Tag: bsf answers questions lesson 23 day 5

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 23, Day 5: Nehemiah 3

by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Nehemiah 3

The people went to work rebuilding the gates and the wall of Jerusalem.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 23, Day 5: Nehemiah 3

12) Nehemiah fostered unity by erasing social hierarchies, having priests work alongside perfumers and daughters alongside rulers. He leveraged diversity by assigning families to repair sections “opposite their own houses,” brilliantly aligning personal motivation with the public good. This ensured every unique skill contributed to the collective defense, making the wall a shared victory.

13) Their involvement, beginning at the Sheep Gate, signified that spiritual restoration anchors physical security. By laboring alongside laypeople, they modeled servant leadership and sanctified the construction, demonstrating that protecting God’s people is as holy a task as temple service. It established that true revival requires both prayer and practical work.

14a) Nehemiah 3 illustrates that a faith community thrives on interdependence. When diverse believers—from priests to laborers—unite for a God-given vision, individual weaknesses are covered by collective strength. It reveals that spiritual security is a shared project, where every person’s contribution is vital for the whole body’s defense. It also shows how, when we work together, we can do more than we can when we work alone.

b) Even though my contribution may be small, collectively, we can accomplish a lot. I’m inspired to do my part for the whole and the greater good.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 23, Day 5: Nehemiah 3

Great lesson on how everyone can do their part to improve their community, which can result in big things being accomplished.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 23, Day 5: Nehemiah 3

Note how everyone is working. The work started with the gates since they were the most vulnerable to attack.

The Sheep Gate was where the shepherds herded their sheep for sale.

Note how the high priests were leading by example.

The gates were consecrated, set apart for God. We should do everything for God.

The Fish Gate was named for the fish market.

Fun Fact: The word for repairs is used more than 35 times in this chapter. Repairs are strengthening and building up for something bigger. Jesus was a builder who built us up.

Passion and drive can accomplish much for Jesus.

The Broad Wall was more than 20 feet wide.

Work should be done in our homes.

Here, we see the importance of believers working together for His purposes.

The work progressed counter-clockwise and was completed in just 52 days.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

The Strategy: Nehemiah 3 is a masterclass in delegation. Nehemiah divides the massive project into manageable sections, assigning them to families, priests, and professional guilds (goldsmiths, perfume makers). The Participation:

  • Top to Bottom: The High Priest Eliashib sets the example by building the Sheep Gate (v. 1).

  • Diverse Group: The list includes rulers, commoners, women (the daughters of Shallum, v. 12), and residents from surrounding towns like Jericho and Tekoa.

  • The Shame: The “nobles” of Tekoa are singled out (v. 5) because they refused to “stoop to serve their Lord,” contrasting sharply with the common people who worked diligently.

The Spiritual Circuit

The construction follows a specific counter-clockwise path around the city. Many scholars view this progression as a picture of spiritual growth:

  1. Sheep Gate: Sacrifice (Starts and ends here).

  2. Fish Gate: Evangelism.

  3. Old Gate: Truth/Foundations.

  4. Valley Gate: Humility/Trials.

  5. Dung Gate: Cleansing/Sanctification.

  6. Fountain Gate: Holy Spirit.

  7. Water Gate: The Word of God.

  8. Horse Gate: Spiritual Warfare.

  9. East Gate: Hope of Return.

  10. Inspection Gate: Judgment.

Conclusion

Nehemiah 3 is a portrait of shared stewardship.

It demonstrates that God’s work is not for a few superstars but for the whole community. By assigning people to build the wall “opposite their own house” (v. 28), Nehemiah brilliantly combined public duty with personal interest. The chapter teaches that unity is not uniformity; it is diverse people working toward a single, God-given goal.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 23, Day 5: Matthew 23:13-39

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 23:13-39

Jesus pronounces 7 woes against the Pharisees and the teachers of the law:

  1. They shut the doors of the kingdom of heaven and keep others out. The Pharisees won’t enter heaven.
  2. They travel far for converts, but once they convert, they become more sinful than themselves.
  3. They swear by the wrong things, such as the gold of the temple and the gift on the altar. Instead, swear by the temple and the one who dwells in it. Swear by heaven, God’s throne, and the one who sits on it.
  4. They have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness, but give a tenth of their spices.
  5. Inside, they are spiritually lacking and full of greed and self-indulgence. Instead, they clean the outside.
  6. They are hypocrites and wicked, not righteous.
  7. They stand in judgement of their forefathers, saying they would never have shed the blood of prophets, yet they are their descendants and are sinful, too.

