Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapter 10

Greetings! Here are the questions we plan on covering this coming Tuesday. God bless.

1. What do we see Ezra doing at the beginning of Chapter 10? (10:1)

2. Who gathers around Ezra and what do they do? (10:1)

3. What does Shecaniah confess? (10:2)

4. What does Shecaniah propose be done? (10:3)

5. Who does Shecaniah suggests spearhead his proposal? (10:4)

6. What does Ezra do in response to Shecaniah’s suggestion? (10:5)

7. Despite the confession of the people, what does Ezra continue to do? (10:6)

8. What are all of the exiles ordered to do? (10:7-8)

9. When the people gather in Jerusalem, what does Ezra tell them should be done? (10:10-11)

10. How do the people respond to Ezra’s message and proposal? (10:12-14)

11. Who opposes Ezra’s proposal? (10:15)

12. How did the people follow through on Ezra’s proposal? (10:16-17, 19, 44)

13. Was Ezra's proposal the correct course of action to take?

Reminder - No Meeting Tuesday 12/1

Hey everyone. Just a reminder that due to the all-church meeting, we will NOT be meeting this coming Tuesday, December 1. As another reminder, for the following Tuesday, December 8, we will be meeting at Steve and Juanita's house, NOT Al and Maria's house. We pray that you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. God bless.

Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapter 9

Greetings! These are the study questions we plan on covering this coming Tuesday.

1. What do the leaders tell Ezra? (9:1-2)

2. Who led the way in unfaithfulness? (9:2b)

3. How did Ezra respond to what the leaders tell him? (9:3-4)

4. At the evening sacrifice, what does Ezra do? (9:5-6a)

5. How does Ezra describe the sin of Israel? (9:6-7)

6. How does Ezra describe God’s response to the people’s sin? (9:8-9, 13)

7. Do you think God continues to respond to the sin in our lives in the same way?

8. What had God commanded the people to refrain from doing? (9:10-12)

9. Why do you think God gave those commands?

10. What does Ezra fear will happen unless the people turn from their sin? (9:14)

11. How does Ezra conclude his prayer? (9:15)

12. How should we confront sin in our lives? (1 John 1:9)

Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapter 8

Greetings! These are the study questions we plan on covering this coming Tuesday.

1. Where did Ezra assemble the people who had returned with him? (8:15)

2. When Ezra checked, who did he realize was missing? (8:15)

3. What did Ezra do to try to remedy this problem? (8:16-17)

4. How was the problem solved? (8:18-20)

5. Who does Ezra give credit for solving the problem? (8:18)

6. What did Ezra proclaim by the river and why? (8:21)

7. Why did Ezra not ask the king for soldiers to protect them on their journey to Jerusalem? (8:22)

8. Instead of relying on soldiers for protection, what did the people do and what was the result? (8:23)

9. In what ways do you feel dependent on God today?

10. What did Ezra and the leaders do with the offerings? (8:24-27)

11. Who does Ezra give credit for allowing the people to arrive safely in Jerusalem? (8:31-32)

12. On the fourth day of their arrival, what did Ezra and the leaders do? (8:33-34)

13. What does the process described in verses 24-30 and 33-34 say about the need for accountability and integrity in the handling of funds offered to the church?

14. What did Ezra deliver to the local officials and what was their response? (8:36)

Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapter 7

Greetings! Guys, there is a lot to cover in Ezra Chapters 7 and 8. So, for this coming Tuesday, let's plan on just covering Chapter 7. Here are the study questions that we'll cover.

Ezra Chapter 7

1. Who is the last person Ezra traced his lineage back to? (7:1-5)

2. Where did Ezra come from? (7:6)

3. What three credentials did Ezra have to do God’s work? (7:6)

4. What had Ezra done to prepare himself to do God’s work? (7:10)

5. Before we set out to do God’s work, how important is preparation?

6. When did Ezra arrive in Jerusalem? (7:8)

7. How does the king’s letter describe Ezra? (7:12)

8. What resources does the king decree that the Israelites who wish to return to Jerusalem take with them? (7:13-16)

9. What does the king say the people should do with those resources? (7:17-20)

10. What does the king decree that the officials of the Trans-Euphrates do? (7:21-24)

11. What does the king say that Ezra should do when he arrives in the Trans-Euphrates? (7:25)

12. What offense does the king describe and what punishment does he prescribe for that offense? (7:26)

13. How does Ezra respond to God’s blessings? (7:27-28)

Reminder and Prayer

Greatings!!

