Ezra 7-8

This is Artexerxes Longimanus who was the king that followed King Xerxes. King Xerxes is the king who married Esther who is also known as King Ahasuerus. We see his name used interchangeably when Ezra uses Ahasuerus in chapter 4 in the timeline we covered of the multiple kings...

Ezra 4:4–7 ESV

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.

Ahasuerus is the Persian form of the name and Xerxes is the Greek form of the name.

As we get into chapter 7 we find ourselves about 60 years after the days of chapters 1-6 with the events of the book of Esther taking place between those chapters as well.

It is in the time of King Artexerxes of chapter 7 that the events of the book of Nehemiah also take place.

Notice the shortened genealogy given for Ezra. It is there to inform the reader that he was of the priestly lineage.

Aaron was of course the first High Priest, Zadok was High Priest when Solomon became king after Solomon put him in that place after Abiathar went in support of Adonijah who tried to make himself king instead of Solomon, and Seraiah was the last High Priest before Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians.

Verse 6

This Ezra...

This Ezra holds a very special place amongst the Jews even today.

Many consider Ezra to be like a Moses and some call him the second Moses.

Like Moses, Ezra was used mightily by the Lord to teach God’s people the word of God and to hold them accountable for what the word of God said.

Ezra was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses.

Remember as we have seen the last couple Sundays that the Scribes were experts in the OT Law.

Scribes had a position of great influence that was vital for the spiritual condition of the people of God in a time when they were in captivity away from Jerusalem and thus without the temple to make sacrifices, offerings, or have the ability to have any sort of official services being away from the Temple.

It was the role of the scribes to ensure the word of God was preserved without compromise or loss. So you might say they made sure the Bible was not lost and was not added to or taken away from. This meant that they were great scholars of the Bible and as a result they also had the role of teaching the Bible to God’s people.

Now notice again verse 6.

God’s favor was upon Ezra so that “the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.”

This is partly why the Jews consider Ezra to be like a second Moses. God used Ezra’s life in very important and profound ways to preserve the word of God, to teach the word of God to God’s people and God blessed Ezra tremendously so that even His hand was upon Ezra in such a way that he had great favor with the King for the benefit of God’s people.

Verses 7-10

Again, only some of the people came from Babylonia back to Jerusalem despite God moving upon the hearts of kings Cyrus, Darius, and now Artexerxes, and despite God calling the people back to Jerusalem through the prophet Zechariah...

Zechariah 2:6–7 ESV

6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. 7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.

And Ezra came to Jerusalem…for the good hand of his God was on him…

Remember that Ezra is the author of this statement. He is not giving credit to the king nor himself, but to God alone.

Here we see the character of a great man of God, and the favor of God that accompanied his good character.

As a Bible teacher, I like Ezra!

I like his hearts desire to study the word of God, do the word of God and to teach the people of God the word of God so that they could live within the will and blessings of God. Especially after what Malachi had to say to the priests during the 60 or so years between Zerubbabel the governor and Jeshua the priest and the time of Ezra.

By the way this is the proper order for all of us.

We must personally study the word of God. When we have studied and learned what it says and what it means, we must take personal responsibility to do what God says to do, to live as God says to live. Once we are doing that, then we will have something to teach others who want to know what has changed us.

But that order must be followed. We cannot lead others where we ourselves have not been.

James 1:22–25 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Verses 11-16

Verses 17-22

A talent was about 75 pounds so that would make 100 talents about 3 3/4 tons of silver.

A cor was about 6 bushels about 60 lbs so that would make 100 cors of wheat about 6,000 lbs. to give some more perspective it would take about 150 acres of farmland to produce 100 cors of wheat.

A bath is about 6 gallons

Verses 23

Verses 24-26

Even in those days the priests and other temple workers were given a tax exempt status.

Notice that while Ezra was an expert in God’s law, the king now puts him in a position of authority over civil law.

Verses 27-28

Notice again that Ezra is fully aware that all of this was because of the goodness of God.

Chapter 8

Verses 1-14

This is the list of families that went with Ezra from Babylonia back to Jerusalem. Like we saw in chapter wit h the list of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua so here to we see a list of families not a concise list of individual people.

That first group according to Ezra 2:65 was a group of 49,897, while the group that came to Jerusalem with Ezra was listed as 1,496 men. When you add women and children that number may have been around 6,000 or so.

Verse 15

For whatever reason non of the Levites who had the responsibility of assisting the Priests in their duties in the Temple came along.

Verses 16-20

By God’s grace 258 more were added to the number to go back to Jerusalem who could serve along side the priests in their duties in the Temple.

Verses 21-23

While it may have seemed necessary by some to have armed guards escort this group of 8,000 or so Jews on the 900 mile journey from Babylonia to Jerusalem with all of the silver, wheat, wine, oil and salt from the very real danger of thieves and murderers, Ezra knew as a leader and as a man of faith that in this particular instance it was far more necessary to humble themselves before God to ask for His protection over them so that God would be glorified and not armed guards or the king who provided them.

That does not mean that this was the only way to do things, it is that this was the way the protection for this particular journey should be dealt with.

When Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem not long from where we are in this chapter he will ask the king for armed guards to keep him safe on his journey...

Nehemiah 2:7–9 ESV

7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. 9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.

Verses 24-30

Understand that each priest is given millions of dollars worth of treasure to be responsible for on this long journey to Jerusalem.

But notice the way Ezra charges them...

They were to take care (lose nothing) so that they could eventually weigh all of this back out in the presence of the chief priests and Levites and the heads of the fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem.

But then again look at verse 30....

What a wonderful anticipation must be building!!!!

Verses 31-32

God is faithful!

After 4 months and 900 miles this group led by Ezra has finally arrived unscathed to Jerusalem.

Can you imagine what that must have been like? I mean, to be in the land of promise that God promised to you as a descendant of Abraham!?

No matter how nice Babylonia might have been, this place set in partial ruins was the land of promise and their rightful inheritance!

Verses 33-34

Verse 35

Verse 36

Ezra 7:25 ESV

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach.

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