INTRODUCTION

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

THE BOOK OF EZRA
Lesson #01
INTRODUCTION

• The Place in the Canon of Scripture and Chronological Time:
  • The Bible is not laid out chronologically in time as you might imagine.
  • Instead the Old Testament is laid out following general themes.
    • The general theme begins with books of HISTORY.
    • They are Genesis to Chronicles and generally occur chronologically in time.
      • Following Chronicles there is a break in time of approximately 70 years that is called the Babylonian Captivity.
      • The next three historical books are Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
      • Ezra and Nehemiah begin near the end of the Babylonian Captivity with the return of the Israelites to the Promised Land.
      • Esther occurs after the Babylonian Captivity has ended but many Jews are still in Babylon. It occurs in time between chapters 6 and 7 of the book of Ezra.
    • After the general theme of historical books are books of POETRY.
      • They are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
      • Job being the oldest book of the Bible reverts back in time to the period of Abraham in Genesis.
      • Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon cover the period of the Kings from David to Solomon.
    • After the general theme of poetry are the books of PROPHECY.
      • The prophetic books before the Babylonian Captivity are from Isaiah to Zephaniah.
      • The prophetic books after the Babylonian Captivity are Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These bring an end to the Old Testament in preparation for 400 years of silence that occurred between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
  • The book of Ezra appears in our Bibles after the book of 2Chronicles.
  • However, the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah at one time in Judaism were one book in the Hebrew Bible even though originally they were two separate books and probably written by two different authors.
    • As one book they appeared before the books of Chronicles.
    • The division of Ezra and Nehemiah into two books occurred in 1448 AD.
  • The chronology of time
    • The book of Ezra better fits the chronology of time when placed after Chronicles as we have it today in the Protestant Bible.
    • Why?
      • The books of First and Second Chronicles are historical books of the end of the reign of kings in the northern kingdom of Israel and in the southern kingdom of Judah. They occur before the Babylonian Captivity.
      • The book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah are historical books that transition from the Babylonian Captivity to the return to the Promised Land.
  • The chronology of cause, effect, and result:
    • The books of Kings and Chronicles give us the cause for the destruction and slavery that led the people into the Babylonian Captivity. The cause was sin, idolatry, and rebellion against God.
    • The books of Ezra and Nehemiah give us the result which is restoration by the grace and mercy of God.
• The Historical Period leading to the Babylonian Captivity
  • After the period of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, there was a civil war that broke the kingdom into two independent nations.
    • The Northern Kingdom of Israel
      • The Northern Kingdom was also called Ephraim after the tribe that led the rebellion, or Israel.
      • This kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel.
    • The Southern Kingdom of Judah
      • This kingdom consisted of two of the twelve tribes of Israel.
      • The two tribes were Judah and Benjamin of which Judah was the predominant tribe.
  • The Northern Kingdom was finally conquered by Assyria and the people were taken to the city of Babylon in

721-722 BC.

