Tag Archives: Ezra 6-8

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2024 Bible Study — Rather Than Be Embarrassed Because of Our Faith We Should Be Embarrassed by Our Lack of Faith

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezra 6-8.

Yesterday’s passage described how, after their help in building the temple was rejected, those who had lived in the land while the Jews were in Exile had managed to prevent work on the temple beyond relaying the foundation to come to a halt.  It also described how a new generation under the prodding of Haggai the prophet and of Zechariah resumed work on the temple only to be interrupted by those whose forefather’s help had been rejected.  This new generation attempting to prevent the rebuilding of the temple appealed to Darius, the king of Persia.  However, when Darius had a search of the archives made he discovered that Cyrus had ordered the rebuilding of the temple.  So, Darius ordered those who had attempted to prevent the rebuilding of the temple to provide sufficient resources to the Jews, the returned Exiles, for them to complete the rebuilding.  Thus God proved that Haggai and Zechariah were indeed speaking His word when they prompted the people to resume work on rebuilding the temple.

Sometime after the temple was completed Ezra appealed to Artaxerxes and was granted an edict to go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices on behalf of the king.  As part of that trip, Ezra and those accompanying him received a large amount of wealth to take with them.  Apparently, the amount of wealth which was given to the pilgrims was more than Ezra had anticipated (or, just as likely, he had given no thought about the wealth they would be transporting until it was gathered).  In any case, having proudly told the king that not only was God able to protect them from any harm but that He would be with them on this journey, Ezra was too embarrassed to ask the king for a military escort to protect them, and the wealth they carried, from bandits.  So, Ezra divided the treasure they were transporting up among several different people, making each person responsible for a portion of the treasure being transported to Jerusalem, and called upon the entire group to fast and pray, asking God to grant them a safe journey, both for themselves and their possessions.  When they arrived in Jerusalem and made an accounting of the treasure, it had all survived the journey.  We learn two important lessons here.  First, Ezra, and those traveling with him, fully put their faith in God for safety because they were embarrassed as to what people would think if they asked for guards to protect them.  Sometimes God uses our fear of what others will think of us in order to motivate us to act in faith.  And, as a corollary to that, sometimes it is good to brag up our faith, so that we will be embarrassed to not fully put our trust in God.  Second, while putting his faith in God, Ezra still took steps to mitigate the risk.   By dividing the treasure they were transporting up among several people, and making those to whom it was given responsible just for the portion they were given, Ezra made it less obvious how much wealth their caravan was transporting.  Just because we trust God to protect us does not mean that we do not take action to reduce the risk.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2023 Bible Study — Fasting And Praying For God’s Protection

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezra 6-8.

I do not normally write about this because it crosses over passages I read on separate days, but I decided to write about it anyway today.  Toward the end of yesterday’s passage, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah inspired the Jews to resume work on rebuilding the temple.  The political leaders of the people around them attempted to intimidate them into stopping, when that failed those leaders sent a letter to the King of Persia to request that he order them to stop.  However, instead of ordering the Jews to stop work on rebuilding the temple, Darius, King of Persia, ordered the people who had sent him the letter to cover the costs of rebuilding and provide animals for the Jews to sacrifice on its altar in order to pray for the king and his sons.  This gives us a great example of how God moves to aid those who faithfully serve Him, even in the face of opposition.

Some time later, Artaxerxes sent Ezra the priest to Jerusalem with wealth in order to make sacrifices there on behalf of Artaxerxes and his sons (Side note: I believe that the “his sons” referred to here and in the letter from Darius is meant to refer to those who took the throne after those kings).  In response to this commission from Artaxerxes, Ezra gathered leaders from among the Israelites in exile to return to Jerusalem with him.  When those who would accompany Ezra gathered, Ezra realized just how much wealth they would be traveling with and was concerned that they might become a target for bandits.  However, he was embarrassed to request armed guards from the king, since he had been bragging to the king about God’s great power.  So, Ezra called on those who would be traveling with him to fast and pray for God’s protection.  Ezra and those who traveled with him put their trust in God for their protection.  Let us follow their example…and perhaps, considering the state of our world today, we should remember to include more fasting with our prayers.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2022 Bible Study — All Who Separate Themselves From The Unclean Practices Of Their Neighbors

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezra 6-8.

