Bible: Beginning to End - Ezra
Episode Date: June 28, 2025Read Ezra (BSB)Subscribe to the NewsletterImportant Links for the Podcast�...�� Click Here for our YouTube ChannelDiscuss each episode on RedditContact UsVisit our WebsiteOn Instagram @biblebeginningtoendOn Twitter: @biblebeginning1Via email: biblebeginningtoend@gmail.comSupporting the ShowFinancial contribution is never required, but if you'd like to support the show, here are a couple of ways:Be a listener and share the show with your friends!Click here to become a monthly supporter via Spotify.*Click here to make a one-time contribution via Paypal.* *Note that the Bible Beginning to End podcast is not a registered 501(c)3 or charitable organization. Therefore, any monetary support provided is not tax deductible.10% of any profits made from this podcast via ad revenues or listener support will be donated to Asha's Refuge, a Christ-centered nonprofit that "exists to assist the most disadvantaged refugees/asylees in achieving a successful resettlement in the Memphis, TN area.". Episode Timestamps0:00 - Intro2:37 - Ad Break2:38 - Ezra 17:14 - Ezra 217:11 - Ezra 322:59 - Ezra 429:57 - Ezra 534:07 - Ezra 641:33 - Ezra 747:39 - Ezra 856:40 - Ezra 91:05:43 - Ezra 101:13:06 - Outro
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Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end, where we are reading through the scriptures together from Genesis to Revelation.
I'm so glad that you're here today as we start a brand new book of the Bible, which is very exciting.
Last time we finished up Second Chronicles, and we've been reading through First and Second Chronicles, and today we're picking up with a new book of the Bible, the book of Ezra.
The book of Ezra is still part of the history of Israel, the history of Israel, the history of the history of the Bible.
of the people of God.
And as we talked about when we did Second Chronicles, First and Second Chronicles,
First and Second Chronicles were kind of a retelling of what happened in Samuel and what happened
in Kings.
So instead of moving along the timeline of the history of Israel, we went back a little bit
and retold the stories of Israel.
And the purpose of those books was to instill hope in the people of Israel and remind them
where they had come from.
So now we're kind of back to our story.
timeline. And the book of Ezra sort of picks up about 50 years after the Israelites were exiled
into Babylon, after the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. So Ezra is telling the story of how some of
those Israelites were able to re-enter Jerusalem. And although Ezra is its own book in the Bible,
originally Ezra and the next book Nehemiah were written by the same author and as one unified book,
but somewhere down the line they split them into two books.
So these books are related to each other and kind of tell one cohesive story of this time period,
which you'll see as we read through Ezra and then Nehemiah in the next episode.
It's generally believed that the author of this book is Ezra himself.
although it's not explicitly stated, so we're not 100% sure that Ezra is the author, but that is what most scholars believe.
And this book is related to Second Chronicles because it is also continuing to tell that story of how the Israelites were able to reenter Jerusalem.
So at the end of Second Chronicles and at the end of Second Kings, we saw that fall of Jerusalem, and then the Israelites were exiled into Babylonia.
and this is the book that kind of starts the story of how some of those Israelites made it back to Jerusalem
as we see God fulfill some of his promises to Israel.
Okay, so now we can start Ezra Chapter 1.
If you would like to follow along, I am reading the translation known as the Burian Standard Bible,
and links for that can be found in the show notes.
Ezra chapter 1
which begins with a section called the Proclamation of Cyrus
The section can also be found in 2nd Chronicles
Chapter 36 verses 22 to 23
and Isaiah
Chapter 45 versus 1 through 25
Ezra chapter 1 verse 1
In the first year of Cyrus
King of Persia
To fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah
The Lord stirred the spirit
of Cyrus, King of Persia, to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and to put it in writing
as follows. This is what Cyrus, King of Persia, says. The Lord, the God of heaven, who has given me all
the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for him at Jerusalem in Judah.
Whoever among you belongs to 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.
He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
And let every survivor wherever he lives be assisted by the men of that region
with silver, gold, goods, and livestock,
along with a free will offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.
So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites,
everyone whose spirit God had stirred, prepared to go up and run.
rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And all their neighbors supported them with articles of
silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables in addition to all their free will
offerings. Okay, so pause there at the end of that section. We hear some verses at the beginning of
this chapter that are sort of repeated from the end of Second Chronicles, and it kind of shows you
how these books are connected and the continuity between the stories.
and we know that the people of God had been under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar
when they were exiled into Babylonia.
Now they are under the rule of Persia.
And we have King Cyrus, King of Persia, in control.
So why would the king of Persia, King Cyrus, who does not follow the God of Israel,
allow some of their captives to return to Jerusalem and restore the temple?
And what role did God play in this?
How did he intervene with King Cyrus to allow some of God's people to go back to Jerusalem?
