Ezra Bible Study - Change: There is Hope

The last chapter of Ezra does not end as we would expect; instead, we see what happens when we truly make a U-turn and change. In this final chapter, there's a recognition of error, coupled with a desire to correct even though it affects their life choices. You see, these men had married women from countries that did not believe in God, which means these women also did not believe in God. God placed a prohibition of intermarriage with the people of heathen nations (Deuteronomy 7:1-6). This chapter ends with a reckoning, listing all the men that left their wives, but let's not oversimplify it. This is

Ezra Bible Study - Appalled: God's People Fail to Separate Themselves

What can make a man so burdened for others that he pours out his heart to God on their behalf? Like a loving parent, when Ezra prayed (Ezra 9), he was appalled by the blatant ignorance of God's laws by the people of Israel. The Jews weren't always this way. In previous chapters, they stood firm. Ezra's love for God and his people, combined with his knowledge of God, brought him to his knees.

Ezra's prayer has a posture of reverential fear and priestly intercession. Ezra 9:1-2 seems to recall passages from the Law of Moses against intermarriage with the surrounding Canaanite tribes, in particular, Exodus 34:11-16 and Deuteronomy 7:1-4. The failure to separate was more

Ezra Bible Study - Traveling: Weighty Matters

Early in his ministry in Montgomery, during the final difficult months of the bus boycott in 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. preached a sermon to encourage his congregation to live hopeful lives. "Lord, help me to accept my tools. However dull they are, help me to accept them. And then Lord, after I have accepted my tools, help me to set out and do what I can do with my tools.” -MLK  (Source: Michael Hyatt)

The priests were given some tools that were weighty as part of their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In Ezra 8, after Ezra prays for protection, he distributes the treasure from King Artaxerxes (Ezra 8: 24-30), Ezra and thousands of Jews arrive in Jerusalem safely (Ezra 8:31-32), they perform a delivery check (Ezra 8:33-34), then worship God (Ezra 8:35) and finally relay King Artaxerxes' orders to the local authorities (Ezra 8:36).

Ezra Bible Study - Walking: By Faith

Ezra 8 is a pivotal chapter in this book, for it's where we see Ezra's heart as he narrates the remainder of the book.  At the end of Ezra 7,  Ezra gives thanks before embarking on this journey. Effusive in his thanks, he is grateful that God has placed the opportunity to beautify the temple on the king's heart and extend mercy to him. After giving thanks, he gathers chief men (i.e., leaders) to travel with him to Jerusalem.

Initially, his traveling companions did not include any priests (no one from the tribe of Levi) or Nethinim. It was a large contingent made up of leaders from various families, with 1,496 men in the group. Adding an estimated number of women and children (Ezra 8:21), we can surmise that the total number of the party coming with Ezra in the days of King Artaxerxes was between 6,000 to 7,000 people (enduringword.com). Curiously, no priests were in this group. In essence, besides Ezra,

Ezra Bible Study - Used: The Power of God

At the end of  Ezra 6, it was a time of joyful celebration. We see the first wave of exiles celebrating with joy all that God had done through them.

More than 50 years elapsed between the end of chapter 6 and the beginning of Ezra 7. During this timeframe, the events in Esther take place. The events in the book of Esther occurred from 483 BC to 473 BC, during the first half of the reign of King Xerxes, who chose Esther as his Queen. During this time, the first remnant of Jews who had returned to Judah struggled to reestablish temple worship according to the Law of Moses. But Esther and Mordecai, along with many other Jews, had chosen not to make the trek back to Judah. They seemed content to stay in Susa, the capital city of Persia, in which the story is set (Source: insight.org).  The sovereignty and faithfulness of God permeated each scene in the book of Esther; this pattern continues in the book of Ezra.

Ezra Bible Study - Celebrate: It's About HIM

Joy leaps out from the last five verses of Ezra 6. "And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy (Ezra 6:16)." Joy is appropriate at this time as they remembered how God worked in and through them.

With God's help, the people of Israel had rebuilt the second temple. They started off enslaved, were freed by a new leader - King Cyrus, and journeyed to Jerusalem with directions to rebuild the temple. They mourned their losses while weeping for the promise of new things. Their leaders unified them, ensuring clearness of purpose. As they plodded along with the

Ezra Bible Study - Verified: God is Working

Have you ever felt like you're not where you're supposed to be? While following God's plan for your life, there are bumps and hurdles along the way, but you persist. When you look back, you see that God's hand was evident, but amidst the bumps and obstacles, there are questions. You wonder if you should be doing what you're doing and struggle with continuing. I think they call this impostor syndrome which is a psychological pattern or a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success, usually marked by doubt.

