what you’ve done; I’m interested in whether or not you are willing to partner with me to put the world back together NOW.”

However, Esther could just as easily be a story about a girl who remains resolutely steadfast in her commitment to walk God’s path well. There are many hints in the Text that would lead us to believe Esther actually never committed a single sin, but instead, committed herself to righteousness and being a woman of the Text. There is a stunning tradition in the Babylonian Talmud (yes, the Babylonian Talmud; consider the implications of that) which says Mordecai trained her in the ways of the Text and she was chosen as queen precisely because she did NOT impress Xerxes with games of lovemaking. The Textual clues for this in the oral tradition are astounding.

* I would recommend finding Rabbi David Fohrman’s teaching on “The Queen You Thought You Knew.” He has a book, a video, a holiday series, and a parsha teaching, any of which would tap into some of the best teaching I’ve ever seen on the book of Esther.

If this second story ends up being the biblical reference, then the story becomes an inspiring teaching about what it means to walk the path of God — even in the midst of empire. The need for generation after generation to remain faithful is tantamount as we consider the story of Esther. Somewhere there was a faithful Jew who remained in Persia and followed God and studied their Text and walked the path, day after day after day. They passed this onto their children who walked the path and studied their Text, day after day. None of these saw the fruits of their labor.

But that generation passed it onto to their children — one of them named Mordecai. And Mordecai passed it on to a niece who would end up being in just the right place at just the right time to save the Jewish people and change the course of Jewish history.

All of this happened because of faithfulness in the midst of Empire.

These are stories that invite you and I into them. We are being asked to realize that we are not disqualified for partnership in God’s great Kingdom. We are being invited to let go of the yesterday we believe defines us and allow God to write a new tomorrow. We are being invited to see that the fruits of our faithfulness — no matter where we live or what’s going on in the world around us — may not be realized in this life, but it is critical that we walk faithfully and pass the torch of God’s calling onto our children. We don’t know when God might knock on their door “for such a time as this.”

MALACHI: Q & A

The frustrations and struggles that are dealt with in the Remnant, especially those spoken to in Haggai and Zechariah, eventually boil over and find their fruition in the decades that follow the restoration of Jerusalem. To put it simply, the people are disappointed that things didn’t turn out like they had dreamed. They didn’t come back and restore a glorious kingdom. God didn’t give them all of their land and sovereignty back. In fact, their experience was quite the opposite.

What appeared to be a turning of the tables with the kingdom of Persia happened to become a simple reshuffling of the items on the table. Some of the earlier oppression got better, only to be replaced by a much more subtle oppression that is harder to identify and fight. Instead of being physically persecuted and militarily dominated, they find themselves being enticed into a system that controls you from the inside out. Instead of being forced into physical servitude, you are forced into a cultural servitude that destroys your will to subvert the idolatry all around you. Instead of being robbed of your material possessions, you are robbed of your identity as partners of God.

This brave new world isn’t all it was cracked up to be — it rarely is.

The people mourn this loss and their situation. They begin to lose hope and lose the determination and inspiration that’s needed to subvert the ways of empire all around them. And so their struggles to walk the path well continue.

Ever been there? Have you ever found yourself longing for “the good ol’ days”? Do you ever get caught up in a wave of nostalgia and find yourself wishing that things could go back to the way they were?

Well, they can’t. They never can. Time only moves forward; you can never go backward. Instead, you have to think about all the possibilities that might lie before you in a new reality. If God is for us… if we trust the story… if we’re people of the Resurrection and new tomorrows and the Repairer of Broken Walls… then our best days must lie out in front of us, never behind us.

Rabbi David Fohrman recently gave a parsha teaching on the importance of what happens when we begin to lose hope. Is hope really irrational? In it, he brought up an amazing point:

“Do we imagine new tomorrows or do we lie to ourselves about a better past?”

I have realized that I have often lied to myself about a past that never was. I begin to think that “the good ol’ days” were far better than they actually were. And I’ve noticed that when I begin to believe this, I start to live much more poorly in the present. I begin to fall into bad attitudes and bad habits. Quite frankly, I find myself beginning to fall into the sins of the past, as well.