And when King Cyrus made this proclamation and allowed them to return, what prophecy was being fulfilled?
You can look at Jeremiah 25, 11, to 12, and 2910 to help you with his answer.
The next section is Cyrus restores the holy vessels.
Verse 7. King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.
Cyrus King of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithradeth, the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbizar, the prince of Judah.
This was the inventory.
30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils, 30 gold bowls, 30 gold bowls,
410 matching silver bowls and 1,000 other articles.
In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles.
Sheshbazar brought all these along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 1.
So we talked about how Cyrus had a big role in helping the people of God return to Jerusalem.
Now Cyrus was not one of God's people.
He did not believe in the God of Israel, the God of Isaac and Jacob.
But God still used him to fulfill his promises to the people of Israel.
What does this teach us about God and who he is and how he fulfills his promises?
Okay, so now we can start as for chapter 2, which is going to be a list of names, a list of family names.
And as we're reading through these, I just want you to think about why it's important that these names are included.
Why is it important that we remember who is returning to Jerusalem?
The first section is the list of returning exiles,
which can also be found in Nehemiah 7, verses 4 to 69.
Ezra 2, verse 1.
Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles,
carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, its king.
They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, accompanied by Zerubabel,
Jeshua, Nehemiah, Saraya, Relya, Mordecai, Bilschen, Mispar, Rahum, and Baana.
This is the Count of the Men of Israel.
The descendants of Parash, 2172.
The descendants of Sheffataya, 372.
The descendants of Aura, 775.
The descendants of Pahath Moab through the line of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812.
The descendants of Elam, 1,254.
The descendants of Zitu, 945.
The descendants of Zaki, 760.
The descendants of Bonnie, 642.
The descendants of Bibi, 623.
The descendants of Osgid, 1,222.
The descendants of Adonikim, 666.
The descendants of Big Vai, 256.
The descendants of Adin, 454.
The descendants of Otter, through Hezekiah, 98.
The descendants of Bazaai, 323.
The descendants of Jora, 112.
The descendants of Hashim, 223.
The descendants of Jabar, 95.
The men of Bethlehem, 123.
The men of Natafa, 56.
The men of Anathathath, 128.
The descendants of Osmaveth, 42.
The men of Kiryoth Jerram, Khafaira, and Beroth, 743.
The men of Rama and Jeba, 621.
The men of McMash, 122.
The men of Bethel and I, 223.
The descendants of Nebo, 52.
The descendants of Mogbish, 156.
the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254.
The descendants of Haram, 320.
The men of Lod, Hadid, and Ano, 725.
The men of Jericho, 345.
And the descendants of Sana'a, 3,630.
Okay, so pause there at the end of that section.
those were the men of Israel who returned from exile, and then we're about to transition
into a list of the priests who returned from exile. So why is there a distinction?
Why are there two separate sections, one with the men and one with the priests?
Why do we need a specific section for the priests? What sets them apart?
Verse 36, The priests. The descendants of Judea through the house of Jeshua, 973.
The descendants of Emer, 152,
the descendants of Pasha, 1,247, and the descendants of Haram, 1,17.
The Levites, the descendants of Jeshua and Codmiel through the line of Haudavia, 74.
The singers, the descendants of Asaf, 128,
The gatekeepers, the descendants of Shalom, the descendants of Otter, the descendants of Talman,
the descendants of Akub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai,
139 in all.
The temple servants.
The descendants of Zeeha, the descendants of Hasufa, the descendants of Tabahoth, the descendants of Kyras,
the descendants of Siyaha, the descendants of Padon, the descendants of Labana, the descendants of
Hagaba, the descendants of Akub, the descendants of Hagab, the descendants of Shalmy, the descendants
of Hanan, the descendants of Gedel, the descendants of Geher, the descendants of Riaia, the descendants
of Resin, the descendants of Nakoda, the descendants of
Ghazam, the descendants of Uza, the descendants of Psyah, the descendants of Psyah, the descendants of
Basai, the descendants of Asna, the descendants of Mayanam, the descendants of Nafusim, the descendants
of Bakpuk, the descendants of Hakufa, the descendants of Harur, the descendants of Baslath,
the descendants of Mahida, the descendants of Harsha.
the descendants of Barcos, the descendants of Cicero, the descendants of Tima, the descendants of
Niziah, the descendants of Hatifa, the descendants of the servants of Solomon, the descendants
of Sotai, the descendants of Sophrath, the descendants of Peruda, the descendants of Jala, the descendants
of Darken, the descendants of Gidel, the descendants of Shafataya, the descendants of Hatil,
the descendants of Pocerath, Hazabayim, and the descendants of Ami.
The temple servants, and descendants of the servants of Solomon, numbered 392 in all.
The following came up from Telmila, Telharsha, Karab, Aden, and Emmer.
but could not prove that their families were descended from Israel.
