Ezra

Here is the account of the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring the Children of Israel back to Palestine, after their 70 years of captivity. 2 Chronicles 36:20-23 documents the end of the 70 years. Note: God restored the people to the land, He did not, nor did He promise ever to restore the land to the people. Political control of the land ended with Jehoachin, (Zedekiah was actually the last one to have the title of king, but he was a puppet of Nebudchadnezzar). The events recorded in the book of Esther occurred during the time of Ezra, between 515 and 457 BC.

Note here that the ten tribes who rebelled and formed the northern kingdom, called Israel, were never restored – nor was there any promise that they would be. There are a number of reasons for this: There was no temple in their region, (nor in their hearts); There was no religious leadership, no member of the priestly tribe of Levi. There were no surviving members of the royal lineage, no descendants of David; Assyria instituted desegregation, translocating the Israelites outside of the region and bringing in people from other lands. Those Israelites who managed to survive in the region intermarried with other races and became known as Samaritans, a mixed race, hated by the Jews.

Ezra is grouped in the arrangement of our Bible with 1 & 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah because it is considered to be an important historical account of the lineage of the priesthood. He condemns interracial marriage, and commands the Jews to put away their illegally married foreign wives.

1:1-4 In 536 BC Cyrus established the Persian Empire, which included the principle territories of Persia, Babylon, Chaldea in addition to numerous other smaller territories. And while the Persian Empire certainly did not actually encompass all of the nations of the world, it was the predominant ruling power, thus the hyperbole which is typical of rulers at the time. He has political ties to various Pagan religions, yet he acknowledges Jehovah God, even though he comes short of truly knowing God. Isaiah 45:1-4 describes for us God’s relationship with Cyrus. The term “God of heaven” appears numerous times in the scriptures; its use is generally in a context intended to leave no doubt of its reference. The Persians were known to worship a number of idol gods, among them Marduk, and Allah, the moon god. Yes, the Allah which muslums worship is actually the ancient pagan god of the moon, also known by the name of its various phases, the most popular was Sin; Mecca was originally built as a shrine to the worship of the moon god, and his wife the sun and their daughters the stars. Thus the crescent moon with a star became a symbol for their religion. Bread was baked in the shape of a crescent as an act of worship. Worship of the moon gods is specifically condemned in Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kings 21:3,5; 23:5; Jeremiah 8:2; 19:13; Zephaniah 1:5 and others. The symbol of the crescent moon is widely found on archeological finds of jewelry, tablets, seals, etc. Cyrus came from this pagan background, yet he can do nothing but acknowledge the “God of heaven” in his decree.

It is notable that the option to return to Judah was made a matter of choice. “Who is there among you of all his people…? It is also interesting to observe that a relatively small number, the “remnant” referred to repeatedly numbered only about 50,000; these returned, but the rest chose to remain where they were, or to migrate further into other territory. This was actually the remnant of the remnant, for already those of Judah, the southern kingdom, had been called the remnant, 1 Kings 12:23. That this remnant should return and thrive again is foretold in 2 Kings 19:30. And consider Isaiah 1:9, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” And Isaiah 10:21. Romans 9:27, (quoting Isaiah 10:22). We see God’s hand of providence in Cyrus’ order that those who chose not to return should at least contribute to support the project.

1:5-11 Those ‘whose spirit God had raised’ rose up to go – there were those who had remained faithful to God during the period of exile; and many of those had given birth to children and grandchildren who had been taught the things of God. After 70 years, it is very likely that most of those who ‘rose up to go’ had been born in Babylon and had never seen Jerusalem.

(7) Cyrus brought out from storage the precious vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchagnezzar had taken from the temple and gave them to the returning Jews. These were the very vessels from which Belshazzar and his drunken friends drank the night the hand appeared writing on the wall.

(8) Zerubbabel was one of those who had been born in Babylon; he had been given the name Sheshabazar by the Babylonians, and was designated to lead the return to Jerusalem.

