Historical Books Ezra

The Release of the Captives

Discover Jesus as: Promise Keeper Ezra 1-2 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 319 of 730
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INTRO

Today we begin the next historical book—Ezra. At the end of Chronicles, we saw the four kings in Judah whose reigns followed King Josiah, and all the evil they did in the Lord’s sight. All four ended up imprisoned, and the temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed. God’s word through Jeremiah was fulfilled through King Cyrus of Persia. The people stayed in captivity for 70 years. In the book of Ezra, God kept His promises to His people (Genesis 12:1–3). God used Ezra to reinstate His temple in Jerusalem. Interestingly, the book of Ezra is never quoted in the New Testament.

Ezra’s name doesn’t appear in the book until Ezra 7:1, and in Ezra 7:5 he is identified as coming from the priestly lineage of Aaron. The name Ezra means “Jehovah helps.” Jewish tradition accepts Ezra, the prophet, as this book’s author as well as the author of the book of Nehemiah. Possibly, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written as one book and were divided later.1In the first six chapters, the book of Ezra was written in the third person and then it moves to the first person in chapters 7—10. Ezra is also believed to be the author of Chronicles. Jewish tradition holds that “Ezra was the founder of the Great Synagogue, where the complete Old Testament canon was first formally recognized.”2The timeline for Ezra and Nehemiah looks like this3:

  • 586 BC The destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and the final exile.
  • 538 BC Ezra 1—6; Zerubbabel and Joshua (or Jeshua) enter as leaders under the rule of King Cyrus of Persia.
  • 458 BC Ezra 7—10; Ezra was the Jewish priest under King Artaxerxes.
  • 445 BC Nehemiah 1—13; Nehemiah was the Jewish leader under King Artaxerxes.

The first temple in Jerusalem was known as Solomon’s temple. In Ezra, the second temple was known as Zerubbabel’s temple. The third temple was known as Herod’s temple and it was the temple in the New Testament. The fourth temple is still to come in preparation for the end times. The people being released from captivity and returning home somewhat mirrors the people being released from Egypt and coming into the Promised Land. God reestablished His covenant with the returning captives from Babylon.

TEACHING

Ezra 1:1–4: God used King Cyrus of Persia, in his first year on the throne, to fulfill His promise that He revealed to Jeremiah (v. 1). This was at the end of the 70 years of captivity. God put a thought into Cyrus’s mind to give a proclamation that he would free the captives of Judah and allow them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s temple. Cyrus put the proclamation in writing (vv. 2–4) (Jeremiah 25:8–12). The prophecy in Jeremiah 25:11 was fulfilled in the book of Ezra. God was in control (Proverbs 21:1). Wiersbe states that 50,000 Israelites returned because of this proclamation, carrying the offering taken in each region of Babylon where the captives lived.4For these returning Israelites, the book of Chronicles would give them the information they needed for rebuilding the temple.

Ezra 1:5–11: The returning Israelites came back with purpose and with materials for rebuilding the temple. King Cyrus returned the things Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple under the supervision of his treasurer, who gave them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah (vv. 5–8). The items totaled 5,400 and are listed in verses 9–10. Sheshbazzar took responsibility for returning them all to Jerusalem (v. 11), where they would be used by Zerubbabel in rebuilding the temple. Some scholars suggest that Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel were the same person because both were listed as having laid the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3 and 5).

Ezra 2: Chapter 2 records that Zerubbabel led the group of exiles back to Judah.

CLOSING

Genesis 12:1–3 states that God will bless those who bless His people. Possibly this was why King Cyrus was willing to return the articles stolen from the temple—to bless God’s people. We too must continue to bless Israel. How do we do that today? In Romans 15:25–27, Paul stated, “If the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews (the Israelites) in material needs” (v. 27). How do we bless them? By giving to meet their material needs without any thought of return benefit for ourselves.

  1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 518.

  2. MacArthur, p. 519.

  3. MacArthur, p. 518.

  4. Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Ezra (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Publishers, 2003), p. 604.

Questions

  1. Read Ezra 1:4. What does this instruction remind you of? (Exodus 3:21–22)
  2. King Cyrus proclaimed that God has appointed him to build a house for God in Jerusalem. Why do you think God is appointing a foreigner to oversee rebuilding His house?
  3. Who arose to go and rebuild the house of the Lord? What was given to them to take with them? (Ezra 1:6–11)
  4. What happened to those who could not prove their family lineage (Ezra 2:59, 62)? What did they have to wait for?
  5. What did some of the heads of families offer? (Ezra 2:68–69; 2 Corinthians 9:7)?
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Ezra 1—2 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Ezra 1:1b–3

“The LORD put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing. Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.”

Nothing is impossible for God. While the Israelites were captive in Babylon, the Lord put it on the heart of Cyrus, the pagan king of Persia, to issue a proclamation for God’s people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of the Lord. The Lord’s promise given to Abraham continued to be fulfilled.

No matter what your situation looks like, remember God is a promise keeper. Even in hopeless situations, God remains faithful. He used the power of a pagan leader to allow the Israelites to return to their homeland, fulfilling His promises. God can use anyone because He is an all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipresent God. If He says it in His Word, He will do it. Today if you feel like giving up, hold on to hope. Hold fast to the hope found in Christ. Ask the Lord to help you during this time of need. Do not grow anxious or weary; rather rest in God’s promises. The Lord will not let you down.

“The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing... Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.”

— Ezra 1:1b, 3

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Genesis 12:2 — “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
  • Deuteronomy 7:9 — “Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.”
  • Hebrews 10:23 — “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.