• • The Assyrian Empire later became the Babylonian Empire with its Israelite slaves still in captivity in Babylon.
  • The Southern Kingdom was conquered by the Babylonian Empire in 3 stages and finally fell with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC
    • The destruction of the Southern Kingdom united all of the Israelites from both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom in one place….in the Babylonian Captivity.
    • The three stages of Judah’s fall into captivity:
      • =1= 606 BC called The Servitude
        • Daniel, the prophet, was taken to Babylon with this group of captives.
        • This is the beginning date of the Babylonian Captivity.
      • =2= 597 BC called The Captivity
        • The prophet Ezekiel was taken to Babylon with this group of captives.
      • =3= 586 BC called The Desolations
        • This is the year of the final destruction of Jerusalem.
        • It also marks the destruction of the glorious temple of Solomon.
    • The restoration from the Babylonian Captivity occurred in three stages:
      • =1= 536 BC King Cyrus’ decree to begin rebuilding the temple ends the 70 year Servitude.
      • =2= 527 BC the 70 year Babylonian Captivity officially ends
      • =3= 516 BC the period of 70 years of Desolations ends when the new temple was completed.
  • The return from captivity occurred in three stages:
    • =1= 536 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel
    • =2= 458 BC under the leadership of Ezra
    • =3= 445 BC under the leadership of Nehemiah
  • Ezra lived during the reign of powerful kings of the Persian Empire that impacted his life and ministry.
    • =1= Cyrus 550 – 530 BC
      • The fall of Babylon to the Persian Empire.
      • Cyrus’ decree that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and build the temple (538 BC)
      • The Jewish exiles return to the Promised Land with Zerubbabel (536 BC).
      • The construction of the temple began.
      • The construction of the temple abandoned (520 BC)
    • =2= Darius I 521 – 486 BC
      • The temple construction resumed.
      • Temple construction completed (516 BC)
    • =3= Artaxerxes 464 – 423 BC
      • The second phase of the return of Jewish exiles to the Promised Land under Ezra. (458 BC)
      • The third return of Jewish exiles to the Promised Land under Nehemiah. (445 BC)
  • However, while these three kings are important to Ezra and the Israelites, the historical record in the book of Ezra is selective and does not include all history.
• The Author and Date of the Book of Ezra, the main character:
  • The main character of the book is Ezra who may also have been the author.
  • There are some who believe that Ezra also wrote 1 and 2 Chronicles along with the book of Ezra.
    • If that is true, 2Chr 36:16-21 gives us a starting point for the book of Ezra.
    • Read 2Chr 36:16-21
  • It is believed that Ezra began to write this book in 450 BC, 8 years after he arrived in Babylon.
  • The man Ezra: Who was he?
    • The name, Ezra, means = helper. He lived the meaning of his name.
      • He was a gifted teacher who helped his people under the yoke of slavery.
      • He helped the people understand the Word of God that was written in Hebrew when all the people understood was Aramaic. (Neh 8:8)
      • He helped Nehemiah with his ministry after Nehemiah returned to the Promised Land. (Neh 8:9)
    • Ezra was a descendent of Hilkiah, the High Priest who found a copy of the Law during the reign of Josiah that led to a revival. (2Chr 34:14)
    • Ezra was a priest and a scribe.
      • He loved the Word of God and loved to teach it.
      • He may have written Psa 119, the longest Psalm about the value of the Word of God.
      • He was a man of prayer. (Ezr 10:1)
    • Three times the book tells us that the hand of God was on him. (Ezr 7:6, 9, 28)
    • Hebrew tradition tells us that Ezra introduced the Jewish synagogue form of worship in Babylon.
      • When the temple was destroyed in Jerusalem, there was no need for the priesthood, and no means of formal worship. Therefore, teaching and informal worship revolved around the local synagogue.
      • God’s displaced people needed a way to maintain their identity and unity. What better way than around the worship of God.
    • Hebrew tradition also informs us that Ezra collected the Old Testament books into one unit of scripture and organized the book of Psalms.
    • He was also a prefigure of Jesus Christ:
      • Read Luk 24:27, 44
      • Ezra was a spiritual rebuilder and restorer. That is exactly what the ministry of Christ was about, rebuilding the individual in the will and purpose of God, and restoring worship of the true God, Jehovah.
• The Audience that Received Ezra’s Messages
  • Initially Ezra’s audience was captive Jews displaced from the Promised Land and living in Babylon.
    • You can imagine that after nearly 70 years in Babylon, the next generation of Jews had forgotten about their covenant relationship to God.
    • They did not remember the land God promised them.
    • They did not remember their God who loved them.
    • They did not remember Solomon’s glorious temple.
    • They did not remember how to worship God.
  • Then the audience changes to those few Jews returning to the Promised Land to reestablish a life as God’s people.
    • These people needed encouragement to rebuild the temple.
    • They needed encouragement to renew their relationship with God through worship.
      • Ezra encouraged a return to the Word of God.
      • Ezra encouraged a return to temple worship.
