The Navigators - Ezra and Nehemiah

Although the LIFECHANGE guides vary with the individual books they explore, they share some common goals:

1. To provide you with a firm foundation of understanding, plus a thirst to return to the book throughout your life

2. To give you study patterns and skills that help you explore every part of the Bible

3. To offer you historical background, word definitions, and explanation notes to aid your study

4. To help you grasp the message of the book as a whole

5. To teach you how to let Gods Word transform you into Christs image

This guide includes eight lessons, which will take you chapter by chapter through all of Ezra and Nehemiah. Each lesson is designed to take from one to two hours of preparation to complete on your own. To benefit most from this time, heres a good way to begin your work on each lesson:

1. Pray for Gods help to keep you mentally alert and spiritually sensitive.

2. Read attentively through the entire passage mentioned in the lessons title. (You may want to read the passage from two or more Bible versionsperhaps at least once from a more literal translation such as the New International Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, or New King James Version, and perhaps once more in a paraphrase such as The Message or the New Living Translation.) Do your reading in an environment thats as free as possible from distractions. Allow your mind and heart to meditate on the words you encounterwords that are Gods personal gift to you and to all His people.

After reading the passage, youre ready to dive into the numbered questions in this guide, which make up the main portion of each lesson. Each of these questions is followed by blank space for writing your answers. This act of writing your answers helps clarify your thinking and stimulates your mental engagement with the passage as well as your later recall. Use extra paper or a notebook if the space for recording your answers seems too cramped. Continue through the questions in numbered order. If any question seems too difficult or unclear, just skip it and go on to the next.

Most of these questions will direct you back to Ezra or Nehemiah to look again at a certain portion of the assigned passage for that lesson. At this point, be sure to use a more literal Bible translation rather than a paraphrase.

As you look closer at the passage, its helpful to approach it in this progression:

Observe. What does the passage actually say? Ask God to help you see it clearly. Notice everything thats there.

Interpret. What does the passage mean? Ask God to help you understand. And remember that any passages meaning is fundamentally determined by its context. Stay alert to all youll see about the setting and background of Ezra and Nehemiah, and keep thinking of these books as a whole while you proceed through them chapter by chapter. Youll be progressively building up your insights and familiarity with what theyre all about.

Apply. Keep asking yourself, How does this truth affect my life? Pray for Gods help as you examine yourself in light of that truth, and in light of His purpose for each passage.

Try to consciously follow all three of these approaches as you shape your written answer to each question in the lesson.

In addition to the regular numbered questions you see in this guide, each lesson also offers several optional questions or suggestions that appear in the margins. All of these will appear under one of three headings:

Optional Application. Try as many of these questions as you can without overcommitting yourself, considering them with prayerful sensitivity to the Lords guidance.

For Thought and Discussion. Many of these questions address various ethical issues and other biblical principles that lead to a wide range of implications. They tend to be particularly suited for group discussions.

For Further Study. These often include cross-references to other parts of the Bible that shed light on a topic in the lesson, plus questions that delve deeper into the passage.

(For additional help for more effective Bible study, refer to the Study Aids section beginning on page 129.)

Dont let your study become an exercise in knowledge alone. Treat the passage as Gods Word, and stay in dialogue with Him as you study. Pray, Lord, what do You want me to notice here? Father, why is this true? Lord, how does my life measure up to this?

Let biblical truth sink into your inner convictions so youll increasingly be able to act on this truth as a natural way of living.

At times you may want to consider memorizing a certain verse or passage you come across in your study, one that particularly challenges or encourages you. To help with that, write down the words on a card to keep with you, and set aside a few minutes each day to think about the passage. Recite it to yourself repeatedly, always thinking about its meaning. Return to it as often as you can, for a brief review. Youll soon find the words coming to mind spontaneously, and theyll begin to affect your motives and actions.

Exploring Scripture together in a group is especially valuable for the encouragement, support, and accountability it provides as you seek to apply Gods Word to your life. Together you can listen jointly for Gods guidance, pray for each other, help one another resist temptation, and share the spiritual principles youre learning to put into practice. Together you affirm that growing in faith, hope, and love is important and that you need each other in the process.

A group of four to ten people allows for the closest understanding of each other and the richest discussions in Bible study, but you can adapt this guide for other-sized groups. It will suit a wide range of group types, such as home Bible studies, growth groups, youth groups, and church classes. Both new and mature Christians will benefit from the guide, regardless of their previous experience in Bible study.