2:1- “children of the province” – once a respected geo/political power in its own right, Judea is now reduced to the status of being a province of the Persian Empire. Never again will the Jews exert independent self-rule, they will remain under the control of the Persians, then the Greeks and finally the Romans before being completely destroyed in AD 70.

There were a number of cities in Judea besides Jerusalem, including Hebron, Arah, Anathoth, Bethlehem, Jericho, and Ramallah, to name a few. While the initial objective was the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, many of the exiles went to their home towns, or to places significant to their ancestry.

2:21 Here the inspired writer changes gears, perhaps for economy of words and space, and lists the returnees by their hometown instead of by their ancestors.

2:36 Some of the priestly families returned, (by the time of the announcement of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John their numbers had increases sufficient to restore the normal order of courses in which they served. The families of the Levites returned, including the children of those who had been the singers and the porters in the temple service.

2:43 Then the Nethinim, the people who were dedicated to the menial tasks of operating and maintaining the temple. The name in Hebrew means “given as helpers”. (This would have included those who provided the firewood, carried out the ashes, cleaned the floors, kept the water containers clean and filled, and numerous other tasks associated the carrying on the day-to-day activities of the temple). This unique segment of the population had their origin when David gave captives from battle to the Levites to be their servants.

2:55 – 62 The children of Solomon’s servants were likely not natural Jews, but were most likely descendants of people whom Solomon had either employed or enslaved for the building of the temple and of his palace compound during his reign; yet they were accorded the honor of living in Solomon’s house. This group also included a number of others of questionable genealogy, and who were not permitted to register because their names were not included in the records. Unless one could establish with clear documentation that he was a descendant of the tribe of Levi he was not permitted to serve in the priesthood. That is another reason that it will not be possible to ever again restore the Jews to Jerusalem and temple worship, because no Jew alive today can document his ancestry and prove that he is of the tribe of Levi, therefore there can be no Jewish priests! Instead, Christians are declared to be a holy priesthood – 1 Peter 2:5, and Jesus is our High Priest, Hebrews 4:14.

2:63 Nehemiah was designated by Cyrus with the title ‘Trishatha’, meaning governor. He ruled that those of questionable lineage must not partake of the holy things of the temple until their status could be determined by a priest with Urim and Thummim. (Exocus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; and 1 Samuel 28:6). There is much speculation about what the Urim and Thummim were and how they operated. There is nothing to indicate any magic associated with the stones, nor is it likely that they were used as dice in the casting of lots, as supposed by some. The most reasonable explanation is that when the High Priest was dressed and adorned according to the specifications given by God that God would reveal to him His will, or the answer to inquiries. Another explanation could be that these jewels simply represented the authority of the bearer to speak for God.

2:64 - 67 The account seems to indicate the relative poverty of the band of returnees. The numbers work out to about one donkey for every six people; one horse for every sixty, one camel to every hundred people and one mule for each one hundred seventy-five.

2:68 – 70 So moved by the sight of the ruins of the once-magnificent temple were they that they opened their hearts and their purses and gave freely for its restoration. The text says that they gave according to their ability – just imagine what might be accomplished today if Christians would truly give as we have the ability to do. As we look upon the rubble people have made of their lives, knowing that we have that which is missing from their lives, can we not be moved as were these? 1 Peter 2:4-7 – we as living stones build the house of God, the church, and Christ is the cornerstone. Thus comes to an end the first wave of returning Jews.

The work of rebuilding the temple must have been of particular importance to Ezra in a personal way, because his own father, Seraiah, had been high priest when Nebudchadnezzar destroyed the temple and later killed him, (Jeremiah 52:24-27).

Chapter 3 records the restoration of worship at the temple site and about the beginning of the rebuilding of the temple. Herein is the bittersweet combination of joy and agony – they sang together giving praise to the Lord because the foundation was laid, (actually, the work was just begun); yet, at the same time, those older among them wailed and cried because they remembered the former glory of the temple.