This week, we only got through covering chapter 5 of our study of Ezra chapters 5 and 6. This coming Tuesday, November 3, we will plan on covering just chapter 6. So NO HOMEWORK!

Also, a number of our members were out ill this week. Another one of our members fell and hurt herself. We pray that they all make a speedy recovery and are able to join us next week.

God bless.

Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapters 5 and 6

Greetings!! These are the study questions we plan to cover this coming Tuesday.

Ezra Chapter 5

1. Who prophesied to the people of Judah and Jerusalem? (5:1)

2. What did the Lord say to the prophet Haggai? (Haggai 1:1-15)

3. What did the Lord say to the prophet Zechariah? (Zechariah 4:6-10)

4. Who restarted the work on rebuilding the Temple? (5:2)

5. Who questioned the work on the rebuilding of the Temple? (5:3)

6. Who interceded to ensure that the work on the Temple was not stopped? (5:5)

7. Identify a time in your life when you felt the eye of the Lord watching over you?

8. To whom was a letter written? (5:6)

9. What report was given to the king? (5:8)

10. What questions were asked of the elders? (5:9-10)

11. What answer did the elders provide? (5:11:16)

12. Identify a time when such a level of commitment to God’s plan was evident in your church.

13. What steps does the letter ask the king to take? (5:17)

Ezra Chapter 6

14. What does the king do in response to the request? (6:1)

15. What is found? (6:2)

16. What does the scroll say? (6:3:5)

17. What does the king order the governor and his officers to do? (6:6-10)

18. Identify a time in your life when the Lord turned what appeared to be a potential obstacle into a blessing.

19. What punishment does the king ascribe to anyone who violates his order? (6:11-12)

20. In response to the king’s decree, what do the people do? (6:14)

21. When was the work on the Temple completed? (6:15)

22. How do the people celebrate the completion of the Temple? (6:16-18)

23. When do the exiles celebrate the Passover? (6:19)

24. How did the people celebrate and why? (6:19-21)

25. When was the last time you celebrated God’s blessings in your life with "joy"?

Reminder

This coming Tuesday, October 20, is the third Tuesday of the month. Thus, NO Bible study. We will look forward to seeing you the following Tuesday, October 27. The questions for that session will be posted next week. Blessings!

Ezra Chapters 3 and 4 - The People Face Crisis

Summary

In Ezra Chapter 3, we see the people setting their priorities on God.

Ezra Chapter 3 begins in 537 BC in the "seventh month" of the Hebrew calendar, which coincides with the September/October time frame. In Leviticus 23, we see that the seventh month was the most sacred month of the year.

When the Jews return to Judah from exile, they find other people living in the surrounding areas, and they are afraid of them. Despite this fear, the people come together in unity, "as one man," build an alter, and start sacrificing and worshipping God in accordance with "the Law of Moses." The people also give of their limited resources to acquire the manpower and materials to start rebuilding the Temple. Instead of building walls and other defenses, the people turn to God for their protection.

In 536 BC, in the "second month" of the Hebrew calendar, which coincides with the April/May time frame, the people begin to build the new Temple. This is significant in two respects. First, in 1 Kings 6:1, we see that it was in the second month that King Solomon started to build the first Temple. Second, this completes the prophesies of Jeremiah 29:1-14 and Isaiah 44:24-45:7 in which God promised that 70 years after the fall of Judah, he would bring the people back to the land to rebuild the Temple. Judah fell to Babylon in 605 BC. Seventy years later, in 536 BC, the people start rebuilding the Temple.

When the foundation for the new Temple is finished, the people come together to celebrate. Some people shout for joy. The older Jews who had seen the first Temple, however, "weep." Although it is not entirely clear, the context suggests that they wept in grief, either because it was already clear that the new Temple was not going to be as grand as the first Temple or they were reminded of the destruction of the first Temple which had been due to their own sin.

In Chapter 4, we see the people start to face obstacles. The Book of Ezra demonstrates a simple truth--just because you are doing God’s work, you are not exempt from facing distractions and crises. To the contrary, oftentimes, when you are doing God’s work, the enemy will make sure that you face opposition and adversity.

At the outset, it is worth noting that Ezra Chapter 4 presents an issue. In Ezra Chapters 1-4, Ezra mentions four Persian kings; Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and Artexerxes. All four are historical figures. We know when each reigned over the Persian Empire. We also know when the second Temple was completed. If we read Chapter 4 as if it were written chronologically, it would not match up with the reigns of the kings or the completion of the Temple.

