Ezra 7-8
Ezra 7-8
The exiles, with the permission and support of the Persian kings, returned to the Promised Land in phases. Cyrus, the first Persian king, issued a proclamation that the Jews could return to Judah and Jerusalem as they wished, and rebuild their temple; under the direction of Zerubbabel, many family leaders left Babylon for home. Ezra was amongst the second cohort to head west to the Promised Land. He was permitted thus by King Artaxerxes, the sixth king of the Persian empire. In accord with his predecessors Cyrus and Darius, Artaxerxes displayed great benevolence toward the Jews. Yet Ezra credited his safe arrival, along with the temple servants and the offerings from the Persian king, to the glory of God alone. The presence of Ezra and his cohort proved to be a solidifying force in the efforts of the Hebrews to reclaim Israelite religion in the land.
Ezra was a singular man, devoted to the law of Moses (7.6, 10). This trait made Ezra all the more useful for God’s program of re-establishing His people in His Land. The first troop of returned exiles had completed construction of the temple—but without someone to teach them the law of Moses, the temple would be of little value. Ezra was God’s man for the moment—and Artaxerxes knew it. It was in the pagan king’s self-interests to allow the various people-groups under his domain a freedom of religion, and perhaps Artaxerxes understood from the law of Moses what the God of the Hebrews had done to the Egyptian Pharaoh! The king thus supported Ezra’s departure (7.11-26):
- He charged Ezra “to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in you possession” (v. 15)
- He gave Ezra silver and gold to purchase animals for sacrifice, and any surplus was to be used at Ezra’s discretion (vv.16-18). Further, King Artaxerxes told Ezra, “You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else you have to supply to meet the needs of the house of your God” (v. 20)!
- He exempted the Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants and all the servants of the temple from paying tribute, duty and land taxes (v. 24)
- He charged Ezra the priest to regulate life west of the Euphrates according to the law of Moses, appointing judges over those who knew it and teaching those who didn’t. The punishment for ignorance was severe: “Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a fair judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment” (v. 26)
Ezra gathered a number of family leaders to return with him, including Levites and temple servants (7.27-8.20); he confessed that all these came because “the gracious hand of our God was upon us” (8.18). This was especially evident in the long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra, knowing the dangers of traveling with such a large caravan and abundant wealth, “Proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions” (8.21). Ezra “was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, ‘The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who abandon Him.’ So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request” (8.22-23).
When the procession arrived in Jerusalem, the weight of the precious metals were measured with great care, and everything was accounted for; God had protected the people from bandits, and the Levites from temptation to take some of the articles for themselves (8.29-34). Ezra informed Artaxerxes’ local officials that they too were to support the work of reform in Jerusalem (8.36). God had brought His people back to His land; Jeremiah’s word was true: “‘For I know the plans I have for you’—this is the LORD’s declaration—‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jer 29.11)!
Ezra 7-8 reads a bit like autobiography. Here the author presented himself as, perhaps above all else, a man dedicated to the law of Moses. The law is mentioned nine times in the book, seven of them in ch 7. The author described Ezra as “a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given” (v. 6); he was a man who “had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and teach its statues and ordinances in Israel” (v. 10); he was “an expert in matters of the LORD’s commandments and statues for Israel” (v. 11). Further, King Artaxerxes’ letter is replete with references to Ezra as a man of the law (vv. 12, 14, 21, 26). Why this emphasis? This was not so much so that Ezra would have honor among the people as an expert teacher, but so that the people would be mindful of the law themselves; if the Hebrews were going to have any success in Jerusalem, Ezra knew it would only be a result of faithfulness to the books of Moses (cf. Josh 1.8). The motif of ‘law’ in relation to God is a central element of understanding the storyline of Scripture. Early in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus announced that He came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them—even to the degree that His ministry was a part of accomplishing their purpose (cf. Mt 5.17-18). As the New Testament progresses it becomes clear that their purpose was indeed to point to Him, and establish a new, multi-national people who would be characterized by the law of love. The apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians to follow his example of unselfishness—which he displayed as one “under the law of Christ” (1 Cor 9.21), free to evangelize Jews by living as a Jew, and free to evangelize Gentiles by living as a Gentile. He likewise challenged the Galatians—some of whom were submitting to life under the law of Moses, and needed compassionate care from those stronger in faith among them—to “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6.2). It may in fact be the case that Paul understood Christians to be free from the specifics of the law of Moses—and yet slaves to the law of love in Christ. Again to the Galatians He wrote: “For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal 5.13-14); and to the Romans: “The commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment—all are summed up by this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Rom 13.9). It is no mystery how Paul—who was raised a Pharisee, scrupulous about the minutia of the law of Moses—could have such a radical shift in his thinking about the law; his new understanding was grounded in the person and work of Christ. The evening before He was crucified, just after He washed His disciples’ feet, He said: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13.34-35).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com