3:1-5 There is unity among those who returned; their first act is to construct an altar and worship God. They also observed the feast of tabernacles, commemorating the time they lived in the wilderness in temporary shelters, (Leviticus 23:34-43). They continued in their resumption of the sacrifices and worship – although there is no mention of their having observed the Day of Atonement on the 10^th day. This does not necessarily mean that they did not do it, we just don’t have a record of it.

3:6-7 It took them several months to get started on the foundation. They paid the masons and carpenters in advance, (not something one would do today); and ordered the timber.

3:8-10 This groundbreaking ceremony marks the official end of the 70 years, occurring in the spring of 535 BC. Expectations would have been that the temple would rise from the rubble in short order; however such was not to be. First, the rubble had to be cleared away; the footings re-dug; then the foundation put into place. In order to bear the tremendous weight of the structure, three courses of great stones comprised the foundation.

3:11 - 13 The songs they sang could have been Psalms 106, 107,118 and136. But for those older Jews, who had memories of the grandeur of the former temple there was great sadness. They no doubt realized that this structure would not come close to the magnificence of Solomon’s temple; yet, they didn’t realize that it would ultimately receive even greater glory than before, for the messiah, the very Son of God Himself would walk there.

4:1 - 5 Who were these adversaries? Most likely they included some of the surviving members of the northern tribes and their mixed-race descendants, the Samaritans. Remember, Samaria was the capitol of the northern kingdom and had been destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC led by Sennacherib. His son, Esarhaddon became king of Assyria in about 681 BC, and continued the translocation of Israelites and the importation of people of other nations into the territory. Now, 186 years later, these people claimed to worship God, but had thoroughly polluted their worship with idolatry and pagan rituals. It didn’t take long for their true intent to come to light.

This interference delayed work on the temple project for perhaps at least 15 years, spanning the end of the reign of Cyrus, encompassing the 12 year reign of his son Cambyses,( perhaps also known as Ahasuerus) and into the 2^nd year of the reign of Darius, (who was succeeded by Artaxerxes*). Remember, these monarchs were of the Persian Empire, ruling from Babylon. There is much correspondence documenting their government of Judah. It was during the reign of Ahasuerus from 485 to 465 that the events recorded in the book of Esther took place – precisely in 480 BC.

*More on the identities of these kings later

4:6-16 Vicious letter writing campaigns by the enemies of God’s people in an effort to thwart the work of God are nothing new. Repeatedly they tried all manner of subversion, accusations and deceit to prevent the work on the temple from going forward. They told the same lies so many times that they no doubt had started to believe them themselves. Do you think they went unpunished? Based on what we have learned about how God has dealt with the enemies of His people we may be certain that these too will face Divine judgment.

Notice that in verse 7 the letter to Artaxerxes was written in the Syrian language – using every means to appeal to the king of Persia to work their evil intent. It appears that the individuals named were bureaucrats of the various colonies established by the Assyrians upon the deportation of the Israelites from the regions of Samaria, (the population may well have included mixed race descendants of Israelites who had intermarried with those who were transplanted there, (as many as 9 different nationalities are identified); they were apparently jealous over the potential that Jerusalem would once again rise to prominence, thus detracting from their own importance. There are those in this world who would rather cause some other work to fail than put forth the effort to cause their own work to prosper.

Note how the rulers form a pact, (verse 9), to lodge their false accusations. The building of a new temple would certainly have not been harmful to these people in any way; they had no interest in worshiping God according to His authority anyway. But take note of their methods, they represent themselves as men of honor, concerned for the good of the king. They represent the Jews who have returned to work on the temple as evil and rebellious. They resort to personal character assassination, but their false self-righteousness is evident on its face.

They accused them of having set up the walls and joined the foundations. A lie to be sure; they had done exactly what the decree of Cyrus provided for them to do, nothing more. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 444, (92 years later), the walls were still in ruins.

Consider Psalms 120:3-4. The false accuser is identified in Revelation 12:10, “…for the accuser of our brethren is cast down…”, a clear reference to Satan; he is the source of false accusations.

