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.