In Ezra 6, the exiles had a similar experience. Though they were granted freedom by King

Ezra Bible Study - Encouraged: A Gift to the Weary Soul

As I study the book of Ezra, I've found it more enlightening and exciting than I anticipated. I love when I'm surprised by what I see in God's word because it changes you. I wish the same for you, so dig in.

Ezra Bible Study - Rebuffed: Standing Firm

In Ezra 4, we see a scenario that is common today.

Why do your enemies want a piece of God's blessing in your life? They didn't earn your blessing, they have no relationship with God, they weren't the beneficiaries, yet they have no problem wanting to align themselves with you when you're on a holy mission. They don't know your relationship with God and the manifestation of His promises to you. They only see your outcome and are filled with envy, not recognizing what it took for you to get there. So they approach you because they know your character and anticipate that you'll act in a way favorable to them. But Christians don't need to be pushovers; they can stand firm on God's promises like the Israelites did.

The mysterious they, in this case, are the Samaritans who wanted to form an unholy alliance with the Jews as they rebuilt the temple. The rebuilding of the temple was not significant to the Samaritans, yet they knew of its significance.

Ezra Bible Study - Unified: As One Man

I am struck by the unity expressed in Ezra 3:1, in particular how it reads in the KJV.

And when the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Ezra 3:1 KJV

They lived in separate villages, but now it was time to be unified in their purpose to rebuild the temple. There was a period before they started building, seven months which served as preparation. Once prepared, they were united.

Ezra Bible Study - Coming Home: Gratitude

So far, we've learned the significance of the role of Ezra as a priest and a scribe. As such, he provides a rich background of what happens to the Jews that are freed after Cyrus' proclamation. Catch up on this study here, here and here.

Finally, the first wave of exiles is on their way to Jerusalem. I'm sure there were excited and relieved, but also perhaps nervous and worried. Humans can get used to anything, and for those

Ezra Bible Study - Counted: It Matters

Once Cyrus issues his proclamation, he sends the Jews on their way with a bounty that displays the intentions of his heart towards them.

At the end of the first chapter of Ezra, we see Cyrus restoring to the Jews what was rightfully theirs. When they were captured,  Nebuchadnezzar took accouterments from the sanctuary and placed them in his temple, which was dedicated to idol worship. These items were plenteous, precious, and treasured. Ezra 1:7-11 reads:

Ezra Bible Study - Stirred: Cyrus' Proclamation

Ezra begins with a proclamation from King Cyrus, the king of the Persian Empire, considered the greatest ruling power in the world at that time. Cyrus was a great military leader, bent on universal conquest. Babylon fell before his army - B.C. 538 on the night of Belshazzar’s feast (Daniel. 5:30), and then the ancient dominion of Assyria was also added to his empire (Isaiah 21:2). In capturing Babylon, the Jews had new leadership under King Cyrus. The oft-quoted verse in Jeremiah 29 refers to the Jews who were in captivity. In Jeremiah 29:10, Jeremiah prophesies that after 70 years are passed in Babylon, I (God) will visit you because God knew the plans he had toward his people: thoughts of peace and not of evil to bring you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11). God had plans for the Jews' freedom.

The Jews were no longer in captivity, but they were still in Babylon. If they knew of this prophecy, they probably could not conceive how their lives would turn around; how they would be the beneficiaries of peace

Ezra Bible Study - Who Was Ezra?

Before we jump into the events written by Ezra, let's discover some fundamentals about Ezra.

This book bears his name while showing how God used Ezra and others to fulfill his plan for the Jews. The book of Ezra is considered a historical book and begins where 2 Chronicles ends. In the chronological order of the Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah are considered the end of the old testament. Ezra details the rebuilding of the second temple which was ultimately destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.

Knowledge of the Law was lost during the seventy-year Babylonian exile. The Babylonian

Ezra Bible Study - Introduction

In this space, I try to encourage you in a way that points you back to God's Word. In my life, I have seen the value of reading the Bible and I want you to reap a similar benefit. I love to read the entire Bible, but I have a particular fondness for the Old Testament.

The Old Testament highlights the time before Christ; before the realization of the Messiah. With this void, we can see men and women of faith, fallen men, and a favored nation - the Israelites.  We see unfavorable actions, the bad side of human nature and through it all God's grace, power, and sovereignty. Man is nothing without God.

When I studied the book of Judges, it had a profound impact on my life. (Type The Book of Judges in the search bar on the blog.)