These enemies had evidently done a thorough job of recruiting opposition to the Jews from among their neighbors, (a tactic still employed today). Look at verse 12 – “…the Jews that came from you to us…”, as though they had any real or valid claim to the territory. They “are building the rebellious and the bad city”; the jealousy with which these people were consumed made it impossible for them to see the hand of God in the return of the Jews. They were so consumed with opposing the work that they lost all perspective.

In verse 13 they show their true colors…it’s all about the money! Sound familiar? They had no valid basis to accuse these Jews so they did so falsely. They had assumed that their own financial interests might be impaired. There were a number of principle roads and highways built and maintained by the conquering Kings. Generally, it was customary that a fee or toll would be charged for the use of these roads; after all, they were the most desirable way to travel, usually level and straight, and supposedly protected. Tribute would have been like our property tax – a tax paid to the king’s treasury for the privilege of dwelling in the land under the king’s protection and of being allowed to use the land to produce their livelihood and commerce. Custom would be a tax or fee paid for merchandise and goods carried over the roads or across the borders of the various provinces or nations – similar to an import/export tax, but more like a transport tax for goods. These three primary sources of revenue were important to the rulers of conquered territories (verse 14), especially under the Persian system of governing. It also appears that those funds allocated back to the local governing entities were tied to these revenue streams. Thus, the financial interest that the enemies of the Jews had in keeping Jerusalem subdued.

In verse 15 they accuse the Jews of being rebellious for having tried to defend their own homeland. Ever notice how those who wish to be faithful to the scriptures in serving the Lord are accused of being rebellious? When it is the accusers themselves who are in rebellion. They make reference to the rebellion against Nebucadnezzar by Jehoiakim in 600 BC, (2 Kings 24:1), and by Zedekiah in 588, (Jeremiah 52:3). Of course, it was in response to Zedekiah’s rebellion that Nebuchadnezzr launched the final attack on Jerusalem, destroying it and the temple. In writing to Artaxerxes that if the Jews accomplished their purpose he would have no territory “on this side of the river”, they were forgetting that they too were on the west side of the Euphrates River from Babylon, they were lucky that he didn’t take that as a threat of rebellion on their part. We’ll see later in chapter 6 how that this temporary halt in the work was overcome and the work resumed 15 years later, under Darius I.

Lies and hypocrisy on the part of their enemies notwithstanding, the Jews themselves were only half-hearted in their efforts. They allowed themselves to become discouraged by the opposition. Their lack of zeal made them vulnerable to the discouragement of their detractors, and kept them from accomplishing their purpose in a timely manner. They didn’t have the ‘mind to work’ that they later had in Nehemiah 4:6.

5:1-17 Preaching was done in the name of God, and people started to get up and go to work on the temple. We will examine some of the preaching when we come to our study of Haggai. Note the complete accord of all elements, Zerubbabel – the governor, Jeshua – the high priest, and the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah. One of the few times in history that civil government and religious government have worked together for the mutual purpose of obeying God. The language in verse 2 telling us that they rose up paints a picture of unmotivated, lazy individuals, lounging around and waiting for someone else to do what needed to be done.

Paul writes a note of encouragement to Christians in 2 Corinthians 1:24…”for by faith ye stand.” Also consider what Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God”, 1:27-28.

Once again their jealous enemies tried to stop them. But the eye of God was upon them (5); time and again we see evidence of God’s providence, and yet so many still do not believe. (2 Chronicles 16:9), {this was the occasion when Asa, king of Israel had made an alliance with an enemy, Ben Hadad king of Syria, against other enemies. Hanani the seer came to Asa and pointed out that his greater enemy was still a threat to his security. Hanani reminded Asa that in the past when he had relied upon God he had been successful, but now he forecasts evil for him.} Also see 1 Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer”. The point is that the eye of God is upon all men; His providence is alive and active in each of our lives. Bear in mind that these Samaritan people could have chosen to honestly repent of their wrongs and turn and serve God. But it was not in their hearts to do so.

