Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Ezra and Nehemiah focused their lives on understanding the word of God. In our study this week, they teach us some of the blessings of understanding the Word of God especially as true understanding gives us joy and strength. We also are reminded to now allow distractions to define your day. Instead, we are encouraged to focus on the “great work” in life. We can start by preparing our hearts to seek, do and teach (see Ezra 7:10).
Year Event
Ezra — Records the Jewish restoration from Babylonian Captivity; 50,000 Jews return from exile to their homeland and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Ezra covers history between 538 B.C. and 430 B.C. Ezra is a priest and a scribe.
Cyrus in Scripture
Scripture How does Satan try to stop them? How is this similar to our lives? Any examples from your personal life?
Ezra 4:4 Weaken the hands … troubled them …
Ezra 4:5 Hired counsellors (lobbyists) against them
Ezra 4:6 Accusations against them.
Nehemiah 4:1 Mocked them.
Nehemiah 4:16-17 As they worked to build the temple, they had to defend their work.
Nehemiah 6:2-4 Sought to distract and do ‘mischief’ to them.
Sister Leone O. Jacobs: “Well, what does preparing one’s heart mean? It means checking up on oneself, scrutinizing one’s daily life to see what is there, to see what is there of value and what should be thrown out. It means humbling oneself before the Lord. It means ridding oneself of bitterness and selfishness. It means complete forgiveness of all wrongs inflicted upon us, real or imagined. It means opening wide one’s heart to righteousness, putting oneself in an attitude to receive good. It means clothing one’s life differently”. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/01/prepare-thy-heart?lang=eng)
Winston Churchill: “To every man there comes . . . that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.” (as quoted by Jeffrey R. Holland, “Sanctify Yourselves,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 40)
President Boyd K. Packer: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.
“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. . . . That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel. (“Little Children,” Ensign, November 1986, 17)
Thought Questions
Elder Boyd K. Packer: “For a number of years I found relaxation in carving and painting songbirds, at times spending a full year on a single carving…Once, I had a newly finished carving on the back seat of a car driven by Elder A. Theodore Tuttle. He hit the brakes suddenly and the carving was thrown to the floor damaged.
“Elder Tuttle felt terrible, supposing he had ruined a years work. When I waved aside his apologies, he said, ‘You sure don’t seem to be upset about it.’ “To reassure him I said,’ Don’t worry. I made it; I can fix it.’ Actually it had been broken and fixed many times while I was working on it.
“Later, Brother Tuttle likened that experience to people with lives broken or badly damaged-supposedly ruined with no hope of repair-who do not know that there is a Maker, a Creator who can fix any of his creations no matter how hopelessly broken they seem to be’ (The Play and the Plan, 6-7)
Elder Boyd K. Packer: "The Atonement leaves no tracks, no traces. What it fixes is fixed. … The Atonement leaves no traces, no tracks. It just heals, and what it heals stays healed.” (general conference training meeting, Apr. 7, 2015.)
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “Nehemiah of the Old Testament is a great example of staying focused and committed to an important task. Nehemiah was an Israelite who lived in exile in Babylon and served as cupbearer to the king. One day the king asked Nehemiah why he seemed so sad. Nehemiah replied, “Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ [graves], lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?”4
When the king heard this, his heart was softened, and he gave Nehemiah the authority to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. However, not everyone was happy with this plan. In fact, several rulers who lived near Jerusalem grieved exceedingly “that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.”5 These men “took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.”6
"Fearless, Nehemiah did not allow the opposition to distract him. Instead, he organized his resources and manpower and moved forward rebuilding the city, “for the people had a mind to work.”7
"But as the walls of the city began to rise, opposition intensified. Nehemiah’s enemies threatened, conspired, and ridiculed. Their threats were very real, and they grew so intimidating that Nehemiah confessed, “They all made us afraid.”8 In spite of the danger and the ever-present threat of invasion, the work progressed. It was a time of stress, for every builder “had his sword girded by his side, and so builded.”9
“As the work continued, Nehemiah’s enemies became more desperate. Four times they entreated him to leave the safety of the city and meet with them under the pretense of resolving the conflict, but Nehemiah knew that their intent was to do him harm. Each time they approached him, he responded with the same answer: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.”10
"What a remarkable response! With that clear and unchanging purpose of heart and mind, with that great resolve, the walls of Jerusalem rose until they were rebuilt in an astonishing 52 days.11
“Nehemiah refused to allow distractions to prevent him from doing what the Lord wanted him to do.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2009/05/we-are-doing-a-great-work-and-cannot-come-down?lang=eng)
What leads to understanding?