Jesus calls them vipers and snakes. He tells them he is sending them teachers, who they will flog and kill. They will have righteous blood upon them.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 23, Day 5: Matthew 23:13-39

11a)

  1. They shut the doors of the kingdom of heaven and keep others out. The Pharisees won’t enter heaven.
  2. They travel far for converts, but once they convert, they become more sinful than themselves.
  3. They swear by the wrong things, such as the gold of the temple and the gift on the altar. Instead, swear by the temple and the one who dwells in it. Swear by heaven, God’s throne, and the one who sits on it.
  4. They have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness, but give a tenth of their spices.
  5. Inside, they are spiritually lacking and full of greed and self-indulgence. Instead, they clean the outside.
  6. They are hypocrites and wicked, not righteous.
  7. They stand in judgement of their forefathers, saying they would never have shed the blood of prophets, yet they are their descendants and are sinful, too.

Repeated words: “Woe to you” “teachers of the law and Pharisees” “you hypocrites” “blind such as blind guides, blind fools, blind men”

b)

  1. We can hinder others coming to God.
  2. We can cause others to sin.
  3. We can swear by the wrong things.
  4. We can get fixated on the trivial rather than what matters.
  5. We can be polluted on the outside, rather than focus on the inside.
  6. We are all hypocrites.
  7. We judge others.

12a) The religious leaders and the rulers will persecute and kill the disciples and other early Christian leaders.

b) Jesus awaits those to acknowledge he is the Son of God.

13) It’s all very true how we are all sinners and make the same mistakes as the Pharisees in our religious pursuits. Awareness is step one. Next, comes change.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 23, Day 5: Matthew 23:13-39

Good stuff. We all need to be told and have our faults pointed out so we can work to correct them and become closer to God.

Great gift!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 23, Day 5: Matthew 23:13-39

Woes would have been familiar to the Jews since they were used by the Old Testament prophets a lot. Isaiah 5:8-23; Habakkuk 2:6-19) Many compare these to the eight beatitudes Matthew 5:3-11. 

8 Woes

  1. Woe to those who shut up God’s kingdom. Jesus is pointing out how the leaders made human conditions more important than God’s.
  2. Woe to the religious leaders who steal from widows (the debated 8th woe) and use long prayers to appear spiritual. They will face a greater condemnation in hell.
  3. Woe to those who lead their convers down the wrong path. Romans 10:2 and gave them a false message.
  4. Woe to those who made false and deceptive oaths. They could not swear by God  Exodus 20:7 but they came up with oaths to swear by not abide by them. The altar is greater than the sacrifice on the altar. Every oath is binding.
  5. Woe to those who put trivial matters above those that matter. He used those who take the time to strain gnats (small things) but readily eat camels (big things) without thought.
  6. Woe to those who are corrupt and impure inside and out.
  7. Woe to those lacking spiritual life inside, or dead inside.  Paul called the High Priest a whitewashed wall in Acts 23:3.
  8. Woe to you who honor the dead prophets and kill the living ones.

The word “hypocrite” refers to an actor.

Our altar is Jesus himself and his work on the cross.

God is never fooled by appearances.

Why So Strong Words to the Pharisees?

Jesus hopes to gain repentance with these religious leaders who were so far away from God. Calling them snakes and brood of vipers is equating them with the devil.

Jesus does not want others to be deceived by them.

He mentions all the martyrs of the Old Testament, including Abel and Zechariah. Abel’s blood cried out (Genesis 4:10), and Zechariah asked that his blood be remembered (2 Chronicles 24:22).

Luke tells us that Jesus is crying as he says these words  Luke 19:41 Jesus’ heart breaks at the sin of these men, as it does for us.

Jesus weeps twice in the Bible. Here, for the men who are lost and will face eternal damnation and at the tomb of Lazarus, weeping over death, a consequence of our sin.

Jesus only wants to protect us like a mother hen.  (Psalm 17:8; 91:4; Isaiah 31:5;

Jesus’s words here tells us that he repeatedly visited Jerusalem when he was preaching. However, no one recorded these journeys for us.

They rejected Jesus despite his offering of redemption.

Jesus is referring to his Second Coming with the final words here, saying the Jews will acknowledge him as Messiah.

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