And so another letter, this one appears to be fair and accurate for the most part, except in verse 8 they claim that the house of God “is builded with great stones and timber is laid in the walls and the work “goeth fast on and prospereth in their hands”. Then in verse 16 they admit that the foundation has been laid but the work is not finished. The stones of the foundations were indeed great; Mark 13:1-2.

In verses 9 & 10 the building inspectors came. These were the tin-horn authorities set up as puppets of the king of Babylon and then Persia. They put on the pretext of protecting the king’s interests, but they had a financial interest to be sure.

In verse 11 the Jews informed the interlopers that they didn’t need a permit for this building project because, first of all they were working for a higher authority; and secondly, they were not building a new structure, but simply re-building a formerly existing building on its original foundations. The ADA law didn’t exist, nor did ADEM or OSHA, so that should have been enough, but their enemies would not miss a chance to cause them potential problems. They confessed their allegiance to God, as we should do in all matters. Matthew 10:32,33; Romans 1:16 – (not ashamed of the gospel…).

From verse 12 we learn that these Jews knew and fully understood that it was because of sin and unfaithfulness to God that the temple had been destroyed in the first place.

6:1-12 Then Darius made a decree… leave them alone; and give to them from the money that which you were so anxious to protect for you own selfish interests. A threat of death by impaling is pronounced on those who interfere with the work, and urgency is added to the decree.

It is evident that Darius didn’t allow the typical bureaucratic bungling to overlook the document that would exonerate the Jews. When it was not found in the usual place for such things in the house of documents in Babylon, the search was expanded. Cyrus’ decree was found stored in the archives in Achmetha, in the province of Media. By the providence of God it had been preserved, (even as it is to this very day); and Darius didn’t give up the search until it had been found.

6:10 Here is perhaps the origin of the concept of praying for civil authorities and rulers – even those who may not be followers of God. It is presented as an edict from God in Jeremiah 29:7; and comes down to us in 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

6:13 It is to the credit of Tatnai, the governor over Samaria that he obeyed the order of Darius, and did so speedily.

6:14-15 The foundation work had begun in April 536 BC, and the work completed 21 years later on February 21, 515 BC. In actuality however, it took only about 4 ½ years to finish, once the work got underway in earnest. (Solomon had taken 7 years to build the original).

6:16-18 The term “children of Israel” is invoked here as a proper reference to those faithful descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had returned from exile to resume the ordained worship of the God of heaven. From this point forward the term refers to this remnant of God’s people, and does not include any of those ten tribes comprising the northern kingdom which had been called Israel. We find the term used in the New Testament in Romans 9:6 and 11:26, in reference to the church.

The dedication sacrifices were sparse by comparison with Solomon’s dedication. They offered a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs and twelve male goats. That may seem like a lot, but according to 1 Kings 8:36 Solomon had offered 22,000 oxen and 170,000 sheep.

6:19-22 “children of the captivity” – indicating that faithful remnant. Verse 21 indicates that there were others who had renounced the idolatry of the pagans, no doubt submitted to circumcision, and were ready to be faithful to the God of heaven exclusively.

The king of Assyria here is Darius I, he was also king of Persia and king of Babylon, having conquered them all. The reference to Assyria may be included here as a footnote to the fact that it is this specific remnant of the former Israelites who now qualify to bear the reference “children of Israel”.

And so, time passes – at least 58 years, as indicated in verse 1 of chapter 7. There is reason to believe that Esther may have had some influence on the king’s compassionate attitude toward the returnees. In either event, during this time there are some interesting events taking place back in Babylon. These are recorded for us in the book of Esther. And since those events fall here in the chronology, we’ll lay Ezra aside as we examine the book of Esther.

Esther
God had repeatedly warned His people of the consequences of disobedience. Even while the people of God were in the midst of their sin and rebellion He had promised that after a period of captivity He would deliver them, (Jeremiah 29:10-14). “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10). “…God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, led the initial return of about 50,000 Jews back to Palestine. At Jerusalem they found the rubble of what had been the glorious temple of Solomon; the walls of the city had been torn down, (Jeremiah tells of the desolation in Lamentations). In 536 BC he laid the foundations for a new temple, built an altar and worshipped the Lord. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah helped urge the Jews on.

