Summary of Ezra 7:1-10
Ezra left Babylon during the reign of Artaxerxes with some of the Israelites back to Jerusalem. He was given everything he needed.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 2: Ezra 7:1-10
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 2: Ezra 7:1-10
I love how Ezra is called and chosen here. We all are, and it’s good to remember this.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 11, Day 2: Ezra 7:1-10
Sixty years passed between Ezra 6 and 7 with not much to-dos. The book of Esther takes place in this timeframe when Xerxes reigned, who was married to Esther.
- Ezra 1-6 is the first wave of exiles returning to Jerusalem
- Ezra 7-10 is the second wave with Ezra himself (around 458 BC)
- Nehemiah led the third wave
The point of the list of names is to show that Ezra is of the Levite tribe, descended from Aaron, and a rightful priest for the Jews.
Ezra returned during the second phase. He was an expert in God’s law, whose job was to preserve, teach, and observe God’s laws.
The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem was about 900 miles.
Ezra’s job was to teach the word of the Lord to the people.
Fun Fact: The Bible has more than 40 human authors.
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
Ezra 7:1-10 introduces the book’s second main figure, Ezra, a priest and expert scribe in the Law of Moses. It establishes his authority through a detailed lineage tracing back to Aaron, the first high priest, and highlights the divine favor upon him, which is key to his mission.
Interpretation
- Ezra’s Credentials (vv. 1-6): The passage opens by establishing Ezra’s impeccable qualifications. His long genealogy validates his priestly authority, while his description as a scribe “skilled in the Law of Moses” confirms his expertise. He is not just a priest by birth but a scholar by devotion.
- The Second Return (vv. 7-9): Decades after the initial return under Zerubbabel, Ezra leads a second, smaller group of exiles to Jerusalem. This journey is explicitly successful because “the good hand of his God was upon him.” This phrase underscores a central theme: Ezra’s success is a direct result of divine favor, not just his own skill or royal permission.
- Ezra’s Motivation (v. 10): This key verse reveals the heart of Ezra’s mission. He had “set his heart” to do three things in order:
- To study the Law of the LORD.
- To do it (i.e., to live it out personally).
- To teach its statutes and rules in Israel. This demonstrates that his purpose was a deep, spiritual revival based on a foundation of personal devotion and scholarly knowledge.
Conclusion
This passage serves as a formal introduction to Ezra, presenting him as the divinely appointed and qualified leader for the next phase of Israel’s restoration. His mission was not to build a physical temple, which was already done, but to rebuild the spiritual and legal foundation of the nation by teaching God’s Law. The success of his journey, attributed to God’s “good hand,” sets the stage for the religious and social reforms he would soon implement.
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