Ezra 7

CHAPTERS 7 AND 8THEME: Return under EzraNow we come to the second major division in the little Book of Ezra. The first six chapters told us about the return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabelabout fifty thousand Jews left Babylon at that time. The Jews had gone into the Babylonian captivity because they continually turned to idolatry, and God gave them a gold cure in Babylon. Also the Jews had disobeyed the Mosaic Law in that they had not allowed the land to lie fallow every seventh year. They probably did not think it was too important. They thought they were getting by with breaking that law, but God said, “I’m going to put you out of the land for seventy years so that the land can catch up on the Sabbaths it has missed.” After the land had rested and renewed itself for seventy years, God allowed His people to return. Then there was another wave of revival among the Jews who had been captives and were still living in Babylon. Ezra led a second group back to Jerusalem. Up to this point Ezra, although he is the writer of this book, has not figured in its history at all. In the final four chapters we meet the author. In chapters 7 and 8 we see the return of the Jews led by Ezra. In chapters 9 and 10 we see the reformation under Ezra. Revival led to reformation, and that is always the order. We will see that again when we study Nehemiah. Ezra is one of the neglected characters of the Bible. I do not believe he has received proper recognition by Bible expositors, and certainly not from the church. I wonder if you have ever heard a sermon on the Book of Ezra. Have you ever heard this book taught? Well, it is one that is easily passed by. In the next few chapters we are going to meet Ezra and get acquainted with him.

Ezra 7:1

This is the Artaxerxes who gave Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, which marks the beginning to the great prophecy of the “Seventy Weeks” of Daniel. We will discuss him when we get to the Book of Nehemiah. The man here who interests me is not the king, but Ezra himself. Who is he? Ezra was a lineal descendant of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. He belongs, therefore, to the priestly line. Had there been a temple in Jerusalem, he probably would have functioned in it as a priestprobably the high priest. But there was no temple; it had been burned and destroyed. Apparently Ezra did not feel like returning to Jerusalem with the first delegation. There was no place for him in Jerusalem, and apparently he was ministering to those who remained in Babylon. Now a group of about two thousand Jews, led by Ezra, planned to go to Jerusalem. The temple had been rebuilt so that there was a place for him to minister. We are going to find that he was also a teacher of the Word of God. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the grandson of Aaron, is mentioned in this passage. He first appears in Scripture at a time of licentious idolatry where his zeal and action stopped the plague that was destroying Israel. You will recall that when Balaam the prophet was not allowed to curse Israel, he taught the king to foster intermarriage with them for the purpose for bringing the world, the flesh, and the devil into the midst of God’s people. In Num_25:7-11 we are told that one of the Israelites took a Midianitish woman. When Jews married pagan people, they were drawn into the worship of their gods. Judgment fell upon Israel in the form of a plague.

Phinehas stayed the plague by executing the man who had taken the Midianitish woman and executing her also. Two lives were sacrificed in order to save a multitude of lives. As a reward for his efforts, God promised Phinehas that the priesthood would remain in his family forever. I would like to add a practical word which I consider a logical application of this section to our present condition. There are many judges today who feel that capital punishment is brutal, uncivilized, and should be abolished. The original purpose of capital punishment was the protection of other human lives. When a guilty person is not executed for his crime, then hundreds have to pay with their lives. Today we are not safe in our cities because there are no longer executions. Don’t tell me that executions do not deter crime.

I have discovered that when a traffic officer writes a ticket it will slow me down on a highwaydon’t tell me it does not slow you down! It is a deterrent to crime, and that is its purpose. That was the reason the Jew and his Midianitish woman were executed. Because of the death of this couple, multitudes in Israel were saved from the pollution that had broken out in that nation. I remember hearing a whimsical story about the early days in the West when a man was asked to say something before he was hanged for a murder he had committed. This was the statement he made: “I want you to know that this is going to be a lesson to me.” Well, my friend, that was not the purpose of his hanging. It was not to be a lesson to him. It was to protect the men, women, and children who were living in that day. Why don’t we face up to the facts in life today? Why can’t we see that we are sacrificing hundreds of lives to protect one criminal?

God does not do it that way, because He wants to save human life; and He knows how bad the human heart can be. God says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked …” (Jer_17:9). There is a great lesson to be learned from the action of Phinehas, one of the ancestors of Ezra.

Ezra 7:6

Ezra “was a ready scribe in the law of Moses.” Since he was not able to execute the office of priest, he spent his time studying the Word of God. Now he is going to be able to use what he has learned. You will find out that he is labeled “a ready scribe” again and again. Ezr_7:21 tells us that Ezra had a reputation down in Babylon, even with the king, as being scribe of the words of the Lord God. He was a teacher of the Word of God.

Ezra 7:7

There was another revival among the Jews in Babylon, and this time about two thousand people wanted to return to the land.

Ezra 7:8

They returned to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. It took them almost five months to make the trip. They could not go by jet stream; they had to go by foot, and it was a long, arduous trip in that day.

Ezra 7:10

Ezra had prepared his heart for the day that he would return to his land. He knew it was coming because he had faith in God. So he prepared his heart and studied the Law of Moses (the first five books of the Bible) and the Book of Joshua, which were in existence in that day. It is the belief of many that Ezra wrote 1 and 2 Chronicles. Ezra not only studied God’s Word, he also did what it said. Oh, my, that is so important! It is one thing to study God’s Word and another thing to do it. Ezra also wanted to teach the Word. He wanted God’s people to know God’s statutes and judgments.

Ezra 7:11

Artaxerxes made a decree which allowed Ezra and his followers to return to their land. It was not a commandment that they go, but it was permission to return according to their own particular desires and according to the leading of the Lord.

Ezra 7:14

Evidently Ezra had a real witness in the court, because the king and his counselors made this offering to “the God of Israel.” Ezra was given the authority to appoint magistrates and judges. They got together all of this material, Ezra was given the king’s decree, then preparation was made for them to leave. The decree reveals a tremendous reverence for God. Notice how it concludes:

Ezra 7:26

This law, of course, was in reference to the Jews after they arrived in the land. In other words, if they return to their land, they must mean business as far as their relationship to God is concerned. Notice now the thanksgiving of Ezra.

Ezra 7:27

Not only was the temple to be rebuilt, it was also to be beautified. I think God’s house ought to be made beautiful, as beautiful as it can possibly be according to the ability of the folk who are identified with it.

Ezra 7:28

Ezra led a fine delegation back to the land. It was not as large as the first delegation, but a great many of the leaders were in the second group. Chapter 8 gives the list of Ezra’s companions. Notice that Ezra made sure that the Levites went with them. The Nethinims, who were the servants, went along also. Then we see something that reveals how human Ezra was.