Ezra 7:10 - Preparing my heart
Nehemiah 8:3 - Being attentive when studying scripture
Nehemiah 8:3, 9:3 - The willingness to spend a significant amount of time in scripture study
Nehemiah 8:6 - Studying the scriptures in an attitude of prayer and worship
Nehemiah 8:7-8 - Seeking help from teachers and others who can help enlighten my understanding
Nehemiah 8:14-16 - Obeying the principles that I find in scripture study
Nehemiah 8:18 - Studying the scriptures daily
What does understanding lead to?
Nehemiah 8:6, 9:3 - A desire and an ability to worship more frequently and sincerely
Nehemiah 8:9, 9:1, 33 - Humility; a realization of how much we depend on God and the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Nehemiah 8:12, 17; 12:43 - Great rejoicing, Great gladness, and Great joy
Nehemiah 9:2; 10:28 - The desire and strength we need to separate ourselves from the world
Nehemiah 9:2, 3 - A humble desire to confess sins and be forgiven of them
Nehemiah 9:17, 31-32 - A knowledge of God's characteristics and true nature
Nehemiah 9:38; 10:29 - A greater desire to make and keep covenants to keep God's commandments
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “Like Nehemiah, you love the Lord … The Lord loves you and is mindful of the purity of your hearts and the steadfastness of your resolve. He blesses you for your fidelity, guides your path, and uses your gifts and talents in building His kingdom on this earth.
“Nevertheless, not all are like Nehemiah. There is room for improvement.
“I wonder … what could be accomplished if we all, like the people of Nehemiah, “had a mind to work.” I wonder what could be accomplished if we “put away childish things” and gave ourselves, heart and soul, to becoming worthy … and true representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“It is easy to become distracted—to become focused on one burned-out lightbulb or the impolite acts of unkind people, whatever their motive may be. But think of the power we would have as individuals … if, in response to every temptation to lose focus or lower our standards—the standards of God, we responded, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“We live in times of great challenges and great opportunities. The Lord is seeking men [and women] like Nehemiah... He seeks to enlist unfaltering souls who diligently go about the work of building the kingdom of God—those who, when faced with opposition and temptation, say in their hearts, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“When faced with trial and suffering, they respond, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“When faced with ridicule and reproach, they proclaim, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“Our Heavenly Father seeks those who refuse to allow the trivial to hinder them in their pursuit of the eternal. He seeks those who will not allow the attraction of ease or the traps of the adversary to distract them from the work He has given them to perform. He seeks those whose actions conform to their words—those who say with conviction, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2009/05/we-are-doing-a-great-work-and-cannot-come-down?lang=eng)
Teaching Thoughts:
Year Event
- 740 BC Isaiah begins to prophesy
- 539 Persians overthrow Babylon (see Daniel 5:30-31)
- 538-537 First year of Cyrus’s reign (see Ezra 1:1-4)
- ca 537 Temple altar rebuilt (see Ezra 3:1-3)
- 536 Work on the temple begun (see Ezra 3:8)
- 536-530 Samaritan opposition during Cyrus’s reign (see Ezra 4:1-5)
- 530-520 Work on temple ceased (see Ezra 4:24)
- 520 Work on temple renewed (see Ezra 5:2; Haggai 1:14)
- 516 Temple completed (see Ezra 6:14-15)
- 458 Ezra left Babylon and arrived in Jerusalem (see Ezra 7:6-9)
- 458 Ezra called upon the Jews to repent (see Ezra 10:9-17)
Ezra — Records the Jewish restoration from Babylonian Captivity; 50,000 Jews return from exile to their homeland and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Ezra covers history between 538 B.C. and 430 B.C. Ezra is a priest and a scribe.