I believe this is what is happening to God’s people in the time of Malachi. And Malachi has been sent (or somebody has; malachi literally means “my messenger.” Some have argued that it isn’t even a name, but a reference to some nameless prophet) to shake the people out of their foolish nostalgia. Malachi does this by painting the picture of a dialogue between God and His people. They have a thorough Q&A interview process:

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty.

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

“By offering defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.

Or later:

Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

Or even later:

“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

“You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the LORD.

“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’ ”

But this time, God’s people hear the message of God’s messenger. We are told that there WERE people who belonged to a faithful remnant. They marked the moment by writing a scroll of remembrance and God marked the moment with a promise that extends through the final chapter of the prophet:

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

“On the day when I act,” says the LORD Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

That day, God once again found a partner. Sometimes it’s simply 7,000 people who haven’t bowed the knee to Baal in the midst of a nation corrupted with idolatry. Sometimes it’s a small group of twenty people who could save a city like Sodom and Gomorrah. Sometimes it’s just a few people, serving in the presence of a frustrated people who are losing hope, who put their names on a scroll and set out to become people of the promise.
I wonder what it would take for us to be a part of a faithful remnant.

ZECHARIAH: Apocalyptic Literature

One of Haggai’s contemporaries (maybe even a well-known acquaintance) was the prophet Zechariah. When one does the dating of the return of Ezra-Nehemiah and considers that they are referred to as “young men” in their prophecies, it stands to reason that Haggai and Zechariah were toddlers when the first few waves of returnees hit the ground in Jerusalem. To give these prophets some “real life context,” these two boys grew up in the mess and struggle that was the Remnant.

While Haggai’s ministry is short and sweet, Zechariah’s ministry spans a few decades. Zechariah gives consistent images that are meant to inspire the people to push forward into the future God has ahead of them. Zechariah is another prophet who will employ very heavy and intentional use of apocalyptic literature. As we’ve mentioned before, apocalyptic literature utilizes symbols and images to convey hope to their present day. And at the risk of repeating myself from our Ezekiel discussion (it’s worth it; this is important), apocalyptic literature is not trying to map out visions of the “end times” and lay out blueprints for the future. That is simply not how apocalyptic literature functions. Whether God decides to do things in the future in a way that lines up with these prophesies (something God loves to do — He loves to reference His own book) is up to Him, but the inspired prophecy of Zechariah is not primarily about our future world.

On the contrary, Zechariah is a prophecy about the remnant that has returned and the need for them to persevere in the face of imperial rule. Trying to rebuild the glory of “the good ol’ days” while you sit under the control of a Persian government begins to weigh on a person’s psyche. Zechariah tells them to hold on, and he does it by employing metaphors, visions, and images.

As is true with much apocalyptic literature, the pictures are often full of symbols that represent God and His people, the trials of the audience, and the eventual triumph of God’s good agenda. Also typical of apocalyptic literature, the prophecy begins with images that encourage faithfulness and endurance, and then moves to close the prophecy with the assuring proclamation that a new kingdom, a new reality, and a new ruler is on the way. Zechariah is quite insistent that if God’s people will persevere, their future king will come to them. But for now, they must walk obediently the path that lies before them — the path through Persia.

Having a grasp on apocalyptic literature and the movement of the prophet allows us to read books like Zechariah and understand them. We love to cherry-pick passages from Zechariah that fit our needs for a good proof text, but we rarely find these passages used in context. For example, one of the most famous passages from Zechariah is the humble king who comes riding on a donkey:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
    and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The sun has not set on too many Palm Sundays without that verse being quoted at least once — and for good reason. However, what we often fail to understand is what Zechariah’s original intent was when he prophesied those words. Zechariah was insisting that if God’s people would find a way to live obediently within empire, God would send them rescue. And this rescue wouldn’t come through armies and military might, but by God’s divine providence.

They would see their king rise to power through humility.

Sound familiar? And no, I’m not talking about Jesus. We will certainly address this later, but at this point in the story, Jesus isn’t here yet. We have to hear this story in its original context in order to appreciate what Jesus will do with it.

And if the people of God will walk in obedience — even in the midst of Persia — God will do something in the world that will destroy the weapons of war and the chariots of oppression.

One final note before we’re done: It’s worth noting that almost all the images of Zechariah will show up later in the book of Revelation. John will end up taking the apocalyptic images of the Tanakh and use them to craft his own message to the early church.