The first thing I wanted to write about is the way in which the style of writing changes in today’s passage.  Up until this point, and for the beginning of this passage, the writer appears to be an anonymous third party.  However, in chapter 8 the tone changes to that of Ezra writing in the first person.  I would love to know what led to these two approaches being combined into one document.  I mean it seems pretty clear to me that Ezra wrote an account of his travel to Jerusalem and his actions once there and that someone decided to add some background information, but why did they do so?  It is not particularly important, but I am curious.

Having written the above, I want to focus on what is written in verse 21 of chapter 6:

So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.

It is very easy to miss the significance of this verse.  Repeatedly throughout Ezra and Nehemiah we see passages which talk about the Returned Exiles separating themselves from those living around them.  The passages about that separation read as being very draconic and absolute.  However, we also have passages like this one which help us put those passages about separation into context.  The Returned Exiles had rejected the assistance of their neighbors in building the temple because those neighbors followed unclean practices and had no intention of giving them up.  Later, when they demanded that none of their number marry any of the women from the neighboring peoples it was once again about women who continued in the unclean practices of those neighboring peoples, not about women who chose to fully embrace the worship of God.  Here that is made clear, they ate this first Passover after rebuilding the temple with “all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors.”  Let us also embrace all who separate themselves from the unclean practices of those around us in order to serve the Lord.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2021 Bible Study Accepting All Who Choose To Obey God

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezra 6-8.

Throughout the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah there are repeated references to the Returned Exiles separating themselves from the people living in the land.  Those references seem to suggest that those who were not among the Returned Exiles were not welcome to worship the Lord.  However, today’s passage contains a phrase which one could easily miss, and even if you catch it, you could easily miss its significance.  While discussing the Passover which the Returned Exiles celebrated after rebuilding the Temple, chapter 6 verse 21 says this: “ So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel. ”  The words in bold in that quote tell us that while the Returned Exiles kept themselves separate from the culture of those living in the land, they allowed any of those who wished to fully embrace God’s Law to join them.  This little phrase, almost a throw away, changes how we should interpret all of the rest of the passages which discuss how the Returned Exiles interacted with those living in the land. Those who sought to find synergy between the idolatrous worship of the Gentiles were not welcome among the People of God, but any who chose to fully embrace God’s commands, no matter what their background, were welcome to join in.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2020 Bible Study All Are Welcome To Worship The Lord

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezra 6-8.

I really struggle with understanding the timeline of the rebuilding, and pauses in rebuilding, of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.   In yesterday’s passage we read about how those who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple obtained an order from the King of Persia to stop the construction.  Then after a new king took the throne of Persia, the returned exiles began work once more and a second generation of the leaders of the locals (although by this time most of those involved were locals) sent to the King of Persia for direction.  This King of Persia ordered them to provide support to the rebuilding effort.

When the rebuilding effort was completed, they celebrated the Passover.  I want to go back to mention something from yesterday’s passage that this celebration sheds new light on.  In yesterday’s passage the returned exiles rejected the offer of help from those living in the land to help rebuild the Temple.  In today’s passage, when the returned exiles celebrated the Passover, they welcomed the participation of those living in the land who had turned from the corrupt practices which combined idolatry with the worship of God.  This helps me understand the initial rejection of help.  They rejected the help of those who wanted to incorporate their own practices into the design and worship practices of the Temple, but they allowed those who wished to join in their worship to join them.  We should follow their example.  All should be welcome to join in our worship of the Lord, but that does not mean that we incorporate their sinful practices into ours.

 

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2019 Bible Study — Giving Ourselves No Choice But To Rely On God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezra 6-8.

I am unsure why the letter sent to King Darius requesting that the Persian records be searched for Cyrus the Great’s edict was sent.  On the one hand, the overall passage suggests that the sender believed that the copy of the edict presented by the Jews was a forgery.  On the other hand, their reaction to King Darius’ reply to their letter suggest they may have been genuinely seeking clarification.  In either case, the reply from King Darius was unequivocal: the Jewish efforts to rebuild the Temple were not only to not be interfered with, they were to be supported to the full capability of the local government.  As a result, work moved forward on restoring the Temple and it was rapidly rebuilt.

