The book of ezra is an account of how the temple was rebuilt and how jehovahs worship was reestablished despite opposition and the imperfection of gods people. These enemies heard that the people who had come from captivity were building a temple for the lord, the god of israel. From whats in the bible download this free coloring page of jeshua and zerubbabel rebuilding the temple in. In the hebrew bible ezra and nehemiah are regarded as one book. As the israelites heard ezra preach, they were sorry for their sins. But many of the older priests and levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid.
Ezra 16 covers the first return of jews from captivity, led by zerubbabela period of twentythree years beginning with the edict of cyrus of persia and ending at the rebuilding of the temple in jerusalem 538515 bc. It is interesting to note that once ezra appears on the scene in chapter 7, the author of the book of ezra switches from writing in the third person to first person. In herods speech to the jews, recorded by josephus antiquities, book xv, herod proclaims that the original builders of the second temple were limited by the persian king to a temple only 60 cubits high, while he, herod, promised to raise it to a the appropriate height of 100 cubits. Construct, the hand of the lord, the house of god author. God had justly sent israel into exile for its sins, but, in his perfect timing, the jews who later returned to jerusalem have received gods grace to revive them. The two became separated with the first printed rabbinic bibles of the early 16th century, following late medieval latin christian tradition. The temple is also the first place where god begins to set about the work of restoration. This learned man, a priest and teacher of the law, came to jerusalem with the blessing of the persian king artaxerxes over fifty years after the rebuilding of the temple. The rebuilding of the temple was completed in 516 b. Soon a letter from the new king of persia comes back. Ironically, ezra himself does not appear in the book bearing his name until chapter 7. Ezras temple, herods temple and ezekiels vision of the.
Dan lewis continues his lectures with the initial start and hinderance of the 2nd temple. Ezras temple was 60 cubits high as reported in ezra 6. The book of ezra continues the narrative after chronicles and records the return from babylon and the rebuilding of the temple. He sees the account of the rebuilding of the temple ezra 5. According to the closing verses of the second book of chronicles and the books of ezra and nehemiah, when the jewish exiles returned to jerusalem following a decree from cyrus the great ezra 1. Ezra went to restore the spiritual life of the nation israel. Book of ezra overview insight for living ministries. Ezra and nehemiah are a single book in the jewish canon. The book of ezra, whose name means the lord is our help, derives its title from the heading of chapters 710. What a happy time they all had in jerusalem after the temple was rebuilt. In the first year of king cyrus 539538 bc, shortly after the persian defeat of babylon. The account is of great interest to us because we too are living in a. It is the last place the temple representing the spirit to be destroyed in an individuals failure to relate to his god. In about four years the temple is finished, and the israelites are very happy.
God s people were happy to be in their homeland, in spite of the long journey and their letdown at jerusalem s pitiful condition. Concerning the house of god at jerusalem, let the temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits. The people in jerusalem are poor, and the city and gods temple do not look very pretty. He was the governor of the territory who oversaw the rebuilding of the temple. The postexilic books of ezra, nehemiah, haggai, zechariah, and malachi were written about the period between 537 and perhaps 430 bc. Those who returned from babylonia sought to reclaim judahs former glory. The book of ezra begins with a decree from king cyrus of persia, allowing the jews to return to jerusalem to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by the babylonians in 587 bc ezra 1. After the exiles returned to jerusalem under the provision of cyrus to rebuild the house of the lord, they began the project, but were interrupted through the oppression of the samaritans, nevertheless. What does the bible say about rebuilding the temple. But in ancient jewish tradition, it is one bookezranehemiah.
The central message of the book of ezra is found in ezra the scribes moving confession on behalf of his people ezra 9. Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey. The books of ezra and nehemiah are the only completely historical books in the third. Rebuilding your temple sermon by joe mack cherry, ezra 1. There is no mention in the book of ezra that gods presence came to dwell in the rebuilt temple. There is a 58 year gap between the end of ezra chapter 6 and the beginning of ezra chapter 7.
