A broader theological purpose is also revealed: God keeps His promises. Through the prophets, God had ordained that His chosen people would return to their land after a seventy-year exile. Hence, the book emphasizes the temple and proper worship, similar to Chronicles which was also written during these days. God moved the hearts of secular rulers Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes to allow, even encourage and help, the Jewish people to return home. He used these unlikely allies to fulfill His promises of restoration for His chosen people.
Have you encountered unlikely sources of blessing? Have you wondered how God can really work all things together for the good of those who are called by His name Romans ? Recommit to Him your trust, your love, and your obedience. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Ezra , which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses.
Who wrote the book? Where are we? Why is Ezra so important? It aroused the ire of the Samaritans and other peoples, who resented the affront to their women. In retaliation the Samaritans denounced Ezra to the Persian king for attempting to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which he evidently was not authorized to do.
The King stopped the work, and the rebuilt part was razed. Ezra convened an assembly of the people in Jerusalem ca. Standing on a wooden pulpit, he read aloud a portion of the Law of Moses, which the Levites expounded. At that time, too, Ezra reinstituted the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.
It is probable that he died shortly after this episode. The traditional tomb of Ezra is located in Basra, Iraq, though Josephus stated that he was buried in Jerusalem. The Talmud ascribes a far more important role to Ezra than that recorded in the scriptural book bearing his name. The Talmud asserts that Ezra would have been worthy of having the Torah given through him to Israel had not Moses preceded him.
It also attributes to him many ancient laws, perhaps to give them prestige and authority. After about ten years, the project resumed, and was finally completed in about B. Ezra was granted permission by the next king, Antaxerxes, to lead another group of exiles back. He found the temple restored to glory, but soon realized that the worship life of the remnant needed repairing. Later, he rose to his knees and prayed out to God for forgiveness. Afterwards, he issued a call for all the exiles to gather in the city, where he directed the men to separate from their foreign wives and children.
The people obeyed, and eventually re-established other practices such as tithing and observing the sabbath. As for the end of his life, some scholars hold that Ezra was buried in Jerusalem, but others claim his body was returned to Babylonia and buried there.
The book was originally written for those Jews who were returning to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. Composed around B. The book of Ezra actually continues on with the historical events at the end of 2 Chronicles. It covers two spans of time: the first journey back to Jerusalem B. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah were presented as one book, and can still be read that way.
Reading the book of Ezra, as well as the corresponding books, provides us with a comprehensive historical account of that period. Through learning places and names, we can gain a greater context for the words these prophets wrote. This account teaches us what it means to stay committed to a task. Those volunteers who worked on the altar and then the temple dealt with active opposition and long delays on the project.
Yet, they held onto their passion to rebuild, and kept the vision alive for others along the way. Ezra, as well as Nehemiah, reminds us of some powerful ways we can show worship to God. His practices of prayer Ezra , fasting Ezra , 23 , and confession Ezra helped to revive the soul of the Israelite nation. Ezra encourages us to stand up for our faith. He knew that the Torah had been neglected by many during the Jewish exile.
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