EZRA---A REMNANT RETURNS

INTRODUCTION

1.    Ezra and Nehemiah form one book in the Hebrew Bible.

2.    These books tell the story of the return of God’s chosen people after the exile.

A.   The book of Kings ended with the story of the captivity of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, then the Southern Kingdom, Judah.

B.   During the captivity Jeremiah and Ezekiel told the Jews of their restoration and predicted they would return to their own land. Ezek. 36:24-28; 37:1-14

C.   Jeremiah told them this would happen at the end of 70 years. Jer. 25:11,12; 27:22; 29:10-14

3.    Ezra reviews the return from an ecclesiastical standpoint.

A.   It deals chiefly with the rebuilding of the temple, the restoration of priestly duties, the revival of reverence for the Word of God, and personal separation from ungodliness.

B.   When Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, the magnificent temple built by Solomon was stripped and burned. When the Jews returned to their land by permission of Cyrus of Persia, whose nation overthrew Babylon, they wanted to establish the temple first.

C.   The Book of Ezra is the record of this struggle to first erect the temple and then to get the people in right relation to God and His law.

4.    No other book of the Bible has fewer difficulties or obscurities than the book of Ezra.

A.   He makes little effort at direct teaching, but tells the story as simply as possible and lets it teach its own lessons.

B.   There is no effort to make the story continuous. He makes no mention of what happened during the 57 years that intervened between chapters six and seven.

5.    The Bible student will have noted that there were two “exodus” movements in O.T. history.

A.   The first was from Egypt.

B.   The second was from Babylon.

C.   Both were subjects of prophecy, the first in Genesis 15:13-14 and the second in Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10,11.

6.    Two movements of the remnants to restore the temple are noted in the book.

A.   In 538 B.C. a contingent led by Zerubbabel returned. Their first concern was to build an altar unto the Lord on its old site and to restore the daily sacrifices (2:1-3:3). Next they laid the foundations of the new temple in April or May of 536 B.C., helped by financial aid by the king of Persia. Work on the temple had not proceeded far when the Samaritans sought to have a share in the work. When refused, they hired lawyers to misrepresent the Jews before the king. This resulted in a halt to the work so that no further progress was made during the remainder of the reign of Cyrus nor during the reigns of the two successive kings, Cambyses and Smerdis (4:1-24).

B.   In 458 B.C., under mandate from Artaxerxes, Ezra led the second group of exiled Jews back. During this period the temple was finally rebuilt.

AUTHOR: Ezra, the son of Seraiah (7:1,11,25,28)

1.    A priest of the line of high priests (7:1-5,11; Neh. 8:9)

2.    A scribe in the law of Moses (7:6,21; Neh. 8:1)

DATE

1.    Of coverage - about 80 years, from the decree of Cyrus (536 B.C.) to shortly after Ezra’s arrival at Jerusalem (457 B.C.). (1:1; 7:1; 8:31; 10:17)

2.    Of writing - probably about 457 B.C., the time of Ezra’s return, or shortly thereafter. (7:1,6)

THEME: The restoration of worship (3:2-3, 4-6; 6:15-18, 19-22)

KEY PASSAGE: 6:21-22

CIRCUMSTANCES

1.    To provide a history of the 50,000 Jews who had returned to Palestine from captivity about 80 years earlier (536 B.C.) under Zerubbabel. (2:64-65)

2.    To record the building and dedication of the second temple (about 536-516 B.C.). (6:15,16)

3.    To record the personal ministry of Ezra as a preacher and teacher of the Word. (7:10)

MESSAGES

1.    The thrill, privileges and perils of godly service.

2.    The need for:

A.   Encouragement that comes from the Word when preached. (6:14)

B.   Reverence and study of the Word of God in order to enhance our relationship with Him. (7:10; cf. Neh. 8:6,8)

3.    The necessity of proving to the unsaved that we really believe what we say we do. (8:21-23, 31)

4.    The necessity for personal separation from the practices and influences of the world. (9:1-10:44) “Not infrequently, for the church and for the individual, occasions arise for the making of definite choices and decisions, and at such times compromise is nothing less than treason.”                                                                             --W.G. Scroggie

5.    Sacrifice on the part of all God’s people is necessitated if the work of God is to be done properly. (1:3,4)

A.   There are some who must, by divine compulsion, go and enter the front ranks of ministry. (1:3)

B.   Others who stay behind must be willing to support the Lord’s work with the sacrifice of material wealth. (1:4)

6.    God had brought grief upon His people, and the grief was richly deserved: but now the span of exile was over. God had not forgotten to be gracious, and there was a compassionate restoration made possible. cf. 9:8

PROPHETS OF THE TIME

Haggai and Zechariah (6:14) Their ministry was especially used when due to the opposition of the Samaritans (4:1-6) the work on the temple under Zerubbabel ceased for a period of 16 years. During this time the people built for themselves “cieled houses” (Hag. 1:4) while the temple was neglected. Under these men the work was recommenced and did not stop until it was completed. (5:1; 6:14, 15)

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK

  I.   THE RETURN OF ISRAEL (1-2)

A.   The pronouncement (1:1-4)

B.   The preparations (1:5-2:70)

 II.        THE RE-ERECTION OF THE ALTAR (3:1-7)

III.   THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE (3:8-6:14)

A.   The foundation laid (3:8-13)

B.   The foreign lawsuit (4:1-24)

C.   The forecasters lectures (5:1,2)

D.   The federal letters (5:3-17)

E.   The found law (6:1-12)

F.    The finished labor (6:13,14)

IV.   THE RESTORATION OF THE WORD (7-10)

A.   Ezra’s desire (7:10)

B.   Ezra’s dependence (7:11-8:36)

C.   Ezra’s dismay (9:1-4)

D.   Ezra’s disgrace (9:5-15)

E.   Ezra’s demand (10:1-44)

THE POST-EXILIC BOOKS

1.    EZRA: Starting with the earliest history deals with the return of the remnant, restoration of worship, rebuilding of the temple, and the sins of the returned remnant. (2:1; 3:3; 6:15,16; 9:1,2)

2.    NEHEMIAH: A continuation of Ezra dealing with the rebuilding of the wall and separation from the ungodly. (6:15; 13:3)

3.    ESTHER: Narrates the preservation of the Jews in the dispersion throughout the Medo-Persian empire. (3:13; 8:10-12)

4.    HAGGAI: A prophecy to the returned remnant in the time of Zerubbabel urging them to complete the temple. (1:8)

5.    ZECHARIAH: A prophecy to the returned remnant concerning both advents of Christ, the Millennium, judgment and blessing of the nations. (9:9; 14:4, 9, 12, 16)