Ezra 1

Study Guide 43: Ezra RETURN! Overview The Book of Ezra tells the story of the return of the Jews from Babylon to the Promised Land. This return took place in two stages. A first group returned in 538 b.c., the first year of Cyrus. Ezra 1-6 tells of that return, and spans some 23 years, from the edict of Cyrus to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem until its completion (from 538-515 b.c.). A second return took place some 80 years after the first group arrived. This smaller group was led by Ezra, author of the biblical book that bears his name. Ezra is associated with several biblical figures. The story he tells in the first part of his book is intimately linked with the ministries of the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Ezra himself was a contemporary of Nehemiah. The Book of Ezra develops several themes. It affirmed the belief of the people of Judah who returned: that one day God would establish the nation again and set up a promised glorious kingdom. And it emphasized the importance of rebuilding the temple, so that God might be worshiped according to the Law. Ezra also expressed the importance of commitment, and called for reform of a people who wished to claim God’ s covenant promises.

Commentary God’ s chosen people had sinned. And the Lord had brought the Babylonians to crush the nation and tear her people away from the Promised Land. In a series of deportations the Hebrews had been taken to far-off Babylon. There they were well treated. They had their own homes, went into business, retained their customs. Many of the luxuries they had lived for in Palestine were theirs in Babylon too. But for many of the Jews, it just wasn’ t the same. A deep longing grew for the land they had left, and for the worship of Jehovah that they had discounted. For some at least, the realization grew that the intangibles were in fact the values on which one’ s life must be based. In the poetry of Lamentations, penned in Babylon, we can hear the longing of the captives for their homeland. How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. . . . Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it. You, O Lord, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do You always forget us? Why do You forsake us so long? Restore us to Yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless You have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. Lamentations 1:1; Lamentations 5:15-22Despite increasingly improved conditions in Babylon, the Jewish people could not wipe away the image of their humiliation. The songs of Lamentations are a constant reminder that, for the people of Judah as for all of us: The worldly things men set their hearts upon turns ashes or it flourishes, and soon, like snow upon the desert’ s dusty face is gone. The Rubaiyat of Omar KhayyámIn the darkness of the Captivity, misery turned the people of God in a new direction. Men poured over the writings of the prophets and of Moses, seeking to understand what had happened. Out of this return to the Word of God grew the synagogue, the local gathering place for the Jews. And out of the return to the Word grew hope!

Hope Stirs There was a sound basis for the rebirth of hope. The Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, just before the Exile, not only warned of judgment but also spoke of the faithfulness of God to His covenant promises. God would return the people to the Promised Land (Jeremiah 31:1-40). His covenant with Abraham would be kept; the temple would be rebuilt (Ezek. 40-44). Jeremiah’ s writings had indicated that the Captivity would last for only some 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-21; Jeremiah 29:10). Over a century and a half before that, God had even given through Isaiah the very name of the ruler who would initiate the return: Cyrus. [It is I] who says of Cyrus, “ He is My shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, ‘ Let it be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘ Let its foundation be laid.’” Isaiah 44:28And God had spoken again through Isaiah about this pagan ruler, calling him His own anointed! “ I will raise up Cyrus in My righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for a price or reward,” says the Lord Almighty. Isaiah 45:13We can imagine, then, the excitement in the Hebrew community in Babylon as word of a Persian conqueror named Cyrus drifted into the capital! By 550 b.c. Cyrus had formed a large domain known in history as Medo-Persia. Bent on world conquest, Cyrus defeated Babylon’ s ally, Croesus, and in 539 b.c. took Babylon itself — without a fight! There, in October of 539, Cyrus was welcomed by the people of Babylon as a liberator, and accomplished an amazingly easy transfer of power. Truly God had made “ all his ways smooth” ! Then, in the first year of his rule, Cyrus announced a startling reversal of Babylonian resettlement policy. We have portions of his decree recorded in the Bible. This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “ The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of His people among you — may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with free will offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.” Ezra 1:2-4The darkness was lifting. The Jewish people were about to go home.