Ezra 4 holman christian standard bible hcsb opposition to rebuilding the temple. Hence, ezra focuses only on the events that pertain to this purpose. Solomons temple had the light of the glory of god in the temple. Ezra and the israelites rebuild the temple bible story. This account weaves together several categories of written works. An argument of the books of ezranehemiah related media. To appreciate the significance of ezras journey to jerusalem, we need to bear in mind that 80 years had passed since the first return from babylon ch. Rebuilding the temple bible coloring pages whats in. The book of ezra begins with a decree from king cyrus of persia, allowing the. Ezra 6 niv bible king darius then issued an order, and. Many scholars believe that the person who compiled the book of ezra also. The lord, the god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at jerusalem in judah.
Ezra was a scribe and priest sent with religious and political powers by the persian king artaxerxes to lead a group of jewish exiles from babylon to jerusalem ezra 7. Ezra is written to fit a schematic pattern in which the god of israel inspires a king of persia to commission a leader from the jewish community to carry out a mission. Or sometimes you just need to fill in those last five minutes before the end of class. Previous book previous chapter read the full chapter next chapter next book. The book of ezra does not name its author, but jewish tradition says ezra wrote it as well as the books of nehemiah and chronicles. Ezra 1, new international version niv the bible app. Ezranehemiah is a book in the hebrew bible found in the ketuvim section, originally with the. How long did it take ezra to rebuild the temple in. God moves the heart of cyrus to commission sheshbazzar other name is zerubbabel the prince of judah, to rebuild the temple. In the book of daniel, darius has the old title of darius i king of the chaldeans babylonians, while koresh has the new one of. I have told you some of the story of the book of ezra.
Ezra 4 hcsb opposition to rebuilding the temple bible. The global message of ezra the big picture of ezra. In the first year of king cyrus, cyrus the king issued a decree. However, as they began to complete it, there were problems. The list of those who returned with zerubbabel is discovered. The book of ezra continues the old testament narrative. King darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at babylon. The themes are returning to jerusalem after the exile, rebuilding the temple, restoring the wall, and then learning to walk before the lord with sincerity and purity. Lessons from ezra for believers today michael hardt. There they overcome the opposition of their enemies to rebuild the altar and lay the foundations of the temple.
Application in todays world is as important to ot scriptures as it is to those in the nt. The book of ezra does not specifically name its author. Download this free coloring page of jeshua and zerubbabel rebuilding the temple in jerusalem from ezra 3. We cant be completely sure that ezra himself compiled the book or if it was an unknown compiler. The book of ezra is one of the books of the old testament that is generally classified as one of the books of history. This historical passage covers the period from cyruss proclamation, and includes the return of the first group from babylon about 537 bc, the rebuilding of the temple, work stoppages due to enemies, and the completion and dedication of the temple about 515 bc. The purpose of the author is to show how god fulfilled his promise given through prophets to restore his exiled people to their own land through heathen monarchs, and raised up such great men as zerubbabel, haggai. Ezra 4 erv enemies against rebuilding the temple bible gateway. The book of ezra begins with events that occur many years before ezra himself is born, with the momentous events of the return to jerusalem. The book of ezra opens with the same wording that closes the book of chronicles 2 chronicles 36.
Books of ezra and nehemiah, two old testament books that together with the books of chronicles formed a single history of israel from the time of adam. The tradition is that the prophet ezra wrote the book of ezra. The temple, as reconstructed by zerubbabel, could not be used for defensive purposes. Last week we talked about their celebration when the temple s foundation was laid. Rebuilding the temple activity sheet activity sheets are a great way to end a sunday school lesson. Ezra, the scribe, answers the call to teach israel the ways of god again ezr 7. The return of the exiles to jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple key words. Highlights from the book of ezra watchtower online library. Roman catholics long associated the two, calling the. It is now almost 48 years since the temple was finished. The temple in the book of ezra a lamp unto my feet. The introduction to this decree specifies when it was proclaimed. Books of ezra and nehemiah old testament britannica. What is important in the temple is the glorious presence of god.
728 95 325 486 1116 566 1132 513 937 1320 1424 1561 601 254 671 683 443 1277 452 594 1248 418 1505 62 100 18 605 914 232 473 231 1022 727