Zechariah’s prophecy starts with a man walking among the myrtle trees; Revelation starts with a man walking among the lampstands.

Zechariah speaks of the horns that were sounded to scatter Israel; Revelation speaks of trumpets that are sounded to usher in destruction and rescue.

Zechariah speaks of a measuring line used to measure Jerusalem; the same image is employed in Revelation at the end of the vision.

Zechariah talks about clean garments of the high priests; John tells us about a multitude in clean, white robes.

Zechariah tells us about scrolls; so does John.

Zechariah speaks of a woman in a basket; Revelation speaks of a woman on a beast.

Zechariah contains the vision of four horses drawing chariots; so does Revelation.

And yet, we stand around and wring our hands and moan about how the book of Revelation is so vague and complex and hard to understand. Everything in Revelation has already been said centuries before. Maybe it would help if we became familiar with the Hebrew scriptures that John is quoting — just a thought.

I think it’s time to get in the Text.

HAGGAI: Build!

As the people of God struggle to rebuild under the pressures we talked about in the last post, Zerubbabel gets some help from some prophetic friends, Haggai and Zechariah. Haggai’s ministry appears to kick things off and lasts for only a short period of time. The entire prophecy of Haggai spans about nine months according to the specific dates given in the book. The prophecy of Haggai is very brief and easy to read; it’s about the length of a blog post (I thought about just copying and pasting the Text and calling it good) and I recommend taking a moment either before, during, or after this post to read the whole book yourself. It’s one of the prophets that I find many people have never read. You should change that!

Haggai’s message is quite simple: It’s time to get off your butts and build God’s house!

Now, this may seem to run a little contrary to some of the things we saw earlier, where the author seems to suggest that everyone was getting distracted with the building project that God didn’t want. If God didn’t want a house in the first place, why is He so passionate about this one? I think the answer lies in beginning of the prophet:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’ ”

Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

The issue doesn’t appear to be the status of a house made with cedar and gold. It STILL appears to be the state of the people’s hearts. God seems to be a little concerned with where their priorities lie. They’ve had no problem returning home and building their own paneled homes. But for some reason, it’s still “not time” to build the LORD’s house.

Haggai clearly tells them: The time has come. Let’s get moving.

But Haggai is also interested in dealing with the emotional state that is hamstringing the process. Haggai is well aware that part of the problem with this building project is that the Temple being restored is no match for the glory of the Temple that Solomon established in all of his wealth and imperial might. Haggai tells them that the magnificence of the building is not where the significance lies. Instead, it is the Glory that dwells within it. And that Glory is not going to be harnessed or diminished by the level of opulence they install.

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

Haggai closes his prophecy by reminding the people how important it will be to stay pure at this stage of rebuilding their homeland. It is much more difficult to spread goodness and light than it is to spread darkness and trouble. After utilizing a metaphor built around clean and unclean articles and temple worship, Haggai assures the people that if they will persevere in the project that God has for them, they will find everything they truly need in Him.

The message of Haggai is yet another prophet that continues to speak to us today. He speaks about priorities and whether or not we happen to be more concerned with our own agendas than with God’s. He speaks to us about what truly matters: the opulence of our church buildings? The impressive nature of our Bible knowledge? The academic credentials we place after our names?

God is able to dwell in the humblest of temples.


In fact, He seems to prefer it.

EZRA/NEHEMIAH: Passionate Leadership

We now enter the last time period of the Tanakh, what I call the period of the Remnant. Babylon is eventually conquered by the Persians and the new Persian rule brings a new day to the people of the Bible, which is probably a good place to start.

Depending on which historian you ask, the description of the Persians can differ. I personally adhere to the explanation that the Persians were much different in their methods of ruling a vast empire. Babylon was the last of a dying breed of world-conquerors. For centuries, the world had been dominated by the imperial “tough guys,” empires that would enter the scene, flex their militant muscles, and destroy you. Babylon sought to crush, demoralize, and annihilate you.

Persia, on the other hand, had been heavily influenced by the new Western ideals of the Greeks. They sought to “win over” their enemies and earn their loyalty, rather than pummel them into surrender. This isn’t to say that the Persians weren’t incredible in their conquest — quite the opposite — but they had learned that conquering the world is much cheaper, easier, and less of a headache if you can win them over to your cause. Not only this, but Persia, instead of pillaging your land and leaving it desolate, would now employ you to farm, use, and occupy your land, causing their imperial economy to flourish.

