MAY 3 & 4 EZRA 7-8

Ezra 7-8

Ezra makes his first appearance in Ezra 7.

Sometime after the temple had been rebuilt, another Artaxerxes (My commentary says there were at least three of them!) recognized Ezra’s gifts and sent him back to Jerusalem as both priest and teacher. In yet another email, the king gave Ezra free reign to gather up other priests and Levites who would return to Jerusalem to teach the Law of the Lord, and to do the work of the temple more faithfully. Ezra obeys these directions, gathers up some more of the exiles and heads to Jerusalem.

At this point, Ezra 8:15, something rather beautiful happens: what had been a narrative becomes, for a chapter and a half, a personal journal. Let’s call it “Ezra’s BLOG!” I love the bits of personal insight we see. Ezra praises God for finding capable men (Ezra 8:18), he calls for prayer and fasting for a safe journey, because he was too ashamed to ask for a military escort (Ezra 8:21-23), and rejoices when they arrive safe and sound, gold in hand, to the city of David: The hand of our God was upon us! (Ezra 8:31)

Tomorrow, we’ll learn that Ezra, too, had to overcome obstacles in Jerusalem!

Your fellow traveler through the Word,
Pastor Gary