This issue leads to two possibilities. First, Ezra Chapter 4 may not have been written in chronological order. Second, Ezra may have erred in presenting the order of the Persian kings. In our view, the latter alternative is unlikely. Ezra was a well educated man and, in Chapter 7, we are going to see that Ezra either lived in or at least spent time in Persia. Thus, it is doubtful that Ezra would have erred in such a simple matter. The most plausible explanation is that Ezra did not write Chapter 4 chronologically. Instead, in verses 6-23, Ezra goes off on a tangent to either make or emphasize a point. In those verses, Ezra moves us forward in time to discuss a separate matter, only to bring us back in time in verse 24.

Starting in verse 1, we see that "the enemies of Judah and Benjamin" come and offer to help rebuild the Temple. As the Jewish historian Josephus records, these "enemies" are from the group who would later be called the Samaritans. Recall that when Israel split into two kingdoms, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the Southern Kingdom and the remaining ten tribes formed the Northern Kingdom, having as its capital the city of Samaria. When Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom, the Assyrians exiled some of the Israelites out of the country and moved some of their own people in. Over time, the Israelites and the Assyrians began to intermarry. This is why the Jews, even up until Jesus' time, considered the Samaritans to be "half-breeds."

The Jewish leaders soundly reject the Samaritan's offer, perhaps because they still harbored bitterness regarding the split of the nation or because they knew the Samaritans had a history of worshiping false gods. The Samaritans respond by making every effort to frustrate the Jews' efforts to complete the Temple. Jumping down to verse 24, we see that the Samaritans caused so much trouble that the Jews were compelled to stop construction of the Temple until the "second year of the reign of Darius," which coincides with 520 BC.

In verses 6-23, Ezra takes us forward in time to the reigns of King Xerxes (486-465 BC) and King Artexerxes (465 BC - 424 BC). By this time, the second Temple is completed, and the Jews are working on rebuilding Jerusalem and walls around the city. The Samaritans continue to try to thwart the Jews' construction efforts by makinge accusations to Xerxes and writing a letter to Artexerxes. The Samaritans charge that Jerusalem has a history of rebellion and that the Jews will stop paying taxes if the city and the walls are rebuilt. Artexerxes investigates the matter and commands that the work on the city be stopped until further order. In our view, Ezra went off on this tangent to emphasize the obstacles the Jews faced in view of the Samaritan's actions.

The events described in Chapter 4 highlight several of the reasons why, even up until Jesus' day, the Jews were very hostile toward the Samaritans.

Life Application Points

--We should seek refuge from our fears by seeking the Lord. As it says in Psalm 34:4: "I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."

--When doing God's work, we will face obstacles. In those situations, we should respond with faith and courage. As it says in Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Verse of the Week

"With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; His love to Israel endures forever.'" Ezra 3:11.

Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapters 3 and 4

Greetings!! These are the study questions we plan to cover this coming Tuesday.

Ezra Chapter 3

1. When do the people assemble in Jerusalem? (3:1)

2. How do the people assemble? (3:1)

3. Can you think of a situation in which your church congregation assembled "as one man"? Discuss.

4. Why do the people build an altar? (3:2)

5. Whom do the people fear? (3:3)

6. What feasts are celebrated and sacrifices offered? (3:3-6)

7. How does worship help us respond to the fears in our lives?

8. What resources do the people provide and for what? (3:7)

9. When do the people begin work on the Temple? (3:8)

10. What do the people sing to the Lord when the foundation of the Temple is laid? (3:10-11)

11. How do the people respond to seeing the foundation of the Temple laid? (3:11b-13)

Ezra Chapter 4

12. Who offers to help build the Temple? (4:1-2)

13. How do the people respond to the offer for help? (4:3)

14. How do the enemies respond to this rejection? (4:4-5)

15. What happens to the construction of the Temple? (4:24)

16. What do the enemies tell the next Kings of Persia? (4:6-12)

17. What do the enemies tell the King of Persia will happen if the people are allowed to rebuild Jerusalem? (4:13)

18. What do the enemies suggest that the King of Persia do? (4:14-16)

19. How does the King of Persia respond? (4:17-22)

20. Have you ever faced opposition in your work for the Lord? Discuss.

Ezra Chapters 1 and 2 - The People Return

Summary

In Ezra Chapter 1, we see two of the themes that run throughout the Book of Ezra; God is faithful, and God uses people to accomplish his plans.

