Ezra 7:1
OUTLINE:
I. \\#Ezra 1:1-2:70\\ The First Return to Israel
A. \\#Ezra 1:1-4\\ The Command to Return
B. \\#Ezra 1:5-11\\ Preparations for the Journey
C. \\#Ezra 2:1-65\\ The People Who Returned
D. \\#Ezra 2:66-67\\ The Animals That Returned
E. \\#Ezra 2:68-69\\ The People’s Reaction
F. \\#Ezra 2:70\\ Life Begins
II. \\#Ezra 3:1-6:22\\ Construction of the Temple
A. \\#Ezra 3:1-7\\ In the First Year
B. \\#Ezra 3:8-13\\ In the Second Year
C. \\#Ezra 4:1-24\\ The Temple Work Is Stopped
D. \\#Ezra 5:1-6:22\\ The Temple Completed
1. \\#Ezra 5:1-2\\ The Work Begun
2. \\#Ezra 5:3-5\\ The Law Comes
3. \\#Ezra 5:6-17\\ The Official Inquiry Made
4. \\#Ezra 6:1-5\\ The Search Was Done
5. \\#Ezra 6:6-12\\ The Command Given
6. \\#Ezra 6:13-14\\ The Command Obeyed
7. \\#Ezra 6:15-22\\ The Temple Completed
III. \\#Ezra 7:1-8:36\\ The Second Return to Israel
A. \\#Ezra 7:1-28\\ Ezra, the Man
B. \\#Ezra 8:1-36\\ The Journey
IV. \\#Ezra 9:1-10:44\\ Restoration of the People
Review some dates:
539 BC - Cyrus became king
538 BC - Cyrus issued the degree to return
536 BC - Zerubbabel returned
535 BC - Foundation laid and the work hindered
529 BC - Artaxerxes became king and stopped the work
521 BC - Darius became king.
516 BC - Temple complete
486 BC - Xerxes or Ahasuerus becomes king, Esther becomes queen
478-474 BC - Esther and the Jews deliverance
464-424 - Artaxerxes becomes king
This Artaxerxes lived 65 years after the first one.
Called Longimanus in history
Esther’s step son
457 - Ezra goes to Babylon with 1,754 men
79 years after Zerubbabel.
59 years after the temple was completed.
http://www.muncherian.com/ChronologyofEzraNehemiahEsther.pdf
\\#Ezra 7:1-8:36\\ The Second Return to Israel
I. \\#Ezra 7:1-28\\ Ezra, the Man
A. \\#Ezra 7:1-5\\ Ezra’s Ancestry
1. Ezra’s line was given to prove he was a descendent of
Aaron and a priest.
2. \\#1\\ "in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia"
Yet a different king by a familiar name.
a. This king ruled from 464 to 424 BC.
b. He was a step son to Esther.
c. He lived 65 years after the Artaxerxes who
officially stopped the building of the temple in
Jerusalem.
B. \\#Ezra 7:6-10\\ Ezra, the Background
1. \\#6\\ "he was a ready scribe"
a. The work of the scribe was mentioned in both the
Old and New Testaments.
b. The work was more than merely copying manuscripts.
The Scribes also studied and became experts and
communicators of the Law.
2. "and the king granted him all his request" - Ezra was
not sent to Babylon. He desired to go. He must have
been held in some regard in Babylon as he was able to
request and be granted so much from the king of
Persia.
3. \\#7-9\\ The Details
a. \\#7\\ Ezra and his band left in the seventh year
of Artaxerxes, 457 BC.
b. \\#9\\ They left on the first day of the first
month and arrived on the first day of the fifth
month, 4 months of travel. This was probably
figured according to the Jewish calendar.
c. \\#7\\ The only ones mentioned who traveled with
Ezra would have been Levites and servants of the
temple: "the Levities, and the singers, and the
porters, and the Nethinims…."
4. \\#10\\ "Ezra had prepared his heart" - Ezra had
purposes and desires in life. See also \\#27\\.
a. "to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it" - To be
righteous and pleasing to the Lord.
b. "to teach in Israel statues and judgments" - To
teach the Jews in their land how to be righteous
and pleasing to the Lord.
C. \\#Ezra 7:11-26\\ Ezra’s Letter
1. \\#11\\ As with the other important documents of this
book, the writer recorded a copy of the letter (order)
granting Ezra the right to return and certain
provisions form the king.
2. This man seemed to have some knowledge of Jehovah.
Could it be that he was taught by his step mother,
Esther?
a. \\#12\\ The king called Jehovah "the God of
heaven," which was not without significance as
pagans worshipped gods over sea, land, various
animals, and so forth.
b. \\#13\\ "they of the people of Israel… which are
minded… to go…, go with thee" - Any Jew could
return.
c. \\#14\\ "sent of the king and of his seven
counsellors" - The king of Persia had counsellors
of a high ranking for them to be mentioned in this
letter.
d. "according to the law of thy God which is in thine
hand" - But Ezra was not returning to obey only
the king of Persia but the Law of God—and the
king so degreed it to be so! This would give
Ezra great authority to direct and to protect the
people according to God’s Word.
e. \\#15-17\\ "silver and gold, which the king and his
counsellors have freely offered"
(1) The reigning rulers also gave funds for Ezra’s
work and God’s worship.
(2) \\#16\\ "with the freewill offering of the
people" - The Jews who stayed in Babylon also
gave.
f. \\#19\\ "The vessels also that are given thee for
the service of the house of thy God" - Since Cyrus
had given to Zerubbabel, the original vessels that
had been preserved, it would seem that Ezra had
other vessels made which would be needed. Perhaps
the people in Israel had lacked the knowledge, the
desire, or the ability to fully equip the temple
of God.
g. \\#20\\ "bestow it out of the king’s treasure
house" - And whatever else was needed, the king
offered to provide for it before Ezra left.
h. \\#21-22\\ "to all the treasurers which are beyond
the river" - And to the storehouses in Israel, he
also gave command for a limited amount of
provisions.
i. \\#23\\ Whatsoever is commanded by the God of
heaven, let it be diligently done for the house
of the God of heaven" - The king went further to
use his authority to command men to do WHATEVER
the God of heaven had commanded, at least
concerning His temple. THAT WAS SOMETHING
BIG!
j. \\#24\\ "it shall not be lawful to impose toll,
tribute, or custom, upon them" - Artaxerxes
exempted the clergy from paying at least some
taxes.
k. \\#25-26\\ "And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of
God… set…."
(1) Artaxerxes made Ezra the Tirshatha over "all
the people that are beyond the river"
\\#25\\
(2) This made Ezra the head over all the
resettled nations on the west side of
Jordan.
(3) With that title, he had authority to condemn
people "to death, or to banishment, or to
confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment"
\\#26\\.
D. \\#Ezra 7:27-28\\ Ezra’s Praise
1. \\#27\\ "Blessed be the Lord… which hath put such
a thing as this in the king’s heart" - Ezra counted
it the Lord’s work that the king would thing these
thoughts.
2. "to beautify the house of the Lord" - Ezra had a
third purpose \\#10\\, to embellish God’s house.
3. \\#28\\ "and I gathered together out of Israel chief
of their fathers"
a. Notice the first person pronounce "I." Ezra was
writing this book.
b. Ezra got busy gathering the people to go to
Israel who could accomplish his goals.
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