Ezra’s Arrival to Jerusalem

Instead of breezing through Ezra 7, studying the first ten verses would be better than learning the entire chapter immediately. When it comes to Bible reading, slowing down can be necessary many times. That’s especially true if one chapter contains more than one topic. Back then, the books of the Bible were one long narrative. I could imagine the pain that the scribes had. Not for Ezra who was an expert scribe. Unlike the scribes condemned by the Lord Jesus, Ezra was a righteous scribe. This is one man worth emulating.

God’s Sovereignty in Darius the Great’s Decree

After Ezra 5, it might be a good idea to chew on Ezra 6. In Ezra 5, Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai were trying to stop the work of the Jews. Tattenai sent a letter to Darius the Great requesting to search the royal archives. Tattenai, a pagan, wanted to make sure that Cyrus the Great truly allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple of Yahweh. Darius the Great then ordered a decree to search the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon. Darius the Great issued a memorandum after realizing that Cyrus the Great gave the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple of Yahweh. The document was preserved by God’s providence. God supplies and denies according to His perfect plan.

Restoration of the Rebuilding of God’s House

Ezra 5 begins with Haggai and Zechariah, two different men with one common mission. The two prophets remind me of a former foe and a friend who helped me move forward from my petty grudges against the former foe. The rebuilding was halted for around 15-16 years. Zerubbabel, a descendant of David through the lineage of Solomon (and his name shows up in Matthew 1), arose and began to rebuild the Jewish Temple. There was support from the two great prophets God gave to Zerubbabel as accountability partners. David had Nathan as an accountability partner. It was even better that Zerubbabel had two accountability partners to help in his work.