Ezra Chapter 1 begins in around 538 BC. We know that because Ezra’s reference to the “first year of Cyrus king of Persia” (Ezra 1:1) can be traced back to that time. Many of God’s people are living in exile in what was then Persia, which had just conquered Babylon. Over a hundred years earlier, Jeremiah and Isaiah prophesied that 70 years after the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the people to Babylon, God would use a man named Cyrus to lead the people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. (Jeremiah 25:8-11, 29:1-14; Isaiah 44:24-45:7). True to His word, that is exactly what God did.

About seventy years after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and exiled Judah’s best and brightest to Babylon, God uses Cyrus, the king of Persia, to fulfill the prophesy. God places it on Cyrus’s heart to issue a proclamation allowing all Jews who so wish to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. On top of that, so that God’s plan could be fulfilled perfectly, Cyrus proclaims that those who wish to remain should provide financial resources to those returning. Cyrus also provides those returning the articles that Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the first Temple before destroying it. (Daniel 1:2; 2 Kings 24:12-13, 25:13-15).

In Ezra chapters 1 and 2, we see that some of the people respond to God’s faithfulness by deciding to return to Judah to rebuild the Temple. Keep in mind that the journey between Babylon and Jerusalem is about 900 miles, and the people are going to a land that many of them had never seen before and that had been wiped out by King Nebuchadnezzar. But those returning put their faith and trust in God that He would provide for them both during their long journey and when they arrive. Once they arrive, they pool their resources for the rebuilding of the Temple; their place to worship God.

Life Application Points

--God is faithful. He was faithful then; He is faithful now; and He will always be faithful to His people. As it says in Deuteronomy 7:9: "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."

--God uses people. Despite the fact that Cyrus presents himself as an agent of the Lord, history tells us that Cyrus probably was a pagan. But God still used him to accomplish His plans. If God can use a pagan, He can use you.

--We should continually place our faith and trust in God. As it says in Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Our Verse of the Week

"'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple to Him at Jerusalem in Judah.'" Ezra 1:2

Assignment - Questions for Ezra Chapters 1 and 2

Greetings!! These are the study questions we plan to cover this coming Tuesday.

Ezra Chapter 1

1. Who did the Lord move to make a proclamation? (1:1a)

2. What did the Lord do to Cyrus to compel him to make a proclamation? (1:1b)

3. What did Cyrus give the Lord credit for giving to him? (1:2)

4. Write a list of the things you give the Lord credit for giving to you?

5. What was the proclamation the Lord moved Cyrus to make? (1:2-4)

6. What does this say about God’s ability to use people to accomplish his plans?

7. Do you believe God can use you to accomplish his plans?

8. Who prepared to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple? (1:5)

9. What do the people who were remaining in Persia give to those returning to Jerusalem? (1:6)

10. What does Cyrus give to those returning to Jerusalem? (1:7)

11. Who was made the steward of the resources God provided for those returning to Jerusalem? (1:8-11)

12. In a sentence or two, describe what you believe was the state of mind of those returning to Jerusalem.

Ezra Chapter 2

13. When the people returned, where did they go? (2:1)

14. Of the people identified in verses 2-61, were they forced to return or did they want to return?

15. What did some of the heads of the families give and why? (2:68)

16. How did the heads of the families decide how much to give? (2:69)

17. What does this say about the importance of our tithes and offerings?

18. In a sentence or two, describe the importance of tithes and offerings in your life?

Introduction

This week, we held our introductory session in which we covered (1) the historical setting of the Book of Ezra; (2) an overview of the Book of Ezra; and (3) some of the major themes we will see in the Book of Ezra.

Historical Setting

To understand the Book of Ezra, it is critical that we understand the historical setting of the Book.

Going back to 1 and 2 Samuel, we see that the nation of Israel prospered under King David. In 1 Kings, we see that David's son Solomon builds a Temple to the Lord, which is sometimes known as the "First Temple" or "Solomon's Temple." An artist's rendition of the Temple, as described in 1 Kings 6, is below.

In 1 Kings 11 & 12, we see that after the death of Solomon, dissension arose among the tribes of Israel, with the Northern Tribes believing they were being unfairly treated, probably in terms of taxation and the conscription of labor. As a result, in 931 B.C., Israel split into two kingdoms -- the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. The Southern Kingdom was called Judah and consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Northern Kingdom continued to be called Israel and consisted of the remaining ten tribes. During this period of separation, the Northern Kingdom and later the Southern Kingdom fell away from God's laws and commandments.

