Agere Sequitur Esse

Ezra

Book of Ezra

Notes.. .

. ..Introduction. By Ezra to show God’s faithfulness and the way He kept His promise to restore His people to their land. People include King Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Darius, Artaxerxes I and Ezra. Places include Babylon and Jerusalem.
. ..Themes. The Jews Return, Rededication, Opposition, God’s Word, and Faith and Action.
. ..Outline. “God’s people faced threat from two directions” (William Seay 2019, L7 07:34–07:38).
. ..Application. “Ezra and Nehemiah’s books are rich with lessons relevant to today’s society (Seay 2019, L7 22:08–22:17).
. ..Timeline. Return from exile in Babylon in 538. Begins to rebuild the temple in 536. The temple is completed in 515. Ezra goes to Jerusalem in 457. Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem in 443. Jerusalem’s wall is built in 443.

Introduction. The purpose was to show God’s faithfulness and the way He kept His promise to restore His people to their land. Most scholars agree the author was Ezra. The key people are King Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Darius, Artaxerxes I and Ezra. The key places are Babylon and Jerusalem.

Themes. 1:25 – There are five major theological themes. (i) The Jews Return. BY returning to the land of Israel from Babylon the Jews showed their faith in God’s promise to restore them as a people. They returned not only to their homeland but also to the place where their forefathers had promised to follow God. (ii) Rededication. In c. 536 BC, Zerubbabel led the people in rebuilding the alter and laying the temple foundation. They reinstated David’s sacrifices and annual festivals. They rededicated themselves to a new spiritual worship of God. (iii) Opposition. Opposition came soon after the alter was built and the temple foundation was laid. Enemies of the Jews used deceit to hinder the building for over six years. Finally, there was a decree to stop the building altogether. This opposition severely tested their wavering faith. (iv) God’s Word. When the people returned to the land, they were also returning to the influence of God’s Word. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah kept encouraging them while Ezra’s preaching of Scripture built them up. God’s Word gave them what they needed to do God’s work. (v) Faith and Action. The urging of Israel’s leaders motivated the people to complete the temple. Over the years, they had intermarried with idol worshipers and adopted their pagan practices. Their faith tested and revised also led them to remove these sins from their lives.

Outline. Ezra and Neh. 7:25 – God’s people faced threat from two directions: (i) Temptations to empty formalism and meaningless legalism threatened their worship life and (ii) just plan disinterest and indifference nagged them constantly. The worlds moral or immoral threatened to replace God’s standard. Racially and religious mixed marriages were commonplace, and they were described as unfaithful to God. Both threats gnawed at the faith of the returning Jews. Their relation to God became as weak as water.

Ezra and Nehemiah preserved three major stories that illustrate and relate these threats to God’s people. They were written to counteract the threats and strengthen the faith of a hopeless people. The first story is the rebuilding of the temple which demonstrated the supreme importance of worship The second is a renewed emphasis on God’s law by Ezra which underscored the absolute necessity for rules and regulation if worship and life before God were to be acceptable. The third is Nehemiah’s restoring the walls of Jerusalem and of his reforms. These reformed magnified the need for a genuine concern for reputation and public image. What can the world think of God’s people with dilapidated city walls? What would distinguish God’s people who were guilty of intermarriage with those not in proper covenant relation with the one true God. Nehemiah’s drastic actions reminded his people and us that it does matter what others think of us and it does matter what other people think of our faith. Thus, Ezra and Nehemiah are a profound encouragement to God’s people to magnify worship as supremely important; to emphasize the need for use of God’s Word as the only [ ] rule for living; and to be concerned God’s image gives the world.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are historical books. They contain the last century of Israel’s history that the bible records. Ezra begins with the first group of Jews to return from exile in c. 538 BC. Nehemiah concludes with the last group in c. 432 BC. This history centers on the two books three main characters: Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

The two books are treated as one book for the purpose of this study. There are two reasons: (i) They were one in the ancient Hebrew and Greek OT. (ii) Each is necessary to complete the other. Ezra’s story is climaxed in Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s story began in Ezra. Not only are these books historical, they are also theological.

These books teach eloquently of God. Thirteen times, God is described as God of heaven. Nine times in Ezra. Four times in Nehemiah. The same number of times as the God of Israel, but only in Ezra. Fifty-one times, God is referred to as our or my God. Twenty-three times in Ezra. Twenty-eight times in Nehemiah. His proper name, Yahweh, is only found fifty-three times. Thirty-seven in Ezra. Sixteen in Nehemiah. Strangely, God is called ‘Lord’ only four times. All four times are in Nehemiah. Throughout the two books, theological themes abound. God’s house gets much attention with sixty-four references. Forty-four times in Ezra. Twenty times in Nehemiah. God’s law is referred to no less than twenty-seven times. Eight times in Ezra. Nineteen times in Nehemiah. There were references to His commands, ordinances, regulations, decrees, and warnings. Worship of God is woven throughout both books and much is said about the temple and Levites, sacrifices, prayers, music, feasts, and confessions.

