Ezra & Nehemiah

Summary

Ezra and Nehemiah are books about restoration that refuses triumphalism. The people return, the temple is rebuilt, the walls are raised, and the Word is read. Yet the story repeatedly shows weakness, opposition, compromise, and the need for ongoing reform. Israel P. Loken’s volume in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series aims to help us read these books as covenant restoration under the hand of the Lord. We are reminded that the Lord’s faithfulness stands behind every step, and that spiritual renewal always begins with hearing and obeying the Word.

This commentary is especially useful for keeping the two books connected. Ezra focuses on temple and worship, then on reform under the Word. Nehemiah focuses on leadership, rebuilding, and community formation, yet it too turns repeatedly to prayer and Scripture. Loken helps us see that both books are teaching the same reality, the Lord restores His people so that they may live as His distinct community, and that restoration is fragile when the heart is double minded.

For pastors, the material has obvious relevance. Many churches know something of rebuilding, re establishing patterns, and facing opposition. These books can be misused as leadership manuals detached from redemptive context. Loken regularly encourages us to keep the theological centre in view, the Lord is keeping His promises, preserving His worship, and forming a holy people. That enables application that is realistic and gospel shaped, rather than merely motivational.

Strengths

First, the commentary helps us track structure and repeated themes, prayer, the Word, opposition, and covenant faithfulness. That is crucial for preaching. It is easy to focus on the dramatic moments, the wall completed, the people weeping at the reading of the law, and miss the quieter insistence that real renewal is sustained by ordinary obedience.

Second, Loken’s handling of reform passages is particularly important. Ezra 9 to 10 and Nehemiah 13 raise pastoral questions about holiness, separation, and community discipline. A good commentary must help us read these passages in their covenant setting, and then guide us away from harshness on one side and compromise on the other. This volume provides a steady route through those tensions, keeping the holiness of God and the mercy of God together.

Third, the commentary can support leadership training. Nehemiah’s example is not a generic model for success. It is a picture of prayerful dependence, courage under pressure, and commitment to God’s Word. Loken helps us apply those themes without turning the narrative into a set of slogans.

Limitations

Some readers will want more extended engagement with historical questions and chronology. This series aims to serve exposition, so it may not satisfy every curiosity about Persian period detail. Pastors may also want to supplement this with a more explicitly Christ centred biblical theological work, especially when preaching how restoration hope stretches beyond this partial return toward the final restoration in Christ.

How We Would Use It

We would use this commentary for planning a preaching series that holds Ezra and Nehemiah together, and for preparing the reform and covenant renewal chapters where pastoral sensitivity is needed. We would also use it for teaching leaders about prayerful dependence and Word shaped community life.

In discipleship, these books can help a church embrace patient obedience. The work is often slow, the opposition is real, and the heart needs repeated correction. Loken helps us keep that realism visible, and to keep the Lord’s faithful hand in the foreground. That encourages perseverance without pretending that restoration is painless.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as a useful mid level guide for preaching and teaching Ezra and Nehemiah. It offers steady exposition, a clear sense of theological centre, and practical help for handling the books with both conviction and pastoral care.