The descendants of Deliah, the descendants of Tobiah,
and the descendants of Nekota, 652 in all.
And from among the priests, the descendants of Hobiah,
the descendants of Hizuk, and the descendants of Barzalai,
who had married a daughter of Barzalai, the Gileadite,
and was called by their name.
These men searched for their family records,
but could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things
until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thumum.
The whole assembly numbered 42,360, in addition to their 7,337,000 men-servants,
and maid servants, as well as their 200 male and female singers.
They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Okay, so pause there at the end of that section.
I read a lot of names, which I'm sure I pronounced most of them wrong.
So thank you for your grace in that.
But what I want you to think about is the sheer number of Israelites and people of God
who were leaving captivity and going back to Jerusalem.
Why is this significant?
What does this mean for the people of God?
And why does it matter that we know their names?
We know what families they came from.
Why does it matter that they're able to prove what families they belong to?
The next section is offerings by the exiles.
This section can also be seen in Exodus 38 versus 21 to 31 and Nehemiah 7 versus 70 to 73.
Ezra chapter 2 verse 68.
When they arrived at the House of the Lord in Jerusalem,
some of the heads of the families gave free will offerings to rebuild the House of God on its original site.
According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 Dariks of gold,
5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.
So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants,
along with some of the people, settled in their own towns,
rest of the Israelites settled in their towns. Okay, so pause there. What is the first thing
that these people did when they got to Jerusalem? And what is their plan? The people of God have been
exiled for so many years. Now they're back in the land that God had given them, back in their home,
and what are they going to do? How are they going to reestablish their community? Okay, so now we can
start Ezra chapter 3, which begins with a section called Sacrifices restored.
Ezra 3, verse 1.
By the 7th month, the Israelites had settled in their towns and the people assembled as one
man in Jerusalem.
Then Jeshua, son of Josadok and his fellow priests, along with Zarubabel, son of Shiatiel,
and his associates, began to build.
the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses,
the man of God.
They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord,
both the morning and evening burnt offerings, even though they feared the people of the land.
They also celebrated the feast of tabernacles in accordance with what is written,
and they offered burnt offerings daily, based on the number of the number of the world.
prescribed for each day.
After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for new moons,
and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the Lord, as well as all the free will offerings
brought to the Lord.
On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the
Lord, although the foundation of the Temple of the Lord had not been laid.
They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and
oil to the people of Saigon and Tyree to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea as authorized by Cyrus
King of Persia okay so pause there now that the Israelites are settled in their towns what is the
first thing they start to do why is it important that they offer these sacrifices and celebrate the
feast of tabernacle what are they following and why do you think it says in
3, that they feared the people of the land.
It says that they continued offering sacrifices even though they feared the people of the land.
Why would they fear the people around them?
The next section is Temple Restoration Begins.
Chapter 3, verse 8.
In the second month of the second year, after they had arrived at the House of God in Jerusalem,
Zerubabel, son of Shial, Jesua, son of Josadok,
and the rest of their associates, including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem
from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites, 20 years of age or older, to supervise the
construction of the house of the Lord. So Jesua and his sons and brothers, Codmiel and his sons, descendants
of Yehuda, and the sons of Heenad, and their sons and brothers, all Levites, joined together to supervise
those working on the house of God.
When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord,
the priests in their apparel with trumpets,
and the Levites, the sons of Asaf, with symbols,
took their positions to praise the Lord as David,
king of Israel, had prescribed.
And they sang responsibly with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord,
for he is good, for his loving devotion to Israel endures forever.
Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the
house of the Lord had been laid.
But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple,
wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple.
Still, many others shouted joyfully.
The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping,
because the people were making so much noise
and the sound was heard from afar.
Okay, so pause there.
They're starting to build a new temple to God.
Why is this significant?
Why is this so important
for the people of Israel to have a temple?
And then we have two different reactions at the end.
We've got the younger Israelites
shouting with joy
as the foundation of the temple is being laid.
and then we have the older generation, the ones who were there for the first temple, weeping loudly
as the new foundation is laid.
Why do you think we have these two different reactions?
Why do you think that the Israelites who had been around for the first temple reacted with weeping, with tears?
Were they grieving the old temple and what caused its destruction?
Were they overwhelmed with emotion and weeping at the new hope, the new temple being made?
Was it a mixture of both?
Why do you think they were reacting with tears while some were reacting with shouts of joy?
And because we have these two different reactions, are they both valid?
Is one wrong, is one right?
Or are these just the true, honest emotions that the people were,
experiencing while this new temple was being built.
Okay, so now we can start Ezra 4,
which begins with a section called Adversaries Hinder the Work.
Ezra 4, verse 1.
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord,
the God of Israel, they approached Zarubel and the heads of the family saying,
Let us build with you because like you, we seek your God.
