EZRA

1
EZRA

• Returning and Rebuilding

2
Lydians
Medes
Persians
Babylon ?
3
CHRONOLOGY OF EZRA-NEHEMIAH
4
EZRA
5
Lydia
Medes
Persians
?
Babylon
6
Ezra 12-3

• Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD, the
  God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of
  the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a
  house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3
  Whoever there is among you of all His people, may
  his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem
  which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the
  LORD, the God of Israel He is the God who is in
  Jerusalem.

7
Ezra 14

• Every survivor, at whatever place he may live,
  let the men of that place support him with
  silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together
  with a freewill offering for the house of God
  which is in Jerusalem.

Cyrus the Great
8
Isaiah 4428

• It is I who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd!
  And he will perform all My desire. And he
  declares of Jerusalem, She will be built, and
  of the temple, Your foundation will be laid.

9
Isaiah 454

• For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel,
  My chosen one, I have also called you by your
  name I have given you a title of honor though
  you have not known Me.

10
Proverbs 211

• The kings heart is like channels of water in the
  hand of the Lord
• He turns it wherever He wishes.

11
Romans 131

• Let every person be in subjection to the
  governing authorities. For there is no authority
  except from God, and those which exist are
  established by God.

12
Ezra 15-8

• Then the heads of fathers households of Judah
  and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites
  arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred
  to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which
  is in Jerusalem.
• All those about them encouraged them with
  articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with
  cattle and with valuables, aside from all that
  was given as a freewill offering.

13
Ezra 41-2

• Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard
  that the people of the exile were building a
  temple to the LORD God of Israel, 2 they
  approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers'
  households, and said to them, Let us build with
  you, for we, like you, seek your God and we have
  been sacrificing to Him since the days of
  Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up
  here.

14
Ezra 43

• But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the
  heads of fathers households of Israel said to
  them, You have nothing in common with us in
  building a house to our God but we ourselves
  will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as
  King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.
  

15
Problems in the Offer ofAssistance

• The Fickleness of False Friends
• The Fabrication of False Fidelity
• The Fable of Formulaic Fellowship

16
Ezra 413

• Now let it be known to the king, that if that
  city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they
  will not pay tribute, custom or toll, and it will
  damage the revenue of the kings.

17
Ezra 414-15

• Now because we are in the service of the
  palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the
  kings dishonor, therefore we have sent and
  informed the king, 15 so that a search may be
  made in the record books of your fathers. And you
  will discover in the record books and learn that
  that city is a rebellious city and damaging to
  kings and provinces, and that they have incited
  revolt within it in past days therefore that
  city was laid waste.

18
Ezra 51-2

• When the prophets, Haggai the prophet and
  Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews
  who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of
  the God of Israel, who was over them, 2 then
  Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the
  son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the
  house of God which is in Jerusalem and the
  prophets of God were with them supporting them.

19
Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple
and to finish this structure?"
But the eye of their God was on the elders of the
Jews, and they did not stop them until a report
should come to Darius, and then a written reply
be returned concerning it. (Ezra 55).
Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the
River, and Shethar-bozenai
20
Ezra 613-14

• Then Tattenai, the governor of the province
  beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their
  colleagues carried out the decree with all
  diligence, just as King Darius had sent.
• And the elders of the Jews were successful in
  building through the prophesying of Haggai the
  prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they
  finished building according to the command of the
  God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius,
  and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

21
Ezra 615

• This temple was completed on the third day of
  the month Adar it was the sixth year of the
  reign of King Darius.

22
Ezra 616-18

• And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites
  and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the
  dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They
  offered for the dedication of this temple of God
  100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin
  offering for all Israel 12 male goats,
  corresponding to the number of the tribes of
  Israel.
• Then they appointed the priests to their
  divisions and the Levites in their orders for the
  service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in
  the book of Moses.

23
Chronology of Ezra, Nehemiah Esther
24
Ezra 91

• Now when these things had been completed, the
  princes approached me, saying, The people of
  Israel and the priests and the Levites have not
  separated themselves from the peoples of the
  lands, according to their abominations, those of
  the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
  Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the
  Egyptians and the Amorites.

25
Ezra 92

• For they have taken some of their daughters as
  wives for themselves and for their sons, so that
  the holy race has intermingled with the peoples
  of the lands indeed, the hands of the princes
  and the rulers have been foremost in this
  unfaithfulness.

26
Ezra 102

• Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of
  Elam, said to Ezra, We have been unfaithful to
  our God and have married foreign women from the
  peoples of the land yet now there is hope for
  Israel in spite of this.

27
Ezra 103-4

• So now let us make a covenant with our God to
  put away all the wives and their children,
  according to the counsel of my lord and of those
  who tremble at the commandment of our God and
  let it be done according to the law.
• Arise! For this matter is your responsibility,
  but we will be with you be courageous and act.

28
The Plan for Divorce...
Was from God Was not from God

• The absence of condemnation indicates approval,
  especially in light of the fact that Ezra closes
  on this note.

• There is no editorial confirmation. If Nehemiah
  is seen as the continuation of Ezra, then it is
  possible that this was merely a problem along the
  way which was not satisfactorily resolved at the
  time.

29
The Plan for Divorce...
Was from God Was not from God

• Ezra agrees to the plan after a long time of
  prayer.

• The Lord did not reveal the plan to Ezra as a
  prophecy.

• The nation was in danger of falling into idolatry
  and Deuteronomy 72-3 specifically forbids such
  intermarriage.

• It is never right to do wrong so that good may
  come of it.

30
The Plan for Divorce...
Was from God Was not from God

• Nearly the entire nation agreed to the proposal.

• Majority opinion is no guarantee of righteousness
  .

• The actions of Ezra and the nation marked a
  return to the observance of the Law.

• The New Testament confirms that believers are to
  remain married to an unbelieving spouse

31
The Plan for Divorce...
Was from God Was not from God

• There was already a new generation growing that
  would have pagan roots.

• 1 Corinthians 714 tells how maintaining such a
  mixed marriage can have a positive effect upon
  the children.

32
The rest of the story.
33
Malachi 213-14

• This is another thing you do you cover the
  altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and
  with groaning, because He no longer regards the
  offering or accepts it with favor from the Lord.
• Yet you say, For what reason? Because the
  Lord has been a witness between you and the wife
  of your youth, against whom you have dealt
  treacherously, though she is your companion and
  your wife by covenant.

34
Malachi 215-16

• But no one has done so who has a remnant of the
  Spirit. And what did that one do while he was
  seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to
  your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously
  against the wife of your youth.
• For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of
  Israel, and him who covers his garment with
  wrong, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to
  your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.

35
Two Possible Interpretations

• Interpretation 1 The decision of Ezra and the
  people of Israel was a correct, though difficult
  one
• Interpretation 2 Though they had the best of
  intentions in seeking to repent and return from
  their sinful attitudes, Ezra and the people of
  Israel took a bad situation and made it worse

36
(No Transcript)