Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Studies Ezra Coming Out of Babylon Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. - Revelation 18:4 Bible Studies by Kathleen Dalton
Ezra Coming Out of Babylon This booklet has been put together for you to use either in your own personal Bible Study time, or to help you lead a Bible Study discussion group in your home, or at work. It is divided into several lessons, usually covering a chapter of the book you are studying, or sometimes a portion of a chapter. Each lesson has Questions for you to use as you read and think through the scripture. If you are leading a discussion group, it will be helpful to be sure each member of your group has a copy of each week s questions in advance, so that they can prepare ahead of time if they want to. 2
Ezra Coming Out of Babylon Table of Contents Passage Page Introduction 4 Chapter 1 6 Chapter 2 7 Chapter 3 8 Chapter 4 9 Chapters 5&6 12 Chapter 7 13 Chapter 8 14 Supplement: Fasting 15 Chapters 9&10 16 3
Ezra - Introduction The book of Ezra is a history book which turns into an autobiography about half-way through. The book starts out telling the story of the return of the Jews from Babylon back to Israel. And then, about half-way through the telling, Ezra himself not only tells the story, but also takes the 2 nd group of Jews back to Israel, and therefore, is part of the story. The man who wrote all this, Ezra, would probably be an engineer or an accountant in our present day. He loved getting facts organized, down on paper, and presentable. He was probably the writer of 1 st and 2 nd Chronicles (which tells the story of the Jews during the time of the Kings). The last 2 verses of 2 nd Chronicles are actually identical to the first few verses of Ezra thus, the writer, Ezra, completes the story begun in 2 nd Chronicles by writing the book of Ezra. In a short summary, the story is this: The Jews were chosen by God to spread the truth about Him to the whole world. They failed. They rebelled against the Lord, and the Lord allowed them to suffer in order to bring them back to Him. He allowed enemy nations to come in and conquer them and carry them away. First, Assyria carried away 10 of the tribes of Israel. Then, years later, Babylon carried away the other 2 tribes. After Babylon conquered them, it was 70 years before the Lord made it possible for them to return to their land. The book of Ezra tells the story of their return. Babylon, their captors, had become Persia and the new King of Persia issued a decree saying the Jews could go back home, after 70 years captive. What should have been a mass exodus of Jews from a foreign land turned out to be only a trickle of people returning home. They had gotten pretty comfortable in that foreign land, and, well, not very many really cared that much about making the long, dangerous trip home. For most of the Jews 4
living in Babylon/Persia, the home of their enemies had become their home, and they stayed. But for some the permission to return home to the land of Israel was the best news they had ever heard, and the news they had been expecting for 70 years. Some of them had been born in Babylon, the children of the original captives. Some of them were the grandchildren and greatgrandchildren of the original captives. They got their few belongings together, sold everything else, and walked home. It was hard, it was hot, it was exhausting, and once they got there they had lots of hard, hot and exhausting work to do in order to have a place to live again. But the draw to home was overwhelming. They had to go to the land God had given them so long ago. They wanted to once again fulfill their mission tell the world about the One, True God. We ll see some painfully clear parallels to our own lives in this part of Jewish history. We ll see ourselves loving our lives and comfortable in our own Babylon. We ll wonder what it actually means for us to leave Babylon. We ll wonder if the sacrifices of leaving Babylon are worth it. But I think we ll also see that the message from the Lord is clear: Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues - Revelation 18:4 Here s a simple timeline we ll use as we study Ezra: Captivity In Babylon 586 BC Jesus Return #1 Zerubbabel 539 BC Return #2 Ezra 458 BC Return #3 Nehemiah 445 BC 5