God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of King Asar Hadan of Assyria, who brought us here.
But Zarubabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the family of Israel replied,
You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the Lord
the God of Israel, as Cyrus, King of Persia, has commanded us.
Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid
to build. They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus,
King of Persia, and down to the reign of Darius, King of Persia. Okay, so pause there at the end of that
section. Who are these enemies of Judah and Benjamin who are trying to put a stop to the work that
they're doing? Back in Second King's chapter 17 versus 24 to 41, we read about the king,
of Assyria transporting groups of people from Babylon and other places into Samaria,
replacing the people of Israel. So while Israel was in exile, foreigners entered the land that they
had previously been living in. And we see these enemies trying to put a stop to the work that the
Israelites are doing to rebuild this temple. And how are they trying to put a stop to this work?
What are they doing?
The next section is opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes.
Ezra, chapter 4, verse 6.
At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
And in the days of Arda Zerxes, King of Persia, Bishlam, Mithrideth, Tabil, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes.
It was written in Aramaic and then translated.
Rahum, the commander, and Shemshai, the scribe, wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows.
From Rehom, the commander, Shemshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates,
the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
and the rest of the people whom the great and honorable,
Ashurbanapal, deported, and settled in the cities of Sumeria,
and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.
This is the text of the letter they sent to him,
To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the men west of the Euphrates.
Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us
have returned to Jerusalem,
and they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city,
restoring its walls and repairing its foundations.
Let it be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored,
they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
Now, because we are in the service of the palace,
and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored,
we have sent to inform the king that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers.
In these books, you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city,
harmful to kings and provinces inciting sedition from ancient times.
That is why the city was destroyed.
We advise the king that if the city is rebuilt and its walls are restored,
you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.
Okay, so pause there.
What are they saying in this letter to Artaxerxes?
How are they trying to convince him that what the Israelites are doing is going to harm his territory,
is going to weaken the king's power?
And why do you think they sent this letter?
Why do these people feel threatened by the Israelites and what they're doing?
Why do they see the Israelites as rebellious?
The next section is the decree of Artaxerxes.
Verse 17. Then the king sent this reply. To Rahum, the commander, Shamshi the scribe, and the rest of your
associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates.
Greetings. The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence. I issued a decree,
and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient
times engaging in rebellion and sedition.
And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region
west of the Euphrates and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.
Now therefore, issue an order for these men to stop
so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
See that you do not neglect this matter.
Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to some,
suffer. When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rahum, Shemshai the scribe,
and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
Thus, the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill
until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.
Okay, so pause there. Where do you think King Artaxerxes got this information about
Jerusalem and why do you think he saw them as such a threat? Think about the Israelites and their
history and all the kings that they've had and all the vast land that they've had and all the kings of
other nations that they've gone up against. Is there any reason that other nations and other rulers
might fear the people of Israel, might see them as a threat to their own power? Okay, so now we can start
Ezra 5, which begins with a section called Temple Rebuilding Resumes.
This section can also be found in Haggai, Chapter 1, verse 1.
Ezra 5, verse 1.
Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Edo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah
and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
Then Zerubabel, son of Shialteal, and Jesuit.
son of Josadok, rose up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem,
and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
At that time, Tatenai, the governor of the region west of the Euphrates,
Shethyr and Bozani, and their associates, went to the Jews and asked,
Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?
They also asked,
What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?
but the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews,
so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius
and written instructions about this matter were returned.
The next section is Tatani's letter to Darius.
Verse 6.
This is the text of the letter that Tatini,
the governor of the region west of the Euphrates,
Shethar Bosani, and their associates,
the officials of the region, sent to King Darius.
the report they sent to him read as follows.
To King Darius.
All peace.
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah to the house of the great God.
The people are rebuilding it with large stones and placing timbers in the walls.
This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.
So we questioned the elders and asked,
Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?
We also asked for their names
so that we could write down the names of their leaders
for your information.
And this is the answer they returned.
We are servants of the God of heaven and earth,
and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago
which a great King of Israel built and completed.
But since our fathers angered the God of heaven,
he delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon.
the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.
In his first year, however, Cyrus, King of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this House of God.
He also removed from the Temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the House of God,
which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem.
King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazone,
whom he appointed governor and instructed, take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem,
and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.
So this Shesh Bazaar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem,
and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed.
Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a search be made of the royal archives in Babylon
to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the House of God in Jerusalem.
Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
Okay, so pause there at the end of Chapter 5.
We're now under a new king.
Instead of Artaxerxes, we're under King Darius.
And we have another letter being sent to the king.
But what's the difference between this letter and the letter we read about in the previous chapter?
Are these people in support of Israel continuing to rebuild the temple, or are they still trying to put a stop to this?
Okay, so now we can start Ezra chapter 16, which begins with a section called the Decree of Darius.