The First Return: Ezra 1-3 Not everyone was eager to return to Judah. While many of the Jews had reexamined their values and made a fresh commitment to God, a great number of those who prospered in Babylon were again enmeshed in materialism. Ezra’ s report makes it clear that those who did return were spiritually motivated: those “ whose heart God had moved — prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord” (Ezra 1:5). They did receive enthusiastic support from the rest of the Jewish community. They were given gold, silver, and beasts of burden. In addition, all the treasures of the first temple, that had been carried off to Babylon, were now returned by Cyrus (Ezra 1:6-11). So the 42,360 Israelites — plus their 7,337 servants — did not return as paupers. They were well equipped to rebuild the temple and to reestablish Jerusalem. Ezra, who told us about the pilgrimage of 538 b.c., was not among that company. He had not yet been born. But, some 80 years later, Ezra would follow this first group’ s path from Babylon to the Holy Land. The leader of the first group was a man called Zerubbabel (his Hebrew name), or Sheshbazzar (his Chaldean name: see Ezra 5:16). He and the high priest, Jeshua, guided the people back to their homeland and, once there, quickly began work on the temple. First, though, they erected an altar and reinstated the sacrifices that God had prescribed through Moses. And they kept the Feast of Tabernacles. In May they began to lay the foundation of the new temple. As soon as the foundation was finished, they called the people together to celebrate. The Bible tells us that “ with praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘ He is good; His love to Israel endures forever’” (Ezra 3:11). Those shouts of joy were mingled with tears, as the older men who could remember the glory of Solomon’ s temple compared its magnificence with the modest dimensions of the new. But the shouts of joy and tears could not really be distinguished: the celebration was so great that only triumph rang through. What mattered was not the size. What mattered was that once again a temple to God was being built! The temple. Why was the temple so important to the Jews? And what was the significance of this rebuilding? In the ancient world, deities were associated with particular locations, viewed either as the home or a favorite haunt of the god. Thus temples were constructed as residences for the god or goddess manifested there, and it was assumed that the deities found these residences acceptable. No wonder the pagan Cyrus referred to Jehovah as “ the God who is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:3). This did not underlie the meaning of the temple in Israel. As Solomon had asked in his prayer of dedication of the first temple, “ Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27) Still God did promise Israel that in a special sense He would focus His presence with the Jews through the temple. Even as early as Moses’ day, God indicated that one day the Lord would choose a place “ as a dwelling for His name,” and that that place was to be the only location for offering sacrifices (Deuteronomy 12:11). The central place of worship would be a unique unifying element for Israel. Three times a year the Jews were to gather to worship there, reaffirming their common faith and common heritage as God’ s covenant people. By limiting the sacrifices of Israel to this one location, the Jews were also protected from the pattern of pagan worship common in the Near East. That pattern saw local gods and goddesses worshiped in each community — on high hills, in sacred groves, and secluded caves. The single place of worship set aside to meet Jehovah was thus a unique affirmation of the oneness of God and of the commitment that Israel was to maintain to Him and to Him alone. In the words of Moses, chanted in every synagogue even today: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4In the public worship of Israel as in the heart of the believer, there was to be room for only One. But the significance of the temple is not fully seen even in this great distinctive. There was a portrait of God imbedded in the temple design. As in the tabernacle that preceded it, the pattern given by God spoke of access into God’ s presence through the blood of sacrifice. The design also spoke of worship, divine guidance, and supernatural supply. In the pattern of the building and its courts, the believing Jew could see reflected realities about his relationship with God. These important roles of the temple in the faith of the Old Testament would be enough to explain the drive to rebuild that motivated the thousands who enthusiastically left Babylon and headed home. But as we read more deeply in Ezra, and hear the contemporary message of the Prophet Haggai, we learn that there was a deeper reason yet that the returnees felt that they must rebuild the temple of their God.