Cyrus in Scripture
- Isaiah 44:28
- Jeremiah 25:12, 29:10
- Josephus records that Cyrus knew of Isaiah's prophecy:
- "In the first year of the reign of Cyrus which was the seventieth from the day that our people were removed out of their own land into Babylon. God commiserated the captivity and calamity of these poor people: according as he had foretold to them by Jeremiah the Prophet, before the destruction of the city that after they had served Nebuchadnezzar, and his posterity and after they had undergone that servitude seventy years, he would restore them again to the land of their fathers and they should build their temple, and enjoy their ancient prosperity…
- This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his Prophecies…This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and an ambition seized upon him, to fulfil what was so written (Josephus, Antiquities, book 11, Chapter 1, paragraphs 1&2).
Scripture How does Satan try to stop them? How is this similar to our lives? Any examples from your personal life?
Ezra 4:4 Weaken the hands … troubled them …
Ezra 4:5 Hired counsellors (lobbyists) against them
Ezra 4:6 Accusations against them.
Nehemiah 4:1 Mocked them.
Nehemiah 4:16-17 As they worked to build the temple, they had to defend their work.
Nehemiah 6:2-4 Sought to distract and do ‘mischief’ to them.
Sister Leone O. Jacobs: “Well, what does preparing one’s heart mean? It means checking up on oneself, scrutinizing one’s daily life to see what is there, to see what is there of value and what should be thrown out. It means humbling oneself before the Lord. It means ridding oneself of bitterness and selfishness. It means complete forgiveness of all wrongs inflicted upon us, real or imagined. It means opening wide one’s heart to righteousness, putting oneself in an attitude to receive good. It means clothing one’s life differently”. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/01/prepare-thy-heart?lang=eng)
Winston Churchill: “To every man there comes . . . that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.” (as quoted by Jeffrey R. Holland, “Sanctify Yourselves,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 40)
President Boyd K. Packer: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.
“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. . . . That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel. (“Little Children,” Ensign, November 1986, 17)
Thought Questions
- What do you feel needs fixing or repairing in your personal life today? What does the Savior want you to do to build or rebuild yourself?
- How has the Lord “prepared your heart” so that you can be successful in your efforts?
- Just like the workers building the temple faced challenges, what challenges might you face?
- What doctrine would help you in your efforts. Today, seek for a doctrine that will help you in your efforts. From what you learn, how will that help what you do to bring you closer to Christ this week?
- If appropriate, find an opportunity to teach someone what you learned from your Come, Follow Me study. What can you teach that would help build up someone else?
Elder Boyd K. Packer: “For a number of years I found relaxation in carving and painting songbirds, at times spending a full year on a single carving…Once, I had a newly finished carving on the back seat of a car driven by Elder A. Theodore Tuttle. He hit the brakes suddenly and the carving was thrown to the floor damaged.
“Elder Tuttle felt terrible, supposing he had ruined a years work. When I waved aside his apologies, he said, ‘You sure don’t seem to be upset about it.’ “To reassure him I said,’ Don’t worry. I made it; I can fix it.’ Actually it had been broken and fixed many times while I was working on it.
“Later, Brother Tuttle likened that experience to people with lives broken or badly damaged-supposedly ruined with no hope of repair-who do not know that there is a Maker, a Creator who can fix any of his creations no matter how hopelessly broken they seem to be’ (The Play and the Plan, 6-7)
Elder Boyd K. Packer: "The Atonement leaves no tracks, no traces. What it fixes is fixed. … The Atonement leaves no traces, no tracks. It just heals, and what it heals stays healed.” (general conference training meeting, Apr. 7, 2015.)