These two books inform us of seven essential doctrines: 14:05 – (i) God’s Word is trustworthy and central for faith. (ii) Worship is necessary for God’s people. (iii) God’s disciples obey Him. (iv) God gives His people leaders. (v) Opponents hinder God’s work. (vi) Prayer is our response to God’s presence. (vii) God is sovereign.

God’s Word is important and essential. It must be greatly emphasized. It must be studied and heeded as the only authoritative rule for living. Ezra and Nehemiah make it transparently clear how important and essential God’s truth is for God’s people. Scripture is to be trusted. Ezra and Nehemiah were written to fulfill the Word of the Lord. God’s Word spoke about Jeremiah were literally fulfilled as recorded in these two books. God’s temple was rebuilt, God’s law was taught, and God’s city was restored as predicted.

God is universally sovereign. He is not limited. He can use Cyrus, the king of Persia, to make possible His people release from captivity and returned to their fatherland. He can use Artaxerxes, another Persian king, to authorize and finance the trip of Ezra to teach God’s people God’s law. This same king also helped Nehemiah restore some measure of respectability to God’s holy city.
Worship of God is absolutely necessary. It is so necessary that the worship center simply must be built. Enthusiasm for restoring the worship center had died quickly. God had raised up a

Haggai and Zechariah to encourage His people to get back on course to complete the worship center. Nothing must supersede worship of God by His people.

Obedience to God is not optional. It is an obligation. This sometimes comes at a very high price. God said that people should not marry those who are not His people. When they did, they had to pay a painful price to correct the problem. Spouses and offspring who were not the people of God were to be sent away. God’s people must strive for Godly uniqueness; sometimes, at a very high cost.

Hard work is necessary for obedience and worship. Resurrecting the worship center was no easy job. Though expensive and difficult, it had to be done. Rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls was demanding and exhaustive task. It too had to be done.

Leadership is God’s plan. He raises up leaders. Some of God’s chosen leaders are unpopular and opposed at every hand but God raised up Zerubbabel, He chose Ezra, and He used Nehemiah. Important to note is that only Ezra was a religious leader. Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were laymen.

Opposition is real. It must be expected and prepared for. Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were confronted with damaging opposition, but God’s assigned tasks had to be done. Bolster their ground and confidence in God. Opposition to God’s people doing God’s work cannot be a reason for God’s people not doing God’s work. When the Jews were opposed in building the worship center the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews and they were not stopped.

Encouragement is always in order. Opposition causes discouragement so encouragement is always needed. God raises up those that encourage like Haggai and Zechariah. When the work on the worship center came to a halt Haggai and Zechariah showed up on the scene and God’s people continued to build and to prosper under the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.

Godly uniqueness should characterize God’s people. Intimate relations with those who are not God’s people undermine Godly character. Correcting worldly entertainment can be sad and very expensive. The Jews sending away their spouses and children must be understood in the right context. They separated themselves from the unclean practices of their gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord the God of Israel and the Lord filled them with joy.

God is intimate. He is present. He is ultimately involved in our lives. Ezra and Nehemiah portray this in a very graphic sense. Ezra did the impossible for the hand of the Lord was on him. Nehemiah got the unexpected because the gracious hand of God was upon him.

Prayer is fundamental and indispensable. Both of these books magnify this concept. Both men prayed. Nehemiah prayed a long prayer then he prayed a short one. He prayed a quick prayer in conversion with his boss king Artaxerxes. The he prayed to the God of heaven and answered the king (Neh. 2:4 – 5 ).

Confession and covenant making are basic to the Godly life. Ezra and Nehemiah teach much about the need and how of confessing. Both practices indicate the seriousness of intention and validate our faith.

Application. Ezra and Neh. 21:55 – Ezra and Nehemiah’s books are rich with lessons relevant to today’s society. These books are a real challenge for us. (i) First of all, to magnify the preeminent importance and supreme necessity of worship of God, prayer to God, and Word of God; which are the central themes in these two books. (ii) Secondly, to make some changes to pull up stakes and move to God like the Jews did in exile to return home. (iii) Third, to worship and live according to God’s way and God’s Word regardless of the circumstances like the Jews when they were opposed by [ ]. (iv) To be a separate distinctive people for God and yet avoid racism, isolationism, separatism like the Jews in relation to the Samaritans.(v) To be willing to work and determined to complete jobs for the building begun by God like the temple and city walls. (vi) To ensure that God’s Word is taught by skilled, trained teachers like Ezra. (vii) To be willing to confess our sin openly at times and to pay the price to make corrections like to Jews in sending away their nine Jewish families. (viii) To make God’s Word and way the determining factor when dealing with sticky social ethical issues like Nehemiah dealing with [ ]. (ix) To pray for good old fashion revival like Israel’s great revival.

Timeline. Ezra and Neh. 24:25 – Return from exile in Babylon in c. 538 BC. Beginning to rebuild the temple in c. 536 BC. The rebuilding of the temple is completed in c. 515 BC. Ezra journeys to Jerusalem in c. 457 BC. Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem in c. 443 BC. The building of the wall around the city in c. 443 BC.

Ref.

Seay, William. 2019. Old Testament Theology [MP3]. Andersonville Theological Seminary (ATS). Camilla, GA: ATS