Teaching Notes

TH1070: EZRA

As we saw last week in our study of the book of Ezra, the Babylonian captivity had come to an end as the Babylonians fell to the Medo Persian empire in 539 BC. Then, under the reign of king Cyrus, a decree was made in 538 BC to allow the Jews to return home and rebuild their temple. And so, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, 49,897 people, out of the 2 to 3 million that were in Babylon, returned home.

The foundation of the temple was laid and the young men, those who did not see the glory of Solomon's temple, shouted with joy to see the place of worship being rebuilt. Then the old men who saw the glory of Solomon's temple were weeping over this low budget project. But because of all the noise, they could not discern the shouts of joy from the weeping of the people. This is where we will pick up our story in Ezra chapter 4, as the temple work continues.

EZRA 4

VERSES 1-2

1. Isn't it amazing the number of adversaries that come crawling out of the wood work trying to join in a work that God is doing, not trying to keep it going, but to destroy it. Zerubbabel has these men requesting to join in the work, since they both seek and sacrifice to the same God. The enemy is very good at deception, and here is a great example of what he can do. Paul warns us of this in II Corinthians 11:13-15 when he says "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." As Christians we need to wise up and be aware of how deceptive he can be as he works through man.

2. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 721 BC. And the Assyrians allowed other people to re-settle in the area, along with some of the Jews who were left behind. And as they dwelt in the area of Samaria, God sent lions into the land, killing some of them because they did not fear the Lord. So they sent word to the king of Assyria saying that they did not know the various rituals of the God of this land, as they believed in local deities, and because of that lions have been sent to kill us. So they requested a priest to be sent to them to teach them the things they needed to do. And these priests knew of the rituals, and taught the people to fear the Lord, but they truly did not know the Lord. II Kings 17:41 says "So these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images..."

3. Also, these foreigners married some of the Jews who were in the land and this mix of people were the forefathers of the New Testament Samaritans. And so these people with this strange mixture of Judaism and paganism, approach Zerubbabel, asking if they could join them in the work.

VERSE 3

1. Notice the unity in the decision that was made. The political leader, Zerubbabel; the religious leader, Joshua; and the rest of the heads of the families all agreed that they could not join in this work.

2. Today we would call them un-loving, but they were not. They did not need help in doing the work of God with those who were unsaved. God does not need that kind of help with His plans. These adversaries are much like the liberals of the church today, who want to join in a work of God, not to necessarily keep it going, but to profit themselves, which will in turn weaken and destroy the work. They, like us, have taken a unpopular stance for what is right, but I would rather please God than man.

3. Here begins the division between the Jews and these people who would come to be known as the Samaritans. Once the Jews completed the temple, these people built their own place of worship on Mount Gerizim. Thus, the division continued between them and as you get to the New Testament, the Jews would not even step foot in the area of Samaria, some 400 years after this event with Zerubbabel. (John 4:20-24).

4. Today there are only some 200 Samaritans left and most, if not all, have some kind of mental dysfunction due to intermarriages. You see, they will not marry outside their own and many feel that this may be the last generation for the Samaritans.

VERSES 4-5

1. Because the Jews refused to allow them to rebuild the temple, they tried to thwart the work that was to be done. They tried to discourage them, threaten them and even hire counselors to try and prevent the work from continuing. I guess they had the ACLU even back then. And this persecution continued through the reign of Cyrus all the way to the reign of Darius.

VERSE 6

1. Ahasuerus is most likely the son of Cyrus, who also went by the name Cambyses. He only reigned for 7 years and 5 months, but during that time more opposition to the work on the temple was growing.

VERSES 7-10

1. Another opposition is seen under the leadership of Artaxerxes. Again we see the enemies of the Jews write a letter this time to king Artaxerxes, and they will call for this work to stop immediately.

VERSES 11-14

1. Now I am not completely convinced that they were fortifying the walls of the city at this time. It may be just a ploy to get the king to believe if the Jews can put up the walls of the city, they will rebel against the king and not pay taxes. And to make their case stick, they will give the reasons for their concern. They could really care less about the king, they were not interested in him, but they did not want the Jews in the land, and so they will use the king to get what they want.

VERSES 15-16

1. The records did show that they were a rebellious people. At the end of II Chronicles we see king Nebuchadnezzar place puppet kings in office who continued to rebel against him till he finally got fed up with all the rebellion and in 586 BC he leveled the city and destroyed the temple. A strong case not to let the Jews establish themselves in the land because of their previous rebellious behavior.