Some 58 years later, in 458 BC, more Jews returned, (about 1,700 men, plus women and children making perhaps as many as 5,000), led by Ezra, (Ezra chapter 7). After another 12 years, in 444 BC, Nehemiah returned with the third group, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and was named governor of Judea – (under the rule of Persia). Under his leadership the walls were rebuilt in just 52 days because “the people had a mind to work”, Nehemiah 4:6. Ezra, perhaps with some help from Nehemiah, assembled and organized the sacred writings comprising the Old Testament up to their time; this cannon of scripture has stood since that time. They read the scriptures aloud to the people and taught from them.

With the passing of time a number of things have taken place. It seems that Zeruabbabel, Haggi and Zechariah have passed from the scene; we read no more about them except in reference to their descendants. The time frame of the writing of Haggai is 520 BC; and Zechariah is from 520 to 487. Ezra begins in 538 BC and by chapter 6 he has taken us to 515. There is a span of about 58 years between Ezra chapters 6 and 7; chapter 7 picks up in 457 BC. Therefore, it would be appropriate in a chronological study sequence, to look next to Haggai then Zechariah concurrent with our study of Ezra. Then one might conclude a study of the Old Testament time line with Nehemiah and Malachi.

605 - 536	Daniel
587 – 586	Obadiah
538 – 515	Ezra 1-6
486 – 480	Esther
520	Haggai
520 – 487	Zechariah
457	Ezra 7-10
444 – 443	Nehemiah
430	Malachi

Here is the partial time line:

The book of Esther and the prophesies of Haggai and of Zechariah fit the timeline here, between chapters 6 and 7 of Ezra. We have already considered the treasures of Esther; but for the sake of time, and at least a modicum of simplicity, we’ll just give a passing nod to these other prophets as we move rapidly through the remaining time, roughly 50 years, to the end of the inspired record of the Old Testament.

Subsequent to the events recorded in the book of Esther we see still more of the providence of God on behalf of those Jews who would be faithful to Him. (By the way, remember that Mordecai was among those who returned to Jersualem with Zerubbabel, Ezra 2:2).

Ezra Chapter 7 gives us a glimpse of Ezra the man and his expedition to Jerusalem. Of particular note is Ezra’s expression of thanks to God for His many blessings. As a descendent of Aaron, Ezra was a priest, in fact, his father had been high priest when Nebudchadnezar sacked Jerusalem in 587 and killed him.

In the years that elapsed between the initial decree of Cyrus allowing those Jews who wished to do so to return to Jerusalem and the time of Ezra’s return, the people had become ambivalent and indifferent toward the practices of worship under the Mosaic Law. This condition was well known back in Babylon, and Ezra was the man-of-the-hour, as a priest and as a scribe with a thorough knowledge of the law. Verse 6 of chapter 7 tells us that he was a “ready scribe in the Law of Moses”. He had spent sufficient time reading and studying the Law of Moses that he was conversant in it – are we able to talk about the New Testament of Christ ‘readily’? Not so long ago I head the comment made about someone “He knows the Bible, he’s a member of the Church of Christ”. Time was when the Lord’s church had such a reputation among the world – do we still deserve that reputation?

The word ‘ready’ describing him indicates his particular skill in the law. The scribe was much more than simply one who copied the ancient texts, but one who could speak with authority about what the scriptures taught. Of all people the scribes should have been the first to recognize the authenticity of Jesus when He appeared, fulfilling all of the prophesies of the scriptures. Ezra is credited with having collected and organized all of the available books of the Old Testament which had been written up to that time. His own work would comprise a part of this collection. This collection of sacred writings was accepted by the Jews as the authentic cannon of scripture from this time forward, through the time of Christ, (he made specific reference to it – Matthew 7:12; 22:40; Luke 16:6; also mentioned in John 1:45; Acts 14:15, and Romans 3:21), and quoted from it frequently. That same cannon of Old Testament Scriptures stands even until today.

