Now and Not Yet: Theology and Mission in Ezra–Nehemiah

New Studies in Biblical Theology #57

by Dean R. Ulrich, D.A. Carson (Editor)

For various reasons, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah have suffered comparative neglect in Old Testament scholarship. However, as Dean Ulrich demonstrates, Ezra–Nehemiah as a literary unit is part of the Christian Bible that tells God's grand story of saving activity. It focuses not so much on how to be an effective leader but on how to be a godly participant in God's story. God may be concerned about human conduct, but the moral imperatives appear in the larger context of God's acts and promises. However exemplary Ezra and Nehemiah the men may be, Ezra–Nehemiah has an interest in how God's people contribute to building the new (and New) Jerusalem—God's redeemed community that is bigger than any single person. Mission—that is, participation in God's purpose for his world—factors into the message of these books.

In this NSBT volume, Ulrich views Ezra–Nehemiah as the record of the beginning of a new work of God among his people after the exile. This new work, which led eventually to the first coming of Jesus, enables God’s people to be restored presently ('now') in their relationship with God. Such restoration involves a combination of hope in God's promises ('not yet') and obedience to his instruction concerned with mission.

Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2021

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A study of the biblical theology of Ezra-Nehemiah that situates the books within an account of redemptive history, emphasizing both what already had been fulfilled and what yet remained.

Dean Ulrich believes that the combined books of Ezra-Nehemiah have not received the scholarly attention they are due. In this monograph, he situates these books within the arc of redemptive history, particularly with regard to the promises of restoration made to Israel’s exiles.

He divides the structure of these books into three parts, with the second part covering a significant part of the two books with three stages.

Ezra 1-2: The decree of Cyrus and the exiles who returned. Not only does Cyrus decree the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple in fulfillment of prophecy but he returns the vessels seized when Jerusalem fell and permits the exiles to return with offerings of silver and gold and livestock to support the rebuilding. God has kept his promise and there is hope for the future.

Ezra 3:1-Nehemiah 7:73a: The performance of Cyrus’ decree in three stages:

Stage one: The temple is rebuilt over a twenty year period. Expecting the promise of Isaiah 60 that the nations would participate in the rebuilding, instead they encounter local resistance and apathy, addressed under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel, Joshua, Haggai, and Zechariah. Yes, the temple is rebuilt, but with nothing like its former glory and not yet realizing the positive response of the nations.

Stage two: Ezra returns in 458 BC to rebuild the people so that the new temple is not defiled. Ezra teaches the people and calls on people to dissolve intermarriages unless the wives convert. Ezra leads the people in corporate repentance. They are back in the land but still prone to pursue the patterns of sin that led to exile.

Stage three: Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem empowered by Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls and gates, critical to protecting the sanctity of the temple from those who are unfit spiritually to worship there (an idea I’ve not encountered before). Yet keeping out the unfit may also keep out the nations who would come to worship, a conflict with Zechariah’s vision.

At this point the temple is rebuilt, the people are being instructed in the holy life to which God calls them and the holiness of the temple is protected. But the promised glory, the king to come and the blessing to the nations awaits.

Nehemiah 7:73b-13:31: The continued reformation of the people. The charging of interest for loans with fellow Jews reveals the community renewal needed beyond the physical construction of a wall. Nehemiah and Ezra lead in the instruction of the people in God’s Word, leading to the confession of sin and the obedience of God’s command. Yet reformation is a continuous process as Nehemiah has to address intermarriage and commerce on the sabbath, and the graft of Tobiah, even after the glorious celebration at the dedication of the walls. This glimpse of glory was not enough to remove the need for continued repentance and reformation.