VERSES 17-20

1. Artaxerxes checks the records and finds out what was said in this letter was correct. They caused insurrections against kings. They were a rebellious people. And at one time this nation was mighty, under the reigns of David and Solomon. In fact they themselves taxed other nations. All this information coming together was of great concern to the king.

VERSES 21-22

1. And so in his letter back to these men, he tells them to see to it that the work comes to a complete stop and it can't be restarted without the kings command.

VERSE 23

1. As this letter is read to these men, they can't wait to put a halt to the work of God. And that is how the enemy works, ready to jump on anything that will thwart the work of God.

VERSE 24

1. The work on the temple stopped for some 15 years and during that time they began to build up and beautify their own homes. They started out right, building the altar of sacrifice to atone for their sins. Laying the foundation of the temple. But then when opposition arose, they stopped doing the work of God. It is during this time that Haggai is prophesying. Turn to Haggai and lets look at chapter 1, starting in verse 2. (Read Haggai 1:2-11). You see, they thought they could not build the temple of God, when in reality they could not afford not to build the house of God. He had to be the priority in their lives, no matter what opposition came against them!

EZRA 5

VERSES 1-2

1. The restoration of the temple begins and we see not only Zerubbabel and Joshua assisting in the work, but so are the prophets of God, Haggai and Zechariah. They not only told the people what they needed to do, but they rolled up their sleeves and got involved with the work. To many leaders are all talk and no action. They think they are around to be served, but the reality is we are here to serve. Yes as pastors our primary focus is the study of the Word of God and prayer, but that does not mean we are not to get our hands dirty and help with the work.

VERSE 3

1. Here the governor of Samaria and some others rise up once again to stop the work on the temple. And they speak harshly to the people, which can be very intimidating. But if you are walking with the Lord, don't let empty words intimidate you.

VERSES 4-5

1. You have to love God's timing in this situation. Darius is now the king, the same man who was a friend of Daniel. And because of that, he sided with the Jews. This may have occurred after the incident with Daniel in the lions den where Darius saw how God was able to stop the mouths of the lions and save Daniel. These guys are going to send a letter to Darius explaining the situation, trying to get the work to stop on the temple.

VERSES 6-8

1. That phrase "heavy stones" literally means "stones of rolling". Now some of the stones used in the temple were 5 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 45 feet long, weighing some 100 tons. Thus, they would be easier to roll than to carry.

VERSES 9-11

1. They wanted to know the names of those who were responsible for building this temple and they responded by saying that they were the servants of God. In other words "If you have a problem with what is being done, don't complain to us, God has commanded us to do this. Talk with Him!" Also, they are speaking of the temple that Solomon had built and now they were rebuilding.

VERSES 12-16

1. What was written in this letter was true. The Jews were taken into captivity because of their idolatry, and the temple was destroyed. Then Cyrus gave a decree to allow them to return home and rebuild the house of God. Also the articles that were taken from the temple were to be returned. The foundation of the temple was laid, and some of the work done, but it had not been completed yet.

VERSE 17

1. These guys did not believe what the Jews were saying, they thought it was all a lie. So they are asking Darius to check the records to see if their claims are true.

EZRA 6

VERSES 1-2

1. As Darius reads this letter he then begins the search for this decree made by Cyrus. And this scroll with the decree from Cyrus was located in Achmetha (also called Ecbatana) which was located some 300 miles northwest of Babylon. That tells me that king Darius did some searching for this scroll and maybe he did not want to make a foolish mistake as he did with his decree which caused Daniel to be cast into the lions den.

2. Now Darius is going to write a letter back saying what he had found and what should be done.

VERSES 3-10

1. These guys wrote to Darius so he would make a decree that the work was to stop, but instead Darius issues a decree for the work to continue and the temple to be rebuilt. Also, all the temple articles taken by Nebuchadnezzar are to be returned. Tattenai and his people were to leave the Jews alone, to stay away from them so the work could be completed. No more harassment. Also, the taxes that were collected from the area was to be given for this temple project, and they were to waste no time in giving this money. Lastly, Darius tells them to give the Jewish people whatever they need, animals for sacrifice, grain, oil, salt, wine, without fail. Talk about God turning the tables on these guys. They meant the letter for harm and God turned it around and used it for good!

VERSES 11-12

1. Darius doesn't pull any punches here. He makes this decree and if anyone goes against it they will be put to death and their homes will be destroyed. A very good incentive program for all to obey. And you would only be a fool if you did not obey this decree.