So now we're going to get King Darius's response.
Ezra 6, verse 1.
Thus, King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon,
and a scroll was found in the fortress of.
of Ekbatana, in the province of Medea, with the following written on it.
Memorandum
In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem.
Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundation be firmly laid.
It is to be 60 cubits high and 60 cubits wide, with three layers of cut stones and one
of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury. Furthermore, the gold and silver
articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried
to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
Okay, so pause there. They went searching and they found this scroll. What is this memorandum
tell King Darius. And this memorandum also gives us a little more insight into King Cyrus's decree
that gave the Israelites permission to rebuild their temple. And we find out here that not only did he
give back the things that Nebuchadnezzar stole, but that Persia was paying for the temple to be rebuilt.
Why do you think Persia was so generous to God's people who?
who they had once controlled to restore everything that had been taken from them.
Verse 6.
Therefore, Darius decreed,
To Tatanai, governor of the region west of the Euphrates,
Shethar Bose and I, and your associates and officials in the region.
You must stay away from that place.
Leave this work on the House of God alone.
Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this House of God on its original site.
I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this House of God.
The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates so that the work will not be hindered.
Whatever is needed, young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested.
by the priests in Jerusalem must be given to them daily without fail,
and they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven
and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.
I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive,
a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up,
and he is to be impaled on it.
And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble for this offense.
May God, who has caused his name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand
to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem.
I, Darius, have issued the decree.
Let it be carried out with diligence.
Okay, so pause there.
Why do you think it was so important to Darius, King of Persia, that the Israelites be allowed to complete their temple?
Was this a political move so that Persia could have an ally in Israel?
Was it to make amends for the way that Israel had been treated under Babylon and Persian rule when they were exiled?
There could be a lot of different reasons, but why do you think Darius reacted this way?
And what part do you think God played in this in allowing Israel to rebuild the temple?
The next section is the temple completed.
Verse 13.
In response, Tatenai, the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar Bosinae,
and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggiyah the prophet
and Zechariah, son of Ido.
They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel
and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
And the temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adair in the sixth year of the reign
of King Darius.
The next section is Dedication of the Temple, Verse 16.
Then the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated
the dedication of the house of God with joy.
For the dedication of the house of God, they all.
offered a hundred bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of 12 male goats,
one for each tribe of Israel. They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites
by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the book of Moses.
The next section is the returned exiles keep the Passover.
On the 14th day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.
All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean,
and the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles,
for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.
The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together,
with all who had separated themselves from the uncleannliness of the peoples of the land
to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.
For seven days, they kept the feast of unleavened bread with joy,
because the Lord had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Syria
toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
Okay, so pause there at the end of that section.
They've finally been able to rebuild their temple.
They were taken out of their land, and now they're back,
and they're able to restore the temple to its glory?
What part did God play in all of this?
How did he protect Israel and make it so that they were able to restore the temple?
And then why is it significant that once the temple had been restored and dedicated,
not long after they were able to celebrate Passover?
Why is that significant?
What does Passover remind them of?
What are they celebrating when they say?
celebrate Passover. Okay, so now we can start Ezra Chapter 7, which begins with a section called
Ezra arrives in Jerusalem. Ezra chapter 7, verse 1. Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes,
king of Persia, Ezra, son of Saria, the son of Hulchaya, the son of Hulchaya, the son of Shalum,
the son of Zadok, the son of Ahythub, the son of Amaria, the son of Azaria, the son of Azaria,
the son of Mariaheth, the son of Zaraeha, the son of Uzi, the son of Buki, the son of Abishua,
the son of Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the cheap, priest.
This Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord
the God of Israel had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests for the hand of the Lord
his God was upon him. So in the seventh year of King Arduserxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the
Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem
in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun the journey from Babylon
on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month
for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.
For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord to practice it and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Okay, so pause there at the end of that section.
We have a time jump between chapter 6 and chapter 7, so many years have passed,
and now we are meeting the character Ezra.
So who is Ezra?
What do we learn about him from these few verses?
Why has he come to Jerusalem from Babylon?
The next section is Artaxerxes' letter for Ezra.
Verse 11.
This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and scribe
an expert in the commandments and statutes of the Lord to Israel.
Artaxerxes, King of Kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven.
Greetings.
I hear by decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem.
You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hand.
Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.
together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon,
as well as the free will offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.
With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed,
together with their grain offerings, and drink offerings,
and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.
You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest,
of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.
You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the
house of your God.
And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply,
you may pay for it from the royal treasury.
I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasures west of the Euphrates, whatever Ezra,
the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require a vizierxes.
you. It must be provided promptly, up to 100 talons of silver, a hundred cores of wheat,
a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.
Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for his house.
For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons?
And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priest,
Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which you possess, are to appoint magistrates
and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates, all who know the laws of your God.
