Ezra

AUTHOR:

Not stated, but probably Ezra

AUDIENCE:

The exiles who returned from captivity

PURPOSE:

To show God’s faithfulness and the way he kept his promise to restore his people to their land.

Ugly scars can be painful reminders, but they can also serve as powerful motivators: Don’t run on wet cement; gently check the pan before you grab the handle. Fresh reminders of painful mistakes or failures caution us to adhere to safety warnings that can easily be overlooked.

As later generations of Israelites ignored God’s commands and returned to idol worship, the golden age under King David and King Solomon crumbled. God allowed the Babylonian king to destroy Jerusalem and the magnificent Temple Solomon built. Thousands were killed, and the Israelites who were spared must have been severely traumatized by all they’d witnessed before being taken into captivity. But once again God showed mercy and miraculously brought his people back to the Promised Land seventy years later.

Bearing the scars of war and bondage, the first group of returning exiles entered Jerusalem with the best of intentions. Yet the book of Ezra demonstrates how easily sin can entangle. Ezra himself led the second group of Israelites, who demonstrated a new fervor and commitment to living rightly before the Lord.

SUFFERING AND DISABILITY THEMES

  floral bullet  God will not ignore sin. The Israelites committed egregious sins against God—worshiping false idols, practicing child sacrifice, and engaging in vulgar prostitution. They deserved the harsh reality of foreign captivity. Yet even in their punishment, God showed mercy. He set a time limit for their suffering and paved the way for his people to start over. Ezra reminds us that even in the suffering that comes as a direct result of our own sin, there is hope.

  floral bullet  God offers hope in difficult circumstances. It can seem nearly impossible to stay hopeful amid the crushing obstacles of life. Persecution and cruelty take a high toll. The book of Ezra illustrates the crucial need we have to receive and give godly encouragement that can help us stay the course. As the apostle Paul also reminds us, we should “encourage each other and build each other up” (1 Thes 5:11).