Ulrich moves between Ezra-Nehemiah and the greater fulfillment in Christ, yet also draws parallels between the “now and not yet” of Ezra-Nehemiah and the similar reality we face as we both live out kingdom come and await its full realization. In particular, the continued need for instruction in the Word, repentance, obedience and fulfillment of God’s mission are realities both for the returned exiles and we who are “exiles and strangers” awaiting our future hope. This is a useful study both in understanding the place of Ezra-Nehemiah in redemptive history and our own.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biblical books Ezra and Nehemiah are a strain for many readers. Filled, as they are, with genealogies, historical tales, building projects, outside pressures, and troubled communities. Most times these books get rustled up and put into motivational sermons for the latest Church Building Campaign or lessons on leadership. For example, many years ago while I was stationed at an air base in the upper Midwest, I was taking night classes and working on my bachelor’s at a local Christian university. One of my classes was on leadership, and our reading assignment was a volume that elevated Nehemiah as a paragon of exemplary leadership. Thankfully, Dean R. Ulrich, biblical studies professor at several institutions nationally and internationally, and accomplished author, has penned a scholarly 218-page softback on these two books in the Bible, “Now and Not Yet: Theology and Mission in Ezra-Nehemiah”. It’s part of the IVP Academic series “New Studies in Biblical Theology” edited by D.A. Carson. Not only is the book for specialized readers, but most anyone can gain from the volume. And they will find that Ezra and Nehemiah tell a much more valuable singular story than they have normally been credited with.

Ulrich takes up a biblical theology approach in his work on these two biblical books, which he defines for the reader. All the way through the manuscript he shows the way Ezra and Nehemiah fit into the story of God’s world rescue operation and how they speak to the church under the New Covenant. “However exemplary Ezra and Nehemiah the men may be, Ezra-Nehemiah the book is a unified work that focuses not so much on how to be an effective leader but on how to be a godly participant in God’s story” (5). And that story, as it comes out in Ezra and Nehemiah “highlights how God works through the ups and downs of ordinary people to advance his redemptive purpose in history” (25).

The author tackles all the miniscule and the majestic with skill, and with an eye to reaping the God-given value of Ezra and Nehemiah. In six chapters he works from Ezra 1:1 through to Nehemiah 13:31. It is not a biblical commentary, but truly a study on how to read these two books in the Sacred Scriptures. And Ulrich will not leave readers with a Pollyannish kind of positivism since neither Ezra nor Nehemiah do. He takes on the thorny subjects of mixed marriages, intergenerational confession of sin, systemic evil, and the like. And since Nehemiah ends on a less than happy note – a religious leader who gives living arrangements in the Temple to someone who was not a priest and who was not part of God’s covenant people, the failure to bring in the tithes to keep the temple operational, and the return of many to mixed interreligious marriages – the author honestly addresses these backsliding situations. He points out how their being recorded at the end of Nehemiah (after all of the promises to fidelity and fealty) aids church leaders in 2022 and beyond. As the author notes, “God’s people never arrive at perfection in this life. Here, then, is the lot of anyone who endeavors to serve God by serving his people. Significant strides may occur, but the highs of revivals do not last for more than a short while” (155). The sobriety of Nehemiah’s final scenes and the way Ulrich handles them, gives readers far firmer ground to stand on than the successful-always-succeeding models on tap.

I found “Now and Not Yet” a refreshing venture through Ezra and Nehemiah. I gained valuable insights throughout the volume and feel I have an even stronger handle on these two biblical books. Since I am about to begin a sermon series on Nehemiah, the worth of this book, personally, has increased. This would make an excellent addition to any pastor’s library, or seminary collection. But it is an ideal gift for anyone serious about studying Scripture and coming to Ezra and Nehemiah. I happily recommend the book and encourage all who read this review to snag a copy as soon as you can.

I am deeply grateful to IVP Academic for the gift of this volume. I requested it for review, and they promptly sent me the copy I used in this evaluation. They didn’t demand anything from me other than an honest appraisal, which I have given. I also appreciate the author. He was one of my professors as I was working on my doctorate. I haven’t seen or talked to him in years, but the voice I picked out of these pages is the voice I remember hearing in class so long ago.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The NSBT series marches on with this interesting look at the significance and theology of Ezra and Nehemiah. The NSBT series is truly a random series, but the volumes are often fascinating. We never know what is coming next in the series, but we’d be remiss not to find out. Dean Ulrich does good work here.

The title Now and Not Yet suggests the track the book will run. That thought that is found in many prophetic writings here tells of a new chapter for God’s people that will more fully climax in Christ. Many are reluctant to develop that line of thinking in the scholarly world, so we appreciate the openness here to embrace it.

Throughout this book we are confronted with Ezra-Nehemiah as if it were one book rather than two. He makes a good case and at the least it does no harm to study with that design. Though I enjoyed what he gave us, I wish he had developed the structure even more.

Chapter two well explained the big picture of biblical theology. Chapter three explained the history of the return from exile but the nuggets were all in the theology developed.