2. Remember when the Children of Israel were leaving Egypt, and the Egyptians decided not to let them go and cornered them by the Red Sea. A hopeless situation they found themselves in and yet Moses said to the people "...'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.'" Exodus 14:13-14. Never give up for our God has a way of turning the tables on the enemy and in it He gets the glory for the victory.

VERSE 13

1. These guys were no fools. They read the decree and "diligently did according to what king Darius" had said.

VERSES 14-15

1. The temple was completed in 515 BC, some 21 years after they first began, back in 536 BC.

VERSES 16-22

1. The temple is dedicated, the Passover is celebrated, and what a joyous time it must have been for these 49,897 people that returned to the land that God had given to them.

2. Something that I think is interesting is found in verse 17 which says "...and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel." Why did they offer 12 goats for a sin offering? One for each of the tribes of Israel. They saw Israel as a unified nation. These people, out of the 2 to 3 million who remained in Babylon, had a heart for God and for each other. It is as Psalm 133:1 says "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!"

3. They also separated themselves from the filth of the nations around them. They did not allow it to defile them. In the New Testament we read in I Peter 2:11-12 "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." I met someone recently that was supposed to be a Christian. He was into drugs, alcohol and was in the process of getting a divorce and already living with his girlfriend. God does not need that kind of advertising. God has called us to be a holy people, a people separated unto Him. Not perfect, but striving by God's Spirit to walk as He has called us to walk. These people had separated themselves from the filth around them, and it was not easy, but they made a conscious decision to flee from those things that will war against their soul, and so must we!

EZRA 7

VERSES 1-5

1. Between chapters 6 and 7 some 57 years have passed, which puts us around 457 BC, and here Ezra is introduced. And in his introduction, he gives us his genealogy, linking him to Aaron, which establishes his right to be a priest. Remember back in chapter 2 of Ezra some of the priests had lost their genealogies and because they could not prove they were from the priestly lineage, they could not serve in the temple nor do their priestly duties. Ezra is making it very clear that he has every right to be a priest.

2. According to tradition, Ezra compiled together many of the books of the Old Testament. And since he could not do his priestly duties, since he was in captivity, away from the temple, he poured himself into the study of the Word of God. In fact it is believed that he set up what we see in the New Testament, with the structure of Synagogue worship. They would read a portion of Scripture and then the elders would give their interpretation. It is out of these oral traditions and interpretations that the Talmud and Meshna came forth.

VERSE 6

1. Not only was he a priest but also a Scribe who knew the Words of God as he poured his life into the study of them. A Scribe also made copies of the Word of God and they went through pain stakingly strict guidelines to ensure the proper copying of the Word of God.

VERSES 7-9

1. This 900 mile journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took 4 months to complete, as they would average about 7 miles a day, and a little more if they did not travel on the Sabbath, about 9 miles per day.

VERSE 10

1. Ezra made a conscious decision to follow the Lord. It was not easy but that was his hearts desire. We can take that truth and apply it to our own life. We need to make a conscious decision to follow the Lord with our whole heart, and getting into His Word is a great place to begin.

2. For anyone who is going to teach God's Word, he must follow Ezra's example if he wants to be effective in his ministry. First he must study the Word of God. Next he must take what he has learned, the things that he has studied, and apply them to his life. He must live what he believes. And then he can teach it. Truly those who teach effectively have studied God's Word and live it!

VERSES 11-13

1. Here is a copy of a letter that Artaxerxes sent to Ezra, allowing all those who would like to return home with Ezra, to freely do so.

VERSES 14-18

1. Ezra will take back with him much wealth and the king encourages him to spend the money wisely. Again, Ezra's focus is not really the temple, it has been already built, although he will be beautifying it. His focus though is the restoration of the people back to God.

VERSES 19-23

1. Artaxerxes is going to send some gifts back with Ezra for the work but not because of his love for the Lord. He wants to make sure that he does not offend the God of Israel and have the wrath of God come upon him and his family.

VERSE 24

1. Way back here we see this pagan king make a decree that all those who were serving in the temple were to be tax exempt. Not such a new idea!

VERSES 25-26

1. The king recognized that God had given Ezra wisdom and he is encouraging Ezra to use it and to execute judgment upon those who rebel against God.

VERSES 27-28

1. They haven't left yet but now Ezra is encouraged as he gets ready to make this long and hard journey. He is strengthened by God's hand upon him and those that would return with him. And next week we will see Ezra's return to Jerusalem and his exhorting the people to get right with God, to separate themselves unto the Lord.