And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them.
If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let us straight a straighter.
judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
Okay, so pause there at the end of King Artaxerxes's letter. What is he giving Ezra the ability to do?
And what impact does this have on God's people and the people of Israel?
The next section is Ezra blesses God. Verse 27.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers.
who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,
and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials.
And because the hand of the Lord, my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 7.
How does Ezra show his devotion to God?
how do we see his love for God and God's love for Ezra?
Okay, so now we can start Ezra chapter 8,
which is going to start with another long list of names.
So as we read through these names and these exiles who returned with Ezra,
just think about who these people are and why it's important
that the Bible includes these genealogies and these lists of names
and these groupings of people.
Ezra chapter 8, which begins with a section,
called the exiles who returned with Ezra.
Ezra 8 verse 1.
These are the family heads and genealogical records
of those who returned with me from Babylon
during the reign of King Artaxerxes.
From the descendants of Phenhas, Gersham,
from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel,
from the descendants of David, Hattush,
of the descendants of Shekinaya,
From the descendants of Parash, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men.
From the descendants of Pahath Moab, Elia Honai, son of Zarahya, and with him, 200 men.
From the descendants of Zitu, Shekhaniah, son of Jehaziel, and with him 300 men.
From the descendants of Aden, Abed, son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men.
From the descendants of Elam, Dishaya, son of Athalia, and with him 70 men.
From the descendants of Shefataya, Zebediah, son of Michael, and with him 80 men.
From the descendants of Joab, Obadiah, son of Jael, and with him, 218 men.
From the descendants of Bonnie, Shalemith, son of Josephiah, and with him 160 men.
From the descendants of Bibi, Zechariah, son of Bubai, and with him 28 men.
From the descendants of Osgid, Johan, son of Hocketon, and with him 110 men.
From the later descendants of Adonikim, these were their names.
Elephelot, J.iel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men.
And from the descendants of Bigvai, both Uthai and Zacher,
and with them, 70 men.
Okay, so pause there at the end of that section.
We got through those lists of names.
Those are all the people who came from Babylon back to Jerusalem with Ezra.
So remember years ago, we had a first group come from Babylon and go back to Jerusalem
and start building the temple, and now we have a second group of people coming with Ezra.
Also, you might have noticed that at the beginning of this chapter, the person writing
writes in the first person, saying these are the people who came with me. So that's Ezra
writing there, and he writes from the first person perspective for the rest of this book. So as we
read chapters 8, 9, and 10, you will see I and me, and that refers to Ezra himself. The next section is
Ezra sins for the Levites, verse 15. Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to a
Hava, and we camped there for three days, and when I searched among the people and priests,
I found no Levites there.
Then I summoned the leaders, Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, El Nathan, Jerib, El Nathan, Nathan,
Zechariah, and Mishlam, as well as the teachers, Jorib, and El Nathan.
And I sent them to Edo, the leader at Cassifia, with a message for him and his kinsmen,
the temple servants at Kasyphia.
that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.
Okay, so pause there.
Why is Israel looking for a Levite?
What purpose did the Levites serve in the community of Israel?
Verse 18,
And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us,
they brought us, Sheribaya,
a man of insight from the descendants of Mali,
son of Levi, the son of Israel,
along with his sons and brothers, 18 men.
also Hashibaya, together with Jashaya, from the descendants of Marari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name.
David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.
The next section is fasting for protection.
Verse 21.
And there, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed to fast so that we might home.
humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children with all our
possessions. For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us
from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, the hand of our God is gracious to all who
seek him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. So he fasted and petitioned our
God about this, and he granted our request. Okay, so pause there.
Ezra proclaims this fast before they go on this journey.
What is the purpose of a fast?
How does it help them prepare spiritually before they go through this physical task?
The next section is priests to guard the offerings.
Then I set apart 12 of the leading priests together with Sherabaya, Hashibaya, and ten of their brothers,
and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his
counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.
I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, articles of silver weighing 100 talents,
100 talents of gold, 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 Darix,
and two articles of fine, polished bronze as precious as gold.
Then I told them, you are holy to the Lord, and these articles are holy.
The silver and gold are a free will offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers.
Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the House of the Lord in Jerusalem
before leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelites families.
So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
On the 12th day of the first month, we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.
Okay, so pause there.
why did the Levites need to treat these articles and these pieces of gold and silver and these offerings with such respect and honor?
And how did God show up and protect these people as they were making this journey?
The next section is Arrival in Jerusalem.
So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
On the fourth day in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles
into the hand of Meramath, son of Eurya the priest.
Eliezer, son of Phaneus, was with him, along with the Levites,
Josabad, son of Jesua, and Nohadiah, son of Benui.
Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel,
12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats.
All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.
They also delivered the king's edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates,
who proceeded to assist the people in the house of God.
Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 8.
