Ezra - Introduction

Ezra - Introduction

2 Chronicles ends with Cyrus conquering Babylon, Ezra and Nehemiah deal with the return.The two books, Ezra and Nehemiah, were combined into one at an early stage. Indeed the Septuagint treats them as a single book.Origen (AD 185-253) is the first writer to consider them as separate books.. Many consider that the author of Ezra and Nehemiah was also the author of 1 & 2 Chronicles. Indeed the end of 2 Chronicles and the start of Ezra are very similar. Nehemiah is focused on the rebuilding work, while Ezra is more concerned with the religious rebuilding.

The TNIV study Bible lists the major  themes as:

• The restoration of Israel from exile. Sending  them into exile was a sovereign act of God, Babylon could not have defeated Judah unless God was against them. The restoration was also a sovereign act of God.

• The restoration was complete, although there was much work to be done in terms of rebuilding and restoring proper covenant worship.

• The restoration evoked opposition.

• The people needed to be taught, rebuked and corrected.

We can see parallels with Christian salvation. The work of Christ is complete (justification, sending of the Spirit) but there is much corrective work to be done (sanctification). There will be opposition, we need to be  taught rebuked and corrected.

2 Chronicles 36:9-23 - Downfall and return

36:9-14

Jehoiachin reigned for three months, he also did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He was also taken to Babylon and his uncle, Zedekiah was made king. He reigned for eleven years. And did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He ignored the prophet Jeremiah and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, but he did not turn to the Lord. The priests and people became increasingly unfaithful following the detestable practices of the nations. God’s people are not meant to be like the world.

36:15-23

God gave them plenty of warnings, but they were ignored and ill-treated. So the wrath of God was roused against them. So Babylon attacked and succeeded. The temple was destroyed, and goods and people were carried off to Babylon. The land enjoyed its sabbath rest. In the seventieth year Cyrus defeated Babylon, and the Jews were allowed to return.

2 Chronicles 36:1-8 - Downfall comes closer

36:1-4

Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, was the next king, though he didn’t last long, only three months. The king of Egypt dethroned him and imposed heavy payments on Judah. The brother of Jehoahaz, Eliakim was made king, and Jehoahaz was carried off to Egypt..

36:5-8

Eliakim’s name was changed to Jehoiakim and he reigned for eleven years. “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord”, so Babylon attacked and carried him off to Babylon. The end is nearing. He was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin.

2 Chronicles 35:1-27 Celebration of the Passover and the death of Josiah

35:1-7

The Passover was the most important festival in the Jewish Calendar,and so Josiah celebrated the Passover, sacrificing the Passover Lamb. He appointed the priests, and the Levites were instructed to put the sacred ark into the temple.The Levites were to represent the families of Israel.They were to follow the instructions of David and Moses. The king provided all the Passover lambs from his own possessions.

35:8-19

His officials also contributed voluntarily to the priests and Levites. So the Passover was celebrated in accordance with the Law.There was also worship. All this happened in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

35:20-27

Necho, king of Egypt attacked Judah. Josiah marched out to meet him. Josiah was shot by an arrow in the battle and later died. He was buried in the tomb of his ancestors and was greatly  mourned.

2 Chronicles 34 - Josiah the good

34:1-8

Josiah became king at the age of 8 and reigned for thirty one years. Unlike his father “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, not turning to the right or left.In the eighth year of his reign he began to seek the Lord, and in the twelfth year began to purge the country of the high places and idols. He scattered the pieces of the idols over the graves of those who had worshipped the. In the eighteenth year he began to repair the temple.

34:9-22

Money was given to people to carry out the repair work. There was proper management of the work. During the course of the work Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law. He gave the book to Shaphan who in turn took it to the king and read it to him. Josiah tore his clothes on hearing the words, probably because he realised how far the nation had fallen, and the promise of what the Lord would do if this happened. Josiah instructed the priests to inquire of the Lord. Hilkiah went to speak to the female prophet Huldah.

34:23-33

Huldah gave them a word, but not a comforting one.The curses (God’s judgement on man’s sin) would come upon Israel. Sin is very serious. However, because Josiah had humbled himself and sought the Lord, he would die in peace. Josiah then read the Book of the Law to all the people, they needed to know the word and learn to obey them.  They then all recommitted themselves to the Law of God. Perhaps Josiah hoped there was some way for them to avoid the judgement. Josiah continued to seek the Lord and to follow His ways.

2 Chronicles 33:10-25 - Manasseh repents, Amon doesn't

33:10-20

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and the people, but they paid no attention,Assyria came and took Manasseh prisoner. And he was led to Babylon. He then humbled himself and the Lord heard him, and brought him back to Jerusalem. He then knew that the Lord was God. He did some rebuilding work and got rid of the foreign gods, and undid much of the idol building he had done. However, the people continued to make sacrifices at the high places. He died and was succeeded by his son Amon.

33:21-25

Amon became king at the age of twenty two, but only reigned for two years. Sadly “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord”, indulging in idol worship like his father, but without eventually humbling himself. He was assassinated by his officials. The plotters were all killed by the people of the land, and his son Josiah was made king.

2 Chronicles 33:1-8 - Maasseh the bad

33:1-6

Manasseh was only twelve when he became king and he reigned for fifty five years. However, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, even rebuilding the high places that his father had demolished and erecting other places of idol worship. He bowed down to idols. He also sacrificed his children, His evil aroused the anger of the Lord.

33:7-9

He even put an image in the temple of the Lord. He led the people of Judah astray, so they did more evil than the nations that the Lord had expelled. In Hezekiah’s time the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem failed, but Manasseh was preparing the way for Babylon’s success.