Good Intentions: Ezra 4-6; Haggai 1:1-2:9 The foundation of the temple was laid in 537 b.c. in the flush of the Jews’ first enthusiasm. But almost immediately opposition stirred. The material in Ezra 4:1-24 is out of sequence historically. But it was placed there to support and demonstrate Ezra’ s theme. Opposition grew . . . and the people of God succumbed! When Nebuchadnezzar had taken the people of Judah from Palestine, he had brought other settlers in. These new peoples carried over much of their old religions, but as a matter of course they had also adopted the God of the new land. They did not know Him personally. They were not His covenant people. But as they lived in His land, it was considered only proper to worship Him. So when the Jews returned to rebuild the temple of God, these foreigners wanted a part. “ Let us help you build,” they said, “ because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us here” (Ezra 4:2). This request was flatly denied. “ You have no part with us,” Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the other leaders replied (Ezra 4:3). And they were right! These were not people of Abraham’ s line. They were not children of the covenant. Thus, unless they were willing to first become Jews, they could have no part of a ministry that God had committed to His own and only to His own. The reply angered the Samaritans (a name for these strangers that was carried on into the New Testament period). They immediately began to oppose the Jews, and even sent paid lobbyists to government centers to block further work on the temple (Ezra 4:5). They were so successful in this that for some 16 years the temple remained no more than a foundation! During these years, the people built homes for themselves. They planted fields and laid out vineyards. Apparently they even spent much of the funds committed to them for construction of the temple! But they did not prosper, despite all their hard work. They had permitted opposition to divert them from their commitment to God and their initial enthusiasm for the Lord had drained from their hearts. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Taking a stand for the truth is seldom popular! Let the experience of the returning Jews stimulate a discussion of unpopular stands that Christians may (and perhaps should!) make today. Sketch the situation in Judah, identifying and explaining these elements (seen in Ezra 4:1-5): (1) request (let us help build); (2) rejection (you have no part in our God); (3) resistance (we will try to stop you). Be sure you explain why the stand taken by the Jews was right: the temple was a place of worship only for God’ s covenant people. Also note the forms resistance took: discouraging, frightening, slandering, and organizing political pressure. Then divide into teams to develop at least five issues on which Christians might reject a request of a modern group, and as a result risk rejection and/or persecution. For instance, join our “ gay rights” march, give to X project, etc. With issues identified discuss: “ What happens when we are pressured for a stand against something we believe as Christians is right? How are we pressured? How do we react? What could or should we do?” Note particularly that the people of Judah gave in to the pressure! Haggai 1:3-11 describes the result of surrender. On September 1, 520 b.c., the Prophet Haggai recalled Judah to the task of building the temple. Discouraged by opposition to their spiritual mission, the people had redirected their efforts to making a living. In the process they had forsaken God as their central concern. And so Haggai shouted out that September day these jolting words: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “ These people say, ‘ The time has not yet come for the Lord’ s house to be built.’ . . . Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “ Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes. . . . Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “ Because of My house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.” Haggai 1:2, Haggai 1:4-6, Haggai 1:9The first flush of commitment to God had been dissipated by difficulties, and in their efforts to meet material needs the people had forgotten the spiritual. In a series of jolting exhortations, Haggai, joined by Zechariah, stirred the people of Israel to action. Once again Zerubbabel and Jeshua led the people to build. The opposition of the Samaritans was overcome (Ezra 5-6), and in four years the restored temple stood on the site of the temple which had been burned in 586 b.c.It was 516 b.c.The 70 years foretold by Jeremiah had passed. With the temple rebuilt, Israel was once again officially in the Promised Land. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Old Testament history often illustrates New Testament principles. Read the preceding quote from Haggai to your group. Ask: “ If Haggai were preaching this sermon in our church today, he would not be speaking about rebuilding the temple. But what do you think he would be exhorting us to do?” Discuss the ideas that group members suggest. Then note that Haggai’ s exhortation implied a promise, which the prophet stated clearly when the rebuilding was done: “ From this day on I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19). What New Testament principle is seen in these historic events? One Jesus stated clearly. “ Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33, KJV). But what was it that motivated the people to return to building the second temple? It was not just the promise of material blessing. If materialism had motivated these people, they would have stayed with the comforts that had been theirs in Babylon. In his sermon Haggai went on to share God’ s promise for the future. “ I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms” (Haggai 2:21-22). When the “ shaking of the nations” took place, Messiah, the promised deliverer, would appear! And according to Ezekiel, He would stand in the temple, for it would become “ the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever” (Ezekiel 43:7). What motivated the people to rebuild the temple was the hope that one day soon the promised Messiah would walk on Zion’ s hill. And to hasten His coming, the temple in which He was destined to stand must be there!