In a creative turn, the next three chapters address rebuilding the temple, rebuilding the people, and rebuilding the wall. That told the story in a framework that allowed the theology to bud. Chapter 7 shows what worked and what fell short. There his now-and-not-yet theme fully bloomed.

Isn’t it wonderful that these NSBT volumes keep coming along? I want them all, don’t you? This one is a sample of why.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to Ezra and Nehemiah - deals with themes, chronology, hermeneutics, broader redemptive-historical context, and overarching history. Goes through the books and points out some important and easily overlooked/misunderstood aspects of each chapter. By "now and not yet" the author means that prophesies and types are partially fulfilled by the return from Babylon, but not fully fulfilled until Christ, the church age, and ultimately the second coming. A few of his statements toward the end seem poorly justified, e.g. his statement that if the returning Jews would have had more of a missional focus they would perhaps have avoided the rebellions toward the end of Nehemiah.

[Andrew Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first read of the New Studies in Biblical Theology (NSBT) and it is thorough. If the rest of the series is the same as this book then it will be a useful teaching tool for those who teach to groups of Christians. That being said, I am having a difficult time recommending it to people because it can be quite a dense read.

As for this book in particular, I have always enjoyed Ezra and Nehemiah. They seem like such unique books of the Old Testament, and it is a shame that that these books (like a lot of books in the Old Testament) tend to get passed over and if they are referenced it is as a leadership guide.

"if you're a leader you need to respond like Nehemiah. In prayer." This sentence is true, yet Ezra-Nehemiah is not just about good leadership, but it is about God rebuilding His temple and His people in the Exile. That is what this book focuses on, and that has brought me a greater appreciation for Ezra-Nehemiah as books (or a book) that God saw fit to speak to us.

[Brianna Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series, and I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the constant parallel of the now and not yet throughout the books of Ezra-Nehemiah. I'd definitely recommend this book if you're interested in digging into these two books of the Bible.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a good deal to appreciate in Ulrich's book, but on the whole I would judge it a failure. This is a real shame; I came to it with high hopes, having appreciated other books in the series.

First, the positives. It is refreshing to read something on Ezra-Nehemiah that does not reek of higher criticism. It is also lovely to read material on Nehemiah that is interested in application to God's people and manages also not to be a leadership manual! And I largely agreed with his applications. If one preached through these books and simply hit Ulrich's main applications, the result would no doubt be helpful.

However. I plan, God willing, to preach at least Ezra next year; and several reservations mean I am unlikely to return to Ulrich's work.

Firstly, the format was disappointing. After the introduction and a short chapter on Biblical Theology, the structure of the book is essentially a very informal commentary. The five remaining chapters simply work through the text in sequence. As commentary they are very light, since Ulrich touches only briefly on the text before moving on to his application. But the format means that there is no consistent thematic analysis; themes are treated only as they occur. This seems to me a real shame. Even for a relatively neglected part of Scripture, there is no real shortage of light, applicatory work on EN. Kidner is far more meaty and about as brief! As far as I can tell, however, there is a real gap in the market for thoughtful thematic/structural studies of EN from an evangelical perspective. This could have done something to fill that gap.

Secondly, Ulrich has a bee in his bonnet about mission. He is aware that EN has a reputation for being inward-looking and exclusivist, and he yearns to counter that picture. After Ezra 1:1, Ezra 6:21 (which mentions converts joining the Passover) is by far the most quoted verse in the book. He talks about mission in every chapter. But he rarely if ever demonstrates that the *text* is talking about it. In fact, the most detailed engagement with the text on this topic is in the comments on Nehemiah 10 (p144), when he criticises the exiles for *not* talking about mission in their covenant! He also more than once criticises other authors, whom he is quoting with broad approval, for not seeing the importance of mission in EN. But, as far as I can tell, Ulrich has nowhere demonstrated that importance. He simply wills it into being.

(Incidentally, he also doesn't really define mission. Sometimes it seems to have a focus on the outsider [e.g. p92]; at others it seems to be little more than a synonym for Getting Things Done [p99].)

Thirdly, I think at a few key junctures he drops the ball interpretively. Almost always this is connected to moments when he criticises Ezra or Nehemiah despite no clear warrant from the text to do so (e.g. the lack of "mission" in the Neh 10 covenant, the supposed harshness of Neh 13:1-3, and Nehemiah's anger in Neh 13:25). More reflection on the hermeneutical principles of Mark 2:25-26 would be helpful.