So, when Cyrus defeats the Babylonians, we are told that he makes a decree that allows the Jews to go back home. This isn’t just a stroke of generosity on the part of Cyrus; this is his method. It also helps us understand why all throughout the book of Ezra, we keep seeing letters that are exchanged that question the motives and loyalty of the Jewish people to the Persian empire. Persia will not stand for a little rebellion beginning at the crossroads of the earth.

It should also be pointed out that very few people find themselves filled with joy and on their way “back home.” There is no mass return of the Jews; they come back in multiple waves of small groups of people. We are told of at least three distinct ways. The earliest pioneering wave of the remnant is led by a man named Zerubbabel. Later, Ezra follows and brings a second wave. The book of Ezra covers those two waves of returnees. Nehemiah will be mounting a third wave of returnees that we will read about in the book of his name.

But alas, this is not the point of my post. What concerns me about the teaching around Ezra and Nehemiah is the personalities of the guys we are told about who lead this remnant home to rebuild in their homeland.

I find it interesting to note the different forms of leadership that are seen in the story of Ezra/Nehemiah. The pioneering spirit of Zerubbabel is going to be a good fit to go with the pastoral, shepherding methods of Ezra. Between the two of them, they respond to adversity with steadfast encouragement and diplomacy. Zerubbabel writes letters and waits for responses; he follows the rules and plays by the book. Ezra will come back home and address the sinful disobedience of the people with discussion and Bible study. Upon finding out that the people of the remnant have already intermarried, putting the clarity of God’s project at risk almost immediately, he holds what I can best describe as a town hall meeting. They spend time in prayer and in the Text. The meeting is successful as the people come out with a spirit of confession and a plan for moving forward.

This stands in stark contrast to the methods and personality of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is a guy who has a little Elijah in his bones. When the people of God meet resistance in the building project, the last thought to cross Nehemiah’s mind is to write a letter; his command is to lay bricks with one hand and hold a sword in the other! When Nehemiah finds that the leaders have all gone home and intermarriage is again running rampant, the last thing on his mind is a town hall meeting; instead, he pulls out their beards and beats them with his fists (allowable by Torah).

Ezra/Nehemiah is about leadership. And it allows me to make some observations that will lead to an application.

First, please note that resistance, hardship, and troubles will come. In each story, the one constant piece is hardship. Rebuilding is difficult. Pushing forward and making progress is hard work. There will always be bumps in the road and obstacles to overcome. Good leaders help people overcome obstacles. They encourage people to keep going. They help us all endure. They find a way (and Godly leaders find God’s way, not just a way).

Second, please note that these leaders couldn’t be more different in their leadership styles and personalities. Ezra and Nehemiah have completely different leadership styles. Ezra is a shepherd/exhorter; Nehemiah is a prophet. Ezra leads with encouragement and tact; Nehemiah leads with fire and inspiration. Both leaders are blessed in their work by God. Why? Because they are working as God has created them to work. They are working in their anointing.

Third, they were passionate. This went for all of them. It’s easy to see the passion of Nehemiah, but don’t think for a second that Ezra didn’t lead each and every morning with passion. It’s difficult to crawl out of bed each morning and encourage God’s people and write another letter, only to wait for a delayed response. It takes all kinds of passion for Zerubbabel to mount up the troops and head back home into the unknown. You don’t lead a charge of the remnant without passion and an undying commitment to persevere.

I believe that each person reading this has a certain capacity and calling for leadership. You may be the kind of leader everybody would call a leader; you might be a business owner or a supervisor or a teacher. Maybe you aren’t, but you also might be a parent or a mentor. You might be gifted with the ability to serve. You might be the one woman some young girl looks up to. You might be the one man who doesn’t realize that his colleague is watching him.

You are a leader of something. And your calling is to be the kind of leader God created you to be. If you are a Nehemiah, we need you to be a Nehemiah. (Of course, if you are a Nehemiah, you probably don’t need me to tell you that.) If you are an Ezra, we need you to be an Ezra. If you are a pioneer, we need a few more people like Zerubbabel. And we need you to be passionate about leading well.


So lead on. The people of God need it.