In 722 B.C., the Northern Kingdom was conquered by Assyria, which was located in what is today Northern Iraq. Many Israelites were taken captive by the Assyrians.

In 605 B.C., the Southern Kingdom was conquered by Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. We are told in Daniel 1 that Judah's best and brightest were taken captive and exiled to Babylon, which was located in what is today Iraq. Nebuchadnezzar also destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple. Babylon later also conquered Assyria, meaning that the exiles of Israel and Judah both resided within the Babylonian Empire.

At this point, it is important to note that the fall of the nation, the exile of the people, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple were earlier prophesied. As examples, in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Leviticus 26:27-35, Jeremiah 25:1-12, and Isaiah 39:5-7, God told the people that if they rebelled against Him and fell away from His laws and commandments, which they did, he would turn them over to their enemies, which He did, and that Jerusalem and everything in it would be destroyed. Indeed, in Jeremiah 25:8-11, God even identifies "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon" by name. But despite their rebellion, God loved His people and promised that 70 years after the fall of Jerusalem, He would lead them back to the Promised Land and that the Temple would be rebuilt. Examples of this can be found in Jeremiah 29:1-14 and Isaiah 44:24-45:7. In fact, in Isaiah 44:28, God states that this would be accomplished through someone named "Cyrus."

In 539 B.C., the alliance of the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon. Thus, the exiles of both Israel and Judah came under the control of the Medes and Persians. In 538 B.C., Cyrus, the King of Persia, issued a decree that the exiles of Israel and Judah be permitted to return to their land and that the Temple be rebuilt. In 536 B.C., 70 years after the Southern Kingdom fell to Babylon, work commenced to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem--just as God had foretold.

It is at around this point in history that the Book of Ezra begins.

Overview of the Book of Ezra

The Book of Ezra can be thought of as speaking to the three "R's":

1. Rebuilding the Temple;

2. Re-teaching God's Word; and

3. Religious revival amongst God's people.

It is important to note that Ezra himself only participated in the second and third. Although the Book of Ezra is most well-known for its story of the rebuilding of the Temple, and although the Book of Ezra is mostly associated with--of course--the man Ezra, the fact is that Ezra himself did not participate in the rebuilding of the Temple. Indeed, it is unlikely that Ezra had even been born at the time the Temple was rebuilt.

Major Themes

The Book of Ezra is chalk full of extremely valuable lessons which have practical importance and application for us even today. But there are several themes that run throughout the Book of Ezra. Not surprisingly, many of these themes run throughout the entire Bible. They include:

1. God is faithful - God promised that He would lead His people back to the Promised Land. In the Book of Ezra, we see God fulfilling that promise.

2. God wants relationships with His people - Despite their rebellion, God desired to forgive and restore the people's relationship with Him. The Book of Ezra is all about that restorative process.

3. God uses people to accomplish His plans - In the Book of Ezra, we see that God uses both Godly and ungodly people to do his work.

4. Our response to any crisis should be prayer - We're going to see that even when Ezra was doing God's work, he was confronted with challenges and difficulties. But we're going to see that Ezra's response was to prepare his heart and go to the Lord in prayer.

5. God and Godly leaders do not tolerate sin - We're going to see that when Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, he finds that the people have strayed from God's laws and commandments. At that time, the people are trying to rebuild the city and rebuild the nation. It would have been quite easy for Ezra to say to himself, "Well, we need workers. We need resources. So I won't make waves." As we're going to see, however, that was not Ezra's response.

As we go through this study, we encourage you to look for these and other themes and then contemplate what they mean to us today and how we can incorporate them into our own lives.

Welcome

Welcome to our small group study of the Book of Ezra!!


Our group meets every Tuesday evening, except for the third Tuesday of the month.


Each week we will be trying to cover about two chapters from the Book of Ezra. We will be posting the study questions that we plan to review at the upcoming session. We also will be posting materials related to each week's session.


If you would like to join us in studying the Book of Ezra, and you are in the Irvine, California area, please call Woodbridge Community Church at (949) 552-1101. If you are not in our area, we invite you to please follow along with our blog.


All comments and questions relating to the materials posted here or otherwise relating to the Book of Ezra are welcomed.


We pray that this blog will be a blessing to you. Stay tuned for future posts, and God bless.