Ezra Lesson 1 – God Moves the Jews to Restore Worship (Ezra 1-6)

1. What were the commands given in Cyrus’ decree? How was this a part of God’s plan?

Cyrus made a decree that all of the Jews that were taken into exile by the Babylonians 70 years earlier could go back to their homeland to Jerusalem to build the temple and bring back the worship of Yahweh. God had promised this would happen through the prophet Jeremiah and in Deuteronomy 30:1-5.

2. What did Zerubbabel and Jeshua/Joshua start rebuilding when they arrived in Jerusalem? Why?

They began right away with building the altar to offer sacrifices to worship God and to ask for his favor over them as they rebuilt the Temple. They began on the Temple a year after they arrived back and laid the foundation of the Temple. They wanted to restore the worship of God in the place that he chose (Deut 12).

3. Why was it a mixed response when they laid the foundation of the Temple?

The people who were young were celebrating because they could soon worship Yahweh in a way they never could have in exile. Those who were older saw the foundation and began weeping because the glory of Solomon’s foundation and temple were far more grand. This one paled in comparison to the old one. Would God’s blessing still be with his people?

4. What obstacles did they have to overcome in order to finish building the Temple? Who encouraged them to finish?

The people who the King of Assyria planted in the land after taking the Northern Kingdom into exile in 722 BC came to Zerubbabel and Jeshua and wanted to help them build. The problem was that they worshiped Yahweh in a wrong manner, and worshiped other gods as well. When their offer to help build the temple was rejected (and rightly so), they began to force the Jews to stop rebuilding the Temple through bribes, threats, and more. What would happen to the worship of Yahweh? Thankfully, God was watching and, 15 years later, sent the prophets Zechariah and Haggai to encourage the people to keep building. They responded with repentance and faith and started work on the Temple once again. They believed in the message of the prophets.

5. How did Darius’ decree help the Jews restore worship into the Temple?

King Darius made a decree that the Jews should receive whatever is needed from their enemies who tried to get them to stop the work. They should receive money, gold, animals, whatever they needed to help rebuild the temple.

6. What does this first part of Ezra teach us about God? How does it point us to Jesus?

Ezra shows us a God who is worthy of our worship and a God who has the power to save and deliver on his promises to his people. What God commands, he will give us the strength to accomplish. God is faithful and sovereign over kings and all nations, and his good hand is on his people. Jesus is the fullness of everything the Temple pointed towards. When we worship Jesus, we worship Yahweh, because Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus restored true worship for the Jews and for all the nations, anyone who comes to him in true repentance and faith. God is building his church that is now the Temple of God through his Son who is the greater King/Priest.