Ezra Chapter 1 - Questions 1. When does this chapter take place? 2. Where does this chapter take place? 3. Who is in this chapter? 4. What happens in this chapter? 5. (:1) What word did Jeremiah speak that is being fulfilled at this time in history? When did Jeremiah speak this word? Jeremiah 25:12 6. (:1-3) From verses 1-3, can you tell whether Cyrus was a believer in the one, true God? 7. (:1) If Cyrus was not a believer, how is it, then, that Cyrus, a King who did not believe in God, was fulfilling God s will? Isaiah 44:24-28 Proverbs 8:15 Daniel 2:21 Rev. 17:16&17 Daniel 4:17,32 8. Who made it possible for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem? :3-6 9. It looks, then, like when God wants His will to be done, it is done, whether He uses believers or non-believers. So are we believers even necessary? What is our job? Romans 12:1 James 1:22-25 10. How can we (I) be more a part of what God is doing in my part of the world? (Is there something I should be obeying?) 6
Ezra Chapter 2 Questions 1. When? 2. Where? 3. Who? 4. What happens? 5. (:1) When the exiles returned, how was each family going to know where to live in Israel? 6. The list in verses 3-35 is a list of cities the people returned to. Of those cities, there are probably 2 names which are quite familiar to you. What are they? Why do you recognize them? 7. There were basically 3 tribes of Israel represented in the group which returned.which 3 tribes? (see 1:5). Why only 3 tribes? What happened to the others? 8. In verses 40-57, and in verse 70, find 4 different jobs listed for the Levites who returned. 1. 2. 3. 4. 9. These people returned to small, unimportant, insignificant jobs. Why did they do it? 10. We have no idea who most of these people are. Why did God make sure their names were included in this chapter? Why are these genealogies important? 7
Ezra Chapter 3 Questions 1. When? 2. Where? 3. Who? 4. What happens? 5. (:1) As the exiles gather in Jerusalem at the beginning of this chapter, they have been in Israel for 3 months. Where have they been? What have they been doing for 3 months? 6. (:2-7) What is the first thing they do upon gathering in Jerusalem? Why did they do this first, before beginning to rebuild the temple? 7. (:8-13) After the foundation of the temple was laid, what did they do? Why was there both praising and weeping? Psalm 126: 5,6 James 4:1-9 8. What does this chapter teach you about how to come out of Babylon? 8
Ezra Chapter 4 Questions 1. When? (this is really important to know in this chapter) Captivity In Babylon 586 BC Jesus Return #1 Zerubbabel 539 BC Return #2 Ezra 458 BC Return #3 Nehemiah 445 BC 2. Where? 3. Who? (Who were their leaders?) 4. What happens? 5. (:1) Why would the returning exiles have enemies? Why would they not want the exiles to rebuild the temple? 6. (:2-5) What four (4) methods did the enemies of Israel use to try to stop their work on the temple? 1. 2. 3. 4. 9
We will need our timeline to get our arms around this next question. So far, in Chapter 4, Ezra has been telling us what happened as the first group of Jews returned to Israel under the leadership of Zerubbabel. The have made the return trip, gone to their own cities to settle their families, then gathered in Jerusalem to rebuild the altar in the burned down temple, and began to make offerings again, and kept the Feast of Tabernacles for the first time in 70 years. The 2 nd year they were back they began to rebuild the temple starting with laying the foundation. This laying of the foundation brought great joy, and also some sadness. But now, in Chapter 4, this first group of Jewish returnees begins to face some fierce opposition from the people who were living already in the land at their return. Their efforts to stop the rebuilding of the temple were temporarily successful and for almost 20 years the first group of Jews stopped working on the temple. In Chapter 4 Ezra shows us many ways the enemies of God tried to discourage and stop the Jews from getting their job done. One of their methods of fighting against the Jews was letters they wrote to the government of Persia.. In Chapter 4 we see a copy of a letter written not during the time of this first group of returning Jews, but in the time of the 3 rd group of returning Jews. Remember, Ezra is putting this history all together in a book long after the events happened, so he is able to slide in some proof from different time frames that the enemies of Israel used the same evil methods again and again. Captivity In Babylon 586 BC Jesus Return #1 Zerubbabel 539 BC After much discouragement, Temple finally finished by 516 BC Return #2 Ezra 458 BC Return #3 Nehemiah 445 BC 10