We have a group of Israelites, a group of exiles.
returning home, preparing to return home, and offering sacrifices to their God, and forming community.
So what do you think is going on among these people? How do you think they feel? And what do you think
is going through their minds at this time? Okay, so now we can start Ezra chapter 9, which begins
with a section called Intermarriage with the Neighboring Peoples. This section can also be found in
Meymiah 13, verses 23 to 31.
Chapter 9, verse 1
After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said,
The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate
from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Parasites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons
so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land,
and the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness.
When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak,
pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel
gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles while I sat there in horror until the evening offering.
Okay, so pause there. Why does Ezra react this way when he hears this news?
Is it just because the people of Israel are marrying people from different towns, or is there more of a spiritual aspect to this?
Are they marrying people who follow pagan gods and who will lead them?
away from the God of Israel. What is the real issue going on here? Because are there any examples
in the Old Testament that we've read so far of foreigners marrying Israelites and that not being an
issue? Think about the book of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite woman who married into the Israelite
community and became a part of that community. But did Ruth continue following
the pagan gods of the Moabite people,
or did she turn away from the pagan gods
and start following the God of Israel?
And on the flip side, are there examples of Israelites
marrying foreign women and turning away from God
and beginning to follow the pagan gods of the women they had married?
Look at Judges 3, verses 5 to 7.
look at King Solomon in 1 Kings chapter 11, 1 to 8.
So in Ezra, right here, is the issue that they're marrying foreign women,
or is the issue that they're marrying women who follow pagan gods,
and they are starting to turn away from the God of Israel
and follow the pagan gods of these women they have married?
Because we know that there are foreigners,
living among the Israelites. We know that in Leviticus 19, when God is laying out all these
statutes and regulations, he reminds them in Leviticus 1933 to 34, do not take advantage of foreigners
who live among you in your land, treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love
yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
So we know that God calls the Israelites to treat foreigners with respect and to treat them as their own people.
So we have examples of foreign women marrying into the Israelite community and that being okay.
And we have God's commandment to treat the foreigners living among them with respect.
So what's going on in this specific context that tells us that these marriages pose a
an issue for the Israelite community in this chapter.
These are important things to think about during this section because this might be a
difficult section to read because it might seem as if God is saying you can't marry these
people because they are foreign.
But I want you to really think through these issues and think about the context of what's
going on and think about other examples throughout the Old Testament where we do see foreigners
marry into the Israelite community.
and think about why Ezra is reacting this way, what the real issue is that's going on,
why Ezra feels like this needs to be addressed, and if you think Ezra's reaction aligns
with what God has called Israel to do.
The next section is Ezra's Prayer of Confession, Verse 5.
At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn,
and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the love.
Lord, my God, and said, Oh my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to you, my God,
because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached the heavens.
From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great.
Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands
of the kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity to pillage and humiliation
as we are this day.
But now, for a brief moment,
grace has come from the Lord our God
to preserve for us a remnant
and to give us a stake in His holy place.
Even in our bondage,
our God has given us new life
and light to our eyes.
Though we are slaves,
our God has not forsaken us in our bondage,
but he has extended to us grace
in the sight of the kings of Persia,
giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,
and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
And now our God, what can we say after this?
For we have forsaken the commandments that you gave us through your servants, the prophets,
saying, the land that you are entering to possess,
is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples
and the abominations with which they have filled it from end,
to end. Now therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their
daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity so that you may be strong and may
eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.
After all that has come upon us, because of our evil deeds and our great guilt, though you,
our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us
such a remnant as this.
Shall we again break your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations?
Would you not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?
O Lord, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain this day as a remnant.
Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it, no one can stand before you.
Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 9.
Ezra has given this prayer of confession, the people of Israel.
So what sin did they commit?
And why did God create this law among the people of Israel?
We've seen throughout the Old Testament, Israel continually forgetting who God is,
forgetting that that is who they believe in,
forgetting that he is the one who rescued them out of Egypt.
And they forget these things even when they're living among an entire group of people who also believe in the God of Israel.
So why is Ezra so concerned with who the people of Israel marry?
What effect might it have on their spiritual lives if they marry people who worship pagan gods instead of the God of Israel?
And then I also want you to think about God's grace.
How did Ezra reflect on God's grace?
And how have we seen God give his grace to the Israelites throughout the Old Testament?
Okay, so now we can start Ezra chapter 10, which begins with a section called Shokina's encouragement.
Ezra 10, verse 1.
While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling face down before the house of God,
A very large assembly of Israelites, men, women, and children gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.
Then Shikina, son of Jael, an Elamite, said to Ezra,
We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land,
yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children,
according to the counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God.
Let it be done according to the law.
Get up.
For this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you.
Be strong and take action.
So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel
take an oath to do what had been said, and they took the oath.