Once they completed rebuilding and rededicating the Temple, the Returned Exiles conducted a Passover feast at the appropriate time.  Here we learn that despite having rejected the call to take part in the rebuilding effort from the locals, the Returned Exiles welcomed those who wished to do so to join them in worshiping God.  The key part of that welcome, one which we can learn from today, was that those who wished to join them needed to abandon the pagan practices which had been added on to the worship of God and follow the Law of Moses as practiced by the Returned Exiles.  I do not put that statement, “as practiced by the Returned Exiles”, in there to imply that the practice was not consistent with the Law of Moses.  Rather I include it to note that they did not hold the people of the land to a higher standard than they did themselves.  The fact that the Returned Exiles welcomed those locals who were willing to follow their practices supports the idea that the offered help to rebuild the Temple had been offered either in bad faith or as an effort to alter the worship practices described in the Law of Moses.

With Chapter 7 we begin the account of Ezra, after whom this book is named.  It is my belief that the material from here to the end of the book were based on a record written by Ezra himself with editorial content from the scribes who combined Ezra’s record with the material earlier in the book.  The letter from King Artaxerxes commissioning Ezra contains some interesting thoughts.  It mandates that Ezra be given gold and materials for use in the Temple.  These items were to be used to petition God to look favorably on Artaxerxes and to bless him.  While Artaxerxes did not express the position of a Believer that God is the Creator and Supreme over all, he did acknowledge that God had authority and power and requested that God be petitioned on his behalf.  We should do for our government officials what Artaxerxes requested of Ezra, whether they so request or not.  

Perhaps the biggest lesson we can learn from Ezra was about handling money and valuables dedicated to the Lord.  When Ezra realized how much wealth was being sent with his group to Jerusalem his first concern was security.  However, he was embarrassed to ask the king for soldiers to accompany them because he had been bragging about how God protected those who served Him.  We learn from this passage that until this moment, Ezra believed, but he did not have faith.  However, rather than admit to the king that he did not have the faith to rely on God, he chose to rely on God.  It is a lesson we can all learn from.  Sometimes we need to step out in faith that we don’t quite have.  He trapped himself into depending on God.  One must be careful about doing this, because we can easily find ourselves trying to trap God into doing our will.  We can trap ourselves into doing God’s will, but we cannot trap God into doing ours.  I will also note that Ezra did not do this on purpose.

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2018 Bible Study — Accepting Sinners Into God’s People As Long As They Are Willing to Give Up Their Sin

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezra 6-8.

    Yesterday’s passage told us how, after rebuilding the foundation of the Temple progress on the Temple halted, partially because of opposition to the rebuilding by outsiders and partially because of a loss of enthusiasm on the part of the Returned Exiles. At the end of the passage, a new generation was inspired to resume rebuilding the Temple by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. When they claimed to the regional officials of the Persian government that Cyrus had authorized the rebuild of the Temple, those officials sent word to the capital for confirmation. In today’s passage they received that confirmation, plus fresh orders from the current emperor, Darius, to support the rebuilding effort. This resulted in completion of the rebuilding project.
    All of that was to set the stage for the item in this passage which I do not believe I have ever noticed before. Having completely rebuilt the Temple, the Returned Exiles rededicated it to use with a celebration which included many sacrifices. Shortly after this, they celebrated the Passover. And in chapter 6, verse 21 the passage tells us that, ” The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their corrupt practices to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.” This tells us that despite rejecting the assistance of those who wanted to include their own practices in the rebuilding of the Temple, they did not reject those who chose to abandon those practices and follow the practices laid out by God. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah take a hard line against accepting those who wish to join with the the people of God without turning from their sinful practices. But this verse shows us that the same people who took that hard line were more than willing to accept those outsiders who were willing to turn from their sinful practices. We should be the same.

