The book of Ezra

God’s discipline and His hope for the future

(As always, I owe much to John MacArthur for his wisdom and teaching, specifically here through his bible study on Ezra).



MAIN IDEAS

God is the sovereign Lord of all the universe, and His will is always completed.

MAIN THEMES

God orchestrated the destruction of Jerusalem, many of the people in Jerusalem, and of Solomon’s temple, in fulfillment of His warnings through His prophets.

Even in this, God worked through a succession of pagan kings to do His will and save a remnant of His people.

God is the sovereign Lord of the universe, and His plan overrode that of every human king.

Even when Israel was absolutely undeserving of God’s mercy and compassion, God chose to give them grace because of His covenant with Israel.

AUTHOR:

Ezra was a skilled scribe, a Levite and a priest.

His name means “Yahweh helps”.

He was a direct descendant of Aaron the original High Priest of God.

Ezra was most likely the author of both the book of Ezra AND the book of Nehemiah, which might have originally been one book.

It is unknown for certain who the writer of the previous book, 2 Chronicles was, but it is entirely possible that 2 Chronicles was also written by Ezra, as seen in the last few verses of 2 Chronicles and the first few verses in Ezra.

First and Second Chronicles were originally one book, so it is entirely possible, as some believe that Ezra wrote the books of 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah!

No New Testament writers quote the book of Ezra.

Interestingly, Ezra himself is not mentioned in the book of Ezra until Chapter 7.

Few people were ever allowed access to the royal archives of the Persian Empire, but Ezra, the trusted scribe, was the exception.

Ezra was a strong and godly man

He lived at the time of Nehemiah

Hebrew tradition says that Ezra was the founder of the Great Synagogue.

This Great Synagogue was where the Old Testament canon was first formally recognized.

PURPOSE OF THE BOOK:

To help us understand that apart from the New Covenant, true obedience to God’s Word is impossible.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING ITS WRITING:

Ezra the scribe had access to the royal Persian archives to record the decrees of the king authoritatively.

Ezra appeared in Jerusalem in the year 458 B.C.

It was about a three to four month journey to get from the royal palace of Persia to Jerusalem.

KEY VERSES

English Standard Version Chapter 7

He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

9 For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

KEY HEADINGS OF MAJOR SECTIONS

· Cyrus’s Proclamation 1:1-11

. The Exiles Return 2:1-70

· Altar and sacrifices restored 3:1-7

· Temple restoration begun 3:8-13

· Adversaries hinder the work 4:1-24, 5:1-17

· Darius finds Cyrus’s decree 6:1-12

· The Temple completed and dedicated 6:13-18

· The Passover Observed 6:19-22

· Ezra journeys from Babylon to Jerusalem 7:1-10

· The King’s decree on behalf of Ezra 7:11-28

· People who went with Ezra 8:1-36

. Mixed marriages 9:1-15

· Reconciliation with God 10:1-44

THE POINT THE AUTHOR DRIVES OUT

“A new start does not necessarily indicate a new heart” - John MacArthur

This is the lesson that Jesus gave Nicodemus in John 3.

Nicodemus thought that Jesus was telling him to start his life over.

But Jesus told him that without a new heart, a fresh start would simply produce fresh failures.

The Jews were learning the lesson that they did not need their land, their temple, or their wall, what they needed was their Messiah.

THE PERSONS INVOLVED

· Ezra - already described in the “Author” section.

· Cyrus, King of Persia - notably, Cyrus reversed the policies of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and Cyrus allowed exiled people, including the Jews, to return to their homeland and rebuild their temples.

Zerubbabel/Shesbazzar - One may conclude that the Persians knew him as Sheshbazzar but the Jews called him Zerubbabel.

Jeshua - He was the High Priest, who along with Zerubbabel headed the first band of exiles that returned to Jerusalem. He was the head of a Levitical family that is mentioned in the rebuilding of the Temple, the explanation of the Law to the people in Nehemiah 8, and the sealing of the covenant in Ezra 10.

· Artaxerxes, King of Persia - Artaxerxes was the name of three different kings of the Persian empire: Artaxerxes the first, Artaxerxes the second, and the third. The Artaxerxes we read about here is Artaxerxes the first.