7. (:7-23) (This section is like a little parenthesis that Ezra adds to the story telling about something which happens almost 100 years later than the rest of this chapter) so Almost 100 years later, when Nehemiah brought a group back, what was another method used by the enemies of Israel to try to stop the work on the temple? 7. (:24) (Now Ezra is back again to the time of the first group of returnees) What was the result of the work of the enemies of Israel? (This result lasts for almost 20 years.) 9. What does this chapter teach you about coming out of Babylon? 11
Ezra Chapters 5&6 Questions 1. When, Where? 2. Who is very important in these two chapters? (5:1 and 6:14) 3. What happens? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 4. 20 years ago, these same people tried to do a work for God and they ended up discouraged, frightened & frustrated. What was different this time? 5. What celebration took place when the temple was finished? 6. What is the main focus of the Passover Celebration? 7. What do you consider to be the most important thing you are doing for Jesus with your life? How easy is it for the enemy to convince you to quit? James 1:2-4 12
1. When? (7:1, 8, 9) Ezra Chapter 7 Questions Captivity In Babylon 586 BC Jesus Return #1 Zerubbabel 539 BC Return #2 Ezra 458 BC Return #3 Nehemiah 445 BC 2. Where? 3. Who? (:1) 4. What do we know about Ezra? :1-5 : 6 :6 :6 :10 5. What do we know about Artaxerxes? :12-28 6. What were Ezra s 3 purposes in traveling to Jerusalem? :25-28 7. Why did Ezra love the law, want to study it, practice it, and teach it? (Deuteronomy 33:8-11) 8. Who are priests today? 9. What is your job as a priest? 13
Ezra Chapter 8 Questions 1. Review tell the story from last week 2. Vs. 1-14. What are your thoughts as you finish reading this genealogy? 3. Vs. 15 What did Ezra notice about the group assembled to travel to Israel? Why was that significant? 4. Vs. 16-20 What did he do about it? 5. Vs. 18 Who responded? Why? Why hadn t they responded before? 6. Vs. 21-23 What was the first thing Ezra did once he knew everyone was ready to leave? Why? 7. Vs. 23 What is fasting? Was it necessary? Wouldn t God have protected them anyway? 8. Vs. 24-30 What was the next thing Ezra did before the group left for Jerusalem? Why was that important? 9. Vs. 33-36 What was the order of events once they left Babylon? 1. 2. 3. 4. 14
Fasting What is it? Why do it? Should I do it? Zechariah 7:5 Joel 1:14 Isaiah 58:3,4 Psalms 35:13 Mark 2:19 Jeremiah 36:6 I Corinthians 7:5 I Corinthians 4:4-10 Daniel 9:3 Isaiah 58:5-7 Acts 13:2 Matthew 17:21 15
Ezra Chapters 9&10 Questions 1. 9:1-2 What was the problem? 2. 2. Why was this such a problem? What about Ruth? Rahab? (both were gentile women who married Jewish men, but their unions were blessed of God) 3. 9:3,4 How did Ezra react to finding out about this problem? 4. What kind of news would cause you to react in that way? 5. 9:5-15 What did Ezra do in order to begin to solve the problem? 6. After reading Ezra s prayer, how would you describe the reactions Ezra was having to this horrible news? 7. 9:15 What convinced Ezra that they all were guilty before God? 8. 10:1-4 What solution did the people come up with to their problem? What caused such an attitude of repentance that they didn t need Ezra to tell them what to do? 16
9. 10:3 What happened to the children of these marriages? 10. 10:4-44 Was this really necessary? What are we supposed to learn from this? 11. What have you learned about coming out of Babylon? Captivity In Babylon 586 BC Jesus Return #1 Zerubbabel 539 BC After much discouragement, Haggai and Zechariah join Zerubbabel in getting the Temple finally finished by 516 BC Return #2 Ezra 458 BC Ezra s job: Re-instate the law, record the history Return #3 Nehemiah 445 BC Nehemiah s job: Rebuild the wall around Jerusalem 17
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