The next section is the people's confession.
of sin. Verse 6.
Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehoanan, son of Elie Ashib.
And while he stayed there, he ate no food and drank no water because he was mourning
over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
And a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather
at Jerusalem, whoever failed to appear within three days, would forfeit all his property
according to the Council of Leaders and Elders,
and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
So within three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem,
and on the 20th day of the ninth month,
all the people sat in the square at the house of God,
trembling regarding this matter, and because of the heavy rain.
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them,
You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women,
adding to the guilt of Israel.
Now therefore, make a confession to the Lord,
the God of your fathers, and do His will.
Separate yourselves from the people of the land
and from your foreign wives.
And the whole assembly responded in a loud voice.
Truly we must do as you say.
But there are many people here,
and it is the rainy season.
We are not able to stay out in the open,
nor is this the work of one or two days,
for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.
Let our leaders represent the whole assembly.
Then let everyone in our towns, who is married a foreign woman,
come at an appointed time,
together with the elders and judges of each town,
until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.
Only Jonathan, son of Asiel,
and Josiah, son of Tikva,
supported by Meshalam and Shibethai, the Levite,
opposed this plan. So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family
heads, each of them identified by name, to represent their families. On the first day of the 10th month,
they launched the investigation, and by the first day of the first month, they had dealt with all
the men who had married foreign women. Okay, so pause there at the end of that section. What do you think
about their resolution to this issue? Why do you think they had to send
the women and children away.
The next section is those guilty of intermarriage.
Verse 18.
Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women
were found these descendants of Jesua,
son of Josadak, and his brothers.
Messiah, Eliezer, Jerib, and Gitalia.
They pledged to send their wives away,
and for their guilt, they presented a ram
from the flock as a guilt offering,
from the descendants of Emer.
Hannah Nye and Zepidaya, from the descendants of Harim, Messiah, Elijah, Shemaya, Jael, and Oziah,
from the descendants of Pasha.
Eleni and I, Maasya, Ishmael, Nethanel, Josabad, and Elasa.
Among the Levites, Josabod, Shemai, Kalaya, that is, Galita.
Pethahia, Judah, and Eliezer.
From the singers, Eliechib, from the gatekeepers, Shalum, Tilem, and Uri.
And among the other Israelites from the descendants of Parash, Ramaya, Izia, Malkaja,
Mejaman, Eliezer, Malkidja, and Benaya.
From the descendants of Elam, Matanaya, Zechariah,
J.E.L. Obdi, Jemoth, and Elijah.
From the descendants of Zitu, Elianai,
Eliyashib, Matanaya,
Jerameth, Zabod, and Aziza.
From the descendants of Bibi,
Jehoahan, Hananiya,
Zabai, and Othawai.
From the descendants of Bonnie,
Meshalam, Maluk,
Adaya, Dishub, Shail, and Jarmath.
From the descendants of Bahath Moab, Adna, Kallal, Benaya, Masia, Matanaya, Bezal, Benui, and Manasa.
From the descendants of Harim, Heliezer, Ishijia, Malchidja, Shemaya, Shemaya, Shemian, Benjamin, Benjamin,
Maluk and Shemiraya
From the descendants of Hashoum
Matinae
Matata
Zabad
Elifalette
Jeremiah
Manasa and Shemai
From the descendants of Bonnie
Mahadi
Amram Yule
Benaya
Badaia
Kalui
Vinaya
Maramath
Eliehsheb, Matanaya, Matanai, and Jaasu.
From the descendants of Ben-Wee, Shemai, Shalamaya, Nathan, Adaya,
McNidabai, Shashai, Shari, Azarell, Shalamaya, Shemariahya, Shalamariah, Shalum, Amaria,
and Joseph.
And from the descendants of Nibo, Jail, Matataya, Zabad, Zabina, Jadai, Joel, and Benaya,
all these men had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.
Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 10 and the end of Ezra.
That was sort of a short book of the Bible, but you can reflect at the end of this book over
What happened to the people of Israel during this time?
What were the good things that happened?
What were the tough things that they went through?
And how do you feel about the way that they handled this situation
towards the second half of the book of Ezra?
It kind of seems an odd place to end a book,
but remember that originally Ezra and Nehemiah
are kind of one book together.
So when we start Nehemiah next time,
it's kind of going to pick up and continue this story.
kind of both intertwined together.
So that kind of explains why the ending of Ezra might seem a little abrupt.
So thank you so much for listening to this episode.
I'm so excited that you are continuing to listen and support the show.
I'm happy to hear from each of you and the stories that you guys tell.
I read all the emails and I try to respond when I can.
But I really appreciate each and every one of you.
And I pray that this project continues helping you understand.
understand the Bible, understand God on a deeper level, and that God really reveals a lot to you
throughout this process. So thank you so much for listening, and I will talk to you in the next one.