• The Theme and Purpose of the Book of Ezra
  • The book of Ezra demonstrates to us the following spiritual truths:
    • God fulfills the truth that sin has its consequences but God’s love is forever.
      • The Israelites persisted in their idolatry and disobedience so that God was left with no option but to permit them to reap what they had sowed.
      • Despite their rebellion against God, the book of Ezra demonstrates God’s mercy and grace of restoration.
      • A return to the Word of God was an important part of Ezra’s message that leads to revival.
        • There are 10 direct references to God’s Word in this book.
        • (Ezra 1:1; 3:2; 6:14, 18; 7:6, 10, 14; 9:4; 10:3, 5)
    • God’s plan throughout the entire Bible is one of restoration. That theme is beautifully demonstrated in the book of Ezra.
      • God restores His promise of the possession of the Promised Land
      • God restores His people to the land and to himself.
      • God restores the temple.
  • Our theme in the book of Ezra:
    • Because the book revolves around the rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of the priesthood, we are going to concentrate on the Biblical aspects of the temple and our priesthood as a believer in Jesus Christ.
    • The significance of the temple in the Bible:
      • The Old Testament concentrates on the historical events of God’s plan for a place of worship.
        • First is the tabernacle as a place of worship in the wilderness.
        • Then there is the construction of Solomon’s glorious temple during the reign of King Solomon. This was the only temple in which the Ark of the Covenant actually resided.
        • When the Israelites returned to the Promised Land from the Babylonian Captivity, they built a temple under the guidance of Zerubbabel in the book of Ezra. This temple was expanded and embellished by King Herod under the Roman Empire. This is the temple in which Jesus ministered.
      • In the New Testament we learn that the temple is but a symbol of something greater.
        • Read Joh 2:19-21 The tabernacle and the temple are symbols for Christ who ministered in the Spirit
        • Read 1Cor 3:16-19 The temple is a symbol for the individual believer in Jesus Christ in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
        • Read 2Cor 6:16 and Eph 2:21 The temple is a symbol for the church, the body of Christ.
        • In our study of Ezra we are going to gain some spiritual truths about building up the believer, the temple of God.
• Identification of Other Important People at that time:
  • Cyrus
    • King of Persia that signed the decree to free the Jews to return to the Promised Land after 70 years of captivity.
    • He was named in Scripture 150 years before he was born.
  • Zerubbabel
    • He was the first governor of Judah after the Babylonian Captivity.
    • He led 42,360 Jews back to the Persian Province of Judah to supervise the construction of the new second temple in Jerusalem.
  • Joshua
    • He was the High Priest. He assisted in the construction of the new temple in Jerusalem.
    • (This is not the Joshua that followed Moses and led the Israelites to conquer the Promised Land in the book of Joshua.)
  • Haggai
    • He was a prophet during the building of the second temple.
    • He came back to Judah from captivity 16 years after the first return to the Promised Land occurred.
    • He encouraged the construction of the second temple to continue in spite of opposition by the Samaritans.
  • Zechariah
    • He was a prophet during the building of the second temple.
    • He encouraged the construction of the temple to continue in spite of opposition by the Samaritans.
  • Nehemiah
    • He came to the Promised Land out of the Babylonian Captivity 13 years after Ezra.
    • Nehemiah’s job was to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. (See the book of Nehemiah)
• Key Verses:
  • Ezra 6:21-22
• Outline of the Book of Ezra:
  • The first return to the Promised Land under Zerubbabel (1-6)
    • Cyrus’ proclamation (1:1-4)
    • The Israelite reaction (1:5-11)
    • Those who returned to the Promised Land (2)
      • The list (2:1-63)
      • Total numbers (2:64-67)
      • Restoration begun (2:68-70)
    • Rebuilding the Temple (3:1-6:15)
      • The altar and foundation(3)
      • Building opposition (4:1-6:12)
      • The temple completed (6:13-15)
    • Temple dedication and Passover celebration (6:16-22)
  • The second return under Ezra and his reforms (7-10)
    • Return to the land (7-8)
      • Introduction of Ezra (7:1-10)
      • The circumstances causing the return (7:11-28)
      • The list of those who returned (8:1-14)
      • Details of the journey and their arrival (8:15-36)
    • Reform in the land (9-10)
      • The sin of intermarriage (9:1-4)
      • Ezra’s prayer to God (9:5-15)
      • The people’s confession of sin (10)
• Sources for our study:
  • Chronology of the Old Testament by Floyd Nolen Jones
  • Ezra, Nehemiah, and Eshter by J. Vernon McGee
  • Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther: A Self-study Guide by Irving L. Jensen
  • The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament by Walvoord and Zuck
  • Rose Guide to the Temple by Randall Price
  • Be Ye Transformed: Understanding God’s Truth by Chuck and Nancy Missler

Homework
Ezra 1 and 2

• Preparation for Ezra 1 and 2
  • Read Ezr 1:1-11
    • Cyrus is a prefigure or type of Jesus Christ. What parallels do you see in him that reminds you of Christ?
  • Read Isa 44:28
  • Read Isa 45:1
• Memory Verse: Pro 21:1