    Finally in chapter seven we get to the beginning of the story of the eponymous character (the person after whom this book of the Bible is named), Ezra. Ezra was a scribe who clearly was politically connected. Not only did Ezra get an order from the King of Persia commissioning his expedition to Jerusalem, the king and many of his close advisors gave Ezra significant amounts of valuable objects. Further, when Ezra realized the extent of the wealth his expedition would be transporting he considered it a real possibility that the king of Persia would give him an armed guard. Of course, this is where it gets interesting. Ezra was embarrassed the ask the king for an armed guard because he had been bragging up God’s power to the king and his officials. Asking for an armed guard would have indicated that Ezra did not have faith in God’s ability and/or willingness to protect him and his expedition. Up until this point, Ezra’s faith did not require him to risk anything more than ridicule. Now, he had to choose whether he was willing to risk not only his own life and wealth, but that of those accompanying him and the wealth entrusted to him by others, on his belief in God’s power. Ezra chose faith and trusted God to protect him and his expedition, despite transporting enough wealth to make them a tempting target to bandits.

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2017 Bible Study — Are We Willing To Live Up To the Faith We Have Claimed?

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezra 6-8.

    At the end of the last chapter we read that the governor of the province which included Jerusalem questioned the Jews who had resumed rebuilding the Temple. When they claimed to have been given permission to do so by Cyrus, he sent to the current emperor, Darius, for clarification. I believe the reason that Cyrus’ edict, and Darius’ edict were included was because the writer(s) realized that they were likely to be lost to time otherwise (considering how hard it was to find Cyrus’ edict at the date of Darius’ letter). It appears to me that Tattenai the governor, while not exactly supportive of the rebuilding, was not hostile to it either. In any case it was after this that reconstruction of the Temple was finally completed.

    It is in chapter 7 that we finally meet Ezra, for whom this entire book is named. We are not told in what way Ezra gained the favor of Artaxerxes, but it is clear that he did. It seems likely that Artaxerxes support for Ezra coincided with his sponsorship of the building of temples throughout his empire, something which had been avoided by previous Persian emperors. This is especially likely if my theory that Cyrus and his successors perceived Judaism to be related to Zoroastrianism. All of that is really just an aside from what, to me, is the main point of the account of Ezra’s trip to Jerusalem. As Ezra was preparing for the trip, he found himself in a bind. The first part of that bind was that Ezra had been entrusted with more gold, silver, and other valuables to the Temple in Jerusalem than he had expected. He was concerned that it might fall to bandits along the way. The second part was that he had expressed his firm belief that God was capable of protecting those who worshiped Him. Ezra was torn. He wanted to be responsible and guard the treasures which had been entrusted to him, but he also wanted to live up to his expressions of faith. In the end, the plan he made was both practical and showed his faith in God. He divided up the treasure among various individuals who were leaders of groups among those going on the trip. The division was done in front of multiple witnesses so that no one could claim that they had been given less, nor that someone else had been given more, than they were. And for security, he, and all of those who were joining the expedition, spent time in prayer and fasting asking God to protect them and the treasure they were transporting. Are we willing and able to trust God to protect our lives and treasure in the way which Ezra demonstrated here? Also, are we willing to vocalize our trust the way that Ezra had done?

Daily Bible Study

May 31, 2016 Bible Study — Trusting God While Avoiding the Appearance of Impropriety

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezra 6-8.

    I find it interesting that Ezra does not appear in the book that bears his name until chapter 7 of the 10 chapter book. The first six chapters recount the struggles which the Returned Exiles had in getting the Temple built. The final hurdle occurred when they resumed work on the Temple after being encouraged by several prophets. Once again the local peoples challenged their right to rebuild the Temple. However, rather than just shut them down, the local representatives of the Persian Empire listened to their claims and sent to the capital for confirmation. When a search of the archives confirmed that Cyrus had indeed ordered the Temple to be rebuilt, orders came down to support the project. As a result, the Temple was finally completed.

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    The descriptions of Ezra which appear here and in the book of Nehemiah have always given me the impression of someone I would not like. However, I admire Ezra for how he handled the treasure which Artaxerxes gave him. First, rather than ask the king for an armed escort, Ezra called for the members of the expedition to fast and pray for God’s protection on their mission. Second, he made individuals responsible for specific portions of the treasure. The treasure was carefully measured out in front of witnesses as it was presented to each of those who would transport it. Then, when they got to Jerusalem, the treasure was carefully measured in front of witnesses as each of those who had transported it turned it in. Ezra publicly and openly relied on God to protect those transporting the treasure and he set it up so that no one could claim that some of the treasure had gone missing in transport. Ezra trusted God to protect His treasure but made sure that no one could accuse those entrusted with it of impropriety.