In particular, he can't quite figure out what to do with the notorious mass divorce in Ezra 9-10. On this occasion he doesn't come out in firm criticism, instead agreeing with Fyall that they are in a tricky situation and "neither option is fully satisfying". He rather unhelpfully sets up their choice as a choice between preserving religious purity and showing compassion. But the most worrying moment is his attempted resolution of the text with 1 Cor 7. He suggests that the two passages are merely talking about different things; Ezra deals with a situation where covenant members have wilfully married non-covenant members, while Paul deals with a situation where one member of a non-covenant marriage has converted. So there's really no conflict at all! Leaving aside the fact that this makes a big assumption about 1 Cor 7, he does not seem to ask the obvious question. Suppose I am a (New) covenant member who sinfully married outside the covenant, and now I want to repent: what should I do? By the logic of Ulrich's resolution, I am in the Ezra situation, not the Paul situation, and while "neither option is fully satisfying", I should probably get divorced! I suspect Ulrich would be horrified at this application, and yet it seems to follow inevitably from his position. One feels that he simply hasn't thought it through - an uncomfortable thing to accuse an author of, but the best interpretation I can put on the matter.

(For what it's worth, I think the resolution is instead to be found in the change of dispensation. Ezra did the right thing, and Paul rightly commands something very different, because the New Covenant is a better covenant with better promises.)

Fourthly and finally, there simply isn't very much Christ; or rather, Christ feels a long way off, invoked largely as the solution to tensions felt in EN rather than as present in the text. I would have loved some more typology - e.g. Nehemiah as Christ in Neh 2:11ff.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a well known fact that the NSBT series holds a special place in my heart as perhaps my favorite in theology. "Now and Not Yet" stands out as one of the most exceptional installments.

Ulrich strikes a remarkable balance between academic rigor and practical application in his exploration of Ezra-Nehemiah. He seamlessly blends historical context, linguistic analysis, and theological insights, making the narrative accessible to both scholars and lay readers. What sets Ulrich's work apart is his ability to bridge the gap between scholarly research and practical everyday relevance, offering insights that resonate with both pastors and individuals seeking a deeper understanding of the text.

I believe this book deserves a spot on every pastor's shelf, but its insights will also find a welcome home among lay readers.

It's a captivating read that has reignited my interest in the narrative of Ezra-Nehemiah, inspiring me to spend a little extra time in its richness.

[Jonathan Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up as one stop on my long journey of studying the post-exilic literature that I started back in 2021. For the most part I found it super helpful, but with two particular deficiencies which may rest more on Ezra-Nehemiah than on the author, although it is hard to tell. First, the book is structured mostly like a linear commentary, which is not all bad, but took away a bit for me from the thematic mode that often charaterizes a study in Biblical Theology. Second, while the author helpfully moves quickly to New Testament passages and even application, it is hard to tell at times if those moves are specific to the subject matter of Ezra-Nehemiah. These two things caused the book to feel like it was doing mid-tier Biblical Theology, not shallow, but lacking the true depths of what it can be and is in other works.

[Jeffrey Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is God's Kingdom on earth a reality of the present or a promise of the future? Yes.

Dean Ulrich looks into Ezra-Nehemiah and gives an excellent commentary on that book (or is it two? We normally divide it into two books, but it is just one book in the Jewish OT). His focus is that the post-exilic period shows both the Promise of the restored kingdom and the fact that things still aren't perfect. For example, Nehemiah 12 deals with the victorious celebration of the completion of the wall. However, it is followed by chapter 13, which deals with the various problems Nehemiah was dealing with.

I highly recommend this book.

[Andrzej Stelmasiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply superb. It's a theological analysis of Ezra-Nehemiah, and his main thesis is that it's far from being a manual of how to be a religious separatist. Ulrich pushes back against this idea strongly, and shows how rathe 'inclusive' this portion of the Bible is. Filled with nuggets, it'll be of a great help for a preacher.
The only letdown is that Ezra gets about 65% of the book, so Nehemiah feels a bit rushed, not covered as thoroughly. But what he says there, it's still top notch.

EDIT: read it again while preaching through these books, from March to December. I still think that this was the best resource, but I also enjoyed Kidner. Had very high expectations from Gregory Goswell, but he didn't scratch where I was itching.