INTRODUCTION to EZRA
Why
read Ezra: Well,
to understand the wonder of the contents of this relatively short
book, we have to remind ourselves where it fits in the history
of Israel:
1.
About 688 BC Isaiah prophesied that a Cyrus
would be used by the Lord to return an exiled Israel to their
land to rebuild the temple – see Isa 44:28 / 45:13
2.
Throughout the reigns of three of the last kings of Judah, Jeremiah
brought warning after warning that God would destroy Jerusalem
and carry the people into captivity if they did not repent and
turn away from their idolatry. They ignored him.
3.
Three times Nebuchadnezzar, the all-powerful king of Babylon,
invaded the Land – first in 605 when Daniel
and his friends were taken with many others, second in 597
when Ezekiel and some ten thousand Jews were deported
to Babylon [ see
2 Kings 24:12-17] and finally in 588/87 when
Jerusalem AND the Temple was eventually destroyed and the vast
majority of the remaining people taken into exile in Babylon.
4.
According to Ezra 2:64 over 42,000 returned in 538BC
after Cyrus was moved upon by the Lord to return them, and records
suggest the work of rebuilding the temple started on 537BC
, was then delayed, resumed on Sept 21, 520BC
(Ezra 3:8) and was finished on Mar 12, 516BC
(Ezra 6:15), i.e.
approx. three and a half years building. The problems of rebuilding
are recounted in this book.
5.
In 458 Ezra returned to Jerusalem as seen in
chapters 7 & 8 of this book. (Nehemiah will return in 445
)
The
background Kings of Ezra & Nehemiah
As
various kings are mentioned in both books, we need to understand
the times of their various reigns:
a)
Kings of Babylon:
- Nebuchadnezzar
(605 – 562),
- various
lesser rulers concluding with Belshazzar (562 – 539)
- after
which Babylon fell to Cyrus the Persian
b)
The Persian Empire:
- Cyrus
(539 – 530)
- Cambyses
(530-522)
- Darius
(522-486)
- Xerxes
(Ahasuerus) (486-465/64)
-
Artaxerxes (464-423)
[NB. From Neh 2:1 we see Nehemiah came in 444/5BC]
Time
Frame Summary: It
is important to try and grasp the times:
587
– The sack of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
538
– Cyrus sends the first group back to the Land to rebuild the
Temple.
516
– The Temple completed. (roughly a 20 year delay)
458
– Ezra returns to Jerusalem. (roughly 60 years later)
445
– Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem
In
Part 1 of this book, we see Cyrus sending back
the first exiles to rebuild the Temple. Chapters 1-3 are the run-up
to the rebuilding and chapters 4-6 recount the opposition they
experienced to the rebuilding up to completion.
Part
2, a number of decades later,
sees Ezra returning to Jerusalem and his concern over the intermarriages
that had been going on contrary to God's words through Moses.
CONTENTS
PART
ONE: The First Return (538BC) & Temple Rebuilding
1:
Cyrus Helps the
Exiles to Return
2:
The List of the
Exiles Who Returned
3:
Celebrations & Starting to Rebuild the Temple
4:
Opposition to the
Rebuilding of the Temple
5:
The local governor enquires of the king
6:
Approval, Continuation & Completion (520BC)
PART
TWO: The Second Return (458BC) & Reordering Marriages
7:
Ezra's return to Jerusalem
8:
Those Returning to Jerusalem
9:
Ezra's Anguish & Prayer About
Intermarriage
10:
Resolving the issue of Marriage Unfaithfulness