For Ezra, the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem was long and difficult; it meant crossing desert, wilderness, mountains and rivers. No wonder that with a company of 5,000 or so, including women and children and all their goods it took them all of four months to make the journey, yet that was after all a speedy trip.

7:10 Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, then to do it and then to teach it. Here we find the headwaters of teaching from the written word of God. Soon, certainly within less than another century, prophesy will cease and the written scriptures will be the only source for man to learn the will of God. Have we prepared our hearts to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach it?

Artaxerses refers to himself as “king of kings” in 7:12, and indeed it was true. The Persian Empire consisted of numerous nations, each with localized government, (kings), under the control of Babylon. This is why it was not necessary for Alexander the Great to fight door-to-door, as it were, to conquer the world; with but a few exceptions, he had only to seize the seat of government of the Persian Empire.

It is particularly interesting to note the commands to the satraps “beyond the river” (7:21); these were those who had written earlier of their great concern that the King would have no loyal servants on “this side of the river” unless the work in Jerusalem was halted. They had reminded the King that unless he put a stop to the work of the Jews that he stood to lose toll, custom and tribute. See how this came back upon them – in the command not only that they give of these resources to support the work, but that those returning with Ezra should be exempt from all such taxes.

Artaxerxes reasoned that doing the will of the God of Heaven was a good idea, (verse 23). It was also a good political move because Palestine was a strategic buffer between Babylon and Egypt. There was difficulty with Egypt and the constant threat of rebellion, so the control of Palestine was of significant value to the Persian Empire, setting the stage for control by the Greeks. It is truly fascinating to observe the hand of God in all this; by His divine Providence bringing about those detailed conditions and circumstances which would be conducive to the coming of the spiritual Kingdom - “But when the fullness of the time was come God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the Law,” (Galatians 4:4).

Artaxerxes’ command to Ezra to teach those who did not know the laws of God (25) is unique in the history of human governments. Here we have government promoting the religion of the God of Heaven, to the point of executing those who would not conform, (26). [I fear that we may be closer than we realize to a time when people who teach the Bible in this country will be executed, as is the case now in some parts of the world.] He allowed the Jews to maintain their ecclesiastical offices and titles, thus Iddo, the prince of the Nethnims was called upon by Ezra for his assistance.

Ezra’s gratitude to God is expressed in verses 27 and 28. Because of his knowledge of the scriptures, Ezra’s faith enabled him to see the hand of God in the affairs of men.

Chapter 8 is an account of those who made the journey and their preparations. Some estimates place the number at about 5 thousand men, women and children. The total number of Jews who chose to return to Judea and Jerusalem represents only a small fraction of the Jewish population at that time. We might be inclined to think that the Jews would greet the generosity of the Persian kings with great joy and anticipation, and that they would rush from far and wide to make the journey to their homeland. There were at least two generations who had been born in Babylon, and yet there were many for whom Palestine was their homeland. It is amazing that such a relatively small number should choose to return. Those who did not do so had chosen to remain in the comfort of their surroundings. They chose their present comfort over their religion. They were at ease and unwilling to go to the trouble of returning to God. Even the Levites had to be prodded in order to get some of them to go.

With the caravan assembled at the river, Ezra has procured the men needed to accomplish his mission; yet there is still one more provision he must make. He seeks to invoke the blessings of God upon his endeavors, (8:21-22). He didn’t get so caught up in his own business that he forgot that the one thing he needed above all was the God of Heaven. The fasting was a demonstration of humility and personal commitment to the will of God.

Ezra entrusts for safekeeping the vessels of the temple, (8:25-29), with great care to assure their safe delivery. This was a treacherous journey but Ezra had prepared for it by invoking the protection of God. Verse 31 tells us that the hand of God was upon them for this four month long trip, through hostile lands. They arrived safely in Jerusalem and delivered the treasures to the temple.

