ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: Nehemiah

by Anonymous

ESV Illuminated Scripture Journals  pair the entirety of individual books of the Bible with a lightly dotted blank page opposite each page of Bible text, providing space to creatively engage with and reflect on the Word of God. Hand-lettered, gold-ink illustrations by renowned artist Dana Tanamachi are interspersed throughout the blank pages, inviting readers to add their own artwork or reflections to each page. These thin, portable notebooks have unique covers stamped with gold-foil and are great for art journaling, personal Bible reading and prayer, small-group Bible study, or taking notes through a sermon series.

Genres: Christian

80 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2019

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Isabella Leake]

I'm not sure I'd ever read this book in its entirety before, and I was sort of surprised to find it so much up my alley. How did I not know it was full of renovations and restorations and reclamations? I love that sort of thing!

The first part of the book chronicles the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem (an external rehabilitation), and second part portrays the inhabitants recommitting themselves to reading and following the law of Moses (an internal rehabilitation). The whole book is all about remembering and reclaiming and renewing a legacy, and it's terribly poignant.

I particularly appreciate the way the story unfolds bit by bit, as the Jews read, learn, and uncover further. They don't have everything in place, either outside the city or within their own hearts and devotional practices, immediately. This recovery of heritage is a slow and evolving process that they persevere in, almost like a research project that they continue to reexamine and refine. In humility they return to the texts, they are willing to admit they might have forgotten or misinterpreted something before, and they allow God to speak to them through his word.

In a book full of poignant elements, this is what strikes me most: the attitude of humility, the openness to being surprised by God, the admission that a body of learning isn't a closed book but subject to further discovery and refinement. I began to wonder if this is precisely the attitude that the Pharisees lacked -- they knew exactly how Scripture should be interpreted, and they admitted no revision or refocusing of their knowledge -- when they failed to see Christ as the Messiah.

[Tristany Corgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nehemiah’s humility and passion for the Lord. If you need some Scripture to incorporate in your prayer time, read this book!

[Alexis Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even trying our best isn't enough to save us, we'll always fall back to sin. Thank you, Jesus, for being the perfect fulfillment of the Law!

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completed my first read through of Nehemiah and now I'm going to go back and reread through it again a couple times to dig in deeper and take notes in this journaling edition, as it's been quite some time since I last studied Nehemiah. They are so many striking themes in this relatively short book!

[Lily Martinez-rios · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't too bad. Had to remember a lot of names from Kings.

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Nehemiah slowly and thoughtfully and then journaling was enriching. I am thrilled with this entire set and it is an exhilerating spiritual experience to read and write in each volume.

[Benjamin Bartels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m currently working on reading the Bible in a year, and today I finished Nehemiah! The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were both one unified book, but were separated later in history. Nehemiah was an Israelite official serving in the Persian government. Similarly to the book of Ezra, we see opposition from the people that life in Jerusalem to his desire to rebuild the wall. Both Ezra and Nehemiah demand a spiritual renewal for the people of of Israel. These books point to a desire for change but Nehemiah ends with the unfortunate truth that the people of Israel are not living into their calling of new living. Zerubabbel’s, Ezra’s, and Nehemiah’s work all seems to be reversed and dishonored. These anti climactic moments have been intentionally woven into the design of the book to show that the Spiritual state of Israel seems to be unchanged from before the exile. Though the political and social reforms are important, they do not address the issue of the heart. All in all a great book to show the need for covenant promises to be made whole!