· Rehum - He was a Persian official who protested the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He was called “The Chancellor”, who, along with Shimshai the scribe and others, wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes, which had the effect of stopping for the time the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

· Darius, King of Persia - He allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the people to go on with the work, and when Tattenai, the Persian governor of Syria, demanded to know where their authority to rebuild again came from, they alleged a decree of Cyrus. On reference being made to Darius of King Cyrus’ decree and the decree being found, the king confirmed it, and ordered facilities to be afforded for the building. It was completed in the 6th year of his reign.

· Haggai - Haggai was a prophet whose book is the 10th in a series of 12 brief prophetic books concluding the Old Testament. His name probably came from a word for “festival”.

We have no information concerning his family or social background. He is referred to merely as Haggai the prophet.

His place in the postexilic community seems to have been a conspicuous one, and according to Jewish tradition he was knows as a prophet in Babylon during the exile. The major concern of his prophetic ministry was to encourage the people to rebuild the temple, which had been destroyed during the earlier years of the exile.

· Zechariah - along with the prophet Haggai, Zechariah roused Zerubbabel and Joshua to build the Temple, and the work went forward prosperously through their prophesying. This would have been during the second and fourth years of Darius.

· Tattenai - a Persian governor of a province west of the Euphrates River, who opposed the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple and walls under Zerubbabel during the postexilic period.

· Shecaniah - an exile who returned. He was the father-in-law of Tobiah the Ammonite.

OBSERVATION:

WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING SAID?

It’s critical at this stage not to add anything to the text or take anything away. Avoid the temptation to try to make the text “mean” anything just yet. Observe what’s there, and document it. Write it all down, and once you feel like you have a good idea of what’s happening in the text, it’s time to move on to the next step.

What to look for

Who, what, where, when, why, and how?

Verbs and tenses (commands, promises, etc.)

Repeated words and phrases

Cause and effect, contrasts, and comparisons

Genre (history, law, poetry, narrative, parable, letter, prophesy, etc.)

WHO?

WHAT?

WHERE?

WHEN?

WHY?

HOW?

COMMANDS

PROMISES

CAUSE AND EFFECTS

CONTRASTS

COMPARISONS

GENRE

(history, law, poetry, narrative, parable, letter, prophesy, etc.)

INTERPRETATION:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT

What is the cultural and/or historical context of this passage?

English Standard Version Introduction

The book of Ezra begins where 2 Chronicles ends. As prophesied by Isaiah (

What else do I know about the book, author, and broader context of the passage?

What other Scripture passages might help me better interpret this one?

Have I overlooked anything or brought any hidden assumptions to the text that the text needs to correct?

What is the clearest meaning of this text?

What does the author mean by this?

Why did the author say that?

How does this idea relate to that one?

The primary purpose of interpretation is to discover what the author meant by what he said, to discover his purpose and message. When trying to interpret, we are not to think what the passage means to us, but what it seemed to mean to the author.

Guidelines for interpretation

There are a few essential rules to remember when attempting to interpret a passage:

1. The rule of original intent

Interpret with the goal of discovering the author’s original meaning for the original audience. Don’t “twist” Scripture—meaning, don’t manipulate the text to get it to say something you’d like for it to say. This is a dishonest way to interpret the text.

2. The rule of sensus literalis

Look for the plainest interpretation first. Believe that the text means what it says. Sometimes there will be figurative language and confusing imagery, but don’t start by looking for hidden meaning. Start with the obvious. Interpret the Bible in the sense in which it is written (parables, symbols, poetry, historical, letters, etc.).

3. The rule of unity

Scripture interprets Scripture. Allow the Bible to help you understand other passages of the Bible. Where similar words are used, explore the context of each of those instances.

4. Context

Interpret passages in harmony with the rest of the context. Avoid basing important doctrines on obscure passages.

5. Other passages

Interpret passages in harmony with other texts/passages. Connect each passage back to the gospel and the broader message of the Bible.

6. The rule of logic

Apply the rules of logic, language, and normal rules grammar.

7. The Christological principle

Scripture is to be interpreted in light of God’s central self-revelation in Jesus Christ.

Make sure you spend a good chunk of time with this phase. Ask yourself all of the important questions above, and answer them as honestly as you are able.

APPLICATION:

Reflect on how the passage applies to your life: What lessons can you learn? How should you respond?

Consider how the passage relates to the gospel: How does it point to Jesus? How does it call you to live as a follower of Christ?

Make a plan to live out what you've learned: How will you apply this truth in your daily life?

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