Ezra Who?

Doesn't feel much like the 3rd of July around here, but I'll take it. You know I'm a cold weather fan!

Let's get down to business. . .

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
What is the name of the king of Persia? What did God tell him to? (2 Chron 36)
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you-- may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

And here's the question of the day:
In what unusual way did the man named “Barzillai” get his name? (Ezra 2)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Well, we've come to Ezra. This is probably a book of the Bible you don't know too much about. So, let me give you some background.

Ezra and Nehemiah were originally considered a single literary work entitled "Ezra." Then some of the church fathers decided to separate it (Ralph W. Klein, NIB Commentary, "The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah"). (I couldn't find a reason why they did it--sorry!) Until recently, scholars believe Ezra-Nehemiah was also a part of 1-2 Chronicles. Now it is generally believed they were written separately.

At this point in history Jerusalem was destroyed (586 BCE) and the Israelites found themselves in exile again, this time at the hands of the Babylonians and in Babylon. When Jerusalem fell, many of the learned and well-to-do Jews were sent into exile, thereby stunting the growth of the Israelites. The future of the Israelites looked bleak, to say the least, but God's prophets continued to reassure them that God would provide.

And God did provide, in the form of a generous Persian king named Cyrus who conquered the Babylonians and invites the Jerusalem exiles to return home to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the Temple, which was finished in 516 BCE.

Cyrus' successor, Artaxerxes I (pronounced "art-a-zerk-sees"--how 'bout that name for a 2 year old!), sent Ezra to Jerusalem to lead the Jews back to Jerusalem, "deliver gifts offered by the Persian authorities and by the people to the Temple, make inquiry about conformity to the law in Judah and Jerusalem, and appoint magistrates and judges to teach the law" (Klein).

So, Ezra leads the people in a confession of sin for "their intermarriage with foreigners" (not because they were racist but because foreigners often brought with them other religions which led the Israelites away from God). AND, he led a "commission that carried out the removal of the foreign wives and their children." (Sheesh. Don't sign me up for that job!)

These are the main things to watch out for when you read Ezra and Nehemiah:
1. the return from exile and the rebuilding of the Temple
2. the initial activities of Ezra
3. Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls
4. the climax of Ezra and Nehemiah's work
5. the final acts of Nehemiah


I hope all this helps as you being to read Ezra and Nehemiah. Let me know if you have any other questions!!
Allison