It is interesting to note in 8:35 that they offered 12 bullocks and 12 he-goats for “all of the nations of Israel”. The implication might be that word had gone out to the extent that perhaps even exiles from the dispersion of Israel by the Assyrians had heard and chosen to return to Jerusalem and now are reunited with their brothers of Judah, (Ezekiel 37:21-23; Nehemiah 1:8-9). –OR- We might take the view that this remnant of faithful Jews now represented the entirety of Israel in total; that the unity of Israel and Judah is symbolic and thus Ezekiel’s prophesy is fulfilled. This is the more accurate view, and is supported by Romans 4:12-16; 9:6-7, also John 8:39.

In chapter 9 Ezra demonstrates genuine sorrow for the sins of God’s people. Following the worship, the sacrifices and offerings, it was reported to Ezra that the people, even some priests and Levites had not obeyed God’s injunction against intermarrying with the heathen nations, (Deuteronomy 7:3; 1 Kings 11:2). This great transgression threatened to destroy the remnant of Israel by compromising the Holy Blood Line, (Deuteronomy 7:6). To have feelings of deep sorrow for the guilt of one’s own sins is an element of true repentance. There is no indication at all that Ezra bore any personal guilt in the matter, therefore we understand that his deep and agonizing sorrow over the sins of others was so great perhaps because he fully understood the implications of sin. He loved God; he respected God’s laws; and he loved God’s people.

Ezra sat astonished, (9:4); there was every reason that these people, of all people on earth, should have respected God’s law. Ezra might have felt as Moses did when he came down from Mt. Sinai and found the people partying around that golden calf. His prayer begins in verse 6 and continues through the end of the chapter. The sin was national in scope and its potential consequences threatened all members of that nation, whether they were personally implicated or not. Verse 8 indicates Ezra’s concern that God’s grace had been repudiated. The nail reference is symbolic of an established place, as in Isaiah 22:23.

In verse 9 Ezra acknowledges the bondage which the Jewish nation had suffered at the hands of the Babylonians. Although they were permitted a degree of home rule, as it were, they were still and would ever be subjects of a conquering government. This fact is one that the Jews of Jesus’ day refused to acknowledge, (John 8:33).

In 9:13 Ezra states that God has punished us less than we deserve. Indeed is that not the case with all men? The penalty we deserve for our sins is death, (Romans 6:23); but in His great love God has provided redemption for us through Christ, (Romans 5:8; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Just as God had delivered His people from the bondage of Egypt and of Babylon, He has delivered us from the bondage of sin.

Chapter 10 details the putting away of the strange wives and their children. It may be seen as an act of repentance on the part of the Jews who had violated God’s command and intermarried with the heathen nations, subjecting themselves to the temptation to be drawn away into their idolatry and abominable practices; but more than that, polluting the Holy Blood Line through which the Savior was to come. This putting away of illegal wives is a unique event in Holy Writ inasmuch as there was no fornication involved, (Matthew 19:9). This event amounted to a purging – in today’s political parlance it might be called ‘ethnic cleansing’.

Ezra has chronicled for us the fulfillment of God’s promise to return the Jews to their land after 70 years of captivity, (note: He did not promise to return the land to them; they remained subjects of foreign governments for the remainder of their existence as a nation). By the grace and providence of God, three Persian kings extended them favor, Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes (also known as Ahesuerus). Godly leaders emerged from the remnant of the faithful, including Zerubbabel, Joshua, Haggai, Zechariah and Ezra. And let us not forget the influence of Esther and Mordecai.

Ezra was a scribe, a knowledgeable interpreter of the Law, while Nehemiah’s talent lay in his ability to organize people and get things done. Nehemiah had been born in Babylon and had served as cupbearer to Artaxerxes I, until being dispatched to Jerusalem to set matters right. His two-fold mission was to bring the people into faithful compliance with God’s Law, and to rebuild the walls of the city. Nehemiah and Ezra worked together to restore physical and spiritual order in Jerusalem.