The Second Return: Ezra 7-10 In the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, 458 b.c., just 58 years after the completion of the temple, Ezra led a group of some 1,500 men and their families back to Palestine. In Ezra’ s day, Palestine was part of a larger governmental unit, the satrapy of Abarhahara, and was ruled by a Persian subgovernor. Times had been difficult in Judah. To reconstruct the agricultural base for their economy, the people had scattered from Jerusalem and had built smaller communities throughout the land. Even the Levites, dedicated to temple service, had built homes and cleared land. The walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt, and the people had begun to intermarry with the pagans of the land. This last act was a serious breach of Old Testament Law, which insisted that God’ s people maintain a separate identity. This was a very practical law: history demonstrates over and over again that when the Israelites intermarried with pagans, the sure outcome was the introduction of idolatry. Ezra was no political reformer. He was, however, a teacher, “ for Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). There was no doubt in Ezra’ s mind that a fresh start for God’ s people could be found only in a return to God’ s Word. The last chapters of Ezra focus on three highlights. Artaxerxes’ decree (Ezra 7:11-28). When Ezra returned he came with a number of significant concessions from the king. Funds were granted so that sacrifices could be offered in Jerusalem for Artaxerxes and his sons. Those in temple service were declared free from taxes. Ezra was given the right to appoint magistrates and other government officials, and the Old Testament Law was affirmed as the civil as well as the religious code of the land! Praising God “ who has put such a thing as this in the king’ s heart” (Ezra 7:27, NASB), Ezra and his company, after a time of fasting, set out for the homeland. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN You can help boys and girls appreciate Ezra’ s prayer, reported in Ezra 8:21-23. The road to Judah was a dangerous one. But Ezra was ashamed to ask the king for a guard of soldiers. After all, Ezra had told the king that God took care of people who looked to Him, and that God would be angry with people who did not honor Him. So Ezra chose to trust God, and led all the travelers in a time of prayer. After telling this story, introduce a game: “ Whom do you trust?” Have 10 3 x 5 cards marked and ready. Two will say “ God” on the top. Four will say “ friends” and four “ adults.” On the back of two of the friends cards print “ helps” and on two print “ not home, can’ t help.” On two of the adults cards print “ helps” and on two, print “ too busy to help.” On the back of the “ God” cards print “ helps us always.” Let your boys and girls imagine a situation in which they might ask God or others for help. As a child suggests a situation, he is allowed to draw a card (without looking) from the pile. He or she looks at the back to see whether or not the person helped — and then tells how the person helped. For instance: “ I need help to get ready for a test.” If he draws a friend or adult “ helps” card, he might say, “ My friend read questions and I tried to answer them.” If a God card, “ God helped me remember to turn off the TV and study.” If a “ helps” card is drawn, say, “ Sometimes others do help us.” If a “ not help” card is drawn, say, “ Sometimes others let us down.” If a God card is drawn, say, “ God always helps us when we ask Him.” “ Whom do you trust? It’ s good to ask others for help. But the One we can always count on to help us is God.” Ezra’ s prayer (Ezra 9:6-16). When Ezra arrived in Judah he found that the people of Israel had not kept themselves separate from the peoples of the land, but had begun to intermarry with them. Not only was intermarriage commonplace, but the spiritual and political leaders in Judah were the worst offenders! Deeply shaken, Ezra tore his clothing and his hair — a sign in that time of intense grief and/or anger — and slumped down before the temple. At evening he rose, then fell on his knees and prayed. Ezra’ s prayer was a prayer of confession. And as he wept aloud, a large crowd gathered. They too began to weep bitterly! The Spirit of God was using the anguish of Ezra to touch the hearts of His people. Revival was about to break out! LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Have your group members analyze Ezra’ s prayer, not only as a model of confession of sin, but also as a key to modern revival. Divide into teams of three to five. Each paragraph of the prayer (Ezra 9:6-15) should be titled to reflect its content. For instance: Ezra 9:6-7 Ezra identifies with his sinning nation. Ezra 9:8-9 Ezra affirms God’ s grace and goodness. Ezra 9:10-12 Ezra pinpoints the commands the people have broken. Ezra 9:13-15 Ezra recalls past punishments and expresses fear of God’ s righteous anger. Discuss together the pattern seen in this prayer which prepared the people of Judah for spiritual revival. Then give 10 minutes for each person to write out a prayer in this same pattern, identifying areas in which church or country need to follow Ezra’ s example, and in confessing sin, open hearts for a spiritual revival. The people’ s response (Ezra 10:1-15). The people were deeply affected by Ezra’ s impassioned prayer. They volunteered to repent, and to make a solemn covenant (a contract or promise) to send away their pagan wives and their children, and so purify their nation. At a great assembly of all the people, Ezra confronted the nation with its unfaithfulness, and the whole assembly responded, “ You are right!” Investigating teams were set up, and all the men who had married foreign wives divorced them and sent them away. The nation was, once again, fully committed to God’ s Law.

Teaching Guide Prepare The temple served as the measure of spiritual commitment in the life of those who returned to Judah from Babylon. What in your life serves as the measure of your own spiritual commitment?

Explore In a minilecture review the return from Babylon. Be sure to touch on the earlier prophecies that assured the Jews that God would bring them back to their land, and read the Isaiah prophecies actually naming Cyrus. You will also want to briefly comment on the significance of the temple as the measure of spiritual commitment for those who first returned — and the messianic implications of rebuilding. To rebuild the temple was an affirmation of faith in God’ s promise of a future for their people and their land.

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1. One study focus might be on the response to the opposition described in Ezra 4-6. How quickly the spiritual fervor disappeared when opposition developed! Use the “ link-to-life” idea to identify issues on which Christians should take unpopular stands today — and to discuss how we should meet opposition such stands might arouse.
2. Or focus on Ezra’ s prayer of confession and the return to God’ s Law which it stimulated. Use the “ link-to-life” idea to help your group members understand that a deep sensitivity to and concern about sin is vital if God’ s people are to turn to Him wholeheartedly. Help your members identify, as they write their own prayers of confession, issues in the church and the country about which believers today should be concerned.

Apply Ask your members to skim Ezra 8:15-34 or Ezra 9:1-5 to identify some trait in Ezra that they would like to see developed in their own lives. Then go around the circle and have each person tell what he sees in Ezra that he or she would like to see in his or her personality, and tell why.