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “Nehemiah of the Old Testament is a great example of staying focused and committed to an important task. Nehemiah was an Israelite who lived in exile in Babylon and served as cupbearer to the king. One day the king asked Nehemiah why he seemed so sad. Nehemiah replied, “Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ [graves], lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?”4
When the king heard this, his heart was softened, and he gave Nehemiah the authority to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. However, not everyone was happy with this plan. In fact, several rulers who lived near Jerusalem grieved exceedingly “that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.”5 These men “took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.”6
"Fearless, Nehemiah did not allow the opposition to distract him. Instead, he organized his resources and manpower and moved forward rebuilding the city, “for the people had a mind to work.”7
"But as the walls of the city began to rise, opposition intensified. Nehemiah’s enemies threatened, conspired, and ridiculed. Their threats were very real, and they grew so intimidating that Nehemiah confessed, “They all made us afraid.”8 In spite of the danger and the ever-present threat of invasion, the work progressed. It was a time of stress, for every builder “had his sword girded by his side, and so builded.”9
“As the work continued, Nehemiah’s enemies became more desperate. Four times they entreated him to leave the safety of the city and meet with them under the pretense of resolving the conflict, but Nehemiah knew that their intent was to do him harm. Each time they approached him, he responded with the same answer: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.”10
"What a remarkable response! With that clear and unchanging purpose of heart and mind, with that great resolve, the walls of Jerusalem rose until they were rebuilt in an astonishing 52 days.11
“Nehemiah refused to allow distractions to prevent him from doing what the Lord wanted him to do.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2009/05/we-are-doing-a-great-work-and-cannot-come-down?lang=eng)
What leads to understanding?
Ezra 7:10 - Preparing my heart
Nehemiah 8:3 - Being attentive when studying scripture
Nehemiah 8:3, 9:3 - The willingness to spend a significant amount of time in scripture study
Nehemiah 8:6 - Studying the scriptures in an attitude of prayer and worship
Nehemiah 8:7-8 - Seeking help from teachers and others who can help enlighten my understanding
Nehemiah 8:14-16 - Obeying the principles that I find in scripture study
Nehemiah 8:18 - Studying the scriptures daily
What does understanding lead to?
Nehemiah 8:6, 9:3 - A desire and an ability to worship more frequently and sincerely
Nehemiah 8:9, 9:1, 33 - Humility; a realization of how much we depend on God and the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Nehemiah 8:12, 17; 12:43 - Great rejoicing, Great gladness, and Great joy
Nehemiah 9:2; 10:28 - The desire and strength we need to separate ourselves from the world
Nehemiah 9:2, 3 - A humble desire to confess sins and be forgiven of them
Nehemiah 9:17, 31-32 - A knowledge of God's characteristics and true nature
Nehemiah 9:38; 10:29 - A greater desire to make and keep covenants to keep God's commandments
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “Like Nehemiah, you love the Lord … The Lord loves you and is mindful of the purity of your hearts and the steadfastness of your resolve. He blesses you for your fidelity, guides your path, and uses your gifts and talents in building His kingdom on this earth.
“Nevertheless, not all are like Nehemiah. There is room for improvement.
“I wonder … what could be accomplished if we all, like the people of Nehemiah, “had a mind to work.” I wonder what could be accomplished if we “put away childish things” and gave ourselves, heart and soul, to becoming worthy … and true representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“It is easy to become distracted—to become focused on one burned-out lightbulb or the impolite acts of unkind people, whatever their motive may be. But think of the power we would have as individuals … if, in response to every temptation to lose focus or lower our standards—the standards of God, we responded, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“We live in times of great challenges and great opportunities. The Lord is seeking men [and women] like Nehemiah... He seeks to enlist unfaltering souls who diligently go about the work of building the kingdom of God—those who, when faced with opposition and temptation, say in their hearts, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“When faced with trial and suffering, they respond, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“When faced with ridicule and reproach, they proclaim, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
“Our Heavenly Father seeks those who refuse to allow the trivial to hinder them in their pursuit of the eternal. He seeks those who will not allow the attraction of ease or the traps of the adversary to distract them from the work He has given them to perform. He seeks those whose actions conform to their words—those who say with conviction, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2009/05/we-are-doing-a-great-work-and-cannot-come-down?lang=eng)
Teaching Thoughts:
- Focus on the blessings of understanding the Word of God. What helps you, your family, your class get understanding?
- Don’t allow distractions to define your day. Remember that you are “doing a great work and cannot come down.”
- Prepare your heart to seek, to do and to teach (see